Powerful base engine, athletic handling, and tech-laden - 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Review
2The C7's second act is a topless show.
Iterations of the C7 Chevrolet Corvette keep coming. First was the comparo-winning Stingray coupe, followed now by the convertible. Next comes the Z06 in January, and the C7.R racer is likely to make its competition debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in February. At some point we’ll see a new ZR1, and who knows what will follow after that? An El Vette-amino, perhaps?
Today, however, we’re enjoying the droptop model on California Route 74 as it twists up from Palm Springs into the mountains and to Idyllwild. The top is down, and we’re quite comfortable, despite cool weather. The interior features the same high-quality materials as in the coupe, and the car displays the same eager driving reflexes and tenacious grip. The electric steering speaks in hushed tones compared to, say, the systems fitted to Stuttgart’s finest, but it is unwaveringly obedient and displays linear effort. The five-position Driver Mode Selector is present here, too, offering Weather, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Track modes that can alter up to 12 different parameters, including the steering, available magnetic shocks, and stability control.
We have yet to strap our test gear to this new ragtop, but if you want a good idea of the numbers it will put down, look no further than our initial review and comparison test involving the C7 Z51 manual coupe. Note the 0-to-60 times, the quarter-mile figures, the near 50/50 weight distribution, and the strong brakes. Then basically mark them down for the correlate convertible.
That’s because, aside from their roofs, the coupe and convertible versions of the Stingray are essentially even-steven. With the vast majority of the cars’ structure situated down low in the center tunnel and cast, extruded, and hydroformed aluminum frame members, there’s little difference in rigidity. The new structure largely eliminates the sort of chassis flex that sullied the C6 convertible experience. The coupe offers open-air motoring, too, in the form of a lift-off targa panel, and even with that clamped in place, Chevy claims the difference in torsional stiffness between the body styles is “nominal.” (Later interrogation of engineers revealed the difference to be one to two percent.)
The Corvette team says the convertible version again features a softtop—rather than adopting a folding hardtop—for three primary reasons: it’s lighter, it eats up less space, and it adheres to the look and tradition of roofless Vettes past. The softtop assembly, supplied by Webasto, is claimed to add a scant 60 pounds to the curb weight and features a glass rear window and a tri-layer fabric covering that incorporates sound insulation between the innermost and middle strata. Chevy tells us it quantifies the convertible as even quieter than the coupe when each has its roof in place. You can open or close the top in 21 seconds and at speeds up to 30 mph; you may also lower the roof from outside via the key fob.
We tested Chevy’s top-up noise claim on a highway portion of our route by rushing up next to an 18-wheeler to see how much racket filtered through. It wasn’t a lot, the main sounds we heard being a small amount of road noise from below and to the rear. It helps that the trunk here is a separate cavity with a real bulkhead versus the coupe’s open hatchback area. Traveling at speeds up to 70 mph with the top settled under the tonneau, there’s little wind disturbance, and occupants needn’t speak up to be heard. Chevrolet doesn’t yet offer a wind-blocker accessory, but you don’t really need one; air moving over the windshield header seems to flow directly overhead to the rear deck and into your wake. You can raise the side windows to settle things down even more; it would be tempting to see if you could light a match in the cockpit and keep it lit.
Of course, there’s more than enough fire burning within the thunderous LT1 V-8 up front. Pumping out 455 horsepower and 460 lb-ft (460 and 465 with the optional and sound-enhancing performance exhaust), the new-generation small-block backs up to your choice of a seven-speed manual or six-speed, paddle-shiftable automatic. The former gearbox features a rev-match mode as it does in the coupe, but what we’d really like are somewhat better-defined shift gates.
The hugely capable Stingray convertible is an excellent package at a bargain price, with stickers starting at $56,995 and rising to about $80,000. The Z51 performance package (additional cooling, dry-sump lubrication, an electronic limited-slip diff, and more) is on offer, as are carbon-fiber interior trim, the excellent competition seats, and myriad exterior add-ons. While returning from one loop in the Corvette, we pulled up next to a V-8–powered Jaguar F-type. Pondering the beautiful Jag, which starts at $93,000, it occurred to us that if that car has a fundamental flaw, it’s the very vehicle we were driving. We’ll take one in Lime Rock Green.