Iconic Auto Publications Test-drive 2020 Corvette C8 Stingray

Now that the C8 Corvette is here, does it meet our expectations? Motor Trend and Road & Track provide some answers.

We were waiting for the 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray for what felt like a lifetime. But, after a long tease, the newest generation of the Corvette finally arrived. Corvette Forumattended both of the much-anticipated reveals of the 2020 Corvette. And if we’re being honest, it was love at first sight. But looks aren’t everything, this needed to be a true Corvette in every sense. Chevy took a big risk with the new C8. The mid-engined ‘Vette certainly boasts impressive specs and expanded horsepower, but how does all that translate on the road?

Chevy has now lifted their embargo on 2020 C8 Corvette, and the reviews are rolling in. Two major publications, Motor Trend and Road & Track, have just released their perspective reviews after road testing the C8 Corvette Stingray. And they have a lot to say about their experience behind the wheel. It is a mixed bag, but we’ll break it down.

Motor Trend

Motor Trend writer Scott Evans says he was a bit dubious about whether the car could live up to Chevy’s claims.

“You’ll forgive any skepticism,” he says. “Chevrolet told us moving the engine back a few feet, adding 35 horsepower (give or take), and employing a dual-clutch transmission would make the 495-hp C8 Corvette Z51 quicker to 60 mph than the 755-hp C7 Corvette ZR1, despite the C8’s considerably worse power-to-weight ratio. Plus, they said, it would come within a tenth of a g or two on the skidpad while wearing all-season tires. Oh, and it’ll do all that for half the price, give or take.”

‘The C8 is not only powerful, but, dare we say, it’s also the most premium-feeling Corvette that Chevrolet has ever made.’

But once behind the wheel of the 3LT Z51 C8, Motor Trend’s team was blown away by its launch power, velocity, and handling. That mighty V8 is savage. One issue they did notice was the understeer. Changing engine placement (and therefore, the center or gravity) means seasoned ‘Vette drivers are in for a little adjustment. But once they got the hang of it, it was a powerhouse.

“Put simply, the C8 is no drift car, he explains. “Try to correct the understeer with a nudge of throttle, and you get more understeer. Give it a lot of throttle sans ESC, and you’ll likely end up backward. Be extremely patient and roll into the throttle correctly, and the C8 will dig in and push hard off the exit of a corner.”

Other raves were that the precision of the steering was precise, it has ample torque, and they loved the new dual-clutch transmission.

Overall, Evans notes the C8 superiority to its C7 predecessor in almost all aspects. And the interior has a quiet cabin, sumptuous leather, and yes, even cupholders. It feels like a much more expensive car. With incredible output, exhilarating performance, and a top-notch interior, the Stingray effortlessly hit 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, as promised.

Their verdict? The new Corvette is a revelation.

“The C8 is not only powerful, but, dare we say, it’s also the most premium-feeling Corvette that Chevrolet has ever made. It’s the quickest Corvette to ever roll off the assembly line and up to a stoplight, and it somehow still starts at $60,000. And this is just the beginning.”

Road & Track

Road & Track appears to agree with Motor Trend that the car is a promising look at Corvette’s future, but they were a bit harder on the Stingray. After noting how this car represents a major game-changer for Chevy, the writer was not exactly blown away.

“Let’s get one thing out of the way: the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is good. It’s not, however, great,” says writer Jason Cammisa. “It’d be very easy to confuse the importance of this new Corvette with its greatness. But we’re leaning in the other direction. If anything, it’s a potentially great car that’s not quite there yet.”

Cammisa had high hopes for the C8, and felt it didn’t entirely deliver. But it did impress on a number of points.

“What it does have is the ability to show Rolls-Royce how to tune a chassis: the new Vette genuinely rides like full-size luxury car” we says. “No car with sporting intention this side of McLaren’s Super Series of cars with trick hydraulic suspension even comes close to the suppleness of the Corvette.”

Now that’s more like it. Again, the dual-clutch was a hit, as was the small block V8, offering a lot of power, but still handing with a responsive feel of immediacy.

Certainly, the Road & Track team had a great interest in the C8’s gains in horsepower and performance. And it did not disappoint.

“The C8 laid down a blazing 2.8-second 0-to-60-mph run, absolutely crucifying the C7’s 3.9-second performance. Dropping nearly one-third of the time from an acceleration run with no additional power is possibly the biggest coup ever accomplished by an automaker since the miracle of harnessing combustion itself.”

Like Motor Trend, they took issue with the understeer, and had a few problems with the interior. Cammisa felt the passenger would be cramped, but he was very pleased with the user experience offered with the on-board technology.

‘No car with sporting intention this side of McLaren’s Super Series of cars with trick hydraulic suspension even comes close to the suppleness of the Corvette.’

The bottom line is that this is a great beginning for the redesigned, mid-engined ‘Vette, but it still has some kinks to work out overall.

“It’s a very good performer, and it makes good on GM’s outrageous acceleration claims.” writes Cammisa. “But the Stingray is only the beginning. It may not yet be great, but the C8 is a momentous start to a new chapter in American sports cars. A very, very quick start.”

Our forums were buzzing about the reviews. Everyone was stoked to hear that new Vette was the beast we had hoped it would be. And the negatives seem to be issues that are to be expected when introducing such a new platform. Are they deal breakers? Heck, no.

Forum member Snake Slayer said “Amazing Job by team Chevy,” adding that “High 10’s could be possible with better tires and an well prepped track.” Mcrider added “It’s great to see and hear automotive writers input on the C8, now the real test will be reliability when it hits the real world.”

Of the understeer, SladeX posted that “2.8s for a car 1/2 the cost of the ZR1. I want to really test drive one now to see how it feels. The understeer being forced into the Stabilitrak makes sense. Mid/rear-engine designs are foreign to most drivers and they will pull mustang like crashes if they think they can hero their way out of it. Until you’ve experienced it, its really a different animal to compared to traditional FR designs.”

Overall, we are really liking the feedback, and can’t wait to take it for a spin. Stay tuned!

Photos: General Motors; Motor Trend; Road & Track 

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