2006 Chevrolet Corvette Review

Specifications

The Bowtie Beast Gets Manners

When I was a teenager in the late 70s, I wouldnt be caught dead in a Corvette. Dont get me wrong, Id loved the chrome bedecked 50s cars and stunningly beautiful Stingrays of the 60s, and even the late 60s to early 70s Mako Shark body style Stingrays were kind of cool when they came out, but as the fuel crisis took its toll on all things enjoyable the once race capable Vette received swoopier styling and a more anemic V8 under the hood, making it a much less credible sports car.

Soon came the oh-so-cool wanna-be wearing his multi-color stretch polyester button up shirt, white cotton Britannia flares wrapped so tightly around the crotch that future fatherhood was in jeopardy, gold chains dangling amid wooly chest hairs, and big, big hair, and how could there not be jokes associated: “Whats the difference between a Corvette and a cactus,” was a popular one. “With a Corvette the pricks on the inside.”

The 1984 Corvette changed all that, well that and it wasnt very cool to wear such tacky clothing anymore. Like 80s styling, with which only big hair had remained and then only with some new wave bands, the Vette was much more subdued. It also returned to credibility to the nameplate as a world-beating sports car, restoring respectability to Detroit. It improved over the years, eventually in the late 90s evolving into the C5, five representing the fifth generation.

Some felt this model was too soft around the edges, a little more Acura NSX than all-American supercar. Still, there was no denying it was a looker, and for good reason sales took off. No doubt its improved performance, moving it off the line faster than many Europeans, helped it move off the showroom floor quickly too.

When I first saw the new C6, introduced two years ago at the Detroit auto show, I wasnt as thrilled as Id hoped I would be. Maybe I was expecting too much; possibly a modern interpretation of 1963s split window, or something to that effect. Instead, the pop-up lights which gave way to new Ferrari 575M-like clusters were the most radical departure from the outgoing car, while the overall shape didnt seem much different than the C5.

Now, having driven both a coupe and a convertible, Ive warmed up to the look. Yes, its frontal design is a bit conservative, but its short overhangs, thanks to five inches lopped off the ends, and curvaceous yet edgy fenders (almost Mako Shark-like compared to the C5) are aggressively modern, and its rear end styling is absolutely gorgeous. Chevy managed to maintain the models traditional quad tail lamp setup, but incorporate them into a new design that is light years more advanced than the previous Corvette. The rear diffuser helps to give it that just-swept-1st-2nd-and-3rd-at-Sebring appearance, complemented by a Kamm-shaped fascia that appears ultimately wind cheating.

It is aerodynamically designed, by the way, a fact that can really be felt at high-speed on the open road where its 0.28 drag coefficient and integrated anti-lift characteristics shine. The open road, of course, is where any modern Corvette excels, and in the case of the new roadster, I felt none of the traditional negatives associated with a car losing its top. Actually, not only was my test car rock solid over any surface at any speed, showing no body flex or cowl shudder at all, but I liked it a lot better than the coupe I tried previously.

Maybe thats because the coupe was equipped with the Performance Handling package, that stiffened the springs, stabilizers and shocks, plus a number of other upgrades, and the convertible was riding on the stock setup. My guess is that the $1,695 suspension upgrade makes sense if youre spending weekends on the smooth surfaces of a racetrack, but if not, make sure and stay away from this setup as it makes a mess of day to day driving. Not only is it more rigid and therefore less comfortable, but road imperfections cause the car to jump and hop all over the place resulting in a loss of traction and, of course, a slower less controllable pace.

There were no such problems in my convertible test car. It was nice to drive around town, and fairly easy to drive quickly. When I say this, I wouldnt begin to compare it to the stability of a Porsche 911 Turbo, for instance, especially on a curvy road in the rain. At the hands of most drivers the Porsche will eat it for lunch and come back for seconds, and thats more due to all-wheel drive than the extra 15 ponies under the German cars rear hood. Even a rear-drive 911 is more confidence inspiring than any Corvette, but in the same sentence its silly to compare something thats priced about $20,000 higher in base form. Add on some options, some of which come standard with the Vette, and the Porsche climbs to Neverland quicker than it can hit sixty.

