Best Year Chevrolet Corvette

‍2016 Chevrolet Corvette

It might come as a surprise for many, but the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette is among the top luxury sports cars on the road today. With its razor-sharp handling, powerful engine, high-quality interior materials, and smooth ride, it offers an experience like no other.

Chevrolet has designed the seventh-generation Corvette with a sleek design flaunting sharp creases and exhilarating curves and angles. It is so elegant and sporty that it looks super-fast even when parked. The car is available in four variants; there are two engine options, and each engine comes with a choice of a hardtop or a convertible. Stingray is the base variant, while the Z06 is designed to take on supercars.

Style

If there is anything that the Corvette does not miss out on, it is style. Ever since the launch of its first model nearly seven decades ago, Corvette has maintained a unique and attractive style that makes it stand out significantly from the crowd.

There is no doubt that this car gets a lot of attention on the road; it is more than a mere head turner. You will notice many passersby giving the vehicle a good look and you a thumbs-up before moving on.

There is a lot of detail put into the design of this car, and each component complements the other. There is a long hood starting from the front, which transforms into a steep windshield. The swooping roof elegantly meets the rear end, which defines the car’s proportions. Every component puts out a high-tech design feel; the car almost seems like an exotic supercar yet maintains the classic Corvette DNA.

Step inside, and the amazement continues with a high-quality, fully wrapped interior, which looks impressive even in their basic forms on the Stingray and grows better and more luxuriant as you move up the trim level.

The instrument panel and center console are simple and driver-oriented but still flaunts a style that clearly states that the Corvette is a car built for performance. The suede, carbon fiber, and leather upholstery give the interior an exotic car feel.

The 2016 Chevy Corvette comes with newer shades compared to the previous models. The Crystal Red is replaced by the more contemporary Long Beach Metallic Red. Similarly, Corvette Racing Yellow replaces the traditional Velocity Yellow in previous models.

You can find the 2016 Corvette with three interior design packages, Jet Black, Twilight Blue, and Spice Red. These design packages determine the interior color tone and add styling cues to exterior features like rims, trim design, and stripes. For convertibles, the top color is also matched with the interior shade.

Performance

The 2016 Corvette Stingray offers excellent performance for its value. It is fast, really fast, and is extraordinarily fun to drive.

The Stingray is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 LT1 engine, which delivers 455 hp and 460 lb.-ft of torque. The engine can be coupled with a seven-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic to forward the power to the wheels. The powertrain offers ample power for the car and sounds exactly like it should. It can take the Stingray to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds with the manual and 3.7 seconds when coupled with the automatic transmission.

Chevrolet offers a Z51 package for the Stingray, which further enhances the car’s performance. It beefs up the suspension and adds additional cooling, a rear spoiler, and a front splitter. It also adds five hp to the engine and can be considered a sport package for the Stingray to make it track-ready.

An LT4 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine powers the higher-priced Z06. This beast can produce a whopping 650 hp and 650 pound-feet of torque and be found coupled with the same transmissions as the Stingray. The Z06 hits the 60 mph mark in just 3.2 seconds with the manual and 2.95 seconds with the automatic.

The automatic transmission found on both variants comes with paddle shifters, which are very quick and responsive. They beat the shifting times of many rivals by up to eighty milliseconds, which in the performance world mean a lot. Whether the car is run by flicking paddles or letting the transmission decide when to shift, it remains remarkable and does not seem to miss a beat.

The 2016 Corvette is equipped with advanced traction management, making the car ready for extraordinary speeds on curvy and straight stretches. The vehicle features impressive flat cornering abilities and can handle lateral forces of up to 1G without missing a beat. The electronic power steering delivers surgical responsiveness and makes driving the Corvette truly addictive for every car enthusiast. The experience of driving the 2016 Corvette is unique as it has been the tradition of the brand to deliver something different every time.

Overall, the Corvette can give tough competition to cars that cost twice as much as itself and continues to surprise many enthusiasts with its high-quality features.

Comfort and Storage Space

The Stingray features excellent build quality and a well-designed cabin, which makes it one of the top-ranked sports cars in today’s times. The C7 features high-quality materials and is equipped with many technological features.

The interior flaunts soft-touch materials on nearly all touch-points. It features a modern and sharp design without annoying experimental design traits. Interesting components like the passenger climate control situated on the outboard vent and the carbon fiber center stack make the interior feel more like a touring car than a sports car.

