The Motor Authority testing staff
were situated on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, Michigan last week on a crisp fall
day on an open road with no one else around. The fantastic and feature-rich
vehicle they were getting ready to drive was one that we have been plenty
excited about for months here at O'Rielly
Chevy of Tucson: the brand new 2020 mid-engined Chevy Corvette. Mike Hurley
is the vehicle dynamics engineer who is along for the ride and gleefully tells
driver Kirk Bell to move the mode selector dial to “Track” and engage the
Performance Traction Management System before the run.
With his left foot on the brake, he expertly
pinned the throttle and the 495-horsepower LT2 6.2-liter V-8 revved on up to
3,500 rpm and stayed there for a brief and purgatorial moment. He then gripped
the square steering wheel “for dear life” as the 305-mm wide Michelin Pilot
Sport 45 rear tires slipped maybe a quarter turn, and the new 'Vette took off
brandishing a power level and efficiency that no factory Corvette has ever
possessed. As he lurched forward he documents zero pause in power between gears
and agrees wholeheartedly that 0-60 mph probably flies by in 3.0 seconds or
less.
The perpendicular force that is exerted between
the car and the road is now distributed so that 60 percent of the weight is on
the rear tires on the new model, the car can exert more normal force on the
road with its drive axle capabilities and quicker acceleration. Recognizing the
difficulty that exists in making a car that can handle the road as well as
track, Mike claimed that both jobs are handled with ease. The V-8's noisy
rumble is not quite as loud as the C7s if you are just cruising around the
neighborhood, but if you throw the car in Track mode, you get the enjoyment of
the orchestral bellow.
Here it is conveyed that the new Corvette steers with true
purpose and always feels direct, and the interior takes a high-quality leap forward
from the C7's. The gang here had the 3LT package that adds a 14-speaker Bose
audio system, front and rear vision cameras, a head-up display, top-line heated
and cooled GT2 bucket seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless phone charging,
and the Chevy Performance Data Recorder that records video and reports all
sorts of juicy vital stats.
Instead of sitting so low with a high hood and the
scoop blocking the view like the ZR1, the driver now looks down the fender line
out of a windshield that is much more open. As the crew winded down after their
Michigan drive, what they yearned for most was some time of a California canyon
road: It is so very exciting that an American legend changed so much for the
better in the form of the brand-new C8, and there will be many more tales of
taking it down the road for a wildly high-octane spin to come!
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