C6 Road Test/Driving Impressions

[EHS]

Saw a red C6 standing outside the local dealer as I was driving by, stopped, went in, and spoke to the salesman, who offered me a drive. So, hey, why not? I bought my 2000 C5 convertible there, so I guess they think I'm "due". The car was "loaded," 15 miles on the odometer, and all the plastic bits still on the body and seats. Because it was brand new, and they were nice enough to offer me the drive, I decided not to "push it."

Here are the impressions, and while I'm a "Corvette" guy, I'm not that kind of a Corvette guy, so you're getting an honest assessment, not puffery and "gotta have it" talk.

The fit and finish of the C6 is much better than the C5. No orange peel in the paint (Torch Red, or whatever it's now called), and everything looked nice and tight. The passenger A pillar trim was already loose though, don't know whether that came factory, or happened enroute.

The interior finishes are nicer, the seats are much firmer and better built than the C5 seats. The "Malibu" steering wheel is not bad, the leather cover and stitching feels very nice. Perfect texture. The bad part about the interior is the design -- I was expecting a better appearance than the C5 and was very disappointed. The instrument bezels now have the stainless trim that is offered as an aftermarket set for the C5. The painted trim of the center console looks cheap. Even the salesman, who was doing the selling, mentioned it. I actually prefer the "all black" look of the C5 to the C6. It's OK, but in general nothing to write home about. Again, the seats are much better though.

The radio and HVAC cluster looks really cheap. Everything is now touch screen -- think bad ATM. The color scheme and layout of the touch screen is God awful, as is the resolution (pixels). Now for the fun part -- to insert a CD, push the button, and watch the face of the screen do its motorized awning thing. What a strumenza!! Every time -- in and out, up and down. Just wait 'til it jams, or worse, breaks. What ever happened to a good old fashioned slot?

Speaking of techno-gimmicks -- how do you open the driver's door when the car is running? The salesman couldn't figure it out, and neither could I. It wasn't until the car was in reverse, and the engine shut down, that the door button would release the door. That's right, as you've heard, no more door handle to grab. Push a button, and pray it opens. As far as I was able to determine, keeping the car in reverse is going to be important. Give me the old fashioned door handles, so that I can open the door, even when the car is moving, if I have to (or want to). You decide whether the new system is an improvement -- it made me positively claustrophobic when I couldn't get out. Opening a car door shouldn't be this hard -- it should be really intuitive. You know, emergencies and all that.

The push button starter with the lighted rocker switch? Cute, at least it won't have anyone grinding the starter anymore, but otherwise? So? At least if it had been one of those big red jobs off a Le Mans car from the old days, you know -- Steve McQueen style.

The heads-up display. Now a radioactive green color, not as readable as the old one, and smaller. RPM's are now in a circle, and the display is set further to the left (and smaller as mentioned). That means, unless you position your head just so, no "heads-up" display -- or at a minimum, some distortion from the edges as it moves out of the line of vision. So keep your head where David Hill wants it. Again, I mention this because the old one was more readable in bright sunlight, and your head could be left or right a bit without things disappearing.

Noise level is much quieter than the old car, and it feels tighter. That said, the exhaust note inside is more pronounced when you step on it, definitely a V-8, yet perfectly quiet at cruise. The shifter is terrific. Shorter throws, much, much more accurate, without being heavy like the typical market shifter for the C5. Absoultely one of the best features of the new car. Pedal placement hasn't changed -- still terrific for heel and toe. Clutch seems lighter, more smooth, and more progressive. Steering is much better -- nice and firm even at slow speeds, and really good and tight at speed. Much improved over the C5 as well.

The engine? Like I said, I didn't push it, but there is clearly more torque, at virtually all speeds. This is especially noticeable in fifth and sixth gear, which is now useable even at moderate speeds, and moderate inclines. Sixth now feels like a regular car, not something that's being lugged. Again, the engine is terrific, with good torque seemingly available all the time.

The ride and handling? One word, Fantastic! This car had the optional suspension, and the improvement in ride is the same from the C5 to the C6 as it was from the C4 to the C5. No more jarring bumps, terrific control and dampening, absolutely world class. Active handling is much, much less intrusive. Brakes are still great, seem more progressive; again, I didn't push it too much with the salesman on board and for the benefit of the new customer.

Now, for the bad part. The styling blows, in my humble opinion (writing as a graphic designer and an architect who should know something about design). The unique look is gone, replace by a cartoon. The front looks like a smiley face with braces. The beady little headlights are nothing more than the old Specterwerkes (sp?) after market kit, sunken down into the body, with a plexiglas cover over it. Think BPP headlights meet Specterwerkes.

In profile, the car looks like Godzilla bent one of those plastic Japanese movie cars up at the windshield. From the back, the car looks like a woman who got up from sitting in a too tight skirt, and hadn't quite yanked the back down yet. Too much showing back there, hon, more than I want to see. Panties in a wedgie and all that. For a refined car, you really shouldn't be seeing all that stuff back there -- never mind junk in the trunk -- you can see the junk under the trunk now. Oh, and the exhausts are a dead knock-off of the Corsa Pro tips.

So, in summary, the car has lost some of its "edge" from the C5. The "sinister in black" Batmobile look is gone (mine's a triple black convertible), -- replaced by a happy, grinning, slight under bite smiley face. The raw, "American flag," turn up the Steppenwolf to loud image has been replaced by a more refined European feel. This could be your father's BMW.

