Hoovey689

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 vs. 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Comparison Test

Can Horsepower Really Conquer All?
About a year ago we found ourselves barreling across the United States in a 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. Along the way we shot hundreds of pictures of the Shelby GT500 along a meandering 3,300-mile route from Atlanta to Los Angeles.

The end game was a meeting with the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, a contest between a 662-horsepower 5.8-liter supercharged V8 Mustang and a 580-hp 6.2-liter supercharged V8 Camaro.

Despite an 82-hp advantage, the Shelby did not prevail. The ZL1 Camaro came out on top on the strength of its superior chassis and, to a lesser extent, a lower price.

Now we've got a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 lined up against a similar 2014 Ford Shelby GT500. The Stingray's revised 6.2-liter V8 sports a new direct-injection fuel delivery system, but there's nary a supercharger in sight. On any other day its 460 hp and 465 pound-feet of torque would be impressive indeed.

The question comes down to this: Is the new 2014 C7 Corvette good enough to overcome a monstrous power and torque deficit of 202 hp and 166 lb-ft, the approximate output of an entire Scion FR-S?

Two of America's Most Expensive Cars
Today's 2014 Ford Shelby GT500 is essentially the same as last year. The 2014 edition carries a base price of $55,595, but our test car has the $3,495 SVT Performance package for the Torsen limited-slip diff, Bilstein two-mode dampers, uprated springs, stabilizer bars and forged wheels. Another $2,995 went for the SVT Track package and its engine, diff and transmission coolers.

Tack on $2,340 for navigation and dual-zone climate control, $1,595 for leather Recaro sport seats and $395 for Ruby Red metallic paint. It adds up to $66,415.

Our 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 has the Performance Traction Management system and the electronically regulated "eLSD" limited-slip differential. At $54,795 it starts out cheaper than a GT500. The performance exhaust ($1,195) is good for racy sounds and the last 5 hp and 5 lb-ft of torque. Magnetic Selective Ride Control ($1,795) is GM's version of two-mode adaptive damping.

Chevy wants $8,005 for the Preferred Equipment package that adds navigation, an upgraded stereo, head-up display, heated and cooled seats and leather everywhere. Our car also sported $3,090 worth of carbon-fiber dress-up options.

Total damage: $69,375. But if we subtract the superfluous carbon baubles the price falls to $66,285, some $130 cheaper than the Shelby GT500.

One Area Where the Mustang Dominates
How's this going to work? At the drag strip, it doesn't. The 2014 Shelby GT500 hustles to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds (3.8 seconds with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip) and finishes the quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds. Our 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hits those marks in 4.3 and 12.4 seconds on the same 91-octane gas.

It's a narrower margin of victory than expected, but the GT500 is on stride at the line, streaking away at 120.6 mph while the Corvette loses ground at 113.7 mph.

We wonder if the Mustang would be more dominant if it wasn't so beefy. At 3,870 pounds, it weighs 427 pounds more than the svelte Corvette. It's also saddled with a tall 3.21 rear end. We suspect the Stingray kept it close on the strength of its trim physique and 3.42 final-drive ratio.

The Corvette gets away with the racier final-drive gearing because it's equipped with a new seven-speed manual transmission, one cog more than the six-speed in the Shelby GT500.

And One Area Where the Mustang Falters
In the real world, the Shelby's tall rear end and the six-speed make it a pain to drive slowly in a parking lot. The 'Stang creeps too fast when idling in 1st, and we find ourselves dipping the clutch often to stay out of the shopping carts.

It's also ridiculously easy to stall when motoring away from stop signs. And every press of the clutch is like a membership-free nautilus machine workout. But for just one leg: The GT500 limp we brought home from our cross-country road trip is a real thing.

The Corvette's seven-speed allows for closer gear spacing but it also makes 1st gear more livable. There's no take-off issue, no problem with parking lot creep. And the Stingray's shifter has a lighter and more precise feel than the Ford which, despite the retro-cool shift ****, delivers the sort of wrist workout that only an arm wrestler could love.

The Stingray's fuel economy is far superior, too. There's no doubt that direct injection and a diet loom large here, but the seven-speed doesn't hurt either. The EPA rates the Corvette at 21 mpg combined (17 city/29 highway) and the Shelby GT500 at 18 mpg combined (15 city/24 highway).

Here's One Reason Why the Corvette Is Better
We're as tired of harping about the Mustang's solid rear axle as you are of hearing about it, but that vintage hunk of suspension hardware factored in to last year's defeat by the Camaro ZL1. And this time there's a double-whammy in play, because the 2014 Corvette is so damn good in its own right.

Our first drive in Michigan on the Lutzring told us it was something special, and our Corvette Stingray suspension walkaround showed us that some real thought and craft went into its construction. And while the Mustang's Torsen limited-slip differential deserves respect, it can't compete with the eLSD in this new Z51 Corvette.

And the Corvette's outright lightness isn't its only mass advantage; it also has superior balance. The Stingray has 50/50 weight distribution, while 57 percent of the Mustang's mass rides on its front tires, some 2,214 pounds. The Corvette's front end only has to deal with 1,715 pounds, almost exactly 500 less.

You can feel the difference on regular roads at civilian speeds. The Stingray turns with an eagerness that hints at what it is capable of, but it isn't twitchy and it never feels as if it's going to bite if you up the pace. The Mustang will oblige in corners, but it always feels as if it'd be happier if you were in Texas on, say, a cross-country road trip, where corners are bends and they're fewer and farther between.

These impressions come into sharp focus at the track. The Corvette dominates our slalom test: 73.5 mph versus 67.4 mph. It crushes the Mustang around the skid pad, too, 1.05g versus 0.97g. And the Corvette's 99-foot stop is a full 11 feet shorter.

Flat-Out on a Racetrack
But single-focus tests don't always tell the whole story, especially since the GT500's acceleration and raw speed advantage (and 202 extra horses) must be factored in. For a more comprehensive test, we head to the Streets of Willow Springs road course.

On the longest straightaway, the Shelby GT500 does indeed outpace the Corvette with a terminal speed of 113.1 mph. But the Stingray is close behind at 112.5 mph.

Turn the steering wheel, however, and it's over. Imagine our skid pad, slalom and braking results and sprinkle them to varying degrees onto the corners of the Streets long course. The Corvette Z51 completes a lap in 1 minute, 24.6 seconds. The Shelby GT500 does it in 1 minute, 27.3 seconds, a drubbing of 2.7 seconds: an eternity for a single lap.

The Stingray is in its element here. It gobbles up apexes and moves on to the next with an eager ease that makes it a joy to drive lap after lap. Test pilot Josh Jacquot put it this way: "There's no need to qualify the Corvette's performance now. It lacks bad manners. It's fast. It makes the right sounds. It turns, stops and goes like crazy."

The Shelby GT500 is fun, too, but for completely different reasons. Get in the gas too early or too hard with the ESC off and it can get out of shape in a big way. Jacquot had this to say: "You're either tiptoeing or drifting in the GT500, which makes it remarkably rewarding in a slow, Cro-Magnon kinda way. This car isn't about lap times."

Unfortunately, the GT500 isn't about consecutive lap times either, because the extra cooling of the Track Pack option didn't prevent it from going into a reduced power mode one lap after its timed run. Parked with the hood up is not a good look.

Corvette Cabin Puts the Mustang to Shame
Other more mundane considerations come to light on the way home. The interior of the Corvette has been vastly improved for 2014, and the cockpit now feels like a true sports car. It's got a well-sorted driving position and supportive seats that don't feel over-bolstered for daily use. The passenger side climate controls are especially clever.

The Shelby GT500, on the other hand, feels like most other Mustangs inside, with a few nicer materials here and there. That's not necessarily bad, but it's clear the money you're spending is being put to use elsewhere. The leather Recaro seats are the best upgrade, and they're an optional extra even at this price.

Either machine is a great choice for the long haul, but the Corvette has the bigger cargo capacity by 1.6 cubic feet. And the Stingray's rigid roof can be removed easily for open-air motoring. You'd have to buy a dedicated GT500 convertible and live with a cloth top all year long if you wanted that capability in the Ford.

Shelby Name Only Goes So Far
The GT500 does wear the Shelby name, and it's the last one that was on the drawing board while Carroll Shelby was with us. It'll always be special. The new 2014 Corvette Z51 is the base model. It'll be commonplace within months. Even the Z06 or ZR1 variants to come won't have the cachet of the Shelby name or heritage.

At the end of the day, though, the 2014 Ford Shelby GT500 can't make up for what it lacks with mere horsepower. It's a one-of-a-kind machine, a throwback to the hot-rodder's approach to going fast. It hauls ***, but isn't entirely comfortable when the road assumes the shape of its own snake logo.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 walks away with this one. Coordination, balance and solid engineering really can erase a 202-hp deficit and make us wonder why we'd ever need any more.

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cor...son-test4.html

Hoovey689

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2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 vs. 2014 Porsche Cayman S Comparison Test

Go With Your Gut
Forget the numbers and know this: The 2014 Porsche Cayman S is quite simply one of the best sports cars you can buy. It's a behemoth of packaging, weight and price relative to the world's great performance cars. And it's those very qualities that make it a candidate for comparison with the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The Stingray (on paper, at least) dominates the Cayman with more power, bigger tires and a reputation for comparison test domination.

Though each company's sports-car-building philosophy is wildly disparate, neither is wrong. The Cayman S is a sneaky predator: less powerful, but lithe and incredibly responsive. The C7 Corvette is a brute of a car, a snarling beast that's at its best when reined in with electronics. It's also quicker in virtually every measurable way. But does that make it better?

This test aims to find out.

Here's What the Numbers Say
The Corvette's base price of $54,795 gets you a 460-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, while the $63,800 Cayman S and its 3.4-liter flat-6 comes to play with only 325 hp. Our generously equipped test vehicles kick the as-tested prices up to $69,375 and $87,485, respectively. Despite the many extras, both are equipped with manual transmissions: six speeds in the Cayman and seven in the 'Vette. And without our Cayman's $6,730 Burmester premium audio system, more than $80 grand is a hard pill to swallow for an entry-level Porsche.

Then there's performance. The Corvette hits 60 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.1 seconds with 1-foot rollout as on a drag strip) on its way to a quarter-mile time of 12.4 seconds at 113.7 mph. The Cayman S requires 4.6 seconds (4.4 seconds with 1-foot rollout) to get to 60 mph and runs in 12.8 seconds at 108.8 mph at our drag strip. The Stingray scores again in the handling tests, weaving through the slalom at 73.5 mph while the Porsche trails slightly at 72.3 mph. The same goes for the skid pad, with the 'Vette circling at 1.05g to the Cayman's 1.0g.

And at the Streets of Willow road course, a track that distinctly favors handling over power, the Corvette clocked a lap time of 1:24.6, smoking the Cayman's 1:27.0. Pit them against each other at Willow's big track and the Porsche would be even further outclassed.

The question, then, is this: Do better numbers make the better car?

Numbers Are for Accountants
Driving the Stingray hard is an exercise that demands both skill and commitment. Disable the 'Vette's advanced stability control and you're left with a car that wants to powerslide: especially once its tires exceed their optimal temperature. And that, for lesser drivers, can easily mean a visit to the runoff.

In stark contrast, the Cayman S is intuitive and tidy. It's a second skin reacting as an extension of your central nervous system. There is an instant trust and understanding of what the midengine Cayman will do beyond its performance envelope, and it's an absolute joy to explore those limits.

With Sport Plus driving mode engaged, the Cayman S is a mind reader. Lift the throttle mid-bend and the tail swings ever so gently to the outside, allowing you to maintain that slip angle as long as you choose. Sport Plus also engages rev-matched downshifts that perfectly synchronize the engine speed with the next lowest gear. Slam down a gear and release the clutch — no thought required.

Rev-matching is also featured in the C7, but you have to be more deliberate about your timing. Rush it, and you're greeted by a clunk and a lurch that rebounds through the driveline.

Are These Electronics Really Helpful?
Selecting Sport mode in the Stingray triggers an ever-present second-guessing of your intentions. And it's not elegant. The throttle ignores your inputs until you unwind the wheel. Then the engine springs back to life abruptly and unexpectedly. Forget about rotating the Stingray in Sport mode, as the system ungracefully shuts down any oversteer.

Yes, switching to Track mode solves the problem by granting the driver more direct control while boldly daring him to push harder. But in the end, the reins are again tightened as Performance Traction Management begins to do the driving for you. The Cayman, on the other hand, playfully encourages you to stay balanced on the edge all day long. And it's this honesty of character that gives it a rewarding advantage, even if it's not as quick.

The Porsche is intuitive in a way that a car relying on electronics (however good they are) could never be. It's also just a better-handling car. By virtue of having its engine both between the axles and behind the driver, the Cayman rotates, responds and balances on the edge of grip better than the Stingray. Aggressive pitch and dive motions common to midengine cars are pleasingly absent in the Cayman.

Its strengths lie in its subtlety. The fact that no component of the Cayman's personality dominates the driving experience is its greatest asset. It is the very definition of balance. Power, handling and braking meet in perfect measure. And it is very, very good.

Justifying the Price
Being slower but feeling better is the automotive equivalent of "having a great personality." Those who live on emotion alone will love the Cayman. But even those folks must resolve the right- and left-brain conflict when it comes to the bottom line. It's a problem that's easily assuaged with the knowledge that the Porsche is the better-built car.

Though "attention to detail" is an overused expression, it's appropriate in this comparison where the differences can be can be seen, felt and even smelled. Everything about the Cayman's interior exudes a custom-tailored fitment. The wheel, pedals and gearshift feel as if they were molded just for you, blurring the line where the driver ends and the car begins. Buttons have a positive click and all controls are intuitively placed. Open the door and you're instantly intoxicated by the smell of luxuriant leather.

The C7 is undoubtedly the best Corvette built to date, but it's still unmistakably an off-the-rack Corvette. You don't get the feeling that it becomes part of you; rather, it's a powerful machine that (most of the time) reacts to your commands. ***** and buttons in the 'Vette are wobbly compared to the Porsche and the cabin seems to be more flash than substance. Crack open the door and you're hit with a wall of off-gassing adhesives and chemicals.

On the road, neither car is punishing in everyday driving. Both Porsche and Chevrolet do a masterful job of quelling bumps and ruts while still maintaining the kind of suspension stiffness that sports cars require. The Cayman does have the upper hand in terms of refinement, though. Wind and road noises are quieted in the Porsche to grand touring levels, while the Corvette's tires create a hollow drone on some surfaces and an intrusive rush of white noise on others.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is fast. Terrifyingly fast at times. It dares even the best drivers to dial back the electronic nannies. And whatever your skill level, the Stingray's safety nets remove the driver from the equation in a way that also removes some small bit of the experience.

The 2014 Porsche Cayman S is the sports car distilled down to its most pure components. It mixes power and handling in such perfect proportion that driver aids are laughably unnecessary. And its higher build standard yields a sophistication the Stingray can't match. The little Porsche lacks the Corvette's bravado (it won't even do burnouts), and it struggles in any objective measure of speed relative to the Stingray.

But it doesn't matter. The Cayman S is a masterfully executed sports car that makes the numbers virtually irrelevant. It lulls its driver into a state of oneness unmatched by the Stingray. And in doing so it wins this test.

http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/cayma...ison-test.html

Hoovey689

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray vs. 2013 BMW M3

You Have $70,000. What Everyday Sports Car Do You Buy?
The road ahead is mundane, dotted with silver Accords and white Corollas. The speed limit is 35, but you're lucky to break 39. The transmission drops into 6th gear without fanfare and your pulse remains unchanged. Your girlfriend in the passenger seat comments that she'd like to visit her mother this weekend before asking why the car's ride is so rough.

