24RiptideBlue

I picked up the car a few weeks ago but with holidays, other projects, figuring out how I want everything set etc I have only driven it a few times.

It’s supposed to snow on Sunday so it could be now or never to drive it before Spring in May.

Also solved the seat entry/exit issue… (Wasn’t functioning). I set the wheel, seat and mirrors and saved the settings under number 1. I was using key number 2 🤦‍♂️. Never had a car that made the exit process tied the key. Most manufacturers just have the seat slide back and the steering wheel raise and retract. Seems overkill to establish an exit position for the seat and wheel and have to save it, and have it tied to the key 😳🙄. I’m the only driver so I just saved all the same settings for 1 and 2 and no matter which key I use the seat and steering wheel go to my setting and the exit feature works.

Just doing errands showed how easy the car is to live with. Excellent ride. Nicer than my AMG, noticeably nicer. No idea how they make a car like this with those tires ride that well.

Steering is super precise. Still figuring out throttle and shift points but the engine and trans on sport settings seem to have a good balance of knowing when to hold the gear a little longer vs when to shift a little earlier and use the great torque.

Favorite feature is the Z mode as it’s the only drive mode that lets me use touring suspension and steering settings for a nice riding car around town but also lets me use sport for engine and transmission mode for quicker acceleration which lets the engine rev a bit more vs the old gm upshift, upshift, upshift as fast as possible to the highest gear for max mpg. I hate driving cars that feel lazy. No matter what you do they lope along at the lowest possible RPM. I remember old gm cars that never saw 3,000 RPM their whole life 🤣.

GT2 seats. Wow. Super comfortable and hold you exactly in place.

What’s up with the directional switch?!
My son noticed immediately…. “even in a $100k super car… gm uses the same econobox switch gear…”.
The sound is even airport rental!!!
My first car was a 72 Buick Grand Sport. The switch gear in my 72 was much better than my new C8. It wouldn’t cost more than $500 to make the inside of a C8 feel like a Mercedes. Better switches would make the car that much better but the directional switch has to go. 🤣

CRUZ1NN

It is great that you are enjoying your new ride. I hope you get a chance to drive it more and before bad weather sets in.

• Can you provide complete specs/options? Package group (1LT, 2LT, 3LT)? Options like: performance exhaust, mag ride, etc.?
• When you mention "The sound is even airport rental!", are you referring to the exhaust sound or the Bose sound system.
• Can you be more specific in your definition of "directional switch"? Are you referring to Park, Drive, Reverse?

24RiptideBlue

So many questions…. 🤣
2024 C8 Coupe
Riptide Blue / Black Interior
2LT
Z51 Performance Pkg
Z51 Mag suspension
Satin Graphite 5 spoke forged wheels
Red Brake Calipers
GT2 Seats w/Napa Leather
Body color accents
Z51 aero delete
Low Profile spoiler and front splitter

When I ordered my car it was $88k now after the latest price increase the same spec is $90k

The Z51 Performance Pkg and Z51 Mag suspension are over $8k for those two options alone but I wanted a car than can be tracked like a Porsche and not fall apart or lose it’s brakes after two laps. I have driven German performance cars for decades and they are built to handle 150-170 MPH on the Autobahn which is why they generally don’t break when I drive them hard. I wanted a sports car built to that standard. gm clearly states if you plan on tracking the car you need the Z51 as it beefs up the brakes, the cooling system, the suspension, the stability controls etc. Again built to a standard that can handle track driving stress.

The “airport rental” comment is only about the turn signals. When you put the directional on the lever feels like it’s in jello. It just feels like the cheapest switch you have ever actuated. Wife’s VW Bug, Subaru, my AMG and E46 BMW all have better switch gear than my Corvette. Same thing for the “tick tock, tick tock” sound when the turn signal is flashing just reminds me of airport rentals when traveling, not what a Supercar should feel and sound like.

