Nearly four years ago, General Motors moved the yardstick with the debut of the C8 for the 2020 model year. The newly introduced E-Ray will surely cast a shadow over the Stingray, but without it and the subsequent Z06, the 2024 model year Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray wouldn’t have happened.
How similar – or dissimilar – are they? Glad you’ve asked, because that’s what you’re going to find out in the following paragraphs. First and foremost, let’s talk pricing. While it may be hard to ignore the Stingray’s original sub-$60,000 manufacturer-suggested retail price, many things happened since its July 2019 debut in Tustin, California. The 1LT is currently going for $64,500 sans destination charge, which is pretty good value for a brand-new midship with V8 muscle. The E-Ray is more than $100,000 for the 1LZ, a grade that may sound familiar to Z06 owners.
The reason for this familiarity is the Z06-inspired widebody aesthetic, which makes the E-Ray look distinctively more aggressive than the Stingray. General Motors decided on the wider body to accommodate wider tires, a welcomed upgrade over the Stingray due to the electrified front axle. A hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid, the E-Ray measures 79.7 inches (2,025 millimeters) in overall width versus the Stingray’s 76.1 (1,934).
It's also marginally longer at 184.6 inches (4,699 millimeters), compared to 182.3 (4,630). The overall height and wheelbase are shared. In terms of track, make that 66.3 (1,685) and 66.1 (1,678) fore and aft versus 64.9 (1,648) and 62.4 (1,586) for the combustion-only sibling. The wider body, high-voltage battery pack, and electrified front axle result in a heavier vehicle as well, tipping the scales at 3,774 pounds (1,712 kilograms), compared to 3,366 (1,530) for the coupe. Cargo capacity is mostly unchanged as well, as in 12.5 cubic feet (355 liters) versus 12.6 (356.8).
Even the fuel tank capacity (18.5 gallons or 70 liters) is shared, which isn’t exactly surprising because the 1.9-kWh battery pack is located between the seats. In the “transmission tunnel,” if you will, although “center tunnel” is the better phrasing because the eight-speed transaxle is located out back. Codenamed MLH, as opposed to M1L for the Stingray, the eight-speed unit in the E-Ray features a low first gear to leverage the additional traction. Seventh and eighth are for cruising, whereas second through sixth are close-ratio gears that keep the small-block V8 near its peak power on full tap.
Photo: Chevrolet
Speaking of which, the LT2 in the E-Ray is connected as standard to the performance-oriented exhaust that costs extra in the Stingray’s case. There’s not much of a difference between it and the Stingray’s engine, but we do need to mention a 12-volt battery of the lightweight variety sporting a similar chemistry to the high-voltage battery. As you already know by now, the NPP-equipped LT2 makes 495 horsepower at 6,450 revolutions per minute and a very stout 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) at 5,150 spinnies.
General Motors hasn’t confirmed the combined peak torque figure, but we do know that it makes 655 horsepower. The front-mounted electric drive unit is rated at 160 horsepower and 125 pound-feet (169 Nm) of torque. For some reason or another, General Motors estimates the motor’s torque at 165 Nm rather than 169 Nm in the press release for the new Corvette E-Ray.
If you had to explain the E-Ray’s role in the C8 range to a non-car person, you’d have a pretty hard job. Us enthusiasts know that it serves as the indirect successor to the seventh-generation Grand Sport, which is – in essence - a Z06-ified Stingray. But in simpler terms, the E-Ray can be viewed in two ways. First and foremost, a grand touring alternative to the track-oriented Z06. And secondly, the cooler sibling of the Stingray. In even simpler terms, it brings together old and new in a very special package.
Old as in two valves per cylinder and pushrods, with new referring to the hybrid system that makes the E-Ray both eco – to a degree – and ridiculously quick to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). The Golden Bowtie quotes 2.5 seconds with rollout, and the quarter mile is dealt with in 10.5 seconds at 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour). Speaking of straight-line shenanigans, the E-Ray one-ups its combustion-only brother in terms of stopping power as well. Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, with the rotors measuring 15.7 and 15.4 inches, compared to 12.6 and 13.6 for the steel-rotor Stingray. Opting for the Z51 Performance Package elevates the Stingray to 13.3 and 13.8 steel rotors.
Photo: Chevrolet
When it comes to wheels and tires, the newcomer flaunts a staggered setup with Michelin Pilot Sport 275/30ZR20 and 345/25ZR21 all-season rubber as standard. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires are optional. The MPS and MPS4S of the Stingray measure 245/35ZR19 and 305/30ZR20, and the all-season tires have a so-and-so reputation among Stingray owners for all the usual reasons. There’s nothing wrong with the Michelin Pilot Sport per se, but the rear tires can be easily overwhelmed by the torquey LT2 mill.
The Chevrolet brand hasn’t confirmed the top speed for the E-Ray at press time, but rest assured because that’s of little importance to the E-Ray’s place on the pecking order. On the other hand, we do know that Stealth Mode transforms the Corvette E-Ray into a front-wheel-drive electric vehicle at up to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour) for brief periods of time.
Rather than a precise number, approximately 180 miles per hour (290 kilometers per hour) is Chevy’s top speed estimate. The Stingray would make easy work of the E-Ray in a game of Top Trumps, for it tops 194 miles per hour (312 kilometers per hour) in non-Z51 form or 184 miles per hour (295 kilometers per hour) because of the Z51’s aero and gearing.
The quickest series-production ‘Vette in history isn’t the be-all and end-all Corvette. It will – say it with me now – inevitably be dethroned by another hybrid Corvette, the range-topping Zora, rumored to pack 1,000 hybrid ponies from an electrified front axle and a twin-turbo take on the Z06’s LT6 FPC powerplant. It is the right Corvette for 2024, though, the kind of car that will bring new demographics to the 70-year-old nameplate. Better still? The E-Ray is a middle finger salute to those stereotypical Corvette owners with a thing for New Balance shoes, short denim pants, and polo shirts.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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