Let's face it. More often than not this is how our lives behind the wheel play out. As much as we may wax poetically about the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on the Streets of Willow or the 2013 BMW M3 attacking the sinewy pavement of Mulholland Highway, they're rare occurrences at best.

If you want a sporting car to drive every day rather than every third Sunday, performance is obviously vital, but there's far more to consider than just lap times and lateral Gs. Since the Corvette and M3 have a similar price and are both known for being more livable than a typical razor's-edge sports car, it's not unthinkable that a fat-walleted bachelor, DINK or empty nester might think to themselves, "Which one would be better as my everyday car?"

No Surprise at the Track
To be completely honest, such real-world considerations are the only way the 2013 BMW M3 has a fighting chance. If we kept our considerations to the track, we could simply publish a spreadsheet and then kick back, pop open a Bud and catch up on our Netflix queue.

Unlike some of the other cars we've thrown at the C7 the past few weeks, the differences here are stark. The Stingray Z51's best lap of the Streets of Willow was 1:24.55 with a top speed of 112.5 mph. That's faster than a Nissan GT-R and a Porsche 911 Carrera S, let alone the M3 Coupe, which did it in 1:29.02 with a Vmax of 105.26 mph.

"What an instrument," our test-driver Josh Jacquot wrote of the C7 after wrapping up his laps at Willow Springs. "There's no need to qualify the Corvette's performance now. It lacks bad manners. It's fast. It makes the right sounds. It turns, stops and goes like crazy. It's predictable, reliable and world class in virtually every way. Remarkably easy to place. Confident. Communicative."

Astute readers will glean that means he liked it. The M3, on the other hand, elicited appreciation but the perhaps obvious conceit that Munich's representative was out of its league.

"Still rewarding after all these years, but clearly behind the latest hardware when it comes to grip and cornering speed," Jacquot wrote. "It's clearly not as focused of a driver's car relative to the low, light 'Vette."

Against the Clock, One Car Dominates
When you examine our instrumented testing numbers, the difference in lap times becomes completely understandable. The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and its 6.2-liter 460-horsepower V8 reaches zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.1 with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip) and clears the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 113.7 mph. The M3 and its 4.0-liter 414-hp V8 could only muster 4.9 seconds (4.6 with rollout) and 13.0 at 109.9 mph.

Regardless, this definitely wasn't just a matter of power. The 'Vette pulled an absolutely stunning 1.05g on our skid pad, making the M3's otherwise commendable 0.93g seem quaint. The C7 also stopped from 60 mph in 99 feet versus 104 and snaked through the slalom at 73.5 mph to the M3's 70.3.

"I especially appreciated the crystal-clear and highly precise steering, the zippy turn-in, the progressive break-away of the tires and sophisticated traction control," wrote test-driver Chris Walton of the Stingray. "Immensely capable and highly accessible performance without the C6's vaguely threatening demeanor."

This Corvette Will Make You a Hero
Indeed, these thoughts were echoed out in the quasi-real world of our favorite mountain road, where the C7 once again proved to be the superior speed machine. There really were only two things keeping the trailing M3 within sight: the traffic cone paint job and Johnny Law.

The new Corvette was just so easy to drive fast thanks to the astounding grip afforded by Performance Traction Management (PTM), the electronic limited-slip and whatever was left of the rear Michelin Pilot Super Sports post-Willow Springs. The low center of gravity and weight certainly didn't hurt, either. Driving with urgency was simply a matter of pointing the exceedingly precise and hugely improved steering where we wanted to go and nailing the gas. And it doesn't really matter how much you nail it, since PTM is on the job making sure the right amount of throttle is always applied to make you look and feel like a stud.

The transmission's got your back, too. Even if you think heel-toeing is a line dancing maneuver at Bob's Country Bunker, the seven-speed manual automatically matches revs when downshifting. Should you prefer to shut off such newfangled trickery, just pull one of the vestigial paddle shifters a bean counter determined would make a pretty swell rev-match button on manual-equipped 'Vettes.

Now, this might sound as if the new 'Vette warrants the video game critiques leveled at the Nissan GT-R, but as you may have read in our Stingray vs. GT-R Comparison Test, Chevrolet's finest is still a hugely visceral and exciting car. It's just that away from the track and its extralegal speeds, the Stingray doesn't really get the opportunity to approach its thrilling full potential. In other words, it's just too easy.

Is There Such a Thing as a Moral Victory?
As a result of the C7's overwhelming competence, the M3 actually proved to be the more memorable drive, leaving us feeling more accomplished and hungry for more. There ultimately was a greater challenge to be had and thus more involvement and enjoyment.

Much of this is simply the enormous difference in capabilities, but it comes down to character as well. Take the power delivery, for instance. The Corvette's abundant grunt meant it could stay in 3rd on our mountain road much of the time, with that rev-matching gearbox dropped into 2nd only for the occasional hairpin. The M3, with its peaky 414 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque, required far more shifting, especially when trying to keep up with Captain America.

Thankfully, BMW's M-DCT is a pleasure to use and mightily effective with right-now shifts and paddles that possess a solid, mechanical feel. The car guy gut reaction is to look down upon the two-pedal M3 as something purchased by poseurs who don't understand and/or can't appreciate the true art of driving. Eyes roll, noses upturned.

Yet, as difficult as it may be to admit, M-DCT is arguably the better tool both for going fast and urban slogs. It also defaults to manual mode at start-up, as if to prove it means business.

There is also something to be said for communication, and words cannot truly express how good the M3's steering is, nor the sadness we'll feel when this hydraulic setup is reportedly replaced by an electric system on the upcoming M4.

Turn-in is so sharp, its effort could be the gold standard upon which all other cars are measured, and you can feel every nuance of what the tires are doing, as if reaching through the bulkhead and physically manipulating each wheel.

The two cars also present completely different takes on V8 theatricality. The 'Vette's V8 is a burly, shock-and-awe celebration that inevitably makes you exclaim some four-letter expletive followed by "YEAH!"

The M3's high-revving 4.0-liter V8, by contrast, pins you into its eight-way buckets to the tune of a precisely engineered, beautifully technical crescendo. You're more likely to mutter "oh my" while your bones melt in appreciation, as if beholding the magnificence of a majestic vista or an especially beautiful woman. Both are phenomenal, and trying to pick a favorite is pointless.

The Corvette Isn't Always Better
So score it as an ***-whipping at the track by the Corvette and a moral victory for the M3 on our favorite mountain road. But, what was that we said about waxing poetically? Onto the mundane.

The two-person Corvette is inherently less practical than the four-spot M3 coupe, but it doesn't get much better than this in the sports car realm. It's not claustrophobic and the visibility is good. Compared to a Viper, it feels like the Popemobile. Leg- and headroom are generous, and the heated and cooled seats have no trouble accommodating those of the taller persuasion.

The seats themselves, thank the good automotive lord, are now serious seats with actual support and actual body-holding capabilities. Then again, the optional Competition Sport seats are even better, as are those in the M3, but improvement is nevertheless improvement.

And if you're going to drive a car every day, it had better have the latest toys and they better be easy to use. The Corvette and its MyLink system do not disappoint. The customizable touchscreen menu icons are reminiscent of a smartphone, and several well-placed physical buttons and ***** are appreciated. Whether you prefer it to BMW's iDrive boils down to preference.

Then there are the Corvette's optional magnetically adjustable dampers, which shame the M3 when it comes to ride quality. No other car can so thoroughly destroy a race circuit before turning around and coddling its fatigued driver on the interstate journey home. All it takes is the turn of a ****.

Mounting a Comeback
In other words, driving a Stingray every day is totally doable. However, we would still rather have an M3 for such duty.

