Comparison Archives - Page 5 of 6 - C6Performance Journal

June 17, 2014

[VIDEO] Generation Gap: 1963 Corvette Sting Ray vs 2007 Corvette Z06

Via CorvetteVideos.TV I am sure you’ve played this highly subjective game before with one of your Corvette friends: Old school vs new school. It’s tough enough to judge two different Corvettes from the same year, but what happens when they are separated by over 45 years? Watch the video and tell us in the comments […]

June 6, 2014

Graph Shows the C7 Corvette Z06 Belongs in an Elite Group

Graph Shows Corvette Z06 Belongs in Elite Group

Proving that the 2015 Corvette Z06 belongs to an elite club of production cars with more than 600 horsepower, Chevrolet is showing off a graph on just where the Z06 comes in comparison with others in same class.

That 650 hp number is huge for all of us horsepower fans who like to start (or end) flame wars on the forums and youtube posts as in “The Corvette Z06 has 650 horsepower, bitches. Get over it“. But the real beauty of the LT4 is that torque curve which produces 457 lb-ft of torque just off idle and 625 lb-ft of torque by 2,800 rpms. Chevrolet says the supercharged LT4 maintains 90 percent of its peak torque from 2,500 to 5,400 rpms.

In the official press release, Chevy points out that the V12 powered Ferrari F12 Berlinetta produces 28 percent less torque than the Z06 despite offering about 12 percent more horsepower. The Ferrari doesn’t even reach peak torque until 6,000 rpms. The Corvette Z06 reaches a peak torque of 650 lb-ft at 3,600 rpms.

With 650 horsepower, the Corvette Z06 feels right at home in the list of super cars. But in terms of pricing, the Z06 stands alone (or maybe a couple steps in front of the SRT Viper). Looking at the cars ahead of the Z06, two cost more than a million dollars, one is almost a million and the others would set you back several hundred thousand dollars.

Source:
Chevrolet

Â© 2014 CorvetteBlogger.com. The article Graph Shows the C7 Corvette Z06 Belongs in an Elite Group originally appeared on the website Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle at www.CorvetteBlogger.com. If you are reading this content other than our RSS feed or one of our select partners, then you’re on a website who is using this feed without permission.

April 18, 2014

Top Gear: Corvette Stingray vs Porsche 911

Top Gear: Corvette Stingray v. Porsche 911

Top Gear Magazine recently got their hands on a 2014 Corvette Stingray and pitted it against its benchmarking target, the Porsche 911. They drove the cars throughout the UK countryside measuring the cars’ interiors, styling, and road manners against each other. If you follow the UK version of Top Gear you know they were luke-warm on the C6 Corvette. They loved the American V8 power, but lamented the transverse leaf spring suspension and even referred to the rear cargo cover as shower curtain.

So what did the folks across the pond think of the C7? Well, we’re happy to report that they were quite impressed with it. Their first impressions are the that Corvette “is the better cruiser of the two…”. They also mentioned that they achieved 34.3 mpg where the Porsche returned a tad over 30 mpg.

Next they turn their attention to the interiors. They refer to the Porsche’s cabin as “sober and aesthetic, ergonomically brilliant and strangely comforting” and describe the Stingray as “…feels a lot more exciting, if a lot busier and not quite as nicely finished as the 911.”

From there they went on to talk about the performance of the cars. They were surprised at the C7′s ability to “happily pull away from the Porsche without too much effort – especially given a short straight.” This is largely due to the 140ft-lb and 60hp advantage the Corvette holds over the 911. In our favorite quote of the whole article they describe the LT-1′s exhaust note as “pure sonic vandalism”. We’re not 100% sure that means, but it sounds cool so we agree with it. While fans of the Stingray’s power plant, they give the Porsche the nod in the steering and suspension departments.

We won’t give away all the details of the piece, but they do mention that “…the Corvette C7 Stingray is simply a damn fine sports car…” We couldn’t agree more.

Head on over to Top Gear to read the full article and get their wrap up of all the 911 on Stingray action.

