I am an enjoyer of mid-engine sports cars and V-8 engines. Those two car concepts don't cross too often anymore, at least at a price point accessible to most mere mortals. The only mid-engine sports cars below $100,000 USD these days typically have four- or six-cylinder engines, and they're typically not powerful by modern standards.



Oh, right... There's always the Corvette C8. Nowadays, America's Sports Car has the engine behind the seats and ahead of the rear wheels, so it can be placed in the same category as those mid-engine sports cars like the Lotus Emira and the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman. Unlike those cars, though, the Corvette comes standard with 490 horsepower courtesy of the 6.2-liter LT2 naturally-aspirated V-8 engine. Moreover, its rear trunk is sized appropriately for a set of golf clubs, which could be important to some. So, when a guy like me starts wondering what mid-engine sports car he might want to buy, it's hard to ignore the Corvette, and I don't just mean that in terms of the sound it makes or the loud colors in which it comes painted. It's the value proposition of the thing - a base-model 1LT C8 Stingray, for the 2026 model year, starts at just $70,000 USD, roughly the same price as a new BMW M2. The C8 is a proper two-seat sports car, unlike the M2, which was adapted from a "regular" 2-series coupe. So, it's going to be better to drive, one would hope.



First Impressions and Whatnot

I wanted to see for myself just how good the C8 is, as it has had a fairly positive reception since its launch for model year 2020. So, I rented one from Turo for the weekend while my wife and I had a "staycation", as a way to spice up the weekend and learn a little about the car. This weekend, my wife and I had a fairly busy schedule - checking into our hotel, going to visit my sister in Atlanta, and generally just being out and about. So, it was going to be interesting to see how the Corvette handled all those activities.This one is a convertible, as you can see, and it has the Z51 package and GT2 bucket seats. As you can also see, it's got a very interesting color palette - yellow with a red interior. It wouldn't be my first choice, though I suppose there are worse ways one could order a car. At least it is eye-catching.



Next to an 812, it looks quite at home.

First of all, the C8 is quite low and has aggressive bolstering on the GT2 seats, meaning ingress and egress were actions best approached with patience. The roofline is quite low, and my wife eventually got tired of hitting her head on the roof and asked me to drop the top while she got into the car. In retrospect, that's pretty dramatic and funny, but it does highlight the fact that this car, despite its somewhat bulky appearance, is quite small and low. Compared to a 911 or a 718, it's somewhat more difficult to enter and exit the Corvette, but it isn't obnoxious by sports car standards. Once seated, it's actually quite comfortable inside. The seats, despite that aggressive bolstering, are wrapped in high-quality leather and are very supportive. The armrests are also wrapped in soft-touch material and are perfectly placed, and the squared-off steering wheel comes right up to my chest. The interior feels decidedly upmarket, complete with contrast stitching and a sharp, thoroughly modern gauge cluster paired with a clear infotainment screen. Harder plastics do exist in the cabin in some parts of the dashboard, but I had to go out of my way to find them. A cheap car, this is not.



Practicality and Comfort

As a Corvette, this thing had better be able to carry golf clubs, and it indeed has an impressive amount of space behind the engine compartment in which one could easily fit several carry-on size roller bags. The frunk is also usable - while smaller than a Cayman's frunk, it still was easily able to swallow the carry-on size bag and small toiletries bag we had packed. But, would one even want to pack bags in a C8? I'd say "yes" to that. This car featured the fixed Z51 suspension, meaning it lacked the magnetic ride control GM cars are known for. Even so, the ride was stiff but never punishing except for over the worst of Atlanta pavement. It'd certainly be doable on a long trip, though, and comfort is helped by the very effective ventilated seats and air conditioning system in our car. The Bose Performance Series audio system was a bit bass-heavy and lacking midrange, though that could have been a function of the EQ settings on our particular rental. (We didn't bother to adjust the audio because the owner specifically asked us not to touch any of the car's settings.) All in all, it gets around quite comfortably.

The way it moves itself down the road, too, is mostly pretty refined. Steering is quite light in Tour mode, and it seems to provide some genuine feedback. The steering wheel's unusual shape was surprisingly no issue, providing me a clear view of the gauges and great grip points for my hands. Moreover, the 8-speed DCT makes shifting gears mostly a seamless affair. Only in Sport or Track mode are the shifts the slightest bit jerky, remaining silky smooth in Tour outside of the occasional stumble on the 1-2 upshift. Perhaps most impressive is how the DCT gets off the line with virtually no perceptible clutch slipping like I am used to experiencing in a Volkswagen DSG or some variants of the Porsche PDK. If anything, its eagerness reminds me of how my GTI's DSG performed after it was tuned, which is a positive thing for me to write.