After driving the Corvette, the M3's comparatively expansive visibility and elevated driving position make the world around you seem closer and less daunting. Getting in and out also doesn't require a membership at Master Vikram's House of Yoga, while the existence of a backseat means you aren't limited to just one friend.

The C7's trunk space in theory can carry around some bulky items not possible in the M3, but the only thing preventing an overnight bag from flying into the cabin or frying in the sun is a pair of ineffective mesh cargo covers. The BMW's traditional, reasonably sized 11.1-cubic-foot trunk is ultimately better.

There is reason to praise the Corvette's cabin. The quality of materials and construction is indeed reflective of its price and performance, and with the LT3's extended leather package, it certainly looks more dramatic than the M3. However, the BMW is without question built to a higher standard. The gap between the two has been reduced monumentally, but it remains.

The Final Tally
Of course, there's also the matter of cost. Even if you ignore the one-of-200, already-sold-out Lime Rock Park Edition that adds an obscene $10,000 to the price (for ostensibly different rims, a flat-bottomed wheel and some orange paint), an equally equipped 2013 BMW M3 with M-DCT and the Competition and Premium packages would hit the register at around $73,000.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray 3LT with Z51 package costs $69,375 and includes equipment the M3 doesn't offer like cooled seats, Pandora radio and a head-up display, not to mention its dual-mode performance exhaust and the magnetic suspension. If we're talking value alone, it's no contest.

Now, perhaps one could argue the M3's greater everyday usability justifies some of that price, or perhaps that the Corvette is just a ridiculous, unparalleled bargain. Perhaps one could also argue that the M3 will be out of production in about 15 minutes, effectively reducing this contest to one between a new Corvette and a used, perfectly reasonably priced BMW M3.

One could argue anything they'd like, but there's absolutely no denying that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is the performance champion here and ultimately the better weekend plaything or extra car in the garage. That's what most people in this segment want, and the Corvette delivers in ways the M3 can't match.

But, in the event you only have room for one car, the 2013 (or any other model year E92) BMW M3 is an impeccably crafted, reasonably practical, sufficiently comfortable daily plaything with the ceaseless ability to thrill on roads both twisting and mundane. Farewell, friend. We'll miss you.

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cor...son-test3.html

Hoovey689

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray vs. 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S

The Purveyor of Powerslides vs. the Prince of Precision
The slide, when it finally comes, is a long, predictable and quietly controlled thing.

And in the 911 it's handled with a smidge of countersteer and an equal measure of patience. Certainly Porsche has polished this car's dynamics well beyond what its design merits. But at the end, when the chips are down, stability control is off and you're up against the icy, unforgiving hand of physics, the 911 is still a 911. And it's going to behave like one.

Respecting physics is one of the necessary truths of driving fast cars fast. You'll learn that respect in this Porsche. Yet today's 911 lets its driver delicately dance with physics like few cars made. That the 911 remains composed — stoic, even — during a 150-foot slide at more than 90 mph isn't surprising. What is surprising is that we still love it. Because even when physics plan the way, it's the driver who directs the 911's path.

The fundamental question of this comparison, then, is can the 2014 Chevy Corvette measure up to the Porsche's greatness?

The Primary Target
We've already hailed the thorough competence of the 2014 Corvette Stingray and in the last two weeks it has razed two far more costly and powerful pieces of hardware — the Nissan GT-R and the SRT Viper — in our comparison tests. Chevy makes no secret that Porsche's 911 is the Corvette's primary target, in dynamics, refinement and comfort. So hard-fixed is that goal that a 911 Carrera S equipped with a PDK transmission was the only benchmark car purchased by the C7 team during development.

And that just happens to be the exact configuration of the car you see here. Though this example is thoroughly marinated in Porsche's options bin, it is the car Corvette engineers put in the GM crosshairs. Equipped with $47,000 in add-ons (including the $8,520 carbon-ceramic brakes and $4,050 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control and Porsche Active Suspension Management), the 911 is, ahem, considerably costlier than the 'Vette. The $4,080 seven-speed PDK auto-manual transmission pushes the price to $144,350.

The seven-speed Stingray, though not inexpensive by any standard, is within reach of upper-class mortals. Our test car — outfitted with the $2,800 Z51 package (electronic limited-slip differential, dry-sump lubrication, 19- and 20-inch wheels, lower gear ratios), $8,005 3LT package and $1,195 dual-mode exhaust — totaled $69,375.

Let the games begin.

The Defining Differences
If there's one character trait that most profoundly distinguishes the Stingray from the 911 it's this: torque. And it is here that the big, deep lungs of American displacement score the first hit.

The 'Vette's 140 pound-feet advantage, which arrives 1,000 rpm earlier than the Porsche's torque peak, leaves the 911 driver seeing stars and stripes at every corner exit. The numbers tell the story nicely. Corvette: 465 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm; 911: 325 lb-ft at 5,600 rpm. So it goes without saying that if you're a purveyor of powerslides, the Stingray is your car.

What's more, the Corvette's 144 additional cubic inches continue the haymaking well into the rev range where it enjoys a 60 peak horsepower advantage. Its 6.2-liter V8 cranks out 460 ponies to the 3.8-liter 911 flat-6's 400.

But don't even think of writing off the 911. Its recipe for greatness might be more subtle, but it's not lost on anyone who gives it time. There's a coherence to driving the 911 that's only present in a car sharpened by decades of commitment to purpose. And that's what you get here: the promise that no matter how hard you drive it, someone has driven a 911 harder.

In fact, the 911 defined itself in this test as much by what it didn't do as by what it did. Among those feats were the ability to tolerate triple-digit heat without wavering, endure repeated launches without faltering and remain utterly composed throughout it all. The Corvette, partly because it was a preproduction car and partly because it cost half as much, simply lacked the same quiet confidence.

That's Not All
Despite its torque deficit, the 911 still managed to beat the 'Vette in acceleration testing. Its PDK transmission is merciless when it comes to doing important things, like shifting and launching — quickly. It helped produce a 0.3-second advantage in the quarter-mile (12.1 seconds at 114.9 mph vs. 12.4 seconds at 113.7 mph). Sixty miles per hour also arrived 0.3 second sooner in the Porsche, which hit the milestone in 4.0 seconds (3.8 with a 1-foot rollout as on a drag strip). The 'Vette needed 4.3 and 4.1 seconds, respectively.

The 911's launch control is unbeatable, and it's the reason Porsche prefers we test cars equipped with PDK transmissions. Even in the real world it's easy to access and use, so there are few downsides. Our test-driver beat the Stingray's launch control fairly easily but still couldn't match the 138-pound-lighter 911.

Full disclosure: The first C7 we tested in Michigan in June was quicker than this 911 in the quarter-mile, but we're not in Michigan anymore. Truth is, the realities of lower-octane fuel (91 vs. 93) and less grip played a role. But those factors were the same for both cars, which were tested on the same day at the same location.

Handling tests, however, favored the Stingray. Its 73.5-mph slalom pass is 2.8 mph better than the 911 could muster. It also eked out a victory over the Porsche on the skid pad, producing 1.05g to the 911's 1.04g. Finally, without the help of carbon-ceramic rotors, the Stingray stopped shorter from 60 mph (99 feet vs. 101 feet).

Track
But it's here, on the track, that the Stingray shows its real merit. Motivated by what is fundamentally a truck engine, it finds speed in places the 911 doesn't. Largely, it's the Stingray's ability to explode away from an apex that earns it the advantage. Performance Traction Management is deadly effective in making the laps both fast and easy. Turning it off, though it will more deeply engage the 'Vette's driver, ups stress without a proportional increase in driving reward.

If you want to hoon the 'Vette then, by all means, turn it off, but if you want to go quickly set it to Race Mode, warm the tires and stand on it. So potent are the Stingray's technologies here that they embarrass the Porsche in identical proportion to what happened at the drag strip. Think about the irony in that.

