2014 Corvette Stingray revealed

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
So I will post something juvenile, because, well I can. (and at least I will tell you up front unlike some folks on here)

For those who don't like how it looks, don't worry whatever you are driving will be too slow for you to catch up and get a good look at it anyway...

Yes, I know aesthetics are VERY subjective, but it's funny how Camry/Accord/Civic drivers could call this rocket sled "ugly".

The mark of a true enthusiast is when the performance becomes way more important than the looks. Many think my old Healey replica is ugly but learn to respect what 550 hp can do in a sub-3000 pound car!

I understand where you are coming from but must disagree. I don't think an individual is less an enthusiast about a particular vehicle because they prefer the looks of one model year over another. In reverse, I think it odd that a person would choose a car to admire based overwhelmingly on horsepower or performance from one model year to another. Perhaps what you should have said is a 'performance enthusiast'.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
Well, I went to NAIAS today and had a chance to scope out the new Corvette.

It looks *good*. I'd liken it to seeing a Ferrari Enzo for the first time. It looks a little awkward in photos, but seeing it in person brings out all kinds of small details that photos just don't have the resolution to properly detail.

The car is lean. Like a welterweight boxer who's been cutting to make weight. A lot of lean mass and very little flab. It makes the old Corvette and especially the new Viper look positively bloated and bulbous.

It is not over-styled. The most polarizing part, the rear end, is full of detail. What looks like a bunch of extraneous styling is actually vents and coves, with mesh details in the shadows, where you can see radiators and bits of aluminimum and composets. The only piece I think look a bit silly was the round tailpipes. They're large, bright, and they take up a lot of real estate in the center. A single styled outlet, a la Lamborghini, would have looked cool.

It was hard to see the interior while rotating on the stand, but they did have a frame on display that included one of the performance seats. It is seriously scalloped. So much material has been removed, I image for weight savings, that the seat looks fragile. Of course, it's made of some type of composite, so I'm sure it's plenty strong. It's just a nice, very race-like touch. Much different that the thickly bolstered seat typical of GM. It is very Porsche-esque.

All told, GM hit it out of the park. It moves the car forward on all fronts. I'll use the boxing reference again. It's like a former champ who's coming back to retake the crown. It's leaner and lighter on its feet. It's smarter, while still being tough. It may have lost some of the brashness of youth, but it remains humble to its past. It has become all the more serious a contender.


Thank you for that review.

Glad to hear about the seats since this is the ONE single point most have collectively used in the past to diss/blast this car.

I agree on the exhaust outlets/tips, and also think that they should have dumped the 'played out' four tips for two centrally located, large satin black, or black chrome, tips in a valance, like the other GT cars/exotics they are going after with this bargain ride.

 

[Oldswagon]

I just got the March issue of Car and Driver and it has an excellent write up on the car. It involves an interview with the Corvette engineering team. Worth the read.

As for the seats, they are made by lear. There are two options, one is a standard seat, that is said to be primarly for long distance comfort. There is the optional competition type seat, which looks like a racing seat, and even has provisions for a racing harness. The Corvette team says to try this seat before buying because it is not comfortable for "bigger" people.

 

[aquariuscsm]

What I`d like to see would be "muscle car" style guages instead of that silly gimmicky video-game looking screen. I HATE that stuff.

 

[Autobahn88]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
The 2012 Grand Sport looks waaaaaaaaay better than this Stingray.

Looks like the design team never had a good concept from the very beginning. Yuck. Maybe in black it won't look not as bad.



I have to agree with you. A good friend of mine bought a 2010 grand sport and i absolutely love it. I think that it is the best looking vette ever made. The new one looks sharp but it seems to busy in its design. It is not as clean as the previous car. I guess I will have to see one in person to gauge an accurate conclusion. I hope that they will have one at the Toronto Auto show later next month. I don't like the tail lights on the new one. Very Camaroesque looking.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Autobahn88


I hope that they will have one at the Toronto Auto show later next month.


A friend of mine in Toronto works for GM in a marketing position and he assures me the 2014 Corvette will be at our auto show

 

[SLCraig]

I saw the 2014 Vette at NAIAS as well and I liked it. I think it's an improvement for sure.

I then saw the new Viper... OMG!
That thing just looks amazing. They had a yellow on there at the Mopar booth, maybe had some accessories or something from Mopar on it, but man did it ever look mint. Definitely think they hit a homerun there.

Of course this is all subjective but I think both cars are improvements, but the Viper is just incredible in person. I especially loved the back end.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I saw the 2014 Vette at NAIAS as well and I liked it. I think it's an improvement for sure.

I then saw the new Viper... OMG!
That thing just looks amazing. They had a yellow on there at the Mopar booth, maybe had some accessories or something from Mopar on it, but man did it ever look mint. Definitely think they hit a homerun there.

Of course this is all subjective but I think both cars are improvements, but the Viper is just incredible in person. I especially loved the back end.


I do not like yellow on EITHER of these cars, but in almost any other color the new Viper looks crazy hot!!