The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette stingray is probably the most well-rounded car that I have ever driven. Not only is it brutally fast in a straight line, it cruises down the freeway as comfortably as any luxury car that you could name.
The following is a full review of the 2015 Corvette Stingray that I rented for a road trip from San Diego to Washington DC.
Somwhere in Texas, that car and I became one. It fit like a glove, sounded incredible, and it almost made me look cool. At least for a moment.
First impressions
Besides the fact that this car was painted in the one color I dislike the most on any car (yellow), my first impression was basically “holy sh*t that’s so friggin’ cool!”. It sat low and wide in the Avis rental car parking lot, looking far more awesome than anything within eyesight.
This was a nearly brand new car with only 8000(ish) miles on the odometer. The paint was perfect and I didn’t see a scratch or a scuff anywhere . Even the wheels looked clean enough to eat off of. It made one heck of an impression, and everyone who walked by gave it a good long look as I was getting situated. It draws attention, whether you like it or not.
Styling and design
The seventh generation Corvette (more conveniently referred to as the C7) looks exactly how a Corvette should. The long hood and arched front fenders means that there is no mistaking this for anything else. 20 bucks says my mom would know it’s a Corvette without even giving it a second thought. I didn’t ask, but it’s just a hunch.
Interior
The interior of the C7 is a huge improvement over the C6. It looks and feels like a fighter jet cockpit, with all of the dials and controls you need for spirited driving within easy reach.
The seats were firm but comfortable, and the interior didn’t seem cramped at all. Snug, yes, but not cramped. Everything was within easy reach. By far the best sports car interior I’ve ever sat in.
I immediately noticed how good the forward visibility was upon sitting in the driver’s seat for the first time. The windshield in the C7 Corvette is wide and amazingly low – almost felling as if it began right at my knees (just as my 2002 Toyota Celica felt).
The materials used in the interior are very nice – not plasticy at all, and the leather on the seats was soft snug. I’ve never been a fan of leather seats in sports cars, but these seats felt pretty good and held me in place well during my run on the Tail of the Dragon.
The 2015 Stingray is a very comfortable highway cruiser, and I never once felt like I had to get out of the car on my cross country drive due to poor seating position or generally being uncomfortable.
The only complaint I had in terms of comfort was the fact that the transparent roof panel made the interior of the car brutally hot whenever the sun was out. I also had to wear a hat to cut down on the glare and heat from overhead.
The driving experience
I’m pretty sure I giggled like a school girl when I pressed the “Start” button and fired it to life for the first time. The initial cough and then smooth rumble of the big 455hp LT1 V8 is a sound to behold, and I really couldn’t believe that I would be driving this thing all the way across the country.
The Avis rental car lot at the San Diego International Airport is located right in the heart of downtown, so the first 10 to 15 minutes with this car was spent at low speeds navigating light city traffic. To be honest, it felt as easy to drive as a minivan in this type of situation.
As docile as this car was in the city, it was a complete madman on the open desert roads. This car has multiple personalities, and I got a violent introduction to this about 45 minutes later in eastern San Diego county as I was merging onto interstate 8 west after a quick pit stop. It’s deceptively quick. And it sounds great as it demonstrates what it is capable of.
The steering was light, the forward visibility was amazing, and it felt solid as a rock going over potholes and railroad tracks. The only problem are the horrific blind spots when looking over the shoulder to check for traffic before merging. Basically, you can’t see anything. At all. This requires paying full attention to the cars around you, and triple checking the mirrors before changing lanes.
Performance and handling
The magnetic suspension in the 2015 Corvette is nothing short of sublime. Just as it was during my drive in the the 2015 BMW 328i, the Vette felt solid and tight even over the worst bumps. I described the BMW as feeling like riding on a maglev train, and this Corvette was exactly the same way. Solid and confident, with excellent feedback.
Unlike many other sports cars that I’ve driven, the 2015 C7 Corvette comes standard with a variety of driving modes that you can actually feel.
- Touring mode makes the car feel soft(ish) and comfortable on the highway.
- Track mode tightens everything up, and boy can you ever feel it. The suspension and steering become much stiffer, and the transmission shifts quicker (although it is more jarring).
- Sport mode is a decent compromise between the softest and most hard-core settings. FWIW, I left it in this mode most of the time.
It’s also worth noting that the 2015 Corvette (despite its wide high-performance tires) does decently OK in light rain. Much of my drive across the country was in pouring rain, and I didn’t have any issues until it started coming down hard. This Corvette had a tendency to hydroplane more than any other car that I’ve ever driven, which was scary to say the least.
Gas Mileage
I thought for sure that I’d be spending an obscene amount of money on gas based upon how much this car likes to scream, but the amazing thing is that I only spent $201 in fuel in 2,800 miles of driving. Amazing, right?
The excellent gas mileage was likely due to the cylinder-deactivation feature during highway cruising, which meant that this Corvette was running on 4 cylinders for much of my journey east. But it sure didn’t feel like it. Ferocious power was instantly available whenever I needed it, and I never one felt like I was driving a four-cylinder car.
Final thoughts
I’m going to come right out and say it: this was the most amazing car I’ve driven in my life up until this point. It’s everything I want in a car: small(ish), great handling, big V8, and great looks. I will admit that I was a bit uncomfortable with all the attention this car drew, but I think that’s something I could live with if I had one of these on my own.