Steering feel and response, next to torque, are the Stingray's biggest allies. There's a confidence in the C7's steering beyond that of most every other sports car made today. Its front end sticks with intractable persistence. For evidence of this you need to look no farther than its front tires, which wear faster than its rears during hard driving.

The 911, for its part, remains an amazing car to drive hard. Its light but direct steering makes no concessions when driven at speed. Its brakes are so utterly capable that we began to think they're actually worth the cost of a nice sport bike. Its balance, communication and honesty at the limit are remarkable. And when it slides — and it will slide — there's both comfort and reward in bringing it back. It's not going to bite you, but there's no denying its fundamentals at the limit.

In the end, it's 1 second slower around the 1.6-mile Streets of Willows Springs road course.

Porsche 911 Carrera S: 1:25.6
Corvette Stingray Coupe: 1:24.6

Details Matter
But we don't spend every day at the track or the mountains. The 911, in daily use, comes to life in both observation and expression. It's here that Porsche's resources of refinement exceed Chevy's by an order of magnitude. It's here that the little things take over. Look at the 911. Really look at it. Appreciate its subtle purposefulness. Appreciate a shape honed on the mill of necessity. Now look at the Stingray's details, its ducts, vents and its facets.

They might be functional, but when measured by the yardstick of the equally effective 911, they're also gratuitous.

Now get inside the 911. Touch it. Operate its controls. Drive it down the street and notice what you don't hear. Talk to your passenger. Listen to him. Do the same in the 'Vette. Appreciate the 911 with both your senses and your heart. Measure the difference not in numbers but in nuance.

The Daily Grind
Chevy moved mountains in improving the Corvette's interior, but there's still a vast gap between these cars in quality. Everything you touch in the 911 is laser-micrometer precise and right-now responsive. The differences matter. In the 911 you move and it moves with you. In the Stingray you punch the touchscreen twice and wait. You step cleanly into the 911. You descend into, over and around the Corvette. And on a hot day, the 911 smells like leather. The Corvette smells like chemicals.

Ride comfort is a wash. Chevy's magnetorheological dampers are magic and they make the Stingray's ride every bit as refined as the 911's. But you'll compete for your passenger's attention with the Corvette's tire and road noise.

If the 911 utterly dominates the Corvette anywhere, it's here, in the ever-important words between the numbers.

What Our Hearts Say
So we're stuck. Stuck with a decision no enthusiast can fairly make. Picking the 'Vette is the obvious choice since it's supported by ample empirical data. At the end of the day, we can't deny that the home team nailed at least one of its primary targets. Making the Corvette as quick and rewarding as a 911 is a big task, and it's been fully accomplished. The Corvette, when driven hard, is as good as the 911, maybe better. There, we said it.

That it costs, in this case, less than half as much is pure gravy.

But then there's the undeniable reality that the 911 is the better car. Whether we're taking our kids to school or adding subtle countersteer to correct that big slide, we'd rather have the Porsche. It's the car that wins our hearts so it's the car that wins this test.

http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/911/2...ison-test.html

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray vs. 2013 SRT Viper

Back to the Battlefield With New Weapons
This is the latest barbaric and bloody battle in a merciless, ongoing 22-year war. This time it's fought on the street and the racetrack with broadswords — that's 13 gears, 18 cylinders, 888 cubic inches and 1,100 horses. It's Corvette vs. Viper. Again.

Best. War. Ever.
After a three-year lapse, the SRT Viper was recently revived and so new that it wasn't even a Dodge anymore. Then there's the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: the C7 that represents the most radical advance in the car's 61 years. It's an even greater leap forward than the '63 "C2" Stingray. On sheer ability these are two of the most capable sports cars ever built anywhere at any time.

But this isn't a completely fair fight. The Viper's 8.4-liter V10 makes 640 horsepower, while the Corvette's new LT1 6.2-liter V8 is rated at "only" 460 horses. It's at a major torque deficit, too, with a mere 465 pound-feet to the Viper's 600. Beyond that, the Viper's monstrous 295/30ZR18 front and vast 355/30ZR19 rear Pirelli P Zero tires make the Corvette's 245/35ZR19 front and 285/30ZR20 rear run-flat Michelin Pilot Super Sports seem puny. Physics and simple logic says the car with more power and a lot more tire should perform much better.

Then there's the bottom line. Our well-optioned Corvette coupe with the Z51 package is considerably less expensive at $69,375 than this base model, no-options $101,990 Viper. And price always matters.

Ultimately the Viper will be more directly comparable to the "big-tire" Corvettes that are surely coming: the imminent C7-based successors to the track-oriented Z06 and overwhelming, supercharged ZR1. Of course, then there's always the top-of-the-line Viper GTS like the one we tested late last year.

OK, but so what? That's then and this is right now. And right now, we've got a binary choice: either this Corvette or this Viper.

Character Counts
The Viper's doors are small, the seats narrow, and to get in you have to vault over the side exhaust. Once inside, you must stretch back out to reach the door and haul it closed. Adjust the seat, mirrors, pedals and steering wheel. All you see in front of you are thick, sensuous front fenders rising from the clamshell hood and a slice of horizon. You see less out the back. Ergonomically, the Viper makes you earn it. But it doesn't matter.

Press the start button in the Viper and the engine throbs into its odd, pulsing and rocking V10 idle. The whole car seems to squeeze down and start trying to push the blood in your body out through your ears and eyes. This isn't merely a car, it's a life-altering event. It's riveting and there is nothing else like it in the automotive universe.

It's a different story with the C7. It's easy to get into the new Corvette and the door closes with a solid thump. That alone is enough evidence to convince anyone that this is the most robust Corvette ever built. In fact, it's so structurally stiff that it could match a Porsche 911 atom for atom. The dashboard makes sense and the visibility out across the carbon-fiber hood is good, with the razor-flared fender tops adding a dose of drama and Stingray heritage. The rearward view is cramped and the cockpit is narrow, but this is a real car. Go to Target and there's room in back to carry stuff home.

The C7's start button is a weird parallelogram that looks like a smoothed-down Lego piece. Your finger can hardly feel that button as it's pressing it, but the LT1 whirrs to life and settles into a muffled, reassuring and very mellow idle while the dash ignites and the tach needle bounces to life. This isn't high drama; it's Tom Brady-style confidence rendered in aluminum, carbon fiber, plastic and LED displays.

During development the Chrysler and GM engineers were aiming at very different, very specific things with these cars. And all that is apparent even before anyone puts them into gear.

Rocket Science
Back in the '60s it took skilled operators like "Dyno" Don Nicholson or Ronnie "Mr. Four-Speed" Sox to get a manual-transmission car down a quarter-mile strip efficiently. In the new Corvette and Viper there are computers to do the job. But those logic circuits don't necessarily do the best job.

"Launch control did a good job of regulating wheel spin," reported Edmunds.com's test-driver about the seven-speed manual-equipped Corvette's acceleration. "Yet it hardly made a difference from a data perspective. It made for a near-bog, no-wheelspin run and I still beat it by a couple tenths with the traction control turned off." So when doing it ourselves, and despite short gearing that forces a 1-2 shift before 60 mph, the C7 blitzed to 60 mph in only 4.3 seconds (4.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout). By historic standards, that's super quick. And previous tests of pre-production C7s have had that down as low as 3.8 seconds. The quarter-mile was fully consumed in 12.4 seconds at 113.7 mph.

Launch control is also part of the Viper's feature set, but its effectiveness was also conditional. "The Viper's launch control is just a rolling burnout button," noted our test-driver. "The car was quicker to 60 with the traction control on because it could reach that speed in 1st gear. With the traction control off, I was surprised at the revs needed to overcome the grip of the rear tires and finally found 4,300 rpm to be about right for a smooth launch."

The new Viper's shifter has shorter throws than previous editions, but the Tremec six-speed it tops still needs a firm hand to get the most from it. The Corvette's seven-speed is slick and instinctive, while the Viper's six-cog box demands muscle and concentration. The 'Vette is easier, but the Viper is more effective under an expert's spur.

