The Chevrolet Corvette coupe and convertible get something significantly new for 2006: An optional automatic transmission as advanced as some of the other high-tech components introduced with the C6. Indeed, the new six-speed Paddle Shift automatic is one of the most technologically advanced transmissions in the industry, featuring clutch to clutch operation, manual shifting via steering-wheel levers, and an electronic controller with more computing power than the typical PC had 10 years ago.
The automatic's six forward gears have smaller steps between them, which enhances the feeling of performance and smoothness, and allows the engine to run at optimal rpm more often. First gear has a much higher ratio than that in the old four-speed automatic, delivering even more impressive acceleration off the line. Yet both fifth and sixth are overdrive gears, allowing quiet cruising and good highway mileage. In short, the six-speed automatic delivers an even better balance of exciting acceleration and good mileage. If ever a sporting car were suited for an automatic transmission, it's the Corvette, with its big, torquey V8. The automatic does not sap all the fun out of driving the Vette the way automatics do in small sports cars with small engines. It's responsive to the driver's intent, shifting hard and fast when you're getting with the program, but smooth and softly when cruising.
The six-speed automatic would be news enough for a given model year, but for enthusiast drivers it pales in comparison to the big event for 2006: the return of the mighty Chevy Corvette Z06 after a one-year hiatus.
The Z06 is the most powerful production Corvette ever, boasting 505 horsepower. Its new LS7 V8 displaces 7.0 liters, or 427 cubic inches, just like the famous 427 'Vettes of the late '60s. Yet the original 427s were big-block engines. While the LS7 generates big-block torque (470 pound-feet), it's actually a small block V8, so it's lighter and much more compact than the original 427s. However, it's still an overhead-valve engine, and in certain respects it has more in common with a heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pickup than a Ferrari. Yet the LS7 is impressively tuned and highly refined. The Chevy Corvette Z06 features a host of racing technologies that enhance durability, including dry sump engine lubrication and separate cooling systems for the oil, power steering, rear axle, and six-speed manual transmission.
The springs and shocks in the Z06 suspension are about 15 percent stiffer than those with the optional Z51 performance suspension for the standard Corvette. The cross-drilled brake rotors are larger, with high-performance six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers in the rear. The Z06 has a fixed roof, rather than a removable panel like the standard coupe, for a bit more overall structural stiffness. Its frame is made entirely of lightweight aluminum and magnesium, rather than high-strength steel, and its fenders are lightweight carbonfiber rather than fiberglass. As a result, the Z06 is substantially lighter than the standard Corvette coupe, even though its engine, transmission, and other super high-performance components are substantially heavier.
Bottom line? At $65,800, the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is easily the best supercar value in high-performance automotive history: 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 11.7-second quarter mile, 200-mph top speed, and 1.04 g constant lateral grip, according to Chevrolet. Those numbers surpass the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari F430, cars that cost twice as much as the Z06 during clearance sales, and all but a handful of low-volume, $500,000-plus specials built in small workshops around the world. And here's the real stunner. The Z06 does all that with nothing more than a slightly stiff ride on really bad roads when driven around town. There's nothing finicky in this monster. With impressive EPA mileage numbers of 16 mpg city and 26 highway, the Corvette Z06 doesn't even get a gas-guzzler tax.
This easy drivability, this livability, defines the Z06. Even more so, it defines the standard Corvette models.
Whether cruising down the highway or pushing your limits on a race track, the current Chevy Corvette is much easier to drive than the old one. Indeed, the pre-2005 models feel dated by comparison. The C6 rides nicer, handles better, and generates more grip. When driven hard, it's more forgiving than the old C5. It inspires more confidence than the old one.
The low, throaty roar of the LS2 V8 in the standard Corvette coupe and convertible sounds great, and that sound is accompanied by truly thrilling acceleration. Stand on the gas and even the automatic will chirp the rear tires when it shifts into second. The LS2 V8 displaces 6.0 liters (364 cubic inches) and generates 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, or only five ponies less than the previous-generation Z06 engine. The standard Corvettes can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and cover the standing quarter-mile in 12.5 seconds. That's quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera or Jaguar XK8 and comparable to a Ferrari F430. There's lots of torque at all engine speeds. Stand on the gas and the Vette goes. Corvette engineers say the car can lap a racing circuit nearly as quickly as the old Z06, and boasts a top speed of 186 mph. But it's quite happy just cruising around, and it gets an EPA-rated 18/28 mpg City/Highway with the manual (17/27 with the automatic).
