What will be new for Next Year's Corvette? Slash Gear Outlines Changes

The 2021 Chevy Corvette C8 is getting ready to make its way to many dealerships like ours right here at O'Rielly Chevy of Tucson, and the word is that several highly-requested tweaks have taken place. The Slash Gear blog provided coverage this past week about the expected changes, as the 2021 Corvette Coupe and Convertible will see adjustments to some of the options and trims. It is fair to say that Chevy as a whole surprised many with the launch of the 2020 Corvette C8 and finally produced a mid-engined model after decades of speculation.

Even though this is a high-powered machine that doles out 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, the modest price was a real winning factor with journalists and car experts alike, as well as decent offerings on a standard trim. Now that it's time for a new model year, it does seem like Chevy is not straying too terribly far from what has already worked so well. The biggest change is in regards to the Magnetic Ride Control suspension. Until this year, if you've wanted this ingenious system, you needed to opt for the Z51 package.

It puts to use magnetorheological fluid which can be altered according to a magnetic field, to make changes to the suspension from soft through to firm. This year the suspension system will be offered as a standalone option, so you can opt to withhold the Brembo brakes, performance exhaust and rear axle ratio, electronic limited-slip differential, heavy-duty cooling system, and performance Michelin tires. Another change of major interest to buyers is the wireless CarPlay support. It will now be standard across the 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT trims, and means that you can now connect directly with your iPhone and use the Apple interface without needing a dangling USB cable.

For the last year's model, wireless charging was only standard on the 2LT trim and above. On the outside, there are a few new color choices: the Blade Silver Metallic and Long Beach Red Metallic Tintcoat are no longer available and have been currently replaced by Red Mist Tintcoat and Silver Flare. The “Stingray R” package will add special graphics and matching wheel caps, and there will be a new assortment of full-length rain stripes available. There is the addition of a center hood “Stinger Stripe” option, available in Edge Yellow, Edge Red, Midnight Silver, or Carbon Flash.

The 3LT trim will now flaunt a Strike Yellow color scheme with Sky Cool gray inserts, and the other will use Jet Black with Sky Gray inserts. More carbon fiber accessories are coming, and the LPO High Wing and Door Intake Trim will be available in Visible Carbon Fiber. At the beginning of March, Chevy attended the Work Truck Expo and one of the displays featured this 2020 Corvette Stingray doled up as the Gray C8.R. It does make sense for the Chevy to focus on a “C8.R replica” as owners have always been passionate about the race team, and many would like to dress up their Corvettes to appear like those on the professional track.

The Popular Science Crew Claims After Intense Track runs That the new C8 Corvette “Draws Waves Like None Other in Memory”

Excitedly poised on the track at Spring Mountain Motor Resort in Nevada, the team from Popular Science was ready to test the new mid-engined C8 Corvette Stingray. Now hailed for having the same configuration of supercars such as Lamborghini and Ferrari, the C8 has been dominating auto headlines since its unveiling in a large airline hangar in California late last summer. Writer Dan Carney is getting ready to take his very first test drive, and his first move was to tighten the belts on the seats, which helps to hold the driver in position to focus on steering.

When the seat is ratcheted down, the HANS device is more secure, which (yes, a slight reality check) is more effective in the event of a crash. The Popular Science team's 'Vette was equipped with the 3LT premium equipment package, Z51 performance package, and magnetic ride adjustable sock absorbers. The 495-horsepower, 470 lb-ft, LT2 6.2-liter small black V8 to comes to life after you push the Start button, and Dan felt that the rumble of the engine was akin to a “ferocious blast of Nascar thunder” as his revs approached the 6,500 rpm mark.

Off of the track, the V8's fuel consumption is EPA-rated at 15 mpg during city driving and 27 mpg on the highway, which is way above average for a supercar. The rear-view mirror actually doubles as a display for a rearview camera that is mounted on top of the engine cover to provide an expansive view behind the car, that can't be achieved from anywhere inside the cockpit. The anchor of the center console is a rotary selector wheel that is mostly covered by a wrist rest that helps keep your hand stable while adjusting.

