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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Corvette is a supercar"
Pros: Performance
Cons: Refinements not made earlier
Summary: I am a C/NET and Corvette enthusiast and would like to add some comments to the Z06 review - some of this information may not be not common knowledge. The C6 Corvette is full of tech features - it is a tech lover?s dream car. I have a regular 2005 C6, have lived with the car for 2.5 years, and still really appreciate all the tech features.
The heads up display (HUD) is exceptional ? and few other cars have it. The visual display sits unobtrusively at the front of the hood, and appears to be about 3? high. I do not understand the ?ugly? comment. Another tech feature is the integration of the HUD with the NAV system ? in ?street mode?, the display also gives driving directions, like distance to the upcoming turns.
The engine was called ?massive? as though it is big and heavy. In fact, the 7 liter is a tech marvel ? it only weighs 500 lbs. It has aluminum block and heads with titanium values and many composite parts. The design philosophy of Corvette engines is to have low rpm at cruising speeds for low friction and high fuel economy. It is not a small displacement high rev engine with complicated (and heavy) dual cams and 4 values per cylinder. It is a simple pushrod design philosophy using the very best technology for high performance. Engine computers optimize everything. The EPA mpg is 16/26 for the Z06 and 18/28 for the standard 2007 model. I average 22 mpg in my 2005 and get 26 mpg on the highway. Just for comparison, let?s use the gold standard, the 355 hp 911 Carrera S (base price $82,600) ? it is rated 17/25.
The complaint regarding the skip shift feature is actually a benefit. There is no other super car with 500 hp that does not have a stiff gas-guzzler tax. A 480 hp Porsche turbo ($122,900 base price) has a guzzler tax of $1300 and the Lamborghini Murcialago has $7,700. For $20, you can get an aftermarket skip shift eliminator, which plugs into the transmission and ends this annoyance - clever.
Another tech feature is the low weight. The Z06 is only 3132 lbs (standard is 3179.) Again, for comparison, the Carrera S is the same length (175.6?) and weighs 3131 lbs. The 480 hp Porsche 911 turbo weighs 3660 lbs.
There are other tech features not mentioned. For example, there is a two-line Driver Information Center (DIC) computer display on the dash. There is a local area network on the car that monitors all engine, emission, handling, braking, and accessory functions. There are hundreds of monitored functions that will display an error code if anything goes wrong. It has a history feature, so you can determine what may have gone wrong in the past. It is awesome.
I agree that the MP3 player on the NAV system is flawed. It is a Nippon Denso unit that is also used by Lexus. There is a work around: use iTunes to burn a CD. First sort the playlist to be burned by album name (this becomes the folder name.) Then, you need to edit all song titles to max of 20 characters using the ID3 tag edit. Then the songs will all appear. This is annoying.
The observation about the transmission sifter is correct. It should be noted that the transmission has been improved in 2008 to be easier to shift. Also, the rack and pinion steering has been improved to give a better road feel. Both of these are welcome refinements.
Also in 2008 is real nice full leather interior ? not at the level of a $20,000 Porsche leather interior, but good for $3,500 . The Corvette is not meant to be a semi-luxury M5 or Audi A6 ? it is a high performance car at a great price (base coupe $44,200 to base Z06 at $69,100.)
