The Corvette C6 generation isn’t new news anymore. But it still catches people’s attention when it roars down the street.
So, I guess I wasn’t terribly surprised when an SUV pulled up next to me on the Kennedy, the rear window slid open, and a camera popped out to snap a shot of the shiny red Corvette test vehicle. I waved.
2008 Corvette
Engine: 6.2-liter V-8
Horsepower: 430
Torque: 424 pound-feet
Wheelbase: 105.7 inches
Length: 174.6 inches
Height: 49 inches
Width: 72.6 inches
MPG (city/hwy): 16/26
Base price: $45,995
As tested price: $55,195
It’s nice to know that even when vehicles like the Dodge Challenger are hitting the streets, an old favorite still gets its fair share of attention.
It didn’t hurt that the test vehicle came stacked with the red leather interior ($695), removable roof panel, dual exhaust ($1,195) and polished aluminum wheels ($1,295). The only thing I wanted from this car was more time.
I had it for a little more than a weekend, but that was enough to show it off to my marathon training group, take a trip to the beach with the top panel out and have a nice jaunt up and down Lake Shore Drive.
This car never gets old for me, and every time I drive it, I like it a little more.
Considering that the LS3 6.2-liter V-8 engine delivers 430 horsepower, the $45,995 base price is a bargain for this American icon. As an added bonus, the removable roof panel is standard, so you get the feeling of driving a convertible for $10K less than the base Corvette Convertible costs.
I really liked the idea of the removable roof panel. But I have to admit, for a female who weighs less than 100 pounds and is less than 5-feet tall, removing the top was a bit cumbersome to do alone. So, I could only go topless if I had a helping hand. I should point out, though, that I’ve seen men with a little more strength and height perform this task without much difficulty.
While I like the long, sleek lines of the Corvette, the interior is what makes my love for this vehicle stick. In many a sports car, I can’t adjust the seat properly to be able to see over the front end. I have to roll up my jacket and sit on it, put the seat in the exact upright position, and even then I often don’t feel comfortable enough to drive for long distances.
But the Corvette is perfect. The six-way power adjustable seats get me high enough and far forward enough to see and to reach the pedals without stretching, and the lumbar support is excellent. The bucket sport seats are nicely bolstered without being overwhelming, and the short-throw gearshift is in the perfect location for quick shifting and resting your hand while driving.
Without navigation, the audio system in the Corvette is the standard General Motors audio interface, which isn’t terribly attractive. The buttons are flimsy and the overall layout is pretty generic and uninspiring. The one thing I do like, however, is the favorites feature that allows you to save presets from XM, AM and FM across one “favorites” band, so you can easily go from XM 20 to FM 101.9 to AM 780 without deliberately switching between XM, FM and AM.
Even though the test vehicle didn’t come with a navigation system, it did come peppered with a plethora of other pricey options that pushed the as-tested price up to $55,195.
One such option was the 3LT Preferred Equipment Group ($4,505), which added personal favorites such as the Head Up display, heated seats and steering wheel audio controls.
I’ve always been a fan of the Head Up display on GM vehicles because, depending on the mode that you set it at, it simultaneously shows your speed, RPMs and lateral G-force. Plus you can adjust the height so it sits on the windshield in a location that you can see but that doesn’t distract or obstruct your view of the road.
Even at its most basic level, the rear-wheel drive Corvette is a driver’s car. The six-speed manual transmission combined with the 430 horses under the hood makes every second behind the wheel a pleasure. Even in stop-and-go traffic. I picked the test car up at the airport at 5 p.m. on a Friday. I know, not the wisest move. But, in second gear with a steady, slow speed, I didn’t have to play the up-shift, down-shift game. And in open traffic, the pure joy of letting the car go is worth any wasted moment in traffic.
It’s been a while since I’ve taken this car on a racetrack, but the performance is downright sinful with 0-to-60-mph times of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. The straight aways are fun, but the curves are even better.
Because I did drive the test vehicle in a lot of Chicago traffic, my fuel economy was less than stellar. The EPA estimates city/highway mileage of 16/26 mpg. I averaged around 15.4 mpg. Eek! At least gas prices are starting to drop somewhat so this isn’t as big of an “eek” as it was a couple weeks ago.
The other great thing about the Corvette is the trunk space. You really can take a road trip in this car and fit all your luggage with the 22 cubic-feet of cargo volume. That’s more space than most sedans have in the trunk.
Because the Corvette is such a comfortable sports car, it’s easy to see it is a three-season every day driver if you don’t need to cart passengers around on a regular basis. Plus, with sexy good looks and a phenomenal ride, it’s also easy to see why this car is still going strong even after 55 years.
DriveLive around Chicago in a VW Eos
