2027 Chevy Corvette Stingray Tested: A Brand-New Heart With a Familiar Soul

• What's new: The Chevy Corvette Stingray gets a brand-new naturally aspirated 6.7-liter V8 engine.
• Why it matters: This propels the Corvette up to 535 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque — not bad for a car that starts at $73,495 (including destination) and competes with exotics costing twice as much.
• Edmunds says: The V8's familiar sound and persona don't rewrite the Stingray's story, but that's not a bad thing.

Suffering from success

The on-paper stats are exciting. While the Corvette Stingray's previous 6.2-liter V8 developed 490 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque in standard form, or 495 hp and 470 lb-ft when equipped with the Z51 Performance package, the 6.7-liter engine sees those figures jump to 535 hp and 520 lb-ft. That power finds its way to the road via the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as before, and Z51-equipped cars get an electronic limited-slip differential to balance and modulate power between the two rear wheels. 

As the updated Stingray pulls up to our test track, I've already logged over 400 miles of city and canyon driving. And while I'd love to brag all about how much quicker the Corvette feels with all of its extra oomph, that simply isn't the case. See, the dual-clutch transmission is so rapid that, in most instances, the power delta isn't easily felt unless you drive the old and new cars back to back. It's a case of the new 'Vette struggling to shine because of its predecessor's strength. In many ways, the Corvette is suffering from success. So, what do the numbers say?

For one, they confirm what my butt dyno already knows. This 2027 model, a 3LT trim equipped with the Z51 Performance package, took 3.3 seconds to hit 60 mph and 11.4 seconds to complete the quarter mile at 120.2 mph. Flash back to a comparable 2020 model we tested with like-for-like equipment, and that car took 3.4 seconds to 60 mph and ran the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds at 119.7 mph. So, the new car is quicker, sure, but the performance difference is indistinguishable outside of finely calibrated instrumented testing.

For context, a non-Z51-equipped 2021 Corvette we tested completed the run to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and crossed the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at 118.1 mph. Interestingly, this lesser Stingray proved to be the lightest C8-generation model we've tested, weighing in at 3,642 pounds, while the 2020 Z51 and the 2027 Z51 tipped the scales at 3,649 pounds and 3,693 pounds, respectively. 

Is it just a case of same-same, but same? 

Well, kind of. When it came time to tackle our 60-to-0-mph braking test, the 2027 Stingray needed 105 feet to come to a stop. That's an improvement over the 2021 non-Z51 car's 109-foot result, but behind the 2020 Z51's stellar 101-foot score. Having driven more C8-generation Corvettes than I can remember, the braking experience feels virtually unchanged. Pedal travel is nice and short, but there's zero feedback as you dig into the brakes, a hallmark trait of the Corvette's electrically boosted system. 

The trend continues on the skidpad, where the latest car scored 1.03 g, a respectable result for the Michelin Pilot Sport S5 ZP tires it rides on, measuring 245/35/19 up front and 305/30/20 in the rear. While that's enough to best the 2021 non-Z51 car and its 0.97 g result, it falls behind the 2020 Z51, which managed 1.09 g. 

In every single test we conducted, the latest iteration of the Corvette falls within spitting distance of the multiple flavors of its predecessor. If you've got a 6.2-liter Stingray, there's plenty to be happy about here, and if you've just ordered a 6.7-liter car, you can at least find some solace in 6.7 being a larger number than 6.2.

If it ain't broke ...

At this point, it's worth pointing out that while the 2027 Corvette doesn't deliver a leap in performance like its on-paper stats would lead you to believe, it's still a thrilling mid-engine sports car. On our test track, the Stingray proved itself to be not just quick in a straight line, but excellent in the tighter sections of our handling course. With retuned dampers and some of the best traction-control software in the business, it's as performant as it is accessible. 

The Corvette Stingray is the kind of machine that drivers of all skill levels can just hop into and immediately enjoy. Sure, its steering is utterly lifeless, and it'll lose grip and understeer long before you can get into any serious trouble. And as long as you're OK with your sports car looking as classy as a Miami $399-per-day rental special, what it can do for the $100,795 it costs is still remarkable. With rumbling V8 noises emerging from center-mounted quad exhaust tips, I'd rather listen to this characterful soundtrack than almost any regulation-muffled engine on sale today. 

The Corvette may have a brand-new heart, but its soul is unchanged. And while some flaws remain, the C8 Corvette deserves praise for sticking to what made it great in the first place.