Source:
Top Gear

Â© 2014 CorvetteBlogger.com. The article Top Gear: Corvette Stingray vs Porsche 911 originally appeared on the website Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle at www.CorvetteBlogger.com. If you are reading this content other than our RSS feed or our partners at CorvetteForum.com, then you’re on a website who is using this feed without permission.

February 17, 2014

[VIDEO] Corvette Stingray vs Britannia at Goodwood Hill Climb

Three cars.

Three (wet) hill climbs.

No driver aids allowed.

That summarizes the latest challenge for the 2014 Corvette Stingray against the best the world has to offer.

Today, we’re showing you a video made by Goodwood, hosts of the annual Festival of Speed each summer at Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.

Goodwood got its hands on a red seventh-generation Corvette and put it to the test against two much more expensive British competitors, the Jaguar F-Type V8S and the Aston Martin Vantage V12S.

And, speaking of money, let’s go ahead and get the price tag comparisons out of the way â€“ the Stingray, as usual, emerges as the low-price leader at 61,495 pounds vs. 79,985 pounds for the Jag and a whopping 138,000 pounds for the Aston Martin.

Racing driver Anthony Reid, promising that “we’re going to have a bit of fun,” climbs behind the wheel of each car on the challenging Goodwood course that features a wet and wild hill climb, no driver aids allowed.

He uses his skills to first send the 5.0-liter V8 supercharged Jaguar (with 488 horsepower and 461 lb ft) to a best elapsed time of 1:11.9.

Next he pushes the Aston Martin (packing 565 horsepower and 457 lb ft) to a best time of 1:05.2.

The new Stingray loses the horsepower race with the 460 horses provided by its 6.2-liter V8, but more than makes up for it in other ways, finishing with a time of…

Well, you might want to check out this short video to see if this new Corvette has the right stuff to beat its British competition.

We’ll give you a hint â€“ the same side won this competition AND the Revolutionary War.

Source:
ChevyHardcore.com

February 10, 2014

[VIDEO] The Corvette Stingray Takes On Europeâ€™s Best Cars

[VIDEO] The Corvette Stingray Takes On Europe's Best Cars

It doesn’t come with a trophy, but the new Corvette Stingray can still feel pretty good about itself after earning some pretty high praise from the folks at Autocar.co.uk.

“As car enthusiasts, we love the new Corvette Stingray,” says Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe. “We think so much of it, in fact, that we’ve lined it up here beside the very best sports cars that Europe can offer, each of which has been handpicked to gauge just how good the new seventh-generation Corvette has become.”

That competition included the Porsche 911 Carrera S, chosen to see how fast the new Corvette is and how well it can stop; the Jaguar F-Type V8, here to compare against for noise and general behind the wheel entertainment; and the Audi R8 V8, invited to test how sharp the Corvette’s handling is on and beyond the limit.

Sutcliffe starts with an overview of the new Stingray, saying that there’s so much new on the car that it’s easier to start with the bits that aren’t new. He praises the gearbox, says engineers have the “sweet spot” on the chassis, and notes that the ride is “good” and the steering “just miles better than I can remember.”

Then come the performance tests against Europe’s best, and we don’t think it will spoil the ending for you if we say that the Corvette can hold its head up very high in this elite company, in Autocar’s view.

“No question,” Sutcliffe brags. The Corvette “sounds great, it goes better than any of them, it looks good, it stops well, and it’s an absolute peach of a car to drive at the limit.

“But here’s the thing, though,” he concludes. “At 62 grand (in pounds), it’s also a complete bargain beside Europe’s best (that cost as much as 30,000 pounds more). It’s just a great car, full stop, really,” easily the best Corvette ever, he says.

Source:
Autocar.uk on YouTube via Jalopnik

January 30, 2014

SRT CEO Ralph Gilles Says Viper Isnâ€™t A Corvette

SRT CEO Gilles Says Viper Isn't A Corvette

Photo Credit: Edmunds.com

Maybe this is what the boss has to say when your competition is smashing you in the sales â€“ and critical reviews – departments.

“We’ve never tried to be Corvette. We never will be. We’re handmade. It takes 18 hours to paint the stripe on a Viper. We color sand the entire car, inside and outside. All the panels are beautifully finished. We’re trying to build a custom show car that you can own. This is not a disposable device here.”

