Consumer Guide logged nearly 350 miles in the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
Model: 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06; 505-horsepower 7.0-liter V8 and 6-speed manual transmission
Base Price: $70,175
Options: 2LZ Preferred Equipment Group (Bose Premium 7 Speaker System, Power Telescoping Steering Wheel, Heated Seats, Memory Package, Universal Home Remote, Side Impact Airbags, Steering Wheel Radio Controls, Luggage Shade and Parcel Net, Enhanced Acoustic Package); AM/FM/CD/DVD Navigation System; Velocity Yellow Tintcoat
Price as Tested: $76,545
Total Miles: 343 miles
Fuel Economy: 14.7 mpg
Editors' Comments
Damon Bell: I test drove a 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport 6MT coupe not long before my
test session in the 2008 Corvette Z06. Darned if I didn't find this
505-horsepower super-Vette as tractable and easy to drive as the Infiniti.
That's an impressive achievement for a vehicle with this much hair on
its chest. Make no mistake though... the Z06 is an extreme vehicle for
serious enthusiasts with advanced driving skills. John Biel: The Corvette, particularly the Z06, remains an intriguingly civilized
brute. It obviously has the capability to be driven fast and hard, but
it is still tractable enough for, if not everyday, then at least "most
day" use. That actually raises its consumer value quotient. On the
downside, the Z06 seems to have a real sweet tooth for premium fuel
when noodling around below open-road speeds. Chuck
Giametta: It's a good thing for Z06 drivers, for bystanders, for the
public at large, really, that this beast is a punishing, high-priced,
hyper-performance handful that comes only with manual transmission. We
pray those "compromises" will repel poseurs who don't respect the Z06's
propensity to whip itself sideways in even part-throttle acceleration.
On the public roads, in the wrong hands, this car is a loaded gun. Don
Sikora: The Z06 is a Corvette turned up to "eleven" at least.
Amazingly, the 505-horsepower LS7 V8 will plod along in heavy suburban
traffic and cruise effortlessly on the expressway pretty much like any
"normal" car on your daily commute to the office. But the Z06 has a
little edge to it that lets you know it would be much happier
thundering down to turn five at Road America rather than navigating
I-94 entrance ramps and grocery store parking lots. If your daily
routine is like mine, you'll probably be much happier in a "regular"
Corvette.