If there’s one criticism of the C8
Corvette (cupholders aside), it’s
the lack of a manual transmission,
but it’s hard to complain about
the results with the eight-speed
twin-clutch automatic.gear and drive mode selectors. At first
glance, the shifter looks similar to
what you’d find in the Acura NSX. The
Corvette’s gear selector is metal, about
half the size, and feels like something
off a high-end stereo. As does the well-
weighted mode-selector puck. Think of
a Marantz tuner from the 1970s, back
when “American Made” was king.
Everything is laid out well, too. “The
interior is clever and attractive, and the
ergonomics are very good,” road test
editor Chris Walton said. “Having a small
screen, close to the driver, enables you
to rest your hand on top and thumb the
touchscreen without the unsteadiness
you’d have without the perch.”
I love the squared steering wheel
(a few others did not) and the jet-age
homage of its design, though there was
debate about the cabin’s overall design.
Some judges felt as if there was a bit too
much bling, but others liked it. As for
the stream of buttons that make up the
HVAC controls and “puts up a wall,” to
quote Walton, between the driver and
the passenger/glove box, most judges felt
that these controls are of the set-and-
forget variety. Plus, you just don’t notice
them from behind the wheel. You do
notice a couple inexplicable cheap
outs, especially if you’re our executive
editor Mark Rechtin. He despises the
plastic cupholders. “How much would
improving them have cost Chevy? Five
bucks a unit?”
If the new Corvette has a weakness, it’s
the exterior design. The judges’ opinions
ranged from harsh (MacKenzie: “Bill
Mitchell would be spinning in his grave.”)
to damning with faint praise (Walton:
“Fine from 100 feet.”).
The main issue: As you get closer to the
vehicle, you see tributaries of pointless
lines going off in every direction. This
sort of sloppy linework—folds and creases
that exist for the sake of existence—first
appeared on the previous generation. Did
the Corvette design team want to link the
two products, to maybe help convince
current Corvette owners to trade up forthe newer model? Perhaps. Whatever the
reason, although the car’s shape is good,
the details are not. However, that just
means that Chevy has a real opportunity
in a few years with the midcycle refresh.
As our guest judge and former Jaguar
design boss Ian Callum said, “Great car to
drive. Shame about the styling.”
Right, driving. What will convince
current Corvette owners to trade in their
cars is the C8’s performance. In truth,
the new ’Vette’s numbers and capabilities
might convince a few Porsche, BMW,
and AMG owners to do the same. Might
convince more than a few, in fact.
We mentioned the 0–60 time
previously, but to contextualize that
number, the 755-horsepower C7 Corvette
ZR1 hits 60 mph in 3.0 seconds. The
789-horsepower Ferrari 812 Superfast
hits 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. Remember,
the C8 with the Z51 Performance package
makes “only” 495 horsepower. I won’tJANUARY 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 97CAR OF THE YEAR