The driver seat offers a wide range of adjustments, and the telescoping/tilting steering wheel allows the driver to find the most comfortable position for all types of body sizes. No matter where the driver is seated, all controls, including the shifter, are within easy reach. There is ample legroom, headroom, and shoulder room for all kinds of drivers, even six-footers and those who are above the 200-pound mark. The steering wheel features a flat bottom and is fairly small to blend with the snug and comfortable cabin of the Corvette.

The standard seats on the Corvette are supportive and comfortable. However, for those looking for extra bolstering and support, there are optional Competition seats available, designed to offer a more racing-car experience and feel more secure during performance driving.

The convertible Corvette comes with an automatic top that requires no extra locks at the top of the windshield. This feature allows you to close or open the top when running at speeds slower than 30 mph; it is not recommended, but it is a flexible feature. The convertible does face an issue with wind management, but there are aftermarket solutions to the problem.

It is surprising how a coupe the size of the Corvette can provide a flat and large cargo space. This feature makes the car a practical option for two-person long highway cruises. The room on the convertible is a little compromised to make space for the top, but it is still fairly adequate.

Inside the cabin, the car is equipped with small boxes and storage compartments. An impressive James Bond-style compartment is hidden behind the navigation screen and houses plug-in jacks for your smartphone.

Safety

Due to limited volume and high price, no variant of the 2016 Corvette has been crash-tested or rated by NHTSA or IIHS. Nevertheless, the car offers a very good combination of active and passive safety features that ensure occupants’ safety in the event of a crash.

The car is equipped with standard safety features like ABS, stability control, and multiple airbags. It also flaunts daytime running lights and a rearview camera. An optional heads-up display is available to ensure that the drivers keep their eyes on the road, which displays vehicle performance on the windshield. There is also a front camera available as an option.

Features

There is a wide range of features that come standard on the Corvette. These features include:

• An eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with USB and SD card support, Bluetooth audio streaming, and auxiliary jack
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• Rearview camera
• Keyless ignition
• Cruise control
• Dual-zone climate control with active air filtration
• Steering wheel with controls to the infotainment system mounted on the spokes

There are many optional add-ons that you can find on the 2016 Corvette, but the most salient option is the PDR or Performance Data Recorder. This gadget maintains a record of key performance indicators and essential vehicle parameters. It also allows the car to record video and audio if given to a valet; it is a great feature for keeping an eye on your sweet little ride.

Among other optional features are

• 10-speaker Bose audio system
• Competition seats for added racing experience
• Power-operated, eight-way adjustable seats with memory function
• A custom luggage set, which is a very rare find

For those looking for performance upgrades to the Stingray, the optional Z51 package gets you:

• Antiroll bars and harder springs for better cornering and high speed driving on twisty roads
• A dry-sump oil system, which ensures better lubrication and performance of the engine
• Upgraded suspension and brakes
• An electronically controlled limited-slip differential
• Enhanced cooling for transmission, engine, and differential
• Magnetic Ride Control allows the driver to control the ride settings

Fuel Economy

The Corvette is available in two variants, the Stingray and the Z06, and both come with a 7-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic. The Stingray, which features a naturally aspirated V8 and automatic transmission, gets EPA ratings of 16 mpg for city driving, 29 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg when driving on combined roads. Swap the automatic with the manual, and the numbers change to 17 mpg in the city, 28 mpg for highways, and 21 mpg combined.

The Z06, powered by a supercharged V8, compromises a little fuel economy to deliver added performance. It achieves 13 mpg in the city, 23 mpg on highways, and 16 mpg for combined driving with the automatic transmission. The numbers stand at 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined for the manual variant.

Price Range of the 2016 Corvette

The 2016 Chevy Corvette Stingray can be found for a price between $44,000 and $74,000. The average price of this trim is around $56,000. Those looking to buy the Z06 can expect to find a price between $73,000 to upwards of $100,000. The prices vary due to numerous factors like location, mileage, optional features, mods installed, and vehicle condition.

Running Costs of 2016 Corvette

With track running, and street driving, you can expect the Corvette to ask for around $8,000 per year in the account of fuel, maintenance, insurance, and repairs; this translates to approximately $40,000 for five years.