2021 Chevy Corvette Review

　　

2021 Chevrolet Corvette Review

byBrent RomansSenior Manager, Written Content

　　Brent Romans has worked in the automotive industry since 1996. He has written or edited thousands of expert car reviews and road-tested hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Brent is a senior manager of written content at zzdcar and previously contributed to publications such as Super Street and Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road. His personal car is a 2019 BMW M2 Competition, which he bought for its ideal combination of performance, style and practicality.

　　When Chevrolet introduced an all-new Corvette last year, it did more than just redesign the car. It fundamentally reformulated the recipe in order to take performance to the next level, placing the V8 engine behind the seats and forward of the rear axle, transforming America's sports car into a legit mid-engine exotic that competes with vehicles twice its price.

　　Chevy is just getting started too. Hotter variants are planned, starting with a return of the Z06 to the lineup in the near future. In the meantime, rest assured that the base Stingray will easily satisfy your need for speed. It's hard to overstate how this new C8 Vette has improved compared to earlier incarnations. Check out our Expert Rating to see our full evaluation and performance test numbers.

　　

What's it like to live with?

zzdcar is a fan of Corvettes, so we bought one for a long-term test. The goal goes beyond having a deliriously good time behind its squared-off steering wheel. We're living with this mid-engine sports car for a year to see what it's like to drive it every day, using it for everything from grocery shopping and road-tripping to ripping around local racetracks. Be sure to read our in-depth long-term Corvette coverage to learn more.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.5

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

9.0/10

　　How does the Corvette drive? Even in a class full of impressive performance cars, the Corvette stands out. In zzdcar' testing and using the car's launch control system, our 3LT coupe test car with all-season tires ripped from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds (3.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout) and cleared the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at more than 118 mph. Both times are very quick, and if you opt for the Z51 Performance package, those numbers are 3.4 seconds (3.2 seconds with rollout) and 11.5 seconds at 120 mph, respectively. Braking performance is excellent though not quite class-leading, but that's largely due to the narrow front tires. Our 3LT test car came to a stop from 60 mph in 109 feet; the Z51 Corvette with its sticker tires needed just 105 feet.

　　Steering and handling are both impressive, and the car's considerable limits can be explored even by drivers with only moderate skill. Likewise, the new eight-speed automatic transmission impresses with its smooth and quick shifts.

　　

Comfort

8.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Corvette? The Corvette is one of the more comfortable cars in its class. Our test car had the optional MagneRide adaptive suspension. We found that it offers excellent compliance over a variety of road surfaces and smooths out bumps that would likely upset other sports cars. Adding to the comfort is the relative lack of wind and engine noise, though tire noise can be prominent on rough road surfaces.

　　The Corvette's GT2 bucket seats are road-trip champions that can help you stay comfortable over thousands of miles. They're less aggressive than the optional Competition seats but still hold you in place during high-speed cornering, and they're well padded enough for long-distance comfort. The climate system provides good airflow from its stylish vents, and the heated/ventilated seat functions work well.

　　

Interior

7.5/10

　　How’s the interior? Maybe just as striking as the exterior design, the Corvette's interior is certainly eye-catching. While it is relatively easy to use, there is quite a bit of controversy around the placement and design of the climate control buttons. They simply aren't arranged intuitively. Passengers might also feel left out since there's little they can interact with.

　　It's a bit more difficult to get into the Corvette than some other higher-riding sports cars, and getting out of it is even more of a challenge. This predicament is exacerbated in tight parking situations. But buyers will likely figure out a way and won't be too bothered. The compromised rear visibility will take some getting used to as well. Chevy added a camera-based rearview mirror display to help out, but the blind spots created by the rear pillars are still significant.

　　

Technology

8.5/10

　　How’s the tech? The Corvette benefits from Chevrolet's newest infotainment system. The graphics are crisp and modern, and the touchscreen's proximity to the driver makes it easy to operate. As small as the interior is, the optional 14-speaker Bose audio system manages to produce high-quality sound with plenty of power. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is also standard, and the systems worked well during our test.

　　It lacks adaptive cruise control and emergency braking, but rear cross-traffic assist is a very welcome feature, as are the cameras that help with low-speed maneuvering. An optional nose-lift system can use GPS to remember steep driveways, which is handier than you might imagine. Of course, Chevrolet's Performance Traction Management software is available and excellent.