Does the high wing = high levels of fun?

Driving Enthusiastically

One does not simply rent a Corvette and drive in a civil manner. From the raucous startup of the engine to the purposeful upshifts of the DCT, this car has a bit of theater about it even when driven gently. But, when this car gets switched over into Sport or Track mode, the drama quotient gets multiplied. Even the idle is significantly louder in Sport mode than it is in Tour, and I found myself using Sport mode a majority of the time I was behind the wheel, if only to hear the rumble of the V-8 engine. It has great presence inside the car whether the roof is up or down, and rolling down the rear window is a neat way to provide even more volume to the cabin without introducing top-down wind to the situation.

Noise is great, but the car has bite to back up its bark. When taking off from a stop, acceleration feels undeniably fast while also deliciously smooth, with linear power delivery beginning at a punchy midrange and crescendoing to its redline of around 6,500 RPM. That may not seem like a high redline, but the engine's unique induction note thanks to its equal-length intake runners gives this a real roar about it at higher revs. Upshifts at higher throttle input levels are executed with a "crack" that echoes behind the car under bridges or next to walls, so I'm tempted to lower the rear window at every chance I get (assuming the top isn't already down).



Steering weights up noticeably in Sport and Track mode without being laborious to use, and it is very quick steering indeed. However, it does not rob me of confidence. Once I get to grips with how quickly the car turns in, I can place it exactly where I want to, and it feels smaller than it is on the road. When coming out of a corner, it's able to put down power quite well, though it seems the electronically-controlled limited-slip differential is pretty eager to send power to the outside wheel and induce oversteer - or, perhaps the tires on this example were quite worn. It was quite squirrely in the wet, but in dry weather, power was applied easily and with little drama. Still, this isn't a car that one can drive ham-fisted. With so much weight in the rear, the slightest stab of the gas can cause a momentum shift in the rear of the car and a pendulum effect. This isn't anything new to me, as I experienced this in the Cayman I drove on track as well, but due to the Corvette's abundance of torque, it can be more easily provoked into oversteer.

As far as driving modes, I found the "Z" mode of this car to be the perfect sweet-spot for a back-road blast. It was tuned with Engine sound in Track (or, maximum setting), Engine response and shifting in Sport (the second-from-top setting), and with brake feel and steering feel in Sport (the middle setting). It basically provided the additional noise of Track mode without going all the way on the other settings. Sport mode was also fine, and the additional sound from Z/Track mode was barely noticeable except at full throttle, where the upshift "clap" noise was even louder. In all modes, the 8-speed DCT was smooth in auto mode, but in the more aggressive modes, it became somewhat jerky when using the paddles. At higher throttle application, it smoothed out considerably when using the paddles - much the same as my personal IS 500. Let's be honest, though, whereas the IS 500's transmission could be best described as "charming", the Tremec is mostly clinical in its precision.

Perhaps one demerit of the driving dynamics of the C8 is the brake-by-wire system. Overall, it feels natural, with short pedal travel and a stiff pressure against my foot as I press down on it. However, I did find that, when coming to a stop, it was somewhat inconsistent in its responses. On more than one occasion, I found myself accidentally jerking the car to a stop. It isn't a deal-breaker, and I am sure I'd get used to it with time. In spirited driving, of course, the responsive brakes worked excellently, if lacking somewhat in feedback. I have to admit that they were not bad.

Conclusion

In terms of feels, the Corvette C8 wins. I felt reasonably confident in the car, but there was also that sense of edginess compared with something like a Porsche Cayman, which feels very buttoned-up in comparison, perhaps to a fault. The C8 has an air of brashness about itself, thanks to the V-8 and the hilarious noises it makes, along with the sometimes aggressive shifts from the Tremec DCT, not to mention the quick, almost darty, steering. However, the car also is fairly easy to drive if I'm not being a moron. It isn't trying to seek and destroy the nearest barrier; rather, it's just trying to put a smile on the driver's face. It isn't perfect, but no sports car is. Even so, I could see myself doing errands in this car, if not full-on dailying it. It's relatively smooth even with the Z51 suspension (outside of Atlanta pothole-infested roads), and while it is somewhat loud on the highway, it feels composed and effortless to drive out there. Perhaps the blind spots of this drop top would push me to go for a coupe instead, and at least that car would still provide me the option to take the roof off if I am feeling it.

