SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A gnarly, new, shiny 2005 C6 Corvette convertible is a perfect ride to take advantage of the glorious California sunshine.
Our tester, a 400 h.p., 6.0-litre V-8, was equipped with the new Z51 sport package that sees the already taut base suspension upgraded with stiffer shocks, thicker anti-roll bars and grippier tires. (They're the same 245/40ZR18 and 285/35ZR19 Goodyear Eagles as the base car, but these F1 SC versions have an asymmetric design with less void space between the treads.)
Dave Hill, chief engineer for the new C6 Corvette, says the new Z51 package virtually replicates the outgoing high-performance Z06 model's cornering abilities with less of the bone-jarring ride.
It certainly is perfect for attacking California's twisty Route 154 that snakes through Santa Barbara county to the mountains that not only hold all those boutique wineries but also Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Corvettes hardly roll at all, no matter how hard you throw them into hairpins, but this Z51 version has an uncanny ability to slice through corners without the slightest sensation of drama. And while it may lack the delicate steering of something like a Porsche Boxster, it is not the blunt, all grip and no feedback weapon like the Corvettes of old.
What the chassis does for corners, the new 400-horsepower V-8 does for straightaways. Now displacing six litres rather than 5.7, the new small block also sees a rise in compression ratio to a heady 10.9:1 (a fantastic number given the basically 50-year-old engine design), the red line is raised to 6,500 (again, a heady number for this kind of motor) and it generates 400 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Z06.
Zero to 100 kilometres an hour takes barely more than four seconds, quicker than the outgoing C5 model. Keep it planted and 160 km/h arrives but six seconds later and the top speed is just a few clicks short of 300 km/h.
As incredible as that performance is, the truly amazing thing about the Corvette is how each new performance increase is also accompanied by a corresponding improvement in the engine's civility. Despite the high compression and some hard running in the California heat, the engine never pinged any desire for a helping of octane booster. The idle is smooth, and despite a full-fledged growl when the motor started ripping toward its 6,500 r.p.m. red line, the exhaust note wasn't accompanied by all the valve clatter common to overhead valve designs.
Even the clutch was manageable with a relatively light effort required, considering the torque it must transmit. Even the familiar Tremec T-56 six-speed transmission has seen shifting effort lessened and its precision improved. Other than its need to be in reverse every time the car was parked, it was a model of decorum.
And that odd quirk of 2006 Corvettedom isn't the tranny's fault but caused by the needlessly complex keyless entry system. Wanting to keep up with the Mercedes-Benz counterparts, Chevrolet's engineers were determined the new Corvette wouldn't need a key to be started, only that a transmitter be in the driver's pocket. That's all fine and dandy with an automatic transmission; engage park as every driver is accustomed to and the car knows that it should shut down and all electrical power shut off.
With the manual transmission, however, the Corvette requires that reverse be engaged for the same purpose. My press fleet tester even had a little tag attached to the gearshift knob attesting to the need. Failure to do so, as I found to my chagrin with a previous Corvette tester, drains the battery.
Worse yet, the system can occasionally be finicky. There are no door handles to unlatch; rather just little buttons to electronically release the door locks. They could be somewhat whimsical; the passenger door refused more than a few times to comply with the open sesame command.
The Corvette's power roof could sometimes be as irksome. Unlike some other electrically powered systems, the Corvette's requires manual unlatching before the various electrics and hydraulics can take over their job of stowing the roof. It also necessitates the Corvette be at a complete standstill (including activating the parking brake) when some of its competition can drop top, as it were, while moving.
None of this hindered our winery-to-winery sprint. We may not have drunk nearly as much wine. Or suffered as calamitous setbacks in our quest for truth at the bottom of a wine bottle. But, since we were driving a brand new Corvette convertible, we did the tour with a lot more style and panache than the guys in Sideways had in their Saab -- and with just a touch more alacrity.
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This report is based on a presentation by the manufacturer, which paid the freelance writer's travel costs.
THE SPECS
Type of vehicle: Front-engine, rear-drive convertible.
Engine: 6.0L overhead valve V-8
Power: 400 hp at 6,000 r.p.m., 400 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 r.p.m.
Transmission: Six-speed manual.
Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS.
Tires: 245/40ZR18 front; 285/35ZR19 rear.
Canadian Base price: $79,495
Canadian Fuel economy: L/100 km 13.2 city/7.6 hwy.
Optional features: Power convertible top, Z51 performance package, Bose AM/FM/CD seven-speaker sound system with DVD-based navigation system, Onstar system, preferred package group including heated seats, head-up display Homelink transmitter, power telescoping steering wheel.
