vestigial rear seats folded down, the 911
can also hold more in its rear, but you
have to get it past the front seats first,
which have to be folded.
The Corvette’s trunk is much easier
to access but can only hold a pair of
carry-on bags. The Corvette team does
win back some points for hiding a frunk
release button under the driver-side
headlight and eliminating the extra latch
under the hood.
In judging these cars, we kept coming
back to priority. If you’re after the
ultimate driving experience, the Porsche
is worth those extra as-tested $34,335.
If those extra tenths on a racetrack
matter most, the Porsche is also worth
the money. But even if this is the lens
you judge sports cars through, Porsche
should still be looking over its shoulder.
It’s always been easy to write off the
Corvette as producing big numbers with
all the grace of a 12-pound sledge. No
more. If you’re willing to give up a little
bit of steering feel and work around the
brake pedal, you’ll find far more car to
love in the Corvette. Performance per
dollar used to be an excuse to brush
away the Corvette’s shortcomings. Now
it’s a virtue. Exotic and attainable, it
finally punches above its weight class in
every category, not just one. When it’s
this damn good, money matters. The
Corvette isn’t “good enough” for the
price. It’s unbeatable. Q
First Place: Chevrolet Corvette Z51
No excuses, no compromises. The
long-awaited mid-engine Corvette isn’t
perfect, but it’s damn sure close enough.
Second Place: Porsche 911 Carrera S
The winningest model in Best Driver’s
Car history keeps its crown as the better
sports car, but just barely. As a complete
package, it’s found wanting.
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD Rear-engine, RWD
ENGINE TYPE 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads Twin-turbo flat-6, alum block/
heads
VALVETRAIN OHV, 2 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT 376.0 cu in/6,162cc 181.9 cu in/2,981cc
COMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:1 10.2:1
POWER (SAE NET) 495 hp @ 6,450 rpm 443 hp @ 6,500 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET) 470 lb-ft @ 5,150 rpm 390 lb-ft @ 2,300 rpm
REDLINE 6,400 rpm 7,400 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER 7.3 lb/hp 7.6 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION 8-speed twin-clutch auto 8-speed twin-clutch auto
AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO 3.55:1/1.70:1 3.39:1/2.07:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, adj
shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil
springs, adj shocks, anti-roll barStruts, coil springs, adj shocks,
anti-roll bar; multilink, coil
springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 15.7:1 12.3-14.1:1
TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 2.5 2.4
BRAKES, F; R 13.3-in vented disc; 13.8-in
vented disc, ABS13.8-in vented, drilled disc;
13.8-in vented, drilled disc, ABS
WHEELS, F; R 8.5 x 19-in; 11.0 x 20-in, cast
aluminum8.5 x 20-in; 11.5 x 21-in, forged
aluminum
TIRES, F; R 245/35R19 89Y; 305/30R20 99Y
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S245/35R20 91Y; 305/30R21 100Y
Pirelli P Zero NA1
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE 107.2 in 96.5 in
TRACK, F/R 64.9/62.4 in 62.5/61.2 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 182.3 x 76.1 x 48.6 in 178.4 x 72.9 x 50.8 in
TURNING CIRCLE 36.4 ft 35.8 ft
CURB WEIGHT 3,622 lb 3,369 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 39/61% 36/64%
SEATING CAPACITY 24
HEADROOM, F/R 37.9/- in 37.9/32.5 in
LEGROOM, F/R 42.8/- in 42.2/27.2 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 54.4/- in 52.6/47.9 in
CARGO VOLUME 4.0 (frunk)/8.6 (trunk) cu ft 4.7 (frunk)/9.3 (rear parcel) cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30 1.0 sec 1.1 sec
0-40 1.5 1.7
0-50 2.1 2.2
0-60 2.8 2.9
0-70 3.7 3.8
0-80 4.6 4.8
0-90 5.8 5.9
0-100 7. 1 7. 2
0-100-0 10.8 10.9
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.4 1.4
QUARTER MILE 11.1 sec @ 123.2 mph 11.2 sec @ 124.3 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 97 ft 96 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.04 g (avg) 1.09 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.3 sec @ 0.90 g (avg) 22.7 sec @ 0.94 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,300 rpm 1,400 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE $76,94 5 $114,650
PRICE AS TESTED $88,305 $122,640
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS 4: Dual front, front side/head 8: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain, front knee
BASIC WARRANTY 3 years/36,000 miles 4 years/50,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 years/60,000 miles 4 years/50,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 years/60,000 miles 4 years/50,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY 18.5 gal 16.9 gal
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 16/27/20 mpg (MT est) 18/24/20 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 211/125 kW-hr/100 miles (MT est) 187/140 kW-hr/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.99 lb/mile (MT est) 0.96 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium Unleaded premium2020 Chevrolet Corvette
(3LT Z51)2020 Porsche 911
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS Carrera^ S