Was the C6 Corvette Really Just a Mild C5-Refresh? (Spoiler Alert: No)

The C6 Corvette was derided by some as an “improved” C5, but it was a major upgrade in terms of software, features, and performance!

Unlike the C4 and C5, the C6 Corvette was not an all-new design. Chief engineer Dave Hill admitted as much when he said, “we’re not inventing – we’re perfecting”. The automotive press praised the C6’s for the improvements in performance and ergonomics. But where Car and Driver might laude a new, slightly better Porsche 911 or BMW 3 series, they called the C6 a “C5 and 11/16ths”.

Make no mistake, the C5 is a great car. The press heralded it in 1997 and it still won a spot on Car and Driver’s 10 Best list in 2004. But the “11/16ths” felt like damning the C6 with faint praise. The basic goodness was already there with the C5. The C6 took its predecessor’s strengths and made them better. Then it addressed the weaknesses.

The C5 never lacked performance. But when Chevrolet stuffed the 427 cubic inch LS7 in the Corvette, it put the C6 on another level. 0-60 in under four seconds, 11.5-second quarter-mile runs, and dance moves good enough to turn the Nurburgring into its personal playground. The C5 Z06 is amazing, and still one of the best performance bargains out there. But the C6 Z06 is something Zora Arkus-Duntov could have cooked up.

The base C6 was nothing to sneeze at either. Costing almost half the price of a Porsche 911, or even a loaded Boxster, it embarrassed cars costing three times as much. Then the Corvette team rolled out the Grand Sport. If there ever was a Goldilocks Corvette, it’s the C6 Grand Sport. Not too powerful, not too slow, not too stiff, not too soft – everything about it was just right.

But if you don’t agree with me, and thought even the Z06 was too tame, you could pony up for the ZR1. There is no good reason for that car to exist. No one needs 638 horsepower rocket-sled good for 186 mph. Unless you want a Corvette to make cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo or Nissan GT-R whimper for their daddy.

And when you’re done dishing it out on the track, or heading home from work, the C6’s interior is a nice place to hang out. It can be a quiet place. Comfortable, and it has better seats, materials, and switchgear than the C5. You can commute in the C6. The ride won’t beat you up and you won’t get robbed at the gas pump.

All of these things make the C6 Corvette more than a C5 and 11/16ths. It’s more like a C5 2.0. A major release in software terms. Chevrolet worked out the C5’s bugs, added more features, and improved the user interface, while keeping all the goodness.

Images: Chevrolet Pressroom