must buy evo mag...
Discussion
535d said:
The magazine gave more stars to an Exige than the new 'vette, fgs!
I know which i would rather have and it isn't the Lotus. (Fine track car, hopeless on the road).
strange - I thought they had already awarded the Z06 stars when they tested it in the US (although that test did sound almost exactly the same as one of the ones in the papers)
Read the article and thought it was okay (can't argue too much - haven't got a Z06 to compare!)
What I thought was most interesting was their conclusion, that the Vette has high limits but they're not easy to explore (or at least doesn't make you feel like exploring them). I think the C4 is a bit like that too. You know it's got the grip, but daren't push it right to the limit for fear it'll tell you when it's lost it. (I think this gets better though with experience).
What I thought was most interesting was their conclusion, that the Vette has high limits but they're not easy to explore (or at least doesn't make you feel like exploring them). I think the C4 is a bit like that too. You know it's got the grip, but daren't push it right to the limit for fear it'll tell you when it's lost it. (I think this gets better though with experience).
Here are a few highlights from the 15 page feature:
“How do you pigeonhole a car that’s designed and manufactured in the USA, packs the power of a supercar and the engineering focus of a homologation special, and yet costs little more than a premium-brand executive saloon? With great difficulty is the simple answer.”
“Judged purely on power a performance, and putting price aside, we considered the Ferrari 575 HGTC and Porsche 911 Turbo as the ultimate benchmarks, but with both cars in their twilight years, we concluded it would be better to leave that particular showdown for their imminent successors, the 599 and 997 Turbo.” [I can’t wait for that!!!!]
However, the magazine notes the car’s honed nature, purported “race car for the road” dynamics and Dave Hill’s statement “The Z06 is the dividend from competing so successfully in endurance racing” in selecting the opposition for the group test: “Few cars promise more pace, even at four times the price, but it was the Z06’s uncompromising dynamic focus rather than its supercar-matching speed that shaped our decision to range three of our favourite and most uncompromising driver’s cars against it: the new but familiar supercharged Lotus Sport Exige Cup, Noble’s ballistic M400 and Porsche’s last great specialist 911, the GT3 RS. Street racers all, and as tough a test of the Corvette’s charisma, tactility and point-to-point ability as we could muster.”
Rod for its own back then, that “race car for the road” line, because it’s as such that this test is framed. This is no all-round test of the Z – that will come later - but rather a test of its road-racer-ness, and on the twisty roads of Wales, too.
More highlights:
“Even in a pub car park, the way the Z06 sits is a lesson in subtle menace.”
“Inside, the Z06 shuns classic road-racer austerity, instead offering an impressive level of creature comforts. The seats are generously padded, supportive and comfortable, while dual-zone air-conditioning, Bose sound system, colour screen satnav and a capacious load area make it both extremely habitable and surprisingly practical, even though the result is a pretty mainstream interior ambience.”
“… the 7000rpm tacho a new addition necessitated by the LS7’s unprecedented hunger for revs. Supplemented by a head-up display (HUD), which includes an endlessly amusing lateral g meter, the driver’s-eye view of the Z06 is undeniably impressive.”
Of the LS7: “It’s surprisingly light, actually, and though clearly of big displacement, the Corvette’s heart has a smooth, soft-edged pulse quite unlike the Porsche’s metallic chunter, the chesty gurgle of the Noble or the waspish buzz of the Lotus.”
“While the chunky, industrial gearshift is a mild disappointment, you soon discover that the LS7 motor ripples with so much muscle it renders most of the ratios redundant anyway. It truly is a goliath of an engine, pulling with immense, effortless urgency, literally from tickover, and delivering the kind of performance that makes even the Noble feel almost toy-like. This is one stupendously quick car.”
“Third delivers an unbeatable combination of low-speed tractability and savage acceleration while also having the reach to worry a wrung-out Exige, but for a truly surreal experience, fourth is the gear of choice, for should you have the inclination, it’ll haul relentlessly and with genuine conviction from walking pace right the way through to 170mph.”
“There’s no doubting the Corvette’s ability to put its ample power and torque onto the tarmac, for those gargantuan 325/30 ZR19 rear Goodyears have formidable bite. It doesn’t feel as big and cumbersome as the standard C6 either, thanks to steering that has improved feel and a more linear response, along with damping that asserts more control over the body and doesn’t go to war with the road when you try to hustle it on a less than smooth surface.”
“… sharp mid-corner bumps [I suspect we have more of those in the UK!] can still upset the Z06’s poise with a buck that seems to kick across the front and rear transverse composite leaf springs in turn, the front-end reacting a split second before the rear. It’s a trait rather than a mortal failing, for it requires nothing more than for you to accept it and ride it out, but it takes some getting used to. But then so does the Porsche.”