So, putting things into perspective, I havent had much more fun under $80K. Its 400-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 is a lot more refined than its guttural bark lets on, spinning freely to its 6,500 rpm redline and sounding absolutely divine doing so. The six-speed manual shifter (a slightly less sporting but nevertheless sophisticated six-speed automatic with manual mode is also available) moves easily from gear to gear, needing a purposeful push but no heroics, just like its well-weighted clutch pedal.

It was raining when I first picked the car up, thoughts of the summers sunny days and the irony of having the Corvette coupe during this period instead of a drop-top miring my otherwise enjoyable drive. I went easy on the throttle, at first, which only makes sense. Ive driven powerful rear-drive cars in the rain before, and they usually command a certain reverence from me, at least until I become used to them. Therefore, I eased slowly into the throttle, with deliberate one-two shifts up through the gears, and then smooth on the brakes and especially easy letting off the clutch - an engine as torquey as the Corvettes could easily spin a car sideways if the clutch is let out too quickly when downshifting.

As I approached my street I was feeling more comfortable despite increased rain, and when turning onto my street I let the clutch out a little quicker and kicked the throttle with a little more gusto. Sure enough the rear end stepped out sideways, a little disconcerting for sure, but this soon followed with an electronic safety net, stability control. “Hmmm… I like this,” I thought to myself, feeling a little more willing to play behind the wheel no matter the conditions outside. No sooner had the thought entered my mind and I was turning around and heading up the mountain that conveniently rises up from behind my home. After all, no better time than the present to test out just how much traction and stability control Chevy had dialed into its new sports car.

Happily surprised, I soon found out that the engineers knew exactly what they were doing. Time and time again the rear end would step out sideways, exactly as it had the first time, and then catch itself with the help of the lifesaving stability control system. This was fun, and I proceeded to power up the mountain at a velocity I wouldnt have otherwise dared. Of course, Ive had enough close calls in my life not to allow things to get too out of hand, backing off in tight turns where unfathomable drop-offs loomed below and still maintaining the smoothness on and off the throttle and brakes that Ive worked so hard to develop over the years, but this new Corvette is an entirely different animal than previous cars, and a much more controllable one on the street than if equipped with that performance upgrade package mentioned previously.

And while some will knock the new Vette for including stability control, it was a wise choice on Chevys part. The new V8, which makes a maximum of 400-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 400 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, can hit 60 mph in an almost overwhelming 4.1 seconds. The quarter mile arrives in a mere 12.6 seconds at 114 mph, just before maxxing out at a supercar-like 186 mph. Incidentally, thats faster than any production Corvette ever built, including the famed ZR1 or C5 Z06!

I should also mention that Chevy hasnt forgotten about environmental issues completely. While it wont achieve the same fuel economy or emissions ratings of a smaller economy car, the new Corvette delivers an estimated combined city/highway rating of about 22 or 23 mpg, which incidentally is almost identical to the outgoing C5 despite the C6s 14.5 percent greater horsepower. Impressive.

Now that Im on more practical issues, I really like the fact that the Corvette includes enough usable trunk space - 10.5 cubic feet when the top is up and 5.1 cubic feet when down - to make it an effective weekend getaway car. Some roadsters forget about such important issues, but Chevys designers took this to heart, as they did when making the cars interior as accommodating as it is. The seats are comfortable and as supportive as most drivers will need when tackling corners, while the interior details are positively luxurious compared to the C5. Plastics are extremely high in quality, even on the A-pillars, and switchgear, especially on the center stack, is nice to the touch and works extremely well. Truly, Chevy has turned what was a bit of an uncivilized monster into a kinder, tamer monster. My only complaint comes down to interior design, a little less exciting than the shape of exterior panels. The button-actuated electric door releases are seriously top drawer, mind you, a point that segues nicely into discussion about its new power soft top.