The new six-speed automatic and the six-speed manual are each appealing in their own right, so choosing between them comes down to priorities and personal preference. The manual is now a much more viable option as a daily driver than it was on the previous generation. It shifts easier and the clutch is easier to operate smoothly. The mechanism that forces you to shift from first to fourth gear when accelerating slowly (to improve the fuel-efficiency rating) is less intrusive than before. Fifth and sixth gears are both overdrives, again to improve fuel efficiency. Shifting through the gears is a lot of fun and it's easy to brake and downshift using the heel-and-toe method (actually using the ball of foot and side of foot) when approaching a corner. Still, the automatic is best for commuting in stop-and-go traffic, and it gives up little to the manual in performance. Either one is a good choice.
The new Chevrolet Corvette is more agile and easier to toss around than the previous-generation model, benefits of its lighter weight, trimmer proportions, and refined suspension. Though based on the C5 architecture, the basic structure has been extensively revised for the C6. Chassis engineers were able to reduce weight substantially, helping offset weight gains from larger wheels and tires, bigger brakes, sound-deadening measures, and interior features. The coupe weighs a trim 3,179 pounds.
By comparison, the older, fifth-generation Corvette felt heavier than the C6, harder to control and more tentative going into corners, particularly when transitioning from accelerating through a high-speed sweeper to hard braking and downshifting for a tight corner. We felt less likely to get into trouble in the new car. On the road, the Corvette C6 feels more refined. It's quieter, smoother and tighter, with less cowl shake than before.
We liked the standard suspension and would not hesitate to order a Corvette so equipped. Ride quality of the C6 is firm but quite pleasant, not harsh. It offers great handling, even on a racing circuit. We drove the base model back to back with the C5 on a short road-racing circuit at GM's proving grounds, and the new one inspires much more confidence. There's almost no body lean when cornering hard.
The Z51 package makes the standard Corvette even more fun on a race track. Z51 is a substantial upgrade that includes special brakes, shocks, springs, anti-roll bars, gear ratios, and tires, and it's available with either transmission. It offers excellent grip in fast sweepers, with just the right amount of body lean. We found it easy to roll on the power coming out of the turns. It can generate 0.98g on the skid pad, quite a bit more than the standard suspension's 0.92g. With the Z51, you feel and hear bumps more (Thwack!) and there's more road vibration in the cockpit, but it's quite livable. It handled bumpy neighborhood streets in Los Angeles well and didn't feel harsh. For competition or hard driving on back roads, a serious enthusiast would prefer the Z51, but most drivers will be perfectly happy with the standard suspension and will never feel like they're missing out.
The F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control, which we refer to in shorthand as the electronic suspension, covers both ends of the spectrum, offering the best of both worlds. The driver can switch between Touring and Sport modes, each of which adjusts shock damping automatically according to driving conditions. In the Touring mode, the suspension varies damping from very soft when poking along to something close to Z51 stiffness when driven hard. Chevrolet says this is the world's fastest-reacting suspension. Touring mode seemed a little better than the standard suspension on a two-lane country road near GM's proving grounds in Michigan. It filters vibration well, but it verged on feeling a tad floaty in some situations. Switching to Sport mode raises the floor (but not the ceiling) in terms of firmness, so you feel road vibration more. Still, it's not harsh. All in all, Magnetic Selective Ride Control is a great setup. Choosing between the standard and electronic suspensions is stressful only because they give us a choice. If they gave us one or the other, we'd be perfectly happy.
The brakes are smooth and progressive, and easy to modulate. The Corvette C6 is very stable under hard braking and the car doesn't get unsettled when braking and turning at the same time. The brakes are bigger than before. New ducting front and rear helps keep them cool, but you have to lie down on the ground to see it. The Z51 gets bigger brake rotors to reduce fade with repeated hard braking.
