Recently got tossed the keys to a C7 Z51 coupe to take for a test spin. Figured I would record my impressions here. The subject was a 2016 Z51 coupe with the LT1/8L90E 8-speed auto. Finished in Laguna Blue Metallic with a grey and black interior.
Styling-wise, I am still not fond of the C7. It still looks like GM looked at the then-new SRT Viper and the R35 GT-R and thought "Oh, those are what's hot" and jammed the two together. This one was also cursed with weird optioning, like black mirrors, spoiler and hood stripe, but grey fender and quarter panel vents. Laguna Blue is a very nice color though.
The black and grey interior shades are a little 1986, but it's otherwise a nice place to be. Seats are comfortable and hold you in place. Not a fan of the flat-bottom steering wheel, but it's nice and thick and feels great in your hands. Every thing falls nicely to hand and it's not cluttered with unnecessary buttons. Minor, minor gripe, but the radio Volume and Tune buttons are exactly opposite, and it ended up causing me to change channels whenever I wanted to adjust volume. By and large, a step above the old rental grade GM interiors and their hard materials. The view and position reminded me a lot of driving my Miata.
The big 6.2L LT1 is a belter. It has a great exhaust note, with that old speedboat burble at lower speeds and a scream at the upper end and sounds like a popcorn machine on decel. GM rates it at 450hp and it definitely feels like it makes every one of those ponies. My only gripe was the rev limit felt a little too low. It still felt like it had more to bring to the party but the ECM was saying "Nay."
I was at first disappointed that it wasn't a 7-speed, but my ~20 miles with the 8L90E banished that thought. The 8-speed auto is a sweet, sweet, sweet unit. Upshifts are fast and crisp and it does what you want it to, within reason. The wide open, redline upshifts are probably the best thing about this car. It results in an amazing BawaaahhhhBRRAAPPPBawaaah. The downside of that is, do two of those and you are well into "Lose your license territory". It's also a little wonky when it does a 3-7 upshift in auto mode.
This was my first experience with MagneRide in a performance environment, and it is absolutely the real deal. It soaked up some of the rough NY bumps with aplomb, no crashing or banging or jarring, but then was solid through turns. GM really did their homework with the chassis. The electric steering also is fairly lively and responsive. And the brakes will splatter your eyeballs on the inside of the windshield. I can't imagine what the big Z06/Z07 carbon ceramic dealios will do.
All in all, pretty impressed. Its certainly a lot of bang for the buck, and a lightyear leap forward for the 'Vette over the C6, especially in the interior department. I'm still not sold on the styling, but if it were mine, I could get over it in time. Meanwhile, my personal cars feel very slow in comparison.