The stereo is fine. The exhaust is great (especially in track) but be forewarned gm has deleted Nav from all C8’s for 2024 and replaced it with a Subscription Required Google maps. So they charge you more but have deleted $2k In content. Most people use their phone for Nav so they don’t care but I still feel like gm screwed me. I wanted a 2023 (that Does have Nav) but got bumped to a 2024 (that does NOT have Nav) and paid $3k more because it was a 2024 but again gm deleted the Nav and I wasn’t aware it was not included anymore until the car was sitting in my drive way. All the builds I did waiting in line tor my order to be submitted were 2023 builds. Part of the reason I chose LT2 was because of the Nav. I use my phone most of the time for mapping but if I’m spending almost $100k I’d rather have the in car Nav than not even it’s just as a back up.

Typical gm I’m sad to say. The engineers created an amazing car. Drives incredible. The management just continues to look for ways to charge more and deliver less. It’s just so opposite to what I’m used to with BMW, Mercedes and Lexus that generally want to bend over backwards to please the customer. Especially Lexus. Not gm.

switchlanez

I'm guessing the directional switch refers to the turn signals. Because that's the most vague control with the least positive actuation in the interior. Feels like an afterthought or they forgot to dial in the feel or ran out of budget to do so after fine tuning the feel of every other control. Reviewers have criticized this and diehards would fire back staunchly defending the C8. I think it's a valid criticism but so non-severe that I consider it a minor quirk.

Edit: He responded clarifying it as I typed this out.

CRUZ1NN

Thank you both for the clarity. Obviously, I was not use to the term "directional switch" but it makes complete sense now.

ZipZap

If Driver 2 is very short, the brake can't be depressed from the way back position.

24RiptideBlue

It’s just hilarious to me the way gm prioritizes where to save money. For example the engine cover/trunk has a motorized self closing feature. Just press until you hear a click and the little motor sucks the trunk lid into place. How often do I open the trunk? Once in a while, maybe. But you use (at least I do) the turn signal multiple times every time you get in the car. I don’t need an automated self closing trunk lid. A normal latch would have been fine. Gladly trade the auto Trunk lid for a decent turn signal switch.

24RiptideBlue

Just a lot of settings…. Never spent more an hour setting up a car for daily driving and a hot button for when you need to get up and go (sport mode, M mode, Individual mode, my mode, Z mode…)

I must have 4 to 6 hours 🤣 over several weeks spent setting up the C8 the way I want it for daily driving. I ended up using Z mode for daily driving because it lets me combine sport engine, transmission and brake modes with touring steering and suspension settings. For full on performance I go to Track and let her rip.

wayback

Never paid any attention to the turn signal stalk.
Very low on my give a crap meter.

I would say GM did a pretty damn good job building an economic supercar if the biggest complaint is the turn signal switch.

Easy to build a nicer car if it cost $300k. But much harder to get the same performance and quality for less than 1/3rd the cost.

Vetteman Jack

Thanks for your experience review of the car. Great to read all the different perspectives concerning the +/- of the C8.

frankjr

I agree, turn signal switch is different but very low on my priority list and sure doesn't affect the performance or handling of a sports car that is a great value IMHO.

AORoads

I agree tho with OP that when you feel/hear turn signal lever and the "clicking" sound, it does remind one of something from a rental agency at the airport (or wherever). Or some older taxi cabs.

Years ago, some may recall the difference between how car doors closed---clanging sound of metal hitting metal, as compared to more expensive cars having a "quieter-closing" sound. Hard to describe it, but not long ago I went to a Mazda dealer and tried out their Miata. I knew it had been "improved" since its '89-birth by the way the doors began to close more quietly. Not luxo-closing but better. After 34 years in biz! Yes, it's a small thing but as said, it's there all the time to be heard and felt. Just sayin'...

3LZR21U

BMW is like GM; they are so bad that owning a BMW without the free maintenance is a giant PITA anymore. They bundle all of that freebee so that you'll buy it, but that just means that the resale value goes into the crapper. This started over a decade ago when they first started making it so that oil changes were no longer something simple you could do in your garage--but instead required a siphon. Encase the rest of the engine in carbonite--and Viola! Now you can squeeze more money out of owners over the life of the car.