Those are the words of SRT CEO Ralph Gilles during a recent interview with Automotive News.

To Corvette fans, that might sound like a little sour grapes.

After all, while the Corvette has been selling like hotcakes since its release in September, the Viper has had to cut production since its less than critically acclaimed redesign debuted last year.

Still, Gilles told Automotive News he’s not worried about the Viper because the plant still has hundreds of orders to build, Gilles said.

What else can he say?

Gilles also said SRT’s consumer test drive program has been crucial in helping customers understand that the new Viper is more than just an evolution.

“It’s a whole new machine. It’s direct. It’s handmade. It’s tight,” Gilles said.

Of course, not as tight as that “disposable” Corvette Stingray, according to media reviews of the two cars.

Gilles also maintains that the Viper doesn’t need an optional automatic transmission, though the company remains “open-minded to it.”

He maintains that the Viper, while ignoring paddle shifters that everyone else seems to offer, is distinguishing itself from the competition.

“We’re also seeing now where people are noticing and saying, â€˜Wow, it’s like the last driver’s car left,’ ” he said. “That’s exactly what it’s been about all along.”

Source:
CarScoops.com
Photo Credit: Edmunds.com

October 16, 2013

The C7 Corvette Stingray â€“ A Porsche Killer from Detroit?

The C7 Corvette Stingray - A Porsche Killer from Detroit?

CNN Money is raving about the new Corvette as an American car that can take down the Porsche. Is the CNN author’s perspective accurate? Let’s quickly examine the validity of the claims.

Price Comparison

It’s not fair to compare the Porsche to the Stingray without making mention of the price point. Knowing what kind of pricing you’re dealing with will help put everything into perspective as far as value is concerned.

The most popular Porsche model, the 911 Carerra, has an MSRP of about $84,000, and according to TrueCar.com the average purchase price comes in at around $80,554. This is the base-model Carerra, which may or may not be available at your local Porsche dealer (often times dealers only stock higher-end models). Thus, the best price you’ll get is $80k…and many people pay a lot more.

Similarly, the website also notes that the factory invoice for the Stingray is $48,425 with a $51,995 MSRP. There’s no known information available yet about the average price a consumer pays in real life purchases since this model has just now made its way to dealerships. There are rumors of dealers marking up new Vette’s $5-10k.

Still, even with a $10k addendum, the new Stingray wins the price comparison.

Power Comparison

Now for the most notable factor about sports cars — how much power they have! For most people, that’s all that really matters.

Horsepower side by side comparisons reveal that when it come to brut strength, the Stingray is the clear winner. While the 911 Carrera has a 3.8L engine that pushes an impressive 350 horsepower — the Stingray touts a much better 455 horsepower (460 hp with performance exhaust option).

What does this translate into in the real world? The Porsche 911 Carrera has a 0-60 of 4.3 seconds according to the Porsche website, and a 2012 Carrera S tested by Motor Trend ran the quarter mile in 12 seconds flat. Chevy’s Corvette Stingray has times of 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 12 seconds as well. As you can see, the times are very close and would likely even come down to driver skill in real life situations.

Of course, Porsche loyalists will argue that the mid-engine 911 is a better track car. While the 911 isn’t really a mid-engine racer, it remains to be seen how well the 911 and Stingray will compete on the race course. Regardless, a $52k Corvette can run neck and neck with a $98k Porsche Carrera S, which means any new Vette buyer has $40k sitting around for performance add-ons. If even half that sum is spent on go-fast parts, there’s no contest between the two vehicles.

Which Model Wins The Image Contest?

The Corvette Stingray is the winner for pricing, and essentially the winner for performance as well once you start using your “extra” money to invest in performance add-ons. Yet the “image” contest is one area where the Porsche has a definite advantage.

American drivers have a love/hate relationship with the Porsche, but the brand has an extremely loyal following. Many Porsche drivers consider themselves to be lifers, the vehicle is associated with status and wealth, the cars are often portrayed in movies, etc. If you ask the average person on the street, odds are good that the Porsche brand will be viewed as “cool”, and that drivers of said car will be viewed as successful (and perhaps pretentious as well).

