Sunday, November 17, 2013

Corvette Stingray: 2014 Automobile of the Year

If you know cars or at least pay attention to the news once in a while, you know that Corvette brought back one of their most successful cars of all time, the Stingray. The Corvette made a huge media splash at the North American Auto Show in Detroit this year. And the buzz that it created has been following it around every since.


The buzz was so great that the car is now named the Automobile of the Year. This is not a step in the right direction for General Motors, but more of a path in the right direction that they have been going down all this year.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Cadillac CTS was named the Motor Trend car of the year. With GM's redesigned trucks and newly redesigned cars, GM has enjoyed some much needed success for 2013 and going into 2014.

Back to the Corvette; the completely redesigned Corvette has been able to impress consumers with the new stylish outside and inside. The aggressive curves give the car more of a super car look and the interior is said to be more of a durable high quality lay out.

Drive-ability is much more tighter and more fun to drive thanks to a more sophisticated suspension, and acceleration is nothing short of spectacular.  I have seen claims of 1/4 mile times of 11.9 sec, but times more around 12.4 sec is probably more likely, and with a 185 mph (est.) top speed, there is a whole lot of fun that can be had here.

But power, styling, drive-ability, etc., is not the only reason why the Stingray found its way to being named the Automobile of the Year. Impressive gas mileage due to a cylinder deactivation system is also part of the Corvettes success. Not only can this car move out when the gas paddle is hammered on the floor, but it can also provide the driver with an extremely comfortable driving experiences at low rpm's for everyday driving while saving gas (fuel economy: cty//hwy 17/29 mpg.). 



Specs and Stats

Powertrain       6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
Standard Engine       Gas V8
Displacement (liters/cu. in.)       6.2L/376
7-speed manual transmission       Standard
6-speed Paddle Shift automatic transmission       Available
Horsepower @ RPM       455 @ 6000
Horsepower (with performance exhaust)       460
Torque @ RPM       460 @ 4600
Fuel Injection       Direct Injection
Drivetrain       Rear Wheel Drive
Axle Ratio       3.42
Steering/Suspension      6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
   Front Suspension        Short/Long Arm
Rear Suspension      Short/Long Arm
Brakes    6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
4-Wheel Disc Brakes       Yes
Brake/ABS System      4-Wheel