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2014 CHEVROLET Corvette Stingray Review

OUR TEST CAR: 2014 CHEVROLET C7 Corvette Stingray Z51 Automatic

 
2014 CHEVROLET Corvette Stingray  - Page - 6
Nevertheless, we’re running out of patience, as we’re eager to see what the new steering setup brings. The electric assistance sounds like bad news, but they’ve went to great lengths to make up for the lesser feedback. If we must talk figures, we’ll tell you that the steering column is now 150 percent stiffer, while the intermediate shaft gets a mind-blowing 600 percent torsional stiffness boost - if you are a C6 Corvette owner, don’t read the paragraph above.

The feedback is decent (still, nowhere near that in a Porsche), but the thing is that the steering feels right. While we appreciated its cooperation in the city, it gains just the right weight when you activate the right mode and increase the speed.

By the way, you can set up the level of steering assistance and the exhaust mode independent from the driving profiles. When it came to the steering, most of the drive found us in “Auto”.

Once you lean in on the car through the twisties, you’ll notice that the 1g cornering ability of the Z51 Pack feels exactly as it should. You can drive this thing hard and you can do it with extreme precision. And if you’re willing to drift it, it’ll be happy to oblige, stepping into an easily controllable slide. The steering is quite eager on the turn-in and the car gets back on the power quick, even though even the Track Mode won’t convince it to be perfect in terms of aggressive throttle response.

Just like the 2014 Corvette Stingray has multiple personalities in general, driving it fast also reveals its multi-faceted character. It’s amazing how the same car can mix high-end precision handling with a wild, untamed nature. Brilliant!

As for the obvious comparo, Chevrolet’s Corvette doesn’t feel as thoroughbred as the Viper, but you perceive it as being lighter on its feet. Oh and if you’ve ever considered pitting the Corvette against a BMW M6, forget it. Aside from the two extra seats in the M6, the German is light years behind.

No. Of course the Chevrolet Corvette isn’t perfect. For instance, when the electronics are fully on, they interfere rather harshly. As we applied full throttle mid-corner, the car kept going on and off the power to stay on track, instead of using a more gradual transition. Fortunately, the day is saved once you use the right driving mode.

Once again, the Corvette Stingray treats this with a lot of technology. In terms of electronics, you get Active Handling, or StabiliTrack stability control, if you may. In the Sport and Track driving modes, this offers a Competitive mode that allows just enough of a slip angle to let you have fun before it steps in. Double-click the Driving Mode Selector when in Track to get some info.
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