Corvette Z06 Driving Impressions
09-11-2008, 07:17 PM
#1
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Corvette Z06 Driving Impressions
I know this is a Porsche forum, I am getting my new one early 09, and am currently carless in NY, so don't shoot me down, I am waiting for the facelift. Recently, I hired a Z06 from Hertz for a trip upstate, thought I would note my impressions of the car:
Positives:
* you can "drift" this car at will. 420 bhp and no weight on the rear axle means just get the car in first and second, apply a liberal dose of the right foot, and start grinning.
* engine sounds brutal from about 3,100 revs onwards but great
* you attract a lot of stares[NOT NECESSARILY POSITIVE] (possibly a function of the yellow with go fast black stripe paint job as well). In 48 hours, I had four pedestrians actually approach me while stopped asking me about the car, etc. I also had various SUVs and Minivans pull-up on the highway with kids holding their thumbs out. Now, I have never owned a 911 in the US (my old 4S was in Switzerland before I moved here) but would not think one would get that kind of reactionin a 911
* enhances ones appreeciation for 80's rock. I got in, Def Leopard was on, and it sounded fantastic (apologies for anyone thinking I am generalizing, I mean, it sounded great to me and somehow fit the car...)
* good directional stability and road holding, however, difficult to fully "feel" the car and palce it (somehow feels a lot bigger than the 911, even though it is not (at least in terms of overall length - prob a function of sitting so far back near the rear axle))
Negatives
* The transmission was an absolute disaster (obviously, as it was a Hertz car, it was the 6-speed auto). Changes were jarring, push buttons on the wheel had no tactile feeling whatsoever, it would occasionally hunt between gears, it would not always respond straight away to shifts, etc. Greatly diminished the interface between driver and machine frankly - at the very least, would think you would have to buy the manual.
* Steering: not a lot of communication there (vs the 911). Steering seemed to have a rubber piece somewhere divorcing the feel being transmitted to the driver
* Quality. Well, does not come close to a 911. The dash finish was crap, the dials a disaster, GM's insistence to use bad 80's greed LCD lights for the warning/dirver interface etc horrible (and they do that in all their cars). Somethimes, loud cracking noises could be heard from the dash as it flexed.
* Significant heat soak from the transmission tunnel onto ones right leg
* Poorly designed trunk with nothing stopping what ever was stowed there from sliding forward (at least put a net up guys)
* Exhaust noise on the over-run. The problem with the damn exhaust valve set-up was that on the over-run, when you gunned it a bit, it would make more noise than it did on the way up, and then suddenly go quiet as the revs fell below 3k. Sounded pretty crap, at least the transition.
* Poor visibility. Surprisingly, while sitting low and seeing out well in the front, the rear 3/4 view was hindered by the high trunk line, meaning it was difficult to see anything short of an SUV out there (yes, the seats were all the way down, but isn't that how they should be and I am 6'0").
All in all, no Porsche. Not rewarding from a tactile kind of man/machine interface perspective that Porsche does so well. That said, put a smile on my face, and looked forward to driving it when I walked up to it. Would never buy one, but good to have a laugh in, 'specially if looking for a not ridiculously priced rental
Positives:
* you can "drift" this car at will. 420 bhp and no weight on the rear axle means just get the car in first and second, apply a liberal dose of the right foot, and start grinning.
* engine sounds brutal from about 3,100 revs onwards but great
* you attract a lot of stares[NOT NECESSARILY POSITIVE] (possibly a function of the yellow with go fast black stripe paint job as well). In 48 hours, I had four pedestrians actually approach me while stopped asking me about the car, etc. I also had various SUVs and Minivans pull-up on the highway with kids holding their thumbs out. Now, I have never owned a 911 in the US (my old 4S was in Switzerland before I moved here) but would not think one would get that kind of reactionin a 911
* enhances ones appreeciation for 80's rock. I got in, Def Leopard was on, and it sounded fantastic (apologies for anyone thinking I am generalizing, I mean, it sounded great to me and somehow fit the car...)