The Corvette, on the other hand, is anything but pretentious…and perhaps that’s the problem. The Vette is stylish and powerful, but it’s status as a sports car for “everyman” might hurt it’s cool factor in some eyes. In a society where excess is rewarded, it’s hard for a value-priced super car to get it’s due.

Still, the fact is that the newest Corvette model has people going crazy. Popular media outlets (like CNN) have been talking about the car, as have all the major automotive outlets. What’s more, GM has made a real effort to shed the image of the “middle-aged guy’s sports car” with the Stingray â€“ something I wrote about here.

Is the new Stingray really a “Porsche killer from Detroit” like the CNN writer explains? Probably not. Despite the Vette’s performance, (relative) affordability, and burgeoning cool factor, the Porsche brand is strong. It’s not as if all those “upside-down bathtub” fans are going to stop loving the speedster from Stuttgart.

Still, the real answer lies in the numbers. If the Corvette can double or triple the sales volume of the Porsche 911, an argument for the Vette’s superior image can be made. Here’s to hoping.

Author Jason Lancaster is a life-long Corvette enthusiast who has been fortunate enough to spend a few exhilarating minutes behind the wheel of a Z06. Jason works with GM Parts Online, a website that sells factory Chevrolet parts at discount prices.

October 11, 2013

[VIDEO] The 2014 Corvette Stingray vs The World

Photo Credit: Edmunds.com

The 2014 Corvette Stingray takes on the world in the latest video from Edmunds.com and comes out second only to a car that has nearly 200 more horsepower.

Edmunds took a day to test the new C7 against six worthy competitors at Willow Springs International Raceway.

“The idea is that we give every car the same driver who’s gonna drive the cars in a similar way with a similar level of competence,” Edmunds says, “and at the end of the day we’ll see how it comes out.”

First up is the Viper, “the hardest car to drive” that “requires the most of the driver,” Edmunds says. “It was the quickest car there (1:23.9), unsurprisingly, you know it’s got the most power. Still the most demanding â€“ it’s not an easy car to drive. It’s feels like it’s gonna bite, and history has proven that Vipers will bite.”

Just 6/10ths of a second behind the Viper at 1:24.6 is the new Stingray.

“The Vette’s chassis is just easier for the driver,” Edmunds says. “As the limits approach, you can sense them. The car is more tolerant to be slid around a little bit, and more enjoyable to slide around a little bit. It was only 6/10ths of a second off the Viper’s lap time despite being down 180 horsepower, which tells you something about the character of the two cars. In the ‘Vette, I feel I can jump in and just drive right to those limits on a familiar track in the first couple of laps so that speaks worlds for that car’s capability.”

Next was the Nissan GT-R at 1:25.2. “To use a clichÃ©, it feels a little synthetic in this crowd,” Edmunds says. It’s “very, very fast and very, very capable, but you get a feeling there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. It’s still a lot of fun, just a different experience. In this company, it doesn’t feel as pure.”

The two Porsches were next, with the 911 at 1:25.6 and the Cayman S at 1:27.0. Edmunds says the 911 is “just magnificent” at the track, calling it a “really good driver’s car” with “hands-down the best brakes,” worth the extra $8,500 to get them. Balance was the word to describe the Cayman S.

Edmunds says the Shelby GT500, which ran a 1:27.3, is “a little out of sorts in this company â€¦ but for my money, probably the most fun car in this group. If you like driving sideways and have a tire budget, it’s your car.”

Finishing last around the track was the BMW M3, some 1.7 seconds behind the Shelby at 1:29. Edmunds says it’s still a “great driver’s car” and “feels rewarding” despite being down on power.

Overall, the C7 finished second around the track at Willow Springs and “is as capable as we thought it was going to be,” Edmunds concludes.

Source:
Edmunds.com

October 8, 2013

Edmunds Tests the C7 Corvette Stingray vs 2014 Ford Shelby GT500

Edmunds.com has tested the new 2014 Corvette Stingray against just about every car seemingly imaginable, including the 2014 Porsche Cayman S, 2013 BMW M3, 2014 Nissan GT-R, 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S, and 2013 SRT Viper.