Optional equipment, the Corvette roadster still comes standard with a lighter, do-it-yourself fabric cover; a power-operated soft top hasnt been seen on a Corvette since 1962. It has been designed and is now manufactured in partnership between GM and Car Top Systems, Gmbh, in Germany, and only requires a tug and twist of a roof-mounted handle and the push of a single (albeit a little hard to locate) button, situated on the dash to the left of the steering column, lowering or raising it in a mere 18 seconds.

As important as how it works, the new canvas top, that is available in black, like my tester, or beige and grey, looks fabulous up, whether outside watching it drive by or inside keeping dry from the rain. It shields the underlying framework better than the previous C5 roadster as well as some of its premium rivals, plus, according to Chevy, provides improved aerodynamics. 

Like most premium ragtops the Corvette convertible now features indexing side glass, a wind noise reducing feature that causes the side window to drop about half an inch when the door opens, and then pop back into place upon closure, sealing out wind, moisture and noise. 

And on that note the roadster is pretty quiet when the roofs up, thanks to a variety of computer airflow models that were used to improve aerodynamic characteristics even before the first designs hit the wind tunnel. The new Corvette roadster features an aluminum windshield frame, designed with this method to promote conversation level quietness even when the top is down at highway speeds. When the top is up the cars thick, five-layer Twillfast fabric acts as an effective insulator while reportedly improving durability.

Another thing that I was appreciative of when sitting inside with the roof up is its easy to see out of, through the front, sides or rear. First of all, lets keep in perspective that this is a long, low sports car, so you wont get a minivan perspective of the surrounding traffic, but just the same an increase in rear window size of 18.5 percent over the C5 convertibles glass pane, and the inclusion of a standard defogger, much needed in the soggy weather, make it an effective year-round car.

While my test car didnt feature the optional top-line seven-speaker audio system with satellite radio connectivity and DVD-navigation system package, OnStar was factored into the build sheet. I personally would opt for magnetic ride control, one of the most advanced ride and handling technologies on the planet and worth every penny of its $1,695 cost. Sure the regular suspension setup is fabulous, incorporating an all-new hydroformed steel frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components, plus front and rear suspension setups incorporating a short/long arm (SLA) double wishbone configuration with cast aluminum upper and lower control arms, but magnetic ride control adds an element of at-the-limit control that few cars can match, an important factor in keeping its composite body panels scratch free.

As far as maneuvering it around town or out on the highway, I found its speed sensitive, magnetic power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system related information from the road quite well, felt nicely weighted and due to a 16.1:1 steering ratio made the car easy to turn around in tight spaces - it features a 39-foot turning circle.

All that braking power I spoke of earlier is due to standard 325 mm (12.8 inch) diameter by 32 mm (1.26 inch) thick front and 305 mm (12.0 inch) diameter by 26 mm (1.0 inch) thick rear rotors, power assisted and ABS enhanced, of course. The Performance upgrade improves these to 340 mm (13.4 inch) diameter by 32 mm (1.26 inches) thick discs up front and 330 mm (13.0 inch) by 26 mm (1.0 inch) rotors in the rear, but once again, dont get this package unless youre spending ample time on the track.

And that, at least for me, isnt an option. Sure I have a lot of opportunities to test various cars out on some of the most challenging racetracks in the world, from Honda Civic Sis and Subaru WRX STIs to Ferrari F430s and Porsche Carrera GTs, but if I were to lay out cash for a Corvette convertible it would be to enjoy the highways and byways of my local community, wind through the hair and sun in the face.

I had that opportunity towards the end of the week, by the way, when the clouds parted and the top immediately came down. And that guttural exhaust note I mentioned previously? Yes, it sounds all the better al fresco.