SOURCE - http://autos.canada.com/editorial/story.aspx?id=d22eb62c-1567-4cc3-8710-35b07a3b3a54
Our tester, a 400 h.p., 6.0-litre V-8, was equipped with the new Z51 sport package that sees the already taut base suspension upgraded with stiffer shocks, thicker anti-roll bars and grippier tires. (They're the same 245/40ZR18 and 285/35ZR19 Goodyear Eagles as the base car, but these F1 SC versions have an asymmetric design with less void space between the treads.)
Dave Hill, chief engineer for the new C6 Corvette, says the new Z51 package virtually replicates the outgoing high-performance Z06 model's cornering abilities with less of the bone-jarring ride.
It certainly is perfect for attacking California's twisty Route 154 that snakes through Santa Barbara county to the mountains that not only hold all those boutique wineries but also Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Corvettes hardly roll at all, no matter how hard you throw them into hairpins, but this Z51 version has an uncanny ability to slice through corners without the slightest sensation of drama. And while it may lack the delicate steering of something like a Porsche Boxster, it is not the blunt, all grip and no feedback weapon like the Corvettes of old.
What the chassis does for corners, the new 400-horsepower V-8 does for straightaways. Now displacing six litres rather than 5.7, the new small block also sees a rise in compression ratio to a heady 10.9:1 (a fantastic number given the basically 50-year-old engine design), the red line is raised to 6,500 (again, a heady number for this kind of motor) and it generates 400 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Z06.
Zero to 100 kilometres an hour takes barely more than four seconds, quicker than the outgoing C5 model. Keep it planted and 160 km/h arrives but six seconds later and the top speed is just a few clicks short of 300 km/h.
As incredible as that performance is, the truly amazing thing about the Corvette is how each new performance increase is also accompanied by a corresponding improvement in the engine's civility. Despite the high compression and some hard running in the California heat, the engine never pinged any desire for a helping of octane booster. The idle is smooth, and despite a full-fledged growl when the motor started ripping toward its 6,500 r.p.m. red line, the exhaust note wasn't accompanied by all the valve clatter common to overhead valve designs.
Even the clutch was manageable with a relatively light effort required, considering the torque it must transmit. Even the familiar Tremec T-56 six-speed transmission has seen shifting effort lessened and its precision improved. Other than its need to be in reverse every time the car was parked, it was a model of decorum.
And that odd quirk of 2006 Corvettedom isn't the tranny's fault but caused by the needlessly complex keyless entry system. Wanting to keep up with the Mercedes-Benz counterparts, Chevrolet's engineers were determined the new Corvette wouldn't need a key to be started, only that a transmitter be in the driver's pocket. That's all fine and dandy with an automatic transmission; engage park as every driver is accustomed to and the car knows that it should shut down and all electrical power shut off.
With the manual transmission, however, the Corvette requires that reverse be engaged for the same purpose. My press fleet tester even had a little tag attached to the gearshift knob attesting to the need. Failure to do so, as I found to my chagrin with a previous Corvette tester, drains the battery.
Worse yet, the system can occasionally be finicky. There are no door handles to unlatch; rather just little buttons to electronically release the door locks. They could be somewhat whimsical; the passenger door refused more than a few times to comply with the open sesame command.
The Corvette's power roof could sometimes be as irksome. Unlike some other electrically powered systems, the Corvette's requires manual unlatching before the various electrics and hydraulics can take over their job of stowing the roof. It also necessitates the Corvette be at a complete standstill (including activating the parking brake) when some of its competition can drop top, as it were, while moving.
None of this hindered our winery-to-winery sprint. We may not have drunk nearly as much wine. Or suffered as calamitous setbacks in our quest for truth at the bottom of a wine bottle. But, since we were driving a brand new Corvette convertible, we did the tour with a lot more style and panache than the guys in Sideways had in their Saab -- and with just a touch more alacrity.
---
This report is based on a presentation by the manufacturer, which paid the freelance writer's travel costs.
THE SPECS
Type of vehicle: Front-engine, rear-drive convertible.
Engine: 6.0L overhead valve V-8
Power: 400 hp at 6,000 r.p.m., 400 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 r.p.m.
Transmission: Six-speed manual.
Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS.
Tires: 245/40ZR18 front; 285/35ZR19 rear.
Canadian Base price: $79,495
Canadian Fuel economy: L/100 km 13.2 city/7.6 hwy.
Optional features: Power convertible top, Z51 performance package, Bose AM/FM/CD seven-speaker sound system with DVD-based navigation system, Onstar system, preferred package group including heated seats, head-up display Homelink transmitter, power telescoping steering wheel.
SOURCE - http://autos.canada.com/editorial/story.aspx?id=d22eb62c-1567-4cc3-8710-35b07a3b3a54
