2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 vs. 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S: Track Tested

Edmunds tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "Edmunds Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.

Chevy Corvette vs. Porsche 911: It's the bench race to end all bench races. Both cars have legendary racing pedigrees and loyal fan bases and both go fantastically fast. How they achieve that speed, however, is vastly different.

The C7 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 makes do with a front-mounted, 460-horsepower V8 driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual transmission. The 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S has only 394 hp from its rear-mounted flat-6. As with the Corvette, power goes to the rear via a seven-speed manual. This layout shouldn't work, but Porsche's been perfecting it for 50 years and the 991 generation is the best yet.

Trouble is, the 2014 C7 Corvette is also the best of its lineage and it's about $30,000 less expensive. Does that $30,000 price difference materialize on the track? Let's have a look at the numbers, and don't forget to scroll to the bottom to see how the C7 does against a Porsche 911 Carrera S with the PDK double-clutch transmission.

	2014 Chevy Corvette	2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S 7MT
Curb weight as tested:	3,444	3,277
0-30 (sec.):	1.8	1.9
0-45 (sec.):	2.8	3.0
0-60 (sec.):	4.1	4.6
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec.):	3.8	4.4
0-75 (sec.):	5.6	6.3
1/4-mile (sec @ mph):	12.0 @ 117.3	12.7 @ 113.2
30-0 (ft):	23	25
60-0 (ft):	93	102
Skid Pad Lateral Accel (g):	1.08	1.04
Slalom:	72.8	71.3

Vehicle: 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51
Odometer: 1,102
Driver: Josh Jacquot
Price: $68,175

Specifications:
Drive Type: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Seven-speed manual with automated rev-matching
Engine Type: Naturally aspirated, direct-injected pushrod V8, gasoline with cylinder deactivation
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 6,162/376
Redline (rpm): 6,500
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 460 @ 6,000
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 465 @ 4,600
Brake Type (front): 13.6-inch one-piece ventilated slotted cast-iron discs with 4-piston fixed calipers
Brake Type (rear): 13.3-inch one-piece ventilated slotted cast-iron discs with 4-piston fixed calipers
Suspension Type (front): Independent double wishbones, transverse leaf spring, self-adjusting magnetorheological dampers, stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Independent double wishbones, transverse leaf spring, self-adjusting magnetorheological dampers, stabilizer bar
Tire Size (front): 245/35ZR19 (89Y)
Tire Size (rear): 285/30ZR20 (95Y)
Tire Brand: Michelin
Tire Model: Pilot Super Sport ZP
Tire Type: Asymmetrical, high-performance, summer
As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 3,444

Test Results:

Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 1.8 (2.1 w/ TC on)
0-45 (sec): 2.8 (3.2 w/ TC on)
0-60 (sec): 4.1 (4.7 w/ TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 3.8 (4.4 w/ TC on)
0-75 (sec): 5.6 (6.5 w/ TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 12.0 @ 117.3 (12.7 @ 112.0 w/ TC on)

Braking
30-0 (ft): 23
60-0 (ft): 93

Handling
Slalom (mph): 72.8
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 1.08 (1.07 w/ESC on)
RPM @ 70: 1,450

Comments:

Acceleration: Launch control (after several runs) did a respectable job of getting the car off the line but results in heavy wheelspin. A more calculated approach utilizing a 3,800-4,000 rpm engine speed produced the best results. Get the clutch out quickly and let the engine's massive torque push the car forward. Gearchanges are easy, quick and consistent. Engine sound is awesome at wide-open throttle, too.

Braking Some softening of the brake pedal is apparent even during single-stop tests like this. This car (VIN 0026) has likely endured multiple instrumented tests in a few days. Still, the distance (93 feet) is stunning.

Handling:

Skid pad: Very easy to approach and sense the limit of front grip. Precise steering and no body roll provide ample confidence to drive right past the limit of grip. And with excellent balance and a big margin between the limit of grip and the limit of control, doing so is engaging.

Slalom: It's easy to drive the C7 very close to its limits with little practice. Every single run was within 0.35 second. There's probably a quicker slalom speed in the C7, but we ran out of time to refine the best technique. Even so, this car is very, very capable in this test.

Vehicle: 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S 7MT
Odometer: 3,905
Driver: Chris Walton
Price: $98,900 (base today)

Specifications:
Drive Type: Rear engine, rear-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Seven-speed manual
Engine Type: Naturally aspirated, direct-injected flat-6, gasoline
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 3,800/323
Redline (rpm): 7,500
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 394 @ 7,400
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 325 @ 5,600
Brake Type (front): 13.4-inch ventilated and drilled discs with six-piston fixed calipers
Brake Type (rear): 13.0-inch ventilated and drilled discs with four-piston fixed calipers
Suspension Type (front): Modified MacPherson strut, coil springs, electrically adjustable dampers, active stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Multilink, coil springs, electrically adjustable dampers, active stabilizer bar
Tire Size (front): 245/35ZR20 (91Y)
Tire Size (rear): 295/30ZR20 (101Y)
Tire Brand: Pirelli
Tire Model: P Zero
Tire Type: Asymmetrical, high-performance, summer
As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 3,277

Test Results:

Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 1.9 (2.2 w/ TC on)
0-45 (sec): 3.0 (3.3 w/ TC on)
0-60 (sec): 4.6 (5.0 w/ TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 4.4 (4.6 w/ TC on)
0-75 (sec): 6.3 (6.5 w/ TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 12.7 @ 113.2 (13.0 @ 111.7 w/ TC on)

Braking
30-0 (ft): 25
60-0 (ft): 102

Handling
Slalom (mph): 71.3
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 1.03 (1.04 w/ ESC on)
RPM @ 70: 2,100

Comments:

Acceleration: Biggest news here is that the 911 no longer produces its trademark axle-hopping launch. Instead, it merely hazed the rear tires and resisted bogging down the engine once the tires hooked up. Shifter feels a little vague in that I rarely trusted my 2-3 shift, yet it always went in. All runs in Sport Plus with the exhaust open. Also felt some sort of shift-shock reduction with each upshift that wouldn't allow wheel chirp. Shifts were smooth, but slightly delayed.

Braking: Medium-firm pedal with moderate jump-in, but amazing power/effectiveness toward the end of the stop. Very little dive (firm suspension setting), no wiggle and distances grew shorter with some heat in the brakes. No fade at all.

Handling:

Skid pad: One of a handful of cars that oversteers comfortably, confidently precisely all the way around the circle. Steering weight comes and goes with front grip level but graininess/feel are no longer there. I could steer with the throttle all the way around.

Slalom: Quick turn-in but a small delay in yaw reaction. Tracks very true to steering input but requires a little patience for the chassis to catch up. Never felt threatening or apt to spin, even with drop-throttle. Had to be prudent with throttle at exit but it sure feels like there's an LSD back there making sure all the power is used effectively.

And for fun, here's what it looks like when the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray goes up against a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S with PDK instead of the manual transmission.

	2014 Chevy Corvette	2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S PDK
Curb weight as tested:	3,444	3,332
0-30 (sec.):	1.8	1.5
0-45 (sec.):	2.8	2.6
0-60 (sec.):	4.1	3.9
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec.):	3.8	3.7
0-75 (sec.):	5.6	5.5
1/4-mile (sec @ mph):	12.0 @ 117.3	12.0 @ 116.5
30-0 (ft):	23	25
60-0 (ft):	93	98
Skid Pad Lateral Accel (g):	1.08	1.03
Slalom:	72.8	71.4

The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.