Price of admission . . .

 

Sounds about right. That's GM's target demographic. Folks that went to high-school listening to hair-bands are now in their mid-40s to mid-50s.

 

I've never been a big fan of the Corvette for pretty much my entire life but I did see an older guy in a brand new deep gray vette w/ chrome wheels a few weeks back and thought it looked great. I just don't think GM trust their own designs. There's always at least ONE THING that they don't trust. It's just odd and frustrating to see.

 

I dig the C8. In person I thought the interior was great and the car was exciting. 992 interior is fine but certainly not something to boast about.

At that pricepoint I think the C8 is great. I’d take it over a 718 for sure. (People forget that the 718/Cayman is its real competition).

cant wait to see the platform expand. Z06 will be a monster.

 

I Just watched the Matt Farah video - the C8 was understeering a lot (turn up the volume).

Looked like it was pushing a lot, the front end grip was being challenged in virtually every corner even the relatively open ones.

 

I would think that GM doesn't think the 718 is the competition. They are looking to dethrone the 911.
I don't have any issues with the C8. It's looks like an honest attempt at really hitting the mark for a more moderately priced performance car. And I can see it drawing both 911 and 718 buyers away from Porsche. The 911 has gotten out of reach for a lot of people.
I won't be a customer but not because I don't think it has value I've just never been a fan of modern vettes. Loved the old split window coupes but in recent years they seem to be trying to look to over the top.
I don't think Porsche has done everything right either. But the brand has worked for me and I still can't keep from turning around to look at as I walk away from parking.
Those that go the C8 route I'd love to hear your assessment of the car. I'm sure it won't be the hot mess most here are claiming.

 

Question - Have you actually sat in the new C8 or are you throwing shade without first hand knowledge b/c you just don't like it? All of the reviews from the automotive press have been extremely positive with regards to the quality, fit and finish to the entire car, including the interior. I get that the aesthetics might not be to everyone's liking but perhaps you should try to keep an open mind until you actually see it first hand?

 

We’ve been living with a 992 cab for a month now. The gauges are fine. Visibility issues are no different than 991. You have to tilt your head to see the side gauges, but these have less important data on them so it’s a non-issue.

 

Amen. Same.

 

Yep. We swapped cup holder for the cubby; it holds cups and bottles (or keys, garage fobs or phones) just fine. :-)

 

Yes, but what’s on those dials? Coolant temp? Miles to empty? How often are you really checking those gauges. They were obscured on the 997 and 991, too. It’s not like you can’t see them, you just have to look “around” the steering wheel. Having owned the car for a month, I will say it’s a total non-issue.

 

They may not think it or may not want to market it that way but the simple reality is the C8 as tested by motortrend was an under steering mess - watch the Matt Farah video and listen to it.

The problem with that video is clearly MF isn’t much chop round a track and because of that he was overdriving the most simple of corners and the C8 couldn’t handle it.

what a chook and yet was attempting to claim it was brilliant - oops

718 Spyder and GT4 are way better........other than if you like tire limited 0-60mph.

 

You're right...the two areas that the motoring press have consistently noted as needing improvement are "at the limit" mid corner understeer and somewhat vague brake-by-wire pedal feel. That being said, the cars that have been released for testing are "pre-production" press mules, not final production models. True production vehicles made "en-mass" won't begin until at least mid-January 2020. So if "understeer" and "brake feel" are the criticism-drums the automotive press are beating on, then I'd imagine GM would take the opportunity that the delays in production have afforded to address these issues. Fixing mid corner understeer isn't hard to do with a variety of simple suspension tuning techniques. The brake-by-wire system is likely just re-writing some code. Either way, the UAW strike has opened a window for these issues to get sorted before "production version" deliveries begin.

And...I think its important to keep things in perspective. This was GM's first attempt at a mid-engine sports car designed to rival the worlds best at a significantly lower cost. If all the automotive journalists can find are "faults" at 10/10ths driving, then I think GM did a pretty good job, all things considered. Also, its a safe assumption that the Corvette development team are reading the same reviews and comments the rest of us are. I'd be willing to bet quick improvement is on the way.

I'll finish by saying I'm a huge 911 fan. Love the cars and I've owned over a dozen different 911s. (The Cayman, 718 and esp the Boxster are cars for hairdressers) I'm also a patriotic guy who roots for the underdog and would love to see the C8 wipe the floor with Porsches and Ferraris... Nothing would please me more than to have an American company produce a product (right down the road from my home) that can beat the worlds best at their own game. Not taking away anything from the 911. Its a phenomenal sports car and "real" price and performance competition will only make them better.

 

So what? It’s not like hairdressers would drag you out of a Boxster if they catch you driving one.

 

Let's not be naive enough to think Chevy will "beat" the 911 at what it does best and has been: the most sports-oriented daily driveable sports car in existence.

That being said, they've come a long way. But the glaring shortcomings are obvious, even in the new C8. The transmission isn't up to PDK standard, build quality inferior, and far worse handling ("understeer"), and just as crucial - exclusivity.

The fact that the 911 is a childhood dream. There is a sense of pride of achievement that is important and meaningful in life. You'd be hard-pressed to deem the C8 in such regard.

No doubt we hope the C8 would transcend many barriers as would any true automotive enthusiast, but to expect it to be superior than the 911 by any solid measure reeks of sentimentalism.

Long story short, in this universe, you get what you pay for. This will always be the case.