We’ve been waiting for…ages now to watch a hands-on video review of this year’s most highly anticipated sports car within the financial reach of middle-class drivers (at least in the U.S. where it starts from $51,995 / €39,300), and now it’s here, courtesy of MotorTrend’s web-series Ignition and test driver Carlos Lago who jumped behind the wheel of the Corvette Stingray Z51.
To bring you up to date in case you missed some episodes, the seventh-gen Corvette with the Stingray moniker has been redesigned from the ground up sporting a new crispier looking body, a plusher and modern interior that doesn’t look like it belongs to an Aveo anymore, a new powertrain with a direct-injected V8 paired to a 7-speed manual or an optional 6sp auto, and promises of much improved handling, refinement and overall quality from GM.
The Z51 moniker of Lago’s test car denotes the optional $2,500 Performance Package that betters the Corvette’s sport characteristics via a number of upgrades, including an electronic limited-slip differential, dry-sump oiling system, integral brake, differential and transmission cooling, and an aero kit.
Whereas the standard Corvette Stingray’s LT1 6.2-liter V8 engine produces 455 horsepower (339 kW or 461PS) and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm) of torque, with the Z51 package, these figures are slightly nudged up to 460 horsepower (343 kW or 466PS) at 6,000 rpm and 465 lb-ft of torque (630 Nm) at 4,600 rpm, respectively.
The publication’s tests for the 7-speed manual Z51 Corvette reveal the following numbers:
0-60mph (96km/h): 3.9 seconds
0-100mph (160km/h): 8.8 seconds
Quarter Mile: 12.2 seconds @ 117.3mph (188.7 km/h)
Braking, 60-0mph (96km/h-0): 104 ft (31.69 meters)
Lateral Acceleration: 1.11g average
All that said, it’s time to watch the video for yourself right past the break and then voice your thoughts on the new ‘Vette in the comments.
Update: After we finished writing this article, we discovered that Car&Driver magazine had also posted its own video review of the Corvette Stingray Z51, which we have added below.
VIDEO