Once underway, the computer-controlled dual-clutch transmission can shift itself, or the driver can manually adjust upshifts and downshifts by using the steering column-mounted shift paddles. The Z51-equipped Stingray can launch to 60 mph from a complete standstill in 2.9 seconds, and by using automatic launch control, can accomplish it repeatedly. During a few very exciting laps, Dan noticed that one of the benefits of having its mass at a central point due to the mid-engine layout gives the driver many chances to balance the car once its slides at its limit.

The paddle shifters are as nice as what you would see on very high-priced European competitors, and their location on the steering column makes them easy to find every single time you look for them. Corvettes from years past endured a bit of criticism for the slight delay that occurred between a tug on the shift paddle to an actual transmission response. In this edition, engineers have wired the buttons directly to the transmission's shift controller, bypassing the car's Controller Area Network, and now sending shift requests as directly to the transmission as physically possible.

Many who passed by the track that day were in awe at this brand new addition to the All-American car landscape, and once inside, this is the most snug and “sheltered” feel in any Corvette, past or present. It is currently one of the hottest items on the planet, but we hope to see you soon at O'Rielly Chevy of Tucson to talk about 'Vette or any other models' ownership, and make 2020 your most exciting year of cornering and pavement pounding yet!

2020 Chevy Corvette Motor Authority First Drive Review Highlights Vehicle that “Fantastically Pushes the Envelope”

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!

A Nod to the Sightings At Nurburgring: The New-For-2018 ZR1

Testing cars and seeing if they really have what it takes to measure up requires many hours, and a collective effort of very hard work. Diagnostics, safety issues, and the way the machinery used can withstand intended acceleration are all components of the formula that need to be considered. When it comes to how it behaves on the road, there is one place on the planet that is legendary, and tends to be spoken about both in very excited and hushed tones. Nurburgring is located in a lush area of Germany, situated close to legendary castles, and was the original home of the German Grand Prix after World War One.

Completed in the spring of 1927, the original track consisted of 174 bends, and was a true proving grounds where numerous racers displayed their talent. It was right here in 1961 that Phil Hall became the first ever to complete a lap of the Nordschleife track in under 9 minutes, and if every inch of track here could talk, it would clue you in to some of the most exciting moments in racing history. Over the past few weeks there has been a very exciting vehicle that has been spotted zipping around this legendary spectacle, and it's gonna seriously excite every customer and employee right here at O'Rielly. The 2018 ZR1 Corvette has been spotted here doing its magical thing, in light camouflage and with abundant promise of just how awesome it will be.

The rear wing is the first element that many will notice: it is definitely on the larger side, and is a bit like what is seen on the Dodge Viper ACR. We suspect that it is here to provide a heightened amount of downforce, an element that you'll notice right away when really putting this new Corvette to the test. The front air dam has lots of wide-open intakes, which will be needed for sure to cool down the powerful V8 that resides under the hood. It is suspected that the Corvette's incredibly souped 6.2-liter will be the engine of choice, and that this final entry in a line of stellar cars will be a milestone of sheer performance ability and enthralling fun to drive.

The 'Vette that was sighted at Nurburgring was sporting the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which are known for being incredibly lightweight, and having the use of some very big brakes to boot. The last model that came out in this category was capable of producing 638 horsepower from a very supercharged 6.2-liter LS9. Most of our contacts in the motor industry are telling us that the 2018 ZR1 will be shown to the public for the first time at an IMSA race, or the Corvette Museum itself, in Bowling Green Kentucky. This storybook location is a prime example of a place that anyone would love to test drive the new Corvette: collectors and racing enthusiasts alike will no doubt be ecstatic to see just how great this new vehicle is going to be. We have all loved spending decades following the legacy of a legend, and expect this 2018 release to be nothing short of spellbinding.