* good directional stability and road holding, however, difficult to fully "feel" the car and palce it (somehow feels a lot bigger than the 911, even though it is not (at least in terms of overall length - prob a function of sitting so far back near the rear axle))
Negatives
* The transmission was an absolute disaster (obviously, as it was a Hertz car, it was the 6-speed auto). Changes were jarring, push buttons on the wheel had no tactile feeling whatsoever, it would occasionally hunt between gears, it would not always respond straight away to shifts, etc. Greatly diminished the interface between driver and machine frankly - at the very least, would think you would have to buy the manual.
* Steering: not a lot of communication there (vs the 911). Steering seemed to have a rubber piece somewhere divorcing the feel being transmitted to the driver
* Quality. Well, does not come close to a 911. The dash finish was crap, the dials a disaster, GM's insistence to use bad 80's greed LCD lights for the warning/dirver interface etc horrible (and they do that in all their cars). Somethimes, loud cracking noises could be heard from the dash as it flexed.
* Significant heat soak from the transmission tunnel onto ones right leg
* Poorly designed trunk with nothing stopping what ever was stowed there from sliding forward (at least put a net up guys)
* Exhaust noise on the over-run. The problem with the damn exhaust valve set-up was that on the over-run, when you gunned it a bit, it would make more noise than it did on the way up, and then suddenly go quiet as the revs fell below 3k. Sounded pretty crap, at least the transition.
* Poor visibility. Surprisingly, while sitting low and seeing out well in the front, the rear 3/4 view was hindered by the high trunk line, meaning it was difficult to see anything short of an SUV out there (yes, the seats were all the way down, but isn't that how they should be and I am 6'0").
All in all, no Porsche. Not rewarding from a tactile kind of man/machine interface perspective that Porsche does so well. That said, put a smile on my face, and looked forward to driving it when I walked up to it. Would never buy one, but good to have a laugh in, 'specially if looking for a not ridiculously priced rental
09-11-2008, 07:25 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
FYI, what you were driving was not a Z06. The Z06 has 505hp and a manual transmission only.
09-11-2008, 08:37 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
If the car was a rental from Hertz it was likely a ZHZ (I think that's the model name) version specifically made for Hertz.
I've driven several C6 version 'vettes including two Z06's. Those things are very, very quick and far, far better than the Corvette's of yesteryear.
But you're right, the steering is nowhere near as good as the steering in a modern Porsche. And the manual transmissions are horrible in comparison. It's like rowing a clunky boat.
The worst part... IMO... is the simply awful seats. They are terrible.
But the Corvette, IMO again, is a great bang for the buck and if you put an emphasis on straight line speed and value... you'd be hard pressed to do better at that price point.
I've driven several C6 version 'vettes including two Z06's. Those things are very, very quick and far, far better than the Corvette's of yesteryear.
But you're right, the steering is nowhere near as good as the steering in a modern Porsche. And the manual transmissions are horrible in comparison. It's like rowing a clunky boat.
The worst part... IMO... is the simply awful seats. They are terrible.
But the Corvette, IMO again, is a great bang for the buck and if you put an emphasis on straight line speed and value... you'd be hard pressed to do better at that price point.
09-11-2008, 08:46 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
Corvettes are big fun, but, like all fiberglass cars, they make more noise than a chuckwagon, especially after they've got a few miles on 'em.
09-12-2008, 10:40 AM
#6
A neighbor has a yellow Z06, he's claims he's too old to drive it so I take it out for him a few times a year. I find it an odd car, shifts are horrible until it's been running for about 30 mins, before it gets warm the tranny feels like it belongs in a tractor. LOTS of power, in a straight line the car will really get up and go. In a straight line, it's faster than any 911 I've driven. I don't like the handling or the ride, it's a rough ride and the front end feels really heavy. Lastly, I think about that balsa wood/fiberglass sandwich I'm sitting on all the time, it just doesn't inspire confidence. My drive in it is about 60 miles, enough to warm it up so he can put it back in his shop and cover it up.