“And that [increasing involvement in the RS3 as speed increases], ultimately, highlights the Z06’s only major failing. The Porsche is flawed, demanding a very particular driving style, but eventually you find a way to interpret its signals, and that in turn enables you to feel comfortable with its behaviour and get the most from it. The Noble and Lotus are paragons of benign brilliance, allowing you to simply get in them and enjoy them. In the Z06, despite the manifest improvements over the C6, there’s an underlying aloofness that ensures you never feel inclined to reach for its limits. And while it has the grunt, grip and stopping power to keep pace, or even set the pace, without needing to dig that deep, it’s this ultimate lack of tactility, its inability to fully engage you, that means it never truly delivers those genuine moments of inspiration that define the others.”
That sounds very negative, but remember that this test is judging the Z06 as a road-racer; the real test is yet to come. And besides, it doesn’t sound like any of the other cars would have shaken it off their tails, even on Welsh twisties.
In that context, you’ll like the concluding paragraph:
“While it’s mildly disappointing to report that the Z06 isn’t the purebred road-racer its detailed development and exotic specification led us to believe, we remain awed at its pace, bowled over at the level of improvement over the standard C6, and incredulous at its bargain price [remember it’s selling at $105k on the road over here!] and how it combines 505hp with everyday practicality. It might not be America’s answer to the 911 RS, but when the new Porsche 997 Turbo is launched later this year, we know what we’ll be measuring it against.”
DISCUSS!
“How do you pigeonhole a car that’s designed and manufactured in the USA, packs the power of a supercar and the engineering focus of a homologation special, and yet costs little more than a premium-brand executive saloon? With great difficulty is the simple answer.”
“Judged purely on power a performance, and putting price aside, we considered the Ferrari 575 HGTC and Porsche 911 Turbo as the ultimate benchmarks, but with both cars in their twilight years, we concluded it would be better to leave that particular showdown for their imminent successors, the 599 and 997 Turbo.” [I can’t wait for that!!!!]
However, the magazine notes the car’s honed nature, purported “race car for the road” dynamics and Dave Hill’s statement “The Z06 is the dividend from competing so successfully in endurance racing” in selecting the opposition for the group test: “Few cars promise more pace, even at four times the price, but it was the Z06’s uncompromising dynamic focus rather than its supercar-matching speed that shaped our decision to range three of our favourite and most uncompromising driver’s cars against it: the new but familiar supercharged Lotus Sport Exige Cup, Noble’s ballistic M400 and Porsche’s last great specialist 911, the GT3 RS. Street racers all, and as tough a test of the Corvette’s charisma, tactility and point-to-point ability as we could muster.”
Rod for its own back then, that “race car for the road” line, because it’s as such that this test is framed. This is no all-round test of the Z – that will come later - but rather a test of its road-racer-ness, and on the twisty roads of Wales, too.
More highlights:
“Even in a pub car park, the way the Z06 sits is a lesson in subtle menace.”
“Inside, the Z06 shuns classic road-racer austerity, instead offering an impressive level of creature comforts. The seats are generously padded, supportive and comfortable, while dual-zone air-conditioning, Bose sound system, colour screen satnav and a capacious load area make it both extremely habitable and surprisingly practical, even though the result is a pretty mainstream interior ambience.”
“… the 7000rpm tacho a new addition necessitated by the LS7’s unprecedented hunger for revs. Supplemented by a head-up display (HUD), which includes an endlessly amusing lateral g meter, the driver’s-eye view of the Z06 is undeniably impressive.”
Of the LS7: “It’s surprisingly light, actually, and though clearly of big displacement, the Corvette’s heart has a smooth, soft-edged pulse quite unlike the Porsche’s metallic chunter, the chesty gurgle of the Noble or the waspish buzz of the Lotus.”
“While the chunky, industrial gearshift is a mild disappointment, you soon discover that the LS7 motor ripples with so much muscle it renders most of the ratios redundant anyway. It truly is a goliath of an engine, pulling with immense, effortless urgency, literally from tickover, and delivering the kind of performance that makes even the Noble feel almost toy-like. This is one stupendously quick car.”
“Third delivers an unbeatable combination of low-speed tractability and savage acceleration while also having the reach to worry a wrung-out Exige, but for a truly surreal experience, fourth is the gear of choice, for should you have the inclination, it’ll haul relentlessly and with genuine conviction from walking pace right the way through to 170mph.”
“There’s no doubting the Corvette’s ability to put its ample power and torque onto the tarmac, for those gargantuan 325/30 ZR19 rear Goodyears have formidable bite. It doesn’t feel as big and cumbersome as the standard C6 either, thanks to steering that has improved feel and a more linear response, along with damping that asserts more control over the body and doesn’t go to war with the road when you try to hustle it on a less than smooth surface.”