That's both good and bad. The handling is much better, the engine is great, the ride is terrific, the refinement is definitely there. The interior is still tacky, just a different kind of tack now. I actually prefer the old. The electronic gimmicks are downright stupid -- what do you mean I can't open the driver's door when the engine is running? The radio is amateurish -- get someone real to do the graphics on the touch screen. The heads-up display is a step backwards in legibility -- yeah, sure, so it now comes with a G meter. Bottom line, while the car is better, the soul is gone.

Finally --part of the drive took us past my favorite body shop, and the owner happened to be outside. He summed it up the best. Imagine an Italian gentleman (in a native New Yorker kind of way ), but a real craftsman and straight shooter, whistling under his breath, squinting his eyes, looking at the $53,000 sticker, and saying, "hey, yeah guys,... looks really nice.... kinda looks a little like an Acura."

 

[Wafflekyd]

Kinda looks like an Acura??

Not to my eyes.

You made a lot of great observations, but I really disagree with your perspective on the touch screen. I picked up my C6 last Wednesday and drove it 2000 miles over the weekend, a roundtrip from Dallas to Chicago.

I thought the radio/xm and navigation were very easy to use. I really came to like the touch screen because it made it possible to change channels without taking my eyes off the road for more than an instant. I think the resolution is fine, and I'm reasonably convinced that if you gave it a try you'd find that the system is pretty intuitive.

Since this is the first GPS navigation system in any car I've owned, I can only compare this system to the Hertz Neverlost system that I've used a dozen times or so in cars I rented. My experience driving back to the Big D from Chicago was that this GM/Corvette navigation system was far superior to the Hertz system. I liked the safety feature of having an instantaneous route to a hospital or police station available from any point along the way. I liked that when you set a destination, the system gives you three route choices - not just one. I liked that when I decided to test the system and take a route different from the one I had selected, the system quickly modified its guidance. I liked the screen menu choices (multiple screen views and combinations are available). I liked the ease in which a user can switch screen orientation from a fixed northern heading to your specific route heading. I liked the ease which which you can switch map scale, from 1/16th of a mile up to several miles, with numerous available steps, all at the touch of the screen.

I think this is a solid navigational system, and while I probably won't need to use it much, I expect that there are times when it will come in really handy.

And, insofar as the design of the screen is concerned, I think that big, easy-to-read touch screen buttons and bars are a good thing when you're driving.

Also, the voice command system is pretty cool. Though I am just becoming familiar with the various commands, I've found that it works really well when I give it the right commands.

Also, you can open the door when the car is running by first pressing the unlock button.

I guess some of us really like electronic technology, others don't.

And, the head-up display is movable. I can't imagine that anyone would find it difficult to see. It is a little smaller than in the C5, but I think it works great, and also think that the many screen options are a nice touch.

I can see where you're coming from with the styling. Sinister - Batmobile styling it's not. But, I think this C6 look grows on you.

Based on what I've read, a lot of the design elements in the C6 were born in the wind tunnel. It's low coefficient of drag contributes to the comparative quietness of this new Corvette version, just as it does to its great fuel economy.

I averaged 23 miles per gallon on my trip last weekend . . . in a 400 hp car that was not yet even broken in and that I was driving as hard as I dared to drive.

Quieter, tighter, more comfortable, better fit and finish, great acceleration and handling. I hit 120 mph on my way back and the engine barely nudged 3500 rpm. At 120, the car was extremely atable and confident.

Hardly an Acura.

 

[EHS]

Wafflekyd:

I never said it drives like an Acura, only that my bodyshop guy said it looks like one. I happen to agree - take a look at the www.acura.com NSX website.

If you reread my comments, I thought the performance was just fine, and many things are an improvement over the Acura.

Specifially on the HUD, it seems to be only adjustable up and down -- not sideways. That's a problem when compared to the narrower field of view with the old one.

On the radio/nav system -- again, I'm sure the function is great (except for that silly contortion thing to insert a CD) -- it's the graphics, layout, and color scheme that are a disappointment. I have a Garmin navigation system in my airplane, and the graphics are great. You can have bothe great function and good design. If Garmin can do it, so can GM.

Thank you for the comments.

Ed.

 

[Wafflekyd]

EHS:

Points well taken.

I've never used a Garmin GPS system, so have no basis for comparison. One of the other things about the GM system that struck me as reasonable is its price tag. I thought $1400 was a good price - comparatively. My wife got something in the mail from Lincoln last week, touting its Aviator. I noticed in the flyer that Lincoln offers a navigation system that looks similar to the one in the C6. I also noticed that Lincoln's pricetag is $2995 for their upgraded system - and though not exactly apples to apples with the GM system, certainly a reasonable comparison as to value.

On the exterior design issue, I guess that's a pretty subjective thing. There are certainly body style similarities to the NSX and other cars. I'm not a design engineer and I likely know next to nothing about design, but I read somewhere that when you design cars in a wind tunnel, they all tend to come out looking the same. That might point to some of the similarities.

I think, though, that the C6 has identifiably "Corvette" - "American Sports Car" lines.

I think it grows on you . . . at least it has grown on me. I didn't know what to think at first, but the more I see it, the more I like it.

Thanks for the dialog.