Does the New C8 Make the C7 Feel Older Than It Is?

The C7 to C8 is the most significant generational leap in Corvette history. Is the C8 really that much better?

We will start this article with a couple of assumptions. First, we will assume that you have not been living in a cave for the past year. Second, because you have not been living in a cave, we assume you already know all about the C8. It had lofty expectations and thus far has met or exceeded all of them. However, the C7 was no slouch. It too was a great car and it is not exactly ancient. Being the new car, you would expect the C8 to be better, but is it really a big step up from the C7? It was just yesterday it seems that we were heaping praise on the C7 generation cars.

YouTube stars Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker recently posted a video on their Everyday Driver channel that examines the differences from C7 to C8. Like us, they were big fans of the C7 generation, so this was not going to be a cakewalk for the C8. Actually, it was a cakewalk. “It feels decades better than the C7. Which is shocking to me.” Says Schmucker at the end of video. Wow, that is quite a declaration. What brought them to that conclusion? How can this new Corvette so thoroughly outclass the previous car?

First, let’s look at the cars they used in the comparison. The C7 is a 2014 3LT with the Z51 package and an automatic transmission. The C8 is a 2LT car also equipped with the Z51 package and magnetic ride control. The C8 of course is only offered with an automatic transmission but unlike in the C7 this is a dual clutch unit. So, the cars being compared are fairly evenly matched from an equipment level standpoint. However, that is where the evenness ends.

The C7 is a wonderful car and follows the tradition of what a Corvette has always been. It provides that classic muscle car feel. Long hood, short rear deck, classic sports car that looks and sounds great. It also has serious performance. The base car used in this comparison can hit 60 mph from a dead stop in less than 4 seconds. However, one of the glaring differences between this car and the new one is that automatic transmission. As Schmucker says: “The problem is it is really sluggish when you try to upshift and downshift.” The C8 simply destroys the older car here. “You can pull a paddle, which thankfully now feels wonderful and it rockets away. It jumps to that gear, there is no waiting.” Says Deeken. The result is a car that is a full second faster to 60 mph.

In the handling department it is more of the same. The C7 handles twisty mountain roads as good as you would expect. “It turns in exceptionally well. And what I love is the faster you go the lighter the front end gets; the car actually feels smaller than it is.” Says Schmucker. However, that mid-engine C8 is just too damn good. The car has fantastic steering, and handling characteristics that the C7, and many other new cars for that matter, simply can’t match. If you want a C7 that can handle like this, you need to be in the ZR1. A base C7 simply has no chance.

This is in no way meant to knock the C7 which is a fantastic car in its own right. It just illustrates how far Chevy advanced the Corvette with the C8. The C8 can now go toe to toe with much more exotic machinery. Of course, it is going to cost you. You can pick up a nice C7 Corvette for half the price of a new well-equipped C8. You can even get an honest to goodness manual transmission in a C7. Is the extra price, and lack of driving involvement worth the leap forward in performance with the C8? That is something you need to decide for yourself. Let us know your thoughts in the Corvette Forum forums.

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