Question C-7 Bashing

[Cobravenomous]

The C-8 is almost here and admittedly I am getting to like the look of the new design even though it is a big departure from the traditional Corvette look, but is anyone else feeling a bit trashed with the enormous number of recent articles that continuously trash the C-7 in order to elevate the bar of the new C-8?

It seems that in order to promote the new C-8 they draw comparisons to the C-7 whereby they speak of how the C-8 is now so much more refined. Being a recent C-7 owner I can vividly recall when researching my car prior to purchase how it was advertized and promoted as being the pinnacle of engineering perfection and also so much better than the previous generation C-6 in all aspects being, fit and finish, interior quality, structural rigity and performance.

Automobile mag states, "The C7, the previous high-water mark for Corvette handling, could leave you wondering if a mid-corner bump might send the rear end kicking out unpredictably, but the C8 just deals with things, leaving you to the business of going faster" and "the C7 was a visceral hellsled with gobs of feel and half a mind to kick you in the shins if you did something stupid. In this Stingray form, the C8 has all but abandoned the junkyard-dog attitude and hemmed the ragged edges that made the Corvette so purely red-meat American."

I get it that the link between the automotive industry and the North American economy is essential and has significantly contributed to the two countries growth for the past almost hundred years. I suppose that every manufacturer will promote their new models positively regardless of truth and put that spin on things to make it more desirable to promote sales ($$$) and fuel the economy, but I am personally feeling betrayed and trashed! (Ha ha)

So please allow me to bash the new C-8. What I like about my C-7 that is not distinctive or available on the new C-8 first is my M7. Automatics may rule the race track but if you truly want to feel one and the same with a sports car a manual is a must and there's no manual option for the C-8! Secondly I like the fact that I need to respect that brute power under the hood and that if you don't it can hurt you. You've got something wild/awesome under that hood that requires your expertise to control and manage it! Hammering full throttle (C-8) with no potential to lose control is lame! Okay the C-8 is faster to 60, I'll give it that, but that's because even on skinny tires they don't spin. Well sorry but if I'm going thirty miles an hour I kinda like the fact that I can light em up and smoke those big 335's with pure power and no tricky clutch work necessary, just step into it! Lastly that gimmicky toggle switch panel separating the driver from the passenger.......well that's just plain ugly.

Thanks for letting me vent, I feel much better now!

 

[tyho]

The C7 is a great car .... price, handling, looks. Every time a newer version comes out, the expectation is that it will be improved over the previous version. Let's hope the C8 lives up to its expectations.

 

[EJChevy]

The only thing journalists have to compare to when a new model of a car comes out is the previous model. The C8 is leaps and bounds better than the C7, so that's what they talk about.

The C7 was leaps and bounds better than the C6. When it came out, they bashed on the C6.

The C6, though not leaps and bounds better than the C5, was still significantly improved.

It's just technological and engineering progress.

Each and every one was the pinnacle of engineering when it came out. Over time, they're all still great cars for their era, but if you're doing an apples-to-apples comparison on everything that makes a car a car, the newer ones are always better than the older.

 

[DDHRocks]

I absolutely loved my C7. In terms of being an all-around sports and touring car, it was amazing. The engineering was outstanding and I never regretted owning it. The C8 may be great, but it in no way diminishes my love of the earlier cars.

 

[AxeZ06]

While watching the last M7 Z06 sell for crazy cash at the most recent Barrett Jackson, my ears perked up. Mike Joy made a comment about Ferrari and how fast the value has gone up on manual cars, now that the m/t is no more. He said to expect the same thing with the C7 m/t. In his words, "if you have one now, hang on to it".
Made me smile.
Let 'em bash. lol.

 

[61ratvette]

I juggled waiting and buying the new c8. I ended buying a c7 Zo6 davenport car, M7 with MGW shifter. car is awesome .C8 may be a problem at autocross but on the hwy too and from autocross bring it on lol.. Lets wait till the bugs r out of it. awesome looking car from the front because that is all I';ll see in my rear view mirror. .. on the side a tesla gave me a whooping and admired my front end couple weeks ago. it was close till i said go

 

[tyho]

It's amazing how fast the Tesla is. A car that looks like a family sedan, probably one of the fastest vehicles on the road. What would happen if the C8 was electric???

 

[BDK]

I loved my C6 and I love my C7.. They are both great cars. All that is being said or ever will be said I still will smile when I am driving my Corvette.....

 

[rfh928]

The C-8 is almost here and admittedly I am getting to like the look of the new design even though it is a big departure from the traditional Corvette look, but is anyone else feeling a bit trashed with the enormous number of recent articles that continuously trash the C-7 in order to elevate the bar of the new C-8?

It seems that in order to promote the new C-8 they draw comparisons to the C-7 whereby they speak of how the C-8 is now so much more refined. Being a recent C-7 owner I can vividly recall when researching my car prior to purchase how it was advertized and promoted as being the pinnacle of engineering perfection and also so much better than the previous generation C-6 in all aspects being, fit and finish, interior quality, structural rigity and performance.

Automobile mag states, "The C7, the previous high-water mark for Corvette handling, could leave you wondering if a mid-corner bump might send the rear end kicking out unpredictably, but the C8 just deals with things, leaving you to the business of going faster" and "the C7 was a visceral hellsled with gobs of feel and half a mind to kick you in the shins if you did something stupid. In this Stingray form, the C8 has all but abandoned the junkyard-dog attitude and hemmed the ragged edges that made the Corvette so purely red-meat American."

I get it that the link between the automotive industry and the North American economy is essential and has significantly contributed to the two countries growth for the past almost hundred years. I suppose that every manufacturer will promote their new models positively regardless of truth and put that spin on things to make it more desirable to promote sales ($$$) and fuel the economy, but I am personally feeling betrayed and trashed! (Ha ha)

So please allow me to bash the new C-8. What I like about my C-7 that is not distinctive or available on the new C-8 first is my M7. Automatics may rule the race track but if you truly want to feel one and the same with a sports car a manual is a must and there's no manual option for the C-8! Secondly I like the fact that I need to respect that brute power under the hood and that if you don't it can hurt you. You've got something wild/awesome under that hood that requires your expertise to control and manage it! Hammering full throttle (C-8) with no potential to lose control is lame! Okay the C-8 is faster to 60, I'll give it that, but that's because even on skinny tires they don't spin. Well sorry but if I'm going thirty miles an hour I kinda like the fact that I can light em up and smoke those big 335's with pure power and no tricky clutch work necessary, just step into it! Lastly that gimmicky toggle switch panel separating the driver from the passenger.......well that's just plain ugly.

Thanks for letting me vent, I feel much better now!

Hi...I'm on my 3rd Vette...got my C7 late August, after having a C5 for 15 years and a C3 for the same length of time. Each has been a leap forward in many ways, and all have been manuals. I won't buy an automatic sports car - so if GM doesn't reintroduce a manual in the C8 or subsequent gen's, then my next one will be something else, sad as that makes me to think about it at the moment. Aside from that, compared with the C7 I'm not thrilled with either the exterior design nor the interior of the C8. That insanely long row of console switches is what people have been complaining for years on some Porsche models. The exterior looks good from some angles, but the back end looks like a squashed Camaro...not very attractive in my opinion.

 

[Phil]

Hi...I'm on my 3rd Vette...got my C7 late August, after having a C5 for 15 years and a C3 for the same length of time. Each has been a leap forward in many ways, and all have been manuals. I won't buy an automatic sports car - so if GM doesn't reintroduce a manual in the C8 or subsequent gen's, then my next one will be something else, sad as that makes me to think about it at the moment. Aside from that, compared with the C7 I'm not thrilled with either the exterior design nor the interior of the C8. That insanely long row of console switches is what people have been complaining for years on some Porsche models. The exterior looks good from some angles, but the back end looks like a squashed Camaro...not very attractive in my opinion.

yeah its weird.....now that the hoopla has settled down a bit, a lot of friends/family telling me the same thing: c7 will age better/less of a fad in the design department. time will tell and like i have said before, final judgement reserved for when its seen in the flesh

 

[Bixter44]

I juggled waiting and buying the new c8. I ended buying a c7 Zo6 davenport car, M7 with MGW shifter. car is awesome .C8 may be a problem at autocross but on the hwy too and from autocross bring it on lol.. Lets wait till the bugs r out of it. awesome looking car from the front because that is all I';ll see in my rear view mirror. .. on the side a tesla gave me a whooping and admired my front end couple weeks ago. it was close till i said go

Yes the Tesla is fast but I will race one to Vancouver any day of the week.

 

[Cariboocreek]

Yes the Tesla is fast but I will race one to Vancouver any day of the week.

I will race one to the corner store on a -40 Alberta winter morning on my tractor. On a separate note, please list the charging stations between Calgary and Saskatoon on Highway 9.....I am sure there is one in Alsask.....

 

[Vegas1500]

Who really cares what anyone says....if you love your car that’s all that counts. I dont get worrying about what someone else says.

 

[Tourmax]

Being a C4 owner, here’s how I see it:


Who cares?


Enjoy the car you have for what it is and don’t give a crap when soneone else malignes it. If it makes you happy, thats enough.

Now, the front/mid/rear engine thing:

In a front engine design, you have to be comfortable with that “on the raged edge” feeling when pushing it hard. Sure, at the edge, it can be flighty and skiterish. Nature of the beast. When you are used to it, your can make it go stupid fast, just like the C7 does. But you’re never going to be sitting back and drinking an expresso or fiddling with the radio while doing it. It will demand your full attention or it will bite you. It’s actually kind of nice that way, you really feel like your driving the car. I prefer it that way, I want a car that communicates with me more than just “faster, faster, faster! Opps....too fast....crunch”.

Personally, I’ve driven and raced front engine cars my whole life. Only amatuer racing, but still pushing them hard enough. So when the back end steps out at the limit, it’s a familar feeling for me and I know how to deal with it. Don’t get me wrong; I pucker like everyone else and it gets my undivided attention until it gets its manners back. Also, when a front engine car “wags its tail”, the tendancy is for the rear end to come back in line as the mass is at the front (ish) of the car and the tail will want to follow where that mass goes. Just a little counter steer to keep the rear end from coming all the way around and you’re golden.....as long as you don’t run out of road that is...

Now, the new C8 has very high limits. Not a lot higher than the C7, but high enough to eat a C7’s lunch and....remain composed at that limit. But what interests me is what is going to happen when that rear/mid engine C8 finally does break loose. Push a C8 long enough or hard enough and the rubber will let go, like any other car tire. But now when it breaks loose, it will be travelling a lot faster. Being faster means things go wrong faster and your margins to “catch it” are much smaller. Then throw in the rearward mass and once that rear end breaks loose (it’s still a rwd) I believe it’s going to be very difficult to “haul it back in”. Not impossible, but a different set of skills and not easy to do to boot.

Although no one has written on it yet, I would like to see what a C8 does just before it kicks the tail out. A front engine gives you lots of warning you're at the limit, I’m not so sure a C8 is going to be so “communicative”. Everything I’ve seen so far says the car just sticks, even at C8 crazy speeds. Does that mean it’s going to stick until it just breaks loose all at once? Or does that mean it’s just going to start sending you warning messages further up the traction ladder? I like a car to start breaking loose close to the limit, for no other reason to let me know it’s getting close to that limit. A car that sticks right up to where it doesn’t, well...that just gives me the heebie jeebies. What it really means is I probably wouldn’t want to test those limits.

Then theres the “what happens when it slides”? question. Admittedly, I’ve never driven a C8, a ferrari or any other of the mid engine wonders. I have driven a 911 for a couple hot laps though. All that weight in the rear just doesn’t process for a right foot trained on front engine vehicles. I could hussle around pretty quick, but it never gave me much feedback about when the rear was about to break loose and once it did go, I was only along for the ride across the grass. When that rear weight bias went, I just couldn’t process how to catch it.

I’m not “anti-C8”, but I’m thinking you’re going to see quite a few of them “crunched” in the first few years. Higher limits means higher speed, more grip with (potentially) less feedback means higher cornering speeds as well. Chuck in some rear weight bias and when they go, they could very well go wrong very quickly.

Time will tell I guess. I’m just guessing based on my own experiences to this point.

But on the street? Meh, dealers choice. Not a lot of places deal with high cornering speeds on the street, so the back end coming out on a corner is more of a race track question. Far more likely on the street is the acceleration question, where guys unzip and measure with thier right foot. In this arena, with more weight over the drive wheels and more hp to drive them, the C8 should do quite well. C7 and earlier would probably be best to acoid that....”contest”.

Oh, also consider this: anything an “automotive journalist” writes these days should be taken with a grain of salt. Comparing a C8 to a C7 is apples and oranges, except it the context of the C7 being the C8’s predecessor. More “A J’s” these days know next to nothing about cars. They’re english lit majors just looking for a paycheck and will write anything. Trashing a previous model to a current model is just a way of “ginning up” enthusiasts and upping thier reader count (or is it clicks/likes now?). Read the stats sheet and stay away from the prose, unless you know the writter actually is a gear head and not just an eng lit major....

 

[Rruuff Day]

The Tesla is not fast. It is quick. It has great acceleration but after 250 kph it will watch my ass disappear... And I'm still in 5th gear... lol....

 

[Kanuck]

The next model Computer, Gaming system, Games, Software etc,etc....you name it, they all go through this issue with the arrival of the New line. I purchased a C7 a few weeks ago and regardless of what people say, I will enjoy the Car and continue to enjoy it for as long as I own it.
Can't be bothered trying to keep up with the latest and supposedly greatest every time something new comes out.

 

[Rruuff Day]

The next model Computer, Gaming system, Games, Software etc,etc....you name it, they all go through this issue with the arrival of the New line. I purchased a C7 a few weeks ago and regardless of what people say, I will enjoy the Car and continue to enjoy it for as long as I own it.
Can't be bothered trying to keep up with the latest and supposedly greatest every time something new comes out.

Can't agree more K. I find that chasing the latest release of pretty much anything is typically a sign of something missing in another part of a person's life or psyche. Take the cell phone craze. I have a friend that upgrades his phone pretty much as soon as a new model comes out. In 29 years of being a mobility customer, I am on my 5th phone...and would still have my blackberry if I hadn't run over it with my truck last week.....lol....

 

[Tourmax]

The Tesla is not fast. It is quick. It has great acceleration but after 250 kph it will watch my ass disappear... And I'm still in 5th gear... lol....

I dunno.

250 kph (155 mph) doesn’t exactly sound “slow” to me.

Sure you may be able to go faster in a C7 conpar d to the Tesla model, but unless on a track, its just a “bench racing” number.

On the street, it’s more about acceleration than it is speed. There, most of the Tesla models have better 0-60 numbers than a C7. Switch to the C8 though, and the numbers say you better be in one of the quicker model Teslas or you’re going to get mauled pretty badly...

Personally, I’ve never really cared much about top speed numbers. Probably has something to do with how the “Bike wars” went when you suddenly had 180+ Mph Honda Blackbirds, Kawi zx12/14’s and Suzi Busa’s. Sure, one will post the highest top speed, but less than 1% of the riders will rarely see more than half of that top speed number.

No one should be doing 250+ kph on public roads. To me, about all top speed numbers are good for is, ahem.....”measuring”......but not much else. Heck, you’ll rarely even hit 250 Kph even on a track, unless you’re talking 1/4 mile.

But “drag racing” isn’t really what a Corvette is all about....Corvettes are meant to turn. Or at least they are to me, although others may differ (and thats cool too). Corvettes can do well at the drags (or stoplights), but it’s like using a scapel to cut a block of cheese: sure, it will get it done, but it’s not the best tool for the job....

 

[Cariboocreek]

I dunno.

250 kph (155 mph) doesn’t exactly sound “slow” to me.

Sure you may be able to go faster in a C7 conpar d to the Tesla model, but unless on a track, its just a “bench racing” number.

On the street, it’s more about acceleration than it is speed. There, most of the Tesla models have better 0-60 numbers than a C7. Switch to the C8 though, and the numbers say you better be in one of the quicker model Teslas or you’re going to get mauled pretty badly...

Personally, I’ve never really cared much about top speed numbers. Probably has something to do with how the “Bike wars” went when you suddenly had 180+ Mph Honda Blackbirds, Kawi zx12/14’s and Suzi Busa’s. Sure, one will post the highest top speed, but less than 1% of the riders will rarely see more than half of that top speed number.

No one should be doing 250+ kph on public roads. To me, about all top speed numbers are good for is, ahem.....”measuring”......but not much else. Heck, you’ll rarely even hit 250 Kph even on a track, unless you’re talking 1/4 mile.

But “drag racing” isn’t really what a Corvette is all about....Corvettes are meant to turn. Or at least they are to me, although others may differ (and thats cool too). Corvettes can do well at the drags (or stoplights), but it’s like using a scapel to cut a block of cheese: sure, it will get it done, but it’s not the best tool for the job....

I have enough trouble keeping my phone charged.....

 

[Dantanman]

More than happy with my C7 in every way! Yes I will probably get a C8 some day but it won't be because I'm "unhappy" with my C7. What will exhaust mods (for those who care) cost on a C8 if even possible? Cat delete and a tune for 2500.00, a 25% increase in fuel mileage was just a bonus. I'm in for about 65,000.00, same price as my truck haha.