Let me know what you all think about the C8 Corvette, whether it be the Stringray or otherwise. Would any of you discourage acquiring one, or perhaps even recommend it? Thanks for reading.

 

i know this is about the corvette lol but OOOOF that 812 looks damn good!!

not sure what this makes me as a person/car enthusiast but i still don't like a rear engined corvette... it's an aggressive cool looking car but i still don't think "corvette" when i see one

maybe i'm just living in the past but for my money the design peaked with this:

 

Nice write up and scenery.
Can't say I'm even sure why they offer the ketchup and mustard combo on that model. Downright funky!

 

Excellent review @arentz07 !

It comes with a special suit you have to wear when you drive it.

 

Great review - i agree with a lot of your points.

I think overall the base C8 is a great touring car that can be used for cars and coffee, weekend trip, play golf etc. I also like that the roof can come off even on the coupe version.

I drove one previously with Z51 package and found it very docile even in Sport mode. The square steering wheel is not for me and it also has very long doors. The seating position is not the best imo.

Really want to drive the Z06.

 

That was the last of the round taillights, which were iconic. Overall, I think the C6 is ageless and will be considered a pretty car for a long time, whereas the C8 feels very here-and-now. However, at the same time, I do like the proportions on the C8 and really like the look of the interior.

Funny, I actually used "Mustard and ketchup" as a caption to an IG post I made about the car:
It definitely wouldn't be my first choice. I think white or silver with a nice stripe package may very well be the way to go. I saw a silver C8 with what looked like the Stingray R package this weekend, and I quite liked that.

The doors were very long, I agree.

The seating position could have probably been a little better. I didn't feel hunkered-down like I did in the 718 Cayman. The seats themselves were great, though.

Sport mode is nice in the C8 because you can literally just drive normally while enjoying more exhaust sound. Track is pretty aggro, but maybe a little too much so for normal traffic. I definitely would end up playing with settings for a while if I got the car.

 

That's the great thing about these, you can order whatever color combo and options you like.
I'm not a Vette fan generally, but have been quite impressed with this generation.

 

The configurator is a great way to kill time.

 

Thanks for the review! One of the only two American cars I would want to have. IMO overall it's great. I think taillights could be better. The previous gen looks nice too.

 

Agree. Chevrolet knocked it out of the park with the C8. Changing engine layout was a bold move that paid off.

I've driven the base Stingray 2LT (minus Z51 package) and the normal suspension & seats make for a more comfortable ride than many luxury sedans & SUVs. It's incredibly well dialed in. The handling and steering feel are still great on that normal suspension. You could definitely daily one of these - it has front axle lift for those steep driveways and plenty of conveniences. I too was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the interior for a $65K (in my case) American car.

The base Stingray is still quick enough to get you in a lot of trouble on the roads.
If you had some wide open spaces and are friends with the cops, I'd say the sweet spot is the flat-plane crank Z06 trim which revs to 8,600rpm.
I'm glad the 1,250hp ZR1X exists even though you'd have to be a little bit insane to drive something with that power/weight ratio.
Seems like this car was just a flex from Chevrolet's engineers. Nice to see that GM got out of their way and let them innovate on the C8.

 

i will never own a coupe with long heavy doors again…

 

I’m also glad the ZR1/ZR1X exists because it dropped the value of the Z06 and that is the one I would get if I liked Corvettes. In general I just don’t like corvettes but I appreciate them, especially for the money.

 

Another reason why 911 is so special.

Try opening the doors on a Lambo or McLaren. You need a lot of room to have decent clearance. Def not great in regular parking lots lol

 

Yeah it is kind of crazy to imagine a C8 exists with well over twice as much power as the Stingray...

I do wonder how worth it the Z51 package is. Like, maybe I'd rather just have mag ride and the performance exhaust?

 

great car but it looks 'bulkier' than ever to me. i guess that's why they have the cayman.

saw this beauty this weekend though...



i don't know much about corvettes, so is the stingray a less expensive stripped down version of C8?