“… sharp mid-corner bumps [I suspect we have more of those in the UK!] can still upset the Z06’s poise with a buck that seems to kick across the front and rear transverse composite leaf springs in turn, the front-end reacting a split second before the rear. It’s a trait rather than a mortal failing, for it requires nothing more than for you to accept it and ride it out, but it takes some getting used to. But then so does the Porsche.”
“And that [increasing involvement in the RS3 as speed increases], ultimately, highlights the Z06’s only major failing. The Porsche is flawed, demanding a very particular driving style, but eventually you find a way to interpret its signals, and that in turn enables you to feel comfortable with its behaviour and get the most from it. The Noble and Lotus are paragons of benign brilliance, allowing you to simply get in them and enjoy them. In the Z06, despite the manifest improvements over the C6, there’s an underlying aloofness that ensures you never feel inclined to reach for its limits. And while it has the grunt, grip and stopping power to keep pace, or even set the pace, without needing to dig that deep, it’s this ultimate lack of tactility, its inability to fully engage you, that means it never truly delivers those genuine moments of inspiration that define the others.”
That sounds very negative, but remember that this test is judging the Z06 as a road-racer; the real test is yet to come. And besides, it doesn’t sound like any of the other cars would have shaken it off their tails, even on Welsh twisties.
In that context, you’ll like the concluding paragraph:
“While it’s mildly disappointing to report that the Z06 isn’t the purebred road-racer its detailed development and exotic specification led us to believe, we remain awed at its pace, bowled over at the level of improvement over the standard C6, and incredulous at its bargain price [remember it’s selling at $105k on the road over here!] and how it combines 505hp with everyday practicality. It might not be America’s answer to the 911 RS, but when the new Porsche 997 Turbo is launched later this year, we know what we’ll be measuring it against.”
DISCUSS!
Article shows it's hard to find any car which compares directly with Z06. Aston V8 and BMW M6 would be more relevant than quasi track-cars like Exige and Noble. Of the cars tested Porsche is IMO the closest. It was good to see each of the cars has a distinctive character - unlike econobox comparos where the cars are all but identical except for the badge on the front. In a side by side test of Z06/Aston/BMW there would be real differences of character between those cars too. Bought my Vette because I wanted one and that's the way it should be!
At £60,000, the new Corvette is a steal.
Over 7000cc of ohv engine revving to 7000 rpm must be awesome.
Nothing from Germany or the UK comes remotely close to offering such bang per buck. I have driven the new Aston Martin V8 and for the ridiculous £90,000 that they are fetching new at present, they are a gutless and slow joke, if ever so ever so good looking.
A fettled Jaguar 4.3 litre engine for £90,000?
Forget it.
Over 7000cc of ohv engine revving to 7000 rpm must be awesome.
Nothing from Germany or the UK comes remotely close to offering such bang per buck. I have driven the new Aston Martin V8 and for the ridiculous £90,000 that they are fetching new at present, they are a gutless and slow joke, if ever so ever so good looking.
A fettled Jaguar 4.3 litre engine for £90,000?
Forget it.
It was a private car and the test was fairly shallow as a result. I fail to see the relevance of any of the comparators whether Noble, Exige or GT3 and as said above, cars like the AMV8 or XK or M6 might have been better "GT" choices. Funnily enough, the owner of the Z06 went off and ordered an Exige on the strength of driving all the cars (but not as a replacement you understand)even though it makes your ears bleed.
Me? I was pleased that all the other interiors took a slagging.
Me? I was pleased that all the other interiors took a slagging.
LuS1fer said:
It was a private car and the test was fairly shallow as a result. I fail to see the relevance of any of the comparators whether Noble, Exige or GT3 and as said above, cars like the AMV8 or XK or M6 might have been better "GT" choices. Funnily enough, the owner of the Z06 went off and ordered an Exige on the strength of driving all the cars (but not as a replacement you understand)even though it makes your ears bleed.
Me? I was pleased that all the other interiors took a slagging.
The article does recognise that the 599 and the 997 TT are the proper peer group.
I can see why these three comparators were chosen for this initial test - after all, GM has been making "race car" claims. Sagaris probably would have been a better inclusion than the Exige though.
Suspension, brakes, wheels and tires www.exoticcarsite.com/pages/chevrolet_c6_zo6.htm
"The Z06 retains the 106-inch (2686-mm) wheelbase of other Corvette models, as well as the short-long arm suspension and transverse leaf spring design, but it rides on all-new wheels, tires, brakes, as well as its own rear spring and roll stabilizer."
"The Z06 retains the 106-inch (2686-mm) wheelbase of other Corvette models, as well as the short-long arm suspension and transverse leaf spring design, but it rides on all-new wheels, tires, brakes, as well as its own rear spring and roll stabilizer."
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