Now along comes the 2014 Ford Shelby GT500.

Before the test, Edmunds wonders aloud if the Corvette can overcome the deficit of 202 horsepower and 166 lb-ft to Ford’s supercar. The quick answer is an overwhelming yes.

The Shelby does use its bigger muscles to beat the Stingray to 60 mph (4.1 to 4.3 seconds) and in the quarter-mile (12.1 to 12.4 seconds). Likewise at the Streets of Willow Springs road course, the Ford outruns the Chevy on the longest straightaway, 113.1 mph to 112.5.

But that brawn isn’t enough to overcome the “coordination, balance, and engineering” of the Chevy, as Edmunds puts it.

“You can feel the difference on regular roads at civilian speeds,” Edmunds reports. “The Stingray turns with an eagerness that hints at what it is capable of, but it isn’t twitchy and it never feels as if it’s going to bite if you up the pace. The Mustang will oblige in corners, but it always feels as if it’d be happier if you were in Texas on, say, a cross-country road trip, where corners are bends and they’re fewer and farther between.”

That adds up to a dominating show for the Corvette, which showcases its superior balance and lighter weight on the slalom test: 73.5 mph to 67.4 mph, 1.05g to 0.97g, and an 11-foot-quicker stop for the Stingray. The Z51 Vette completed a lap on the Streets course in 1:24.6, “an eternity” of an advantage over the Shelby’s time of 1:27.3, Edmunds says.

The C7 is friendlier at the gas pump (with a 3 mpg advantage) and also finally packs a mighty punch in the interior, where Edmunds says “the cockpit now feels like a true sports car. It’s got a well-sorted driving position and supportive seats that don’t feel over-bolstered for daily use.”

The Shelby, meanwhile, just feels like a glorified Mustang “with a few nicer materials here and there.”

The two cars cost about the same money, but Edmunds believes that the Shelby does offer more exclusivity for its owners â€“ “It’ll always be special,” they point out – but overall the cachet of the Shelby name just can’t live up to the athleticism of the Stingray.

“The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 walks away with this one,” Edmunds concludes. “Coordination, balance and solid engineering really can erase a 202-hp deficit and make us wonder why we’d ever need any more.”

Source:
Edmunds.com

October 4, 2013

Is the 2014 Corvette Stingray Killing Sales of the SRT Viper?

Photo Credit: Edmunds.com

Could it be that the new Corvette Stingray is already putting a major hurt on one of its competitors on the salesroom floor?

While customers may have to wait up to six months for the honor of putting the 2014 Corvette in their garage, they could head to their favorite SRT dealer right now and pick up a brand new Viper. In fact, some 565 of them are currently available across the nation.

SRT originally had planned to sell 2,000 of the new generation Viper, but sales have been so slow that production has just been cut by a third, and still there remains a 289-day supply (565 unsold cars) at dealers in the United States.

Meanwhile, Chevrolet’s assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., has already built 2,700 Stingrays, and the public is clamoring for more, many more.

A combination of factors could be causing the problem for the Viper. For instance, we found an ad on the Internet for a 2014 Viper GTS that lists for $136,080. To find out the actual sales price, which we hope is much lower, we would have had to give our name and phone number, and we didn’t really care enough to do that.

Not when the much more favorably reviewed Stingray starts out listing for just $51,995 and even loaded out just goes into the low to mid 70k range.

As Edmunds.com reported in a test between the 2014 Stingray and a 2013 Viper just a few weeks ago: “Because of its much lower price, manners that are easy to live with in daily use and still astonishing performance, the Corvette takes a narrow win here. It is the one car you can drive comfortably every day and still use to dominate a track day. Built around an impregnable structure, overstuffed with technology that actually improves the driving experience, and so easygoing you can commute in it with one finger on the wheel, it’s this year’s great leap forward for the entire breed of sports cars.”

In the last eight months, only 426 Vipers have been sold in the U.S. Automotive News reports that SRT CEO Ralph Gilles is still bullish on the Viper and believes that sales will pick up next spring. That remains to be seen with the Stingray showing such vibrant sales right now, with no end in sight.

Source:
Automotive News via InAutoNews.com