I didn't know that the driver settings were tied to keys. That might be annoying for you--but it makes a lot of sense for multiple drivers. If I give my wife a key, she can program herself to 1 with her key. If she or I like multiple settings (around town, road trip, track, etc)--then it would be nice to have those progreammed to my key.

I agree with the rest; the turn-stalk is far less of an annoyance than the OnStar proprietary BS that they keep force feeding their consumers.

Rip Tide

Very true…my 2024 Riptide Blue is a good car. No nav sucks cause i hate using my phone. The turn signal sounds like an old school Buick. Yes very much opposite of BMW etc..I’ve had several M cars. 2018 M2 2021 M3 2022 X3M. Quality, fit and finish is incredible.

JDSKY

Will have to check out the turn signal operation the next time I drive the car. Guess I will have to pay more attention. I could not tell you what the turn signals were like when I last drove a 720S or 488 or 911 either. I guess I need to pay more attention to these things and less about how they perform and drive.....

JABCAT

There are a lot of setting in new cars, but Corvettes have had the option to have different settings tied to the different fobs since at least the C6 generation. I was just reminded of this when I had to change the battery in both fobs. I apparently grabbed fob #2 and the settings in the vehicle were all jacked up and the DIC read "individualize settings for Ben". I don't know who Ben is As my wife never drives the Corvette, I set all the same settings for both fobs.

The settings tied to fobs can also include radio pre-sets, phone (carplay/android auto settings) and other interior features. This has been the case on every new vehicle I've purchased over the last 10-15 years. It can be convenient but also extremely annoying if it does't work.

My wife got rid of her '23 Grand Cherokee after 9 months simply because the fob profiles would never work, would reset after every drive, go to random seat positions, etc. All the dealership could say was "maybe a software update will come out soon".

Mention BMW & 3LZR21U can sniff it & comes running. He's the resident BMW hater.

I really like my BMWs, so much that I just bought another new one 4 weeks ago. Until I experience something negative, that's how I'll feel about them. Oil changes are no more difficult on my M vehicles than my Z06, so I think he's just making stuff up to complain about.

I'm still figuring out all the settings on my new '23 M2 & there appears to be more to set up with iDrive 8 than on my '22 with iDrive 7. I do think manufacturers and software teams are getting out of control making things excessively complex when they don't need to be. There are a million apps and multiple screens I'm never going to use, like a Dominos Pizza app - really?

I do agree with you on the turn signal and wiper stalks, both on appearance (they look cheap and out of place) and function. I feel the same about them in my C6 Z. You stop paying attention to them over time.

Congrats on your new ride

3LZR21U

The nitnoid stuff is what starts to become pronounced the longer you own something. Happens with most everything, but especially houses & cars...stuff like that. With the length of time I own my average vehicle, whatever I get has to be damn near perfect--because it will start annoying the snot out of me otherwise.

If you haven't even put 20,000 miles on something by the time you sell it--abysmal build quality pieces/parts probably don't even register for you.

3LZR21U

To be fair, I have a lot of things/brands I dislike. It's the curse of having an excellent memory and a knack for researching the history/background of things to the Nth degree. It sounds like you're taking it personally.

I'd say your experience might countermand my own take on the situation--but your experience all seems to be with their new offerings; which almost universally carry service coverage for darn near everything. The several 2000's BMW's still seem somewhat capable of being worked on. That said, when I see stories of how an F10 A/C filter requires invasive work to get at or how the S85 or N54 is a PITA to do an oil change on? Yeah, that reinforces my opinions. I doubt MB or Audi are far removed from BMW in this regard (being overengineered and not user-friendly). It's just BMW quickly became the most visible/obvious example of this.

You do have firsthand experience though, which I do not. I've read enough things about BMW in the past to make me question the S58 engine without even seeing data on it one way or the other. If BMW has turned a corner and started making their offerings more repair friendly to the DIY consumer--this is the first I've heard of it.

22c8z51

I never listened to my turn signal sound.

My turn signal is never "on" for any significant duration greater than a few seconds.

My Jaguar signal clicker sounded like a couple blocks of wood clapping together.

mikegr

Do you plan on tracking the car? What area are you in? Curious with the mention of snow this weekend. I am in Ma and always looking for more folks to head to track days.