　　

Storage

8.0/10

　　How’s the storage? Mid-engine sports cars aren't well known for their practicality. But the Corvette makes pretty good use of its available space. The front trunk can hold a couple of grocery bags, and the rear is big enough for two golf bags. Rear storage all but disappears, however, when you store the Corvette coupe's removable roof panel in the trunk.

　　Similar to other cars in this class, interior storage is limited to a small, shallow center console box and an equally small pair of cupholders. The door pockets are long and lined with felt but can't hold a whole lot.

　　

Fuel Economy

8.0/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? The Corvette gets an EPA-estimated 19 mpg (15 city/27 highway). Our test Corvette returned 21.8 mpg on our 120-mile mixed-driving evaluation route — not bad when you consider the sort of spirited driving that the Corvette encourages. As with all high-performance cars, single digits are just a good road and a heavy foot away.

　　

Value

8.0/10

　　Is the Corvette a good value? If performance wasn't the strongest argument for buying the Corvette, perhaps the pricing will be. Starting around $60,000, the Corvette is a relative bargain among performance cars. Even if you outfit it with a number of options, whether you're talking the upgraded performance of the Z51 or the enhanced luxury of the 3LT, it's still a reasonable $75,000-$80,000. Build quality has always been a sore spot with Corvettes, but this generation doesn't have that problem. The interior looks and feels premium, and paint and panel gaps are similarly well done.

　　The three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and the five-year/50,000-mile powertrain warranty are average for the class. Roadside assistance is covered for the first five years/60,000 miles and the first maintenance visit is free.

　　

Wildcard

10.0/10

　　It's easy to be impressed by the C8. Its performance rivals that of sports cars costing nearly twice as much, yet the Corvette is still everyday comfortable and practical. But it's the performance that shocks the most. The transformation has been nothing short of jaw-dropping.

　　

Which Corvette does zzdcar recommend?

Though the Corvette 3LT's interior is plush enough to banish the complaints about quality that have dogged this car for decades, it is the Corvette 2LT that we recommend for its combination of equipment and value. Plus, the 2LT trim is a requirement to get a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert, necessities given how awful rear visibility is from the driver's seat. You'll also need the 2LT's available front lift system to avoid scraping the car's nose.

　　

2021 Chevrolet Corvette models

The 2020 Corvette Stingray is available as either a coupe with a removable roof panel or a traditional convertible. The three trims are 1LT, 2LT and 3LT, each one building off the last with features and available options. All are powered by a mid-mounted 6.2-liter V8 (490 horsepower, 465 lb-ft) that sends power to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

　　1LT

　　Highlights of the base 1LT include:

　　Leather seats Keyless entry with push-button start 12-inch digital instrumentation display 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system 4G LTE Wi-Fi internet connection Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration 10-speaker Bose audio system Rear parking sensors2LT

　　The 2LT offers a wider variety of standard features:

　　Heated and ventilated seats Heated steering wheel Navigation system 14-speaker Bose audio system Wireless smartphone charging Performance data recorder (records info and video for high-performance driving) Head-up display Digital rearview mirror (allows you to see out the back even with a fully loaded cargo area) Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while reversing)3LT

　　At the top of the lineup you have the 3LT trim level. It comes with:

　　GT2 sport seats Premium leather upholstery Leather-wrapped interior panels Suede headliner Optional features generally mirror those on the 2LT trim save for what already comes standard.

　　The Z51 Performance package is available on all three trims and comes with significant upgrades to the powertrain and chassis. Cars with the Z51 package get a slight bump in power (495 hp and 470 lb-ft) thanks to a performance exhaust system. Other Z51 upgrades:

　　Heavy-duty cooling system Z51-specific suspension tuning with adaptive dampers Electronic limited-slip differential Grippier tiresOther significant options, depending on the trim, include:

　　Adaptive suspension dampers for non-Z51 cars Competition Sport seats with additional bolstering Front-end lift system to help minimize scraping on driveways and speed bumps Transparent or carbon-fiber roof for the coupe Various paint stripe schemes and carbon-fiber trim

　　

2021 Corvette Highlights

Type: CoupeConvertibleCoupe

　　

Base MSRP	$58,900
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	19 MPG
Cost to Drive	$232/month
Seating	2 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	12.6 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles