Chasing the Corvette C7 Z06 – GM’s Pursuit of Auto Perfection

REPORTED Z06 BUILD CONCERN

Many people who plan on buying a new car (and in this case specifically the Corvette Z06) join internet forums in order to get accurate accounts of the good and bad before ownership.  Three excellent resources for the Corvette are the Canadian Corvette Forums, Stingray Forums and Corvette Forum.  The reader needs to understand and keep in mind that people seek these forums much more when they need help, than when they want to praise their product, leaving a very unfair viewpoint to readers of the forums.

I am a Forums nut and, even understanding this, was terrified of some of the things read to include an instance of an engine blowing up at 6 miles, another with misaligned exterior panels and yet another with a front bumper that had broken retainers once it was removed.  There are examples of the A8 transmission with bad clunking when changing gears, the 7 speed manual having issues slipping out of gear, and yet others that state the navigation simply doesn’t provide turn instructions in time.  We need to understand that these are people looking for assistance and not indicative of the total buyer experience when encompassing the total count of 8653 Z06’s built this year.  Are they valid complaints?  Absolutely they are and that is what the warranty process is for.  You would see similar of any car, European or North American, that was produced in this number for any single year. We haven’t experienced any of these concerns with our 2015 Corvette Z06 thus far.

I didn’t mention heat soak in the above as that seems to be something to watch for carefully if you plan on tracking your car. To keep this as simple as possible, heat soak is power loss that occurs in the engine when it gets too hot. There have been more than a few instances of this from those running tracks, but conversely, there have also been several who have not experienced this.

The Z06 runs hot with the Eaton supercharger and nobody questions that whatsoever.  Is it track worthy?  Take a look at the included videos above once again.  Is it road worthy?  Absolutely?  Should we maybe keep an eye on examples of heat stroke in racing however?  Most definitely.  At the end of the day, however, GM was challenged to make a hybrid of sorts in the Z06, just as capable on the track as it is on the road.  As buyers, we need to understand that give and takes are involved with both sides to get such a car on the road.

REPORT SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS

When GM first sat down in the boardroom to discuss the Z06, many must have thought Tadge was reaching for the sky.  Maybe he had lost it. Not only did they want the new C7 Z06 to practically be the twin to the C7.R, be capable of sub-3 second 0-60 and sub 11 second 1/4 mile times, but also, the car had to be track worthy beyond reproach, match that of what we are seeing in upper class European sports cars, and it had to be a fraction of the price and below that dreaded six figure mark. Would you have thought that possible, even then including the five-year powertrain warranty and extending the warranty for track use when certain conditions were met?  The car is even capable of running economically by shutting down four cylinders!

At the end of the day, what GM did do was put together a sports car that is untouchable by any other in the industry at this point. Are they in pursuit of sports car perfection?  They just may be when we take all factors into consideration and get that Bugatti off of your mind.  Money just has to be a factor when so few can afford that quick million for a car.  Many would definitely agree that GM hit on all eight cylinders on this case though:

1. PRICE – At under $80,000, there isn’t another in the same range even close to matching this value for components and comfort.  The Z06 seems to match the features of cars 5 times its price;
2. BUILD OPTIONS – Deciding such things as coupe or convertible color, rims, manual or auto, Z06 or Z07, 1LZ/2LZ or 3LZ interior, clear, carbon fiber or CF painted roof, or Stage 1, 2 or 3 Aero ground effects is unmatched in the industry;
3. PERFORMANCE – It has already beat US and European track records, may have shut down Nurburgring to future testing, and it does the 1/4 mile in the 10’s completely stock off the showroom floor;
4. WARRANTY – Five years/160,000 km (60k miles US) with track coverage; what more needs to be said?;
5. EXTERIOR BUILD – Rigid aluminum frame, Titanium intake valves and connecting rods, carbon fiber hood and removable roof, Brembo ceramic brakes and the best Michelin rubber available today;
6. INTERIOR COMFORT – Doors unlock automatically, steering wheel, seat and mirrors adjust to your position as you seat yourself in standard touring or competition seats and the Mulan or Napa leather interior completes the new Vette experience;
7. TECHNOLOGY – 10 Speaker Bose Sound System, 3D Navigation with up to date road alerts, vehicle cell, 4GLTE Wi-Fi Hot Spot, bluetooth, Performance Data Recorder, OnStar, Heads Up Display that includes navigation and music info; reverse camera;
8. CURB APPEAL – The Corvette C7 Z06 draws crowds at every stop, and many times during your driving experience.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I guess it might be just a bit unfair claiming impartiality to a car that I still find myself sitting in even while its raining outside.  Conversely, those who know me would be the first to state that I say it like it is, and maybe even a bit too quickly at times.  I may even be the first member of the press to review the Z06, not with a GM provided sample (although the offer was there), but rather with my own Z06 that was built less than two months ago. At then end of the day though, I just believe this automobile is so far above the standard of value, quality, comfort and performance that we expect in cars today; I simply had to get my thoughts out in an article.

Is there anything I don’t like about the car?  Well, going through a drive through is rather difficult as they seem to want to put the food on the roof. My finding just the right parking spot is a task my wife gets very frustrated with. It is a bit too low to the ground and the sill plates are too close to your feet when getting out.  The very first time I exited the car at the dealership, my foot scraped the sill and I welcomed my first scratch…and it was a good one.  Luckily, they are a cheap, quick and easy replacement.  All I can truly say is thank you GM for building what just might be the best Corvette yet!

If you enjoyed this article and would like other more in-depth articles on specific features of the Z06, let me know!  Also, if you are interested in a few more piks of this Z06, check out the next page!

Check Out Corvette Z06 Accessory Pricing at Amazon!