All that in mind, the Viper is starship fast. The 0-60 clocks in at 3.7 seconds (3.5 with rollout) and the quarter-mile screams by in only 11.7 seconds at a mind-blowing 124.1 mph.

Brute Electronic Persuasion
The high-compression (11.5:1) LT1 V8 in the Corvette is exceptionally flexible; it revs more quickly and easily than any previous Corvette engine. There's a certain puppy dog eagerness to the LT1 that's ingratiating, as if all that matters to it is that it's making you happy. But it's the super trick electronic limited-slip differential that comes as part of the Z51 package that enables all that flexibility to work so effectively.

With the "Magnetic Selective Ride Control" set to "Track, Sport 2" the Stingray was utterly devastating in the slalom. The steering isn't just precise, it's crystalline in its reportage. For a car on modest run-flat tires the 73.5-mph slalom speed is astonishing. In fact, it was fully 1.5 mph faster than the Viper. This is technology making a car's handling much, much better. Contemplating this Corvette's slalom performance on stickier, larger rubber is mind-boggling.

That same technological edge shows up on the skid pad, where the Stingray orbited at a nonchalant 1.05g compared to the Viper's big-drama 1.01g. Throw in brakes that haul the 'Vette down from 60 mph in only 99 feet compared to the Viper's 110 feet and heading on to the road course at Willow Springs, it wasn't clear which car would be the most effective on the track at all.

The Viper was going to have to work to beat the 'Vette on the road course.

Work That Pays
Few things are more rewarding than hustling a Viper around a track quickly. It's a full-immersion experience: a task that demands every iota of a driver's attention. Let your attention wander and the car will break traction and start heading into the wilderness.

"The massive speed means braking in places where I wouldn't in other cars," relayed Senior Editor Josh Jacquot about the Viper's laps at Willow Springs. "It requires many laps to come to terms with its communication, expectations and absolute limits. In the end, feeling completely comfortable comes down to complete trust. And I don't completely trust the Viper the way I do the 'Vette."

It's the vice-free nature of the Stingray's handling that is such a revelation. "It's fast, it makes the right sounds and it turns, stops and goes like crazy," said Jacquot as he stepped from the 'Vette. "It's predictable, reliable and world-class in every way."

The best laps in the Corvette were achieved with the Performance Traction Management (PTM) system in "Race" mode. This maximizes the delivery of torque to the pavement and extracts yaw control. The car feels as if it's nailing itself to the track; you don't feel the car oversteer or understeer as much as you feel the car fighting against them. "PTM is the best thing about this car," Jacquot enthused. "Though it will make you lazy as a driver, it hardly diminishes the reward of driving hard. It's extremely easy to sense the limits and drive right to them."

Keeping in mind that the Corvette gives up 180 hp to the Viper and runs tires that are 50-mm narrower in front and 70-mm narrower in the rear, it's no surprise that the Chevy's lap times were behind that of the Viper. And the Viper was scandalously quick, making it around the 1.6-mile Streets of Willow course in a stunning 1 minute, 23.9 seconds. It's a ripper.

What is staggering is that despite its physical deficiencies, the Corvette hustled around with a best lap time of 1 minute, 24.6 seconds. That's only 0.7 second slower per lap. It may not be a victory for the Corvette, but it's a stunning performance.

Street Thug vs. Boy Scout
There are thousands of engineers around the world working diligently to ensure that their cars don't feel like a Viper. On the street, the Viper throbs and rocks noticeably at every stop light. Its ride is stiff and transmits every pebble on the road straight to your coccyx; the steering is heavy and the pedals take a firm push to operate. Throw in the ergonomic challenges of ingress/egress, the scant outward visibility, the sheer noise from the massive explosions occurring in the engine bay and the almost nonexistent cargo space and the result sounds like misery.

But the Viper is actually oddly wonderful on the street. This isn't the sort of car you take through the drive-through or to Home Depot to pick up bathroom fixtures. Sure, you can drive it every day if you really want to, but this is a special event car; every time it's on the road it's a one-car parade. It's a car that feels alive from the heft of the shifter to the heat from its side exhaust. This car doesn't take you for a ride, it demands you pay attention and get involved in the driving experience. You want cushy comfort, buy a Charger. It's right next to the Viper on the showroom floor.

Then there's the new Corvette Stingray, a two-seater that doesn't scrimp on comfort. It's quiet but makes a great sound when the engine is working. Pick the right suspension setting and it rides over freeways better than some Cadillacs, and what is ferociously precise steering on track mellows into easygoing operation during commutes. In some significant ways (suspension compliance and steering feel in particular) the Corvette is easier to live with than a Malibu. It's that easy and that good.

Living With Reality
Because of its much lower price, manners that are easy to live with in daily use and still astonishing performance, the Corvette takes a narrow win here. It is the one car you can drive comfortably every day and still use to dominate a track day. Built around an impregnable structure, overstuffed with technology that actually improves the driving experience, and so easygoing you can commute in it with one finger on the wheel, it's this year's great leap forward for the entire breed of sports cars.

That, however, shouldn't tarnish the glory the SRT Viper deserves. Every moment in this car is special; it always makes a dramatic entrance and attracts crowds as if it had just arrived from Titan. As we drove this white Viper out of a hotel parking lot, an attendant said, "Man, that thing is like a white Batmobile." Stuff like that doesn't happen in a Corvette.

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cor...ison-test.html

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 vs. 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition

Cutting Through the Hate
The bench racing equivalent of wondering who'd win, Sugar Ray Leonard or Mike Tyson, there are a million reasons to hate this comparison: The 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray is punching way above its 460-horsepower weight class. The 545-hp 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition, at $116,995, is almost $50,000 more expensive than the Chevy. The C7 Corvette is rear drive. The GT-R is all-wheel drive. The 'Vette has a manual gearbox, while the Nissan shifts itself. The Nissan is a pee-wee football team heavier than the carbon-fiber-intensive 'Vette.

And though all of these things are true, none of them matter.

Both the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray and the 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition are designed to go stupid fast and push the boundaries of technology, performance and style. They're the flagships of their respective brands and engender the type of loyalty only dictators can truly appreciate.

The hearts and minds of America are at stake. This one matters.

The New Deal
When the Nissan GT-R clawed its way into the U.S. market in 2009, it was an instant hit. With 473 hp, all-wheel drive, a high-quality interior and an electronics package designed by Polyphony, the brains behind the Gran Turismo video game series, the car's $70,000 starting price was too good to be true. In 2009, the GT-R wasn't mentioned in the same paragraph as the base Corvette: Its hands were full with the Porsche 911 Turbo and the big-daddy Corvette ZR1.

Fast-forward five model years and the 2014 Nissan GT-R now dumps 545 hp and 463 pound-feet of torque out of the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6, through the same six-speed dual-clutch automated manual and into all four wheels. And after some success against more expensive hardware, Nissan went ahead and jacked up the price.

A base 2014 GT-R stickers at $99,590 while this top-trim Track Edition starts at $116,710. For your extra $17,120, Nissan takes the midlevel Black Edition, throws the rear seats into the trash for lightness, stiffens the suspension, and adds brake cooling ducts and some of the strangest seats we've ever seen. Take note that this "track focused" package doesn't add any power or cooling capacity.

Over the years Nissan has tweaked the ride and handling of the GT-R something serious. The big 255/40ZRF20 front tires don't follow every rut in the road, Comfort mode borders on actual comfort and, at low speeds, the transmission doesn't act like a first-time driver anymore. Sure, it still sounds like a broken slot machine, but at full throttle all is forgotten.

In fact, our brain's synapses were never intended to process this kind of acceleration. From a standstill, 60 mph arrives in 3.2 seconds (2.9 with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip). Hold the pedal down for 11.3 seconds and this 3,885-pound "track" GT-R clears the quarter-mile at 120.5 mph. Whoa.

