2025 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Consumer Reviews

Surprisingly, Outlandishly Good!

I must make clear my preference for foreign nameplates; specifically both Porsche and Mercedes Benz, as in the current owner of each--the Porsche 911 GT3, and MB S550. I always thought my Porsche was the limit on sports and GT car design and execution; that not even may supercars can hold a candle to the vehicle's handling and chassis dynamics (not to mention interior quality, which while sparse, was quite good). That was until I took delivery of my new Chevrolet Corvette (I do feel admittedly embarrassed letting others know that I took ownership of a Chevy of all cars). I choose an orange paint scheme for this rather sleek car, and wanted the much higher performance trim which Corvette calls "3LZ" for the Z06. My primary motivator for buying the car was an unusually long and extensive list of awards the vehicle accrued over the past five years, including a very glowing review through Car and Driver. I wanted to experience what thrive experienced, although I thought I already have in my Porsche. Not only was I wrong in my presumption of Porsche superiority, but I am now certain that the Corvette Z06 is the finest mass produced automobile in the world today. The engine is sonorous behind my head; blipping the throttle from 0 RPM to well past 8,000 RPM takes less than 1.2 seconds and sends a refined, muffled vibration throughout the cabin to accompany that scream from the pit of hell that the engine produces. My Porsche, by contrast, takes longer to rev to a lower redline, produces a coarser vibration, with a more strained quality to the exhaust note at redline. That engine, too, sits behind me. The interior is an exercise in style. High technology fused with an esoteric placement of controls is vaguely reminiscent of earlier Lamborghinis (Diablo), with a thin, vertical presentation of climate control facilities: all climate controls are in single-file. Hard to learn at first, but very much like what one would expect to see in an esoteric sportscar (yet with an MSRP of just $120k!). This, combined with high tech, very colorful and well -lit gauges presents a refined, evolved appearance to the entire interior. Always a delight to look at! This car sits lower than my Porsche. There's an aura of purpose-driven deliberateness to the cars demeanor once it is set in motion. And indeed, a feeling of high confidence sweeps over me anytime I take flight in it, esp during even routine cornering maneuvers. Like my Porsche, the brakes in this automobile are nothing short of phenomenal: linear, progressive, and those calipers bite down at always the right time. One characteristic of a finely tuned chassis is how well the cars dynamics play out when executing a corner with road irregularities--an average car will shift it's entire position in the direction of the turn the moment it lifts up off the road bump, whereas a superlative chassis dynamic will execute that corner with all four tires compliantly dealing with the road defect in an unruffled, agreeable manner. Such is the case with this well-sorted car, with just enough road feel to let me know that I've just traversed a tar strip of sizeable thickness. My Porsche, I'd hate too say, would feel more go-kart like over the same irregularity. The cats steering efforts equal its chassis playfulness in its sensitivity to driver inputs, turn versus effort ratio (near perfect linearity), and overall weight, which is moderately weighted. Much of what remains of the car can fill the remainder of this review, with features not yet discussed. In short, I laugh at the thought that I'm indeed the proud owner of a Chevy of all things; something I thought I'd never hear myself say. However, this car is so utterly underrated in every aspect (despite its award count), that I am now literally proud to own a domestic nameplate, and a Chevy at that. And for those who are asking yet haven't guessed, yes, this car is a better car than my Porsche. By a long, long shot.