Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2021 Review

The 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe is due to land in Australia late this year as part of a renewed muscle car onslaught from General Motors Special Vehicles (GMSV), the new factory operation that has emerged from the ashes of Holden and can be seen as a reinvented version of HSV.

It’s believed the C8 Corvette will be priced from close to $140,000 (plus on-road costs) locally, with no more than 200 cars per year earmarked for our market.

It’s likely Oz-spec cars will be equipped with the Z51 Performance Package, which includes goodies such as firmer suspension, enhanced cooling, stickier Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (245/35ZR19 at the front and 305/30ZR20 at the rear), an electronic limited-slip diff, bigger brakes, a shorter 5.17:1 final-drive ratio and a sports exhaust that boosts outputs of the 6.2-litre LT2 V8 to 369kW and 637Nm.

The Z51 package also throws in an aero kit comprising a front splitter, multiplane rear spoiler and V-shaped deflectors under the nose to direct air around the front tyres. Chevrolet claims the aero addenda provides more than 180kg of downforce, although the manufacturer hasn’t specified at what speed this is the case.

FE4 Magnetic Ride Control adaptive dampers are optional, as is Performance Traction Control for better racetrack performance.

The only transmission that’s offered in the C8 is a brand-new eight-speed Tremec dual-clutch gearbox, so H-pattern junkies will need to look elsewhere.

A fully digitised dash is standard in even the base 1LT model, and so is an 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen that’s equipped with sat-nav in 2LT and 3LT spec levels.

A rear-vision camera is standard, while a front camera with kerb view is added as part of the 2LT and 3LT spec level, along with head-up display.

Apart from embracing its new mid-engined format, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette has also moved the game on substantially in terms of its safety kit and mod-cons quota.

Rearward visibility isn’t a strong suit as a consequence of that big V8 slung out the back, so it’s just as well the rear camera is supplemented by rear cross traffic alert, which uses short-range radar to detect whether there are cars approaching from the left or right as you reverse out of a nose-to-kerb parking spot.

There’s also side blind zone assist – GM’s moniker for lane change warning – which alerts you via a flashing orange light on the outside of the wing mirrors if there’s already a car in your blind spot when you’re changing lanes.

Also new is the front kerb view camera that helps you avoid scraping the splitter as you nose into a parking spot. As per the rear-view camera, it obviously only works at low speeds.

The conventional overhead mirror can be flipped and substituted by a rear camera mirror that displays a live feed captured by a rearward-facing HD camera that’s mounted on the roof of the car, providing a wider view that’s unobstructed by the rear buttresses.

Other than this, there’s the usual quota of parking sensors, front and side airbags, stability control and traction control.

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There will doubtless be thunderous Z06 and ZR1 versions of the C8 Chevrolet Corvette in due course, but even the standard Stingray is generously endowed in the powertrain department.

The 6.2-litre LT2 V8 is an updated version of the familiar LT1 pushrod V8 and features tech we’ve come to expect, such as direct injection and cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy.

That said, the LT2 gains a more aggressive camshaft, as well as freer-flowing exhaust and intake manifolds that combine to bump up power by 22kW over the LT1.

However, the real tech highlight with the LT2 is a brand-new dry-sump lubrication system that ensures the engine has a constant supply of oil pressure, even during sustained 1.0G cornering. The reservoir is bolted to the front of the engine, between it and the firewall.

The performance stats for the C8 are eye-watering for a circa-$140K offering, with 0-100km/h flashing past in 3.1sec and a v-max of 312km/h if you have access to a disused runway or racetrack with a particularly long straight.

The sports exhaust that comes standard with the Z51 package also delivers a rousing bellow when you extend the engine past 4000rpm.

The brand-new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is a far more sophisticated unit than the GM 8L90 torque-converter auto fitted to the C7, slashing shift times, as well as instilling a much more connected feel when activated via the paddle shifters.

There’s no conventional manual ’box on offer, but the dual-clutch unit is so fast and responsive that you’re unlikely to feel short-changed, even if you like having three pedals.

The real magic with the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray happens when you slide into the low-slung seat and fire up that V8.

It may have moved aft of the cabin, but the 6.2-litre LT2 V8 still sounds every bit as good as any of its predecessors, especially when you bury the throttle and get it bellowing at full song.

The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is also quick and seamless, especially when you’re pressing on, and the alloy paddles are pleasingly tactile.

Our test car had all the fruit, including the Z51 Performance Package and FE4 Magnetic Ride Control dampers, whose firmness can be adjusted by selecting either Tour, Sport or Track mode via a rotary knob on the centre console.

What all these ingredients add up to is an absolutely cracking driver’s car that delivers far more than expected.

Our preliminary test was conducted in the United Arab Emirates, and the Hajar Mountains – just over an hour out of Dubai – seemed the ideal real-world test lab for the C8. The roads here are winding and occasionally patchy, so the full repertoire of a chassis’ capabilities is exposed.

Having dialled into the car after covering about 100km, it became clear there’s eye-opening levels of grip to tap into and great balance in the chassis.

The slightly odd hexagonal-shaped steering wheel relays plenty of feedback to your fingertips, encouraging you to really lean on the car and get it dancing on its tiptoes.

The C8 is easy to accurately place on narrow roads as you can sight the front fenders from the driver’s seat thanks to their pronounced upward bulge. This isn’t the case with most mid-engined supercars as your view of the vehicle ends at the base of the windscreen.

Slightly on the minus side, ingress/egress is more challenging than in past Corvettes, and the length of the doors means you need ample room to open them to a reasonable angle.

So, make sure you avoid parking spots where another car might slot in close to you.

Luggage space is quoted at 356.8 litres, which sounds okay on paper, but a set of golf clubs and some soft luggage is pretty much the limit in terms of how much you can stash in the front and rear storage compartments.

The all-new C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is an impressively accomplished sports car, but one could argue it falls a tad short in the visual department.

A quick glance at the accompanying images is probably enough for you to glean the C8 doesn’t embody the long-snout-short-tail proportions that have been a hallmark of every previous Corvette since the 1953 C1. This alone may have ’Vette purists up in arms.

In fact, if the new-gen sportster was stripped of its badges, many may be clueless about its identity.

Although there’s a few vaguely familiar Corvette styling cues in there – such as the tail-lights – the C8 basically comes across as an amalgam of Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren design elements.

However, its polarising looks become less of a sticking point after an extended thrash in the C8 across some challenging roads.

It’s clear GM engineers have left no stone unturned in nailing the dynamics of this car. It’s blindingly fast, tactile and laugh-out-loud fun to punt with vigour.

One may well bemoan the slightly generic mid-engined supercar looks, but the C8 Chevrolet Corvette comprehensively overdelivers in every other respect.

It’s proof that substantially reinventing a tried-and-proven recipe can sometimes pay off handsomely.

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