The New Normal
Entire encyclopedias have already been written about the C7, which isn't yet on showroom floors. But if you've forgotten, here are the basics.

The 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray is the new normal for Corvette performance. Though this $69,375 Corvette has the Z51 package (electronic limited slip, dry-sump lubrication, lower gear ratios in 1st to 3rd and additional cooling ducts), its 6.2-liter LT1 V8 is the base engine. The one your grandpa will get. The one your hairdresser will get. The one that, equipped with the dual-mode exhaust, pumps out 460 horses and 465 lb-ft of torque.

Work the controls right and the 3,443-pound C7 springs to 60 in 4.3 seconds (4.1 with rollout) and clears the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 113.7 mph. Even with a 400-pound advantage it can't overcome an 85-horse deficit and the GT-R's seamless shifts.

Corvettes always put down good numbers in a straight line, but the real kicker here is how well the Chevy can get that power to the ground. Our tester came equipped with Chevy's brilliant Magnetic Selective Ride Control with Performance Traction Management. You think the GT-R is a technology powerhouse? Chevy's system is the TI-83 to Nissan's wristwatch calculator. With PTM in Race mode, you can peg the throttle at the apex of any turn and simply mind the steering. PTM applies only enough power to make the 'Vette fast rather than sideways.

The more comfortable you get with the 'Vette, the more permissive you can make the system until it's just you, the road, a big V8, three pedals and four modest contact patches.

Our only real complaint with the base 'Vette's powertrain is the engine's mannerisms. Drop throttle from any engine speed and there's zero engine braking. The revs just hang, both in gear and between gears. It's disconcerting and, like the weak throttle tip-in, an obvious sacrifice to help emissions. We just hope bigger, badder Corvettes of the future don't follow suit.

Daily Driver Duties
Though not necessarily their primary goal, when you start to look at these studs through the lens of a daily user, the Nissan takes a healthy advantage.

By virtue of its slightly sloped traditional three-box-design, the Nissan offers a far superior driving position. Taller drivers in the C7 had to decide between visibility or an upright seating position. Blame the 'Vette's high seat and a startlingly fat windshield header, which blocks large portions of the sight lines. Reclining was the only option for taller drivers.

The Nissan also has an edge in the storage/utility department. It's got a small trunk, but it's big enough for some luggage or a bag of golf clubs, and the deleted rear seats hold groceries just fine. The Stingray, as all recent Corvettes, has a huge, shallow cargo area. Sure, it'll hold two golf bags, but tap the brakes and they slide directly into the driver seat. Groceries? Forget it. Just dump them on the floor and get it over with. There are inconvenient and ineffective nets and straps for those who want to go all 50 Shades of Grey on their haul from the farmers market.

Still a Corvette
Finally, though the 2014 Chevy Corvette is leaps and bounds ahead of the C6, its interior simply isn't as nice as the GT-R's.

Starting the Nissan GT-R is an event. The bright red button is made of heavyweight plastic and the embossed lettering feels substantial beneath your finger. The needles sweep in response to the push and the V6 breathes to life.

Starting the C7 is like turning on a microwave you've never used before. First, you need to find the button. It's hidden behind the steering wheel. Good thing, too, because it's a lame, flat-plastic, not-quite-square thing with all the attention to detail of a shotgun blast. Press it and the LT1 burbles to life, the only confirmation that you did it correctly. A few seconds after the engine awakens, the digital tachometer follows suit.

This screen, with its digital tachometer, redundant digital speedometer (there's an analog gauge to the left) and gear indicator, is more fashion than function. And though various digital tachometers are available, all are too slow to keep up with engine speed in lower gears and the graphics are pure kitsch. Contrast this with Nissan's approach to information delivery: dials with needles. It's the only way the Nissan is simpler than the 'Vette. And it matters.

2nd Place: 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition
Straight-line speed and horsepower numbers are fun talking points over peanuts and pints, but aren't the moral of the story here.

The Nissan GT-R has been wrongly accused of being too much like a video game. Because its power delivery is instantaneous and effortless. Because this brand of all-wheel drive solves many problems. Because people love to hate it. But if the GT-R is like a video game, it's not like Gran Turismo. Rather, it's like Call of Duty played in a ramshackle cabin on the outskirts of Kabul. From the kick-in-the pants shifts and the gasping, raucous intake to the NASA-grade g-forces to the subtle vibrations that come through the steering wheel, the GT-R experience is real.

Chuck the GT-R into a corner, any corner, and it sticks through the bend and rockets out the other side. But it never surprises and never actually excites. It's frightening in the same way as commercial air travel. It's the conscious thought of the speed you're traveling and the consequences thereof that raises hairs, not the direct knowledge that you're in control of something special.

With a best lap of 1:25.2 and a top track speed of 110.7 mph, the GT-R is off the Corvette's pace. Blame the desert heat on this summer day all you want, but when push comes to shove, the GT-R gets hot, dials back power and can't keep up with the less powerful, less costly Corvette.

On a cold day, the track results might have been different and that's nobody's fault but Nissan. Excuses can be proffered before the C7 driver. If you can catch him.

1st Place: 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51
We expected this one to be close. It wasn't.

Though it smoked the Corvette in acceleration and in the slalom and offers a better interior, it didn't matter if we were at the track, in a canyon or just driving home; the GT-R simply isn't as exciting as the 'Vette.

The Stingray's steering is outstanding: quick and hyper-pointy with solid feel and precision. This isn't "Corvette good" or "electric steering good," it's no-qualifier exemplary. Backing up that crystalline steering is the aforementioned Magnetic Selective Ride Control and the Stingray's multiple drive modes. Select Touring mode and the C7 rides with all the confidence and composure of a Cadillac. Flick the **** over to Track and it's a tail-happy terrier without a millimeter of slack. You won't find that flexibility in the GT-R.

After a full day of lapping the 1.6-mile Streets of Willow racetrack, our test driver warned, "Though PTM will make you lazy as a driver, it hardly diminishes the reward of driving hard." And reward it does. With PTM set to Race, our man clicked off a 1:24.6-second lap with a peak speed of 112.5 mph: almost 2 mph faster than the GT-R.

But the same PTM that makes us lazy on a racetrack makes us bold in the canyons.

And there's the difference: Even with the safety net of PTM, you always feel responsible for the actions of the C7 in a way you don't with the GT-R. Oversteer? Your fault. Understeer? Your fault. A perfectly clipped apex followed by an astonishing corner exit speed? Yep, your fault.

A New Benchmark
When the Nissan GT-R first showed up on the scene, it occupied a unique position. Nothing offered similar performance, technology, refinement and badassery at the GT-R's price. Not even close.

That domain now belongs to the Stingray. Nothing offers this much refinement, power, performance, tech and driver involvement at this price.

The 2014 Nissan GT-R doesn't lose this one because it's not $47,020 better than the Corvette. It loses because it's not better than the Corvette, period.

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cor...son-test1.html

LexFather

After driving one around last night this is one amazing vehicle for the money. I'm shocked at how well it rides even in track mode.

They really nailed this car. A+++++

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

a loaded (NON TURBO) 911 S is $144K? now that's crazy.

great compilation of tests though, thanks hoovey!!!!

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Real longevity is rare in the automotive industry. Only a handful of models have made it to the half-century mark, but the milestone the Porsche 911 celebrates this year is one the Corvette passed a decade ago. Both have survived rampant model proliferation that has crowded their markets, plus rumors of massive, personality-altering redesigns, as well as the suffocating and ever-changing regulation inherent in one of the most scrutinized consumer-goods industries in the world.

But here are the 2014 models, two old masters that have provided much more than mere transportation in their long, storied histories. And both are recently renewed, creating the perfect occasion for critical analysis.

When lined up against a Corvette, the 911’s major drawbacks have always been power and price. With direct injection and a 7600-rpm redline, the Carrera S’s 3.8-liter flat-six produces 400 horsepower, a substantial 60 shy of the Corvette. And oh, that price! Atop a base of $99,850, the example tested here carries $48,395 in extras—including six items that cost more than $3000 apiece, plus an additional six that are more than $1000 each. This car’s options bill alone is nearly enough to buy you a base Corvette.

Which would cost just $51,995. But this one is armored to pick fights with Porsches. It has the $2800 Z51 handling package (upgraded brakes, shocks, springs, anti-roll bars, wheels, and tires; plus dry-sump oiling and an electronic limited-slip differential with coolers for both it and the transaxle); the $1195 performance exhaust (an extra five horsepower and five pound-feet with angrier vocals); and the top-shelf 3LT interior package for $8005, in which pretty much everything is power adjustable, heated, and leather wrapped. There are a few other extras, too. Even at an as-tested $68,375, the Corvette retains its value proposition. But our prior exposure to the C7 suggests this may finally be a Corvette that doesn’t rely on price alone to conquer the 911.


Lying roughly equidistant from nowhere you’d want to be and nowhere you’re particularly likely to find yourself, Lockwood Valley Road in Southern California looks like what would happen if someone paved a road over the ocean during a typhoon. With rapid-fire corners and more ups and downs than a Nicholas Sparks script, it’s an entertaining stretch. But its rough, bone-rattling surface is what really lets a driver know what’s up. Important insights such as: “Hey, maybe I need a kidney belt to own this car.” Or, more pertinent here: “That 911 doesn’t lose its cool while being pummeled.” Even when bumps, pits, and what must be asphalt-entombed desert tortoises try to fling the wheels off the pavement, with the engine alternatively zinging and bogging like a jet ski in rough chop, there are no uncertain moments in the 911.

It remains a sensationally involving car, even with steering that is marginally less precise than the Corvette’s. Perfectly linear, the Porsche responds predictably to every input, changing direction immediately, rotating as requested by throttle lift, drifting at the behest of the brakes, and settling immediately when you get back on the gas. There’s just a hint of the old 911’s ****-swapping spook as the immediacy of the directional changes reminds you of the engine’s placement. After all, the car carries nearly two pounds in the caboose for every one in the nose, but it’s a defanged threat nowadays. The 911 is an eminently controllable, responsive vehicle that encourages its pilot to use every bit of its performance.


The 911’s noise also connects the driver to the machine. It’s a softer, silkier burr than the Corvette’s roar, but the noises that do make it through are more vivid, particularly as the flat-six howls toward its 7600-rpm redline. Porsche’s six suffers a deficit of 140 pound-feet to the Chevy V-8. But, thanks to the PDK’s finger-snap shifts and a slightly more advantageous seven-speed gear-ratio spread—the Porsche hits top speed in sixth, the Chevy in fifth—the 911 manages to outaccelerate the Vette by a tenth of a second in the quarter-mile.

The 911 also trumps the Vette in in*teri*or space. In the Vette, you sit deep in a well between the center console and the door panel, which closes in so tightly that we had difficulty reaching the seat controls. Both of our voters preferred the 911’s airy in*teri*or to the Vette’s cramped cockpit. Indeed, our drivers preferred the 911 in virtually every regard and agreed that it is more fun than the Vette. With a price more than double that of the Chevy, though, the 911 had damn well better be the better car. But the new Corvette takes such a large leap forward that the 911 would need to be even more entertaining than it is, and seem even more special, to feel worth it.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51
First place: The Old Masters.

With its outrageous styling and bawdy exhaust note, the Corvette is pure perform*ance art. It’s new and it’s impossible to ignore, so the 911 simply disappears in its presence. At every stop, the Corvette was swamped with people taking pictures, asking questions, and simply standing in awe. The 911 sulked. Many people thought the Chevy looked like a Ferrari. The 911 looks like the last 911, or maybe the next one. Sure, fame is fleeting. Give it a year, you say, when the Corvette will be as common as a bellybutton. But like a pierced one, the C7 will still be impossible to ignore.

Inside, the Corvette won’t be mistaken for a Ferrari or a Porsche. Everything from the red-leather seats and dashtop to the carbon-fiber trim and the secondary controls is a class above those in the outgoing car. Still, the Corvette suffers a few tells that it’s still merely posing as a six-figure supercar. The gap between door panel and dash is big enough to swallow a roll of nickels, and the entire door panel flexes when you press the unlock button. On our preproduction car, a coolant-return line came free of its moorings, rubbed on the alternator pulley, and misted the engine compartment with a gallon or so of Dex-Cool. The noisemaker got hot really fast after that.

Door panels, though, are the only parts of the Corvette that flex. Its basic structure approximates the solidity of granite, and while the electronic power assist electrocutes any steering feel that might have existed, the immediate and progressive helm gives the car true response and precision. It demands total focus at all times, however, as the smallest off-center input results in directional change.

Worn tires and a hot track meant we couldn’t replicate the skidpad figure of 1.08 g from our first Vette encounter [September 2013]. And the Chevy trailed the 911 through the slalom, though the times don’t reflect how much more stable the Corvette feels at the limit. Scary breakaway behavior was one criticism of the last Vette Z06, but this Vette is supernaturally accommodating of adjustments, mistakes, and cor*rections at speed. Its center-of-gravity height—17.5 inches—is the lowest we’ve yet measured, contributing to a resolute stability. And its electronic differential helps keep the C7 glued to a chosen line. The Corvette lapped the Streets of Willow Springs racetrack in Rosamond, California, 2.1 seconds quicker than the 911, a tremendous gap on a track just 1.6 miles long. But on a circuit, the Corvette’s relative nonchalance marginalizes the driver. The 911 responds to every little input. It squirms and rotates, and it’s easy to make it do so. The Corvette is so planted that it feels less like you’re controlling the car and more like you’re simply steering, using the wheel to point it where you want it to be and the accelerator to get it there. The higher fidelity of its steering broadcasts the lower fidelity of its chassis.

As with the 911, its engine has always defined the Corvette. The new LT1 sports several fresh technologies—variable valve timing, direct injection, and cylinder deactivation—but it still shakes the whole car at idle as you’d expect. The 911’s power builds with a couple of pronounced steps through the rev range. The LT1, in contrast, feels like it’s at its power peak at any rpm, all while sounding like test day at Talladega. If you stay out of the gas long enough in Eco mode, the engine will operate as a V-4. In this mode, we saw an indicated 35.8 mpg over 25 miles of dead-flat California desert. From our observed fuel economy, though, you’ll notice that we didn’t do enough of that to make a difference.


Helping the Vette achieve that economy, as well as its ever-so-slight rearward weight bias, is its mid-mounted manual transaxle. With seven speeds and automatic rev matching, it’s ready for a spec-sheet showdown with anything else in the business. But, while its fore-aft action is clean and direct, there are a lot of gates here with insufficient resistance between them. It requires a slow, deliberate hand, and we frequently missed upshifts coming from second or fourth into the gearbox’s muddy northeast quadrant. Porsche’s seven-speed manual has a lockout that prevents shifting into seventh except from fifth or sixth. That, too, can be annoying—think about how many times you shift out of high gear in freeway traffic, and now imagine that getting back into high gear is a two-step process—but maybe the two-part shift is the better solution after all.

Before you start howling that the Corvette won solely on price, notice that in the stuff that really matters to sports-car buyers, chassis and powertrain, the Porsche holds a single-point lead. Is such a minute edge worth $50,000? $80,000? The Corvette doesn’t win on dollars. It wins on sense.

VEHICLE, POWERTRAIN, CHASSIS, C&D TEST RESULTS, FINAL RESULTS:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...e-specs-page-4

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Corvette C7 v Porsche 991 Carrera S. On Track. - /CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS

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Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Win some and lose some. But the way Harris makes it sound, both are winners and if you can afford the Porsche you'll probably get that otherwise the Vette won't leave you hanging