C8 vs C7 Corvette Comparison - Finally | Everyday Driver TV Season 7

we're

finally

here the mid-engined

corvette

finally

happened it's not just a rumor it's not just possible spy photos and we think it's coming it's here this is the one we're in I've counted at least 14 concepts or proofs of concept over the years by GM and they never pulled the trigger until now, but what GM did finally move the passenger compartment 16 and a half inches forward and created a true mid-engine Corvette. It has to be a sports car. it has to be a gt car it has to carry golf clubs and it has to be attractive, fast and fun the

corvette

c8 is the most compromised car ever conceived the corvette for seven generations it was the same basic recipe a v8 up front you're sitting near the rear end has a nice long front end, it's an American car, it has a muscle car feel, so to talk about what happens when you take this classic American car and take it from the front engine to the mid engine, we brought in a c7 to figure. find out what they did, how it changed it and if you better watch it every day, we make a podcast of tv shows and youtube channels dedicated to great car driving adventures and help you find a car you will love, subscribe and Ring the bell. so you don't miss anything what we brought is the 2014 which means this is the first year that chevy came out with the c7 corvette it's an automatic transmission and notably it only has a six speed automatic of course we would prefer the manual but let's be honest the c8 doesn't come with a manual and also think about this the corvette started out as an automatic the first year the first gen corvette was only offered with a two speed automatic so oddly enough To say it historically the corvette and the automatic have always been married the car we have with us is the 3lt this is all you can do without going to a z06 without going to zr1 3lt with the z51 package and they dared to walk away from the round To Moving on to this much more aggressive and downright Camaro-looking design, there was a constant build from the previous generations to this interior of the C7, which at the time was revolutionary and felt like a car worth its price for the first time.

I'm ever a little worried about the build quality of some of the cars we've had, the panels weren't fully buttoned up, people just wrote it off as a chevy and that was fine but for the c8 it can't be that anymore rating, you remember the C2, the airplane style doors built into the roof and the airplanes have changed over the years. This car now takes aim at F-22 Raptors and F-35 fighter jets for its inspiration for that claw on the side and me. I'm worried it won't look good in all colors, but in black it looks great on the road.

You wouldn't believe how many people turn their heads, honk their horns, and wave out the window. We had a man screaming so excited. This car, I swear, we originally thought it was a teenager. I still don't like the back. It's still too much of a camaro for me and the reason for that big rear end was one of the things it has to do is carry two. sets of golf clubs, the back could be much more slender and yet it is not because it has the requirement of those golf clubs. This car is a 2 liter trim version which means the owner decided not to buy additional carbon fiber parts anywhere and dropped the price to 81 grand now that includes the gt2 seats which are shiny look at the dashboard Instruments of course is digital, the screen on the side here seems a bit unnecessary, it looks a bit strange at first, but then it immediately integrates into your driving experience.

I'm worried about this wall. I am concerned about the separation between the passenger and the

driver

. I've spent a lot of time sitting in the passenger side and you know what it's not annoying at all. It's just a structure. of the car, you are now aware of the fact that the

driver

is more important than you, but that hasn't always been the case and the buttons are surprisingly intuitive, you sit back, look at the hierarchy of where they placed the button and then it makes sense I was worried because of the materials I was worried about the build quality it is as good as any car I buy it feels tight and solid I have to be very careful when setting up the seats so that I hit the seat and not the Yesterday I almost broke my head trying to make a moment of explosive acceleration and I threw my head back too quickly and hit it against the crossbar.

You'll also notice the screen here, well it's the rearview mirror but it's the screen and it uses the periscope and it's the only way to look back it's a revelation these mid-engined cars like this guess what they have big blind spots because they have a motor behind you chevy has terrible blind spots in that mirror unless you just turn The mirror went into camera mode and now has better visibility than you have in the best visibility car you have ever driven. It killed him how great that mirror is, so the c7 is powered by the lt1 engine in z51 form, which is the only one.

The package you want on your Corvette is the package that makes 455 horsepower in its base form, it's 450 but it gives you a little bit, you know, five more horsepower, but the z51 gives you better brakes. It's definitely a modern car, but it still has a lot going on. of the muscle car feel which I really like, even when we drove the original base c7 we were surprised by the fact that it feels like a lot of power, this maintains that long legged v8 feel that corvettes have had for a long time, where You're just not stressing him out at all.

It has power but you don't need to use it. It gives you decent miles per gallon because keeping up with traffic is something you can do as soon as you wake up. Unfortunately, this is what you fear. When you think about an automatic sports car, this transmission doesn't really listen like you'd like when you pull a paddle, it thinks for a second, sometimes you get it all the way and it goes oh wait, oh am I supposed to do something? changes for you I'm sure the marriage was happy when it was first formed but the years haven't been kind even though it's hooked up to an automatic transmission you can start rattling some things off this engine I like it , the problem is It is very slow when you try to shift up and down.

I can do it? I will do that. Yes, I will do it. It has power and sounds incredible. Now this is the lt2, so it's a revision of the engine on the C7. But it's still a classic American pushrod V8, 6.2 liter, naturally aspirated, 490 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, which is a nice bump over the C7; However, that number doesn't tell the story of this car's acceleration. What happened is that the grip has increased enough, especially on pure takeoff, that the 0-60, hear me now, has decreased by one second. The C7 was pretty quick at just under 4 seconds. 3.9.

This car goes 2.9. You should put 500 miles on your C8 and once you do. the instrument panel changes, it actually changes the rev limiter because up to this point it has been limited to 4500, but then once you cross 500 miles everything changes and suddenly maximum torque is available, there are new features hidden in track mode available, the car is now ready. You need to put miles into this, the faster you go the better it will be. This LT2 makes so much power everywhere and you may be disappointed to know that Chevy doesn't offer a manual transmission with this car and after driving it I can tell you why.

There's never a time where the car is in neutral when you're shifting gears, there's plenty of power at all times on the road, there we go, there's the power, oh oh, listen this car clearly wasn't designed for some Once I've had a manual, even the location of where that lever would go is right here where the mode dial is, this covers what happened with exotic cars across the board, where they just stopped offering a manual and just said: trust us. Double clutch is better, it's faster, it's intuitive and it makes stop-and-go traffic easier. Don't you just want a manual transmission?

I mean, the truth is that when you don't have a manual transmission there is a layer of compromise that gets lost, the problem with dual clutch is that very often they don't like to do the automatic things, which is inching or braking and boot, and this can do that, but then you can pull a paddle that now thankfully feels wonderful and it fires. it drives away or jumps into that gear no waiting no questions no need to wake him up from a nap it's right now if the c7 is automatic this is something completely different GM's first dual clutch in this sports car it's well done what I love about the c7 is that you can feel the weight of history in this car all the previous generations the previous front engine v8 this is the distillation of the best it can be it's easy to feel at home in this car the dynamics are a bit of the old school but they are comfortable the c7 is that nice activity like that movie that you can pull out at any time and just watch it and enjoy it and laugh and cry and feel comforted the c7 drives like that it becomes exceptionally Good, and what I love is that how much The faster you go, the lighter the front end becomes, the car actually feels smaller than it is and when a car gets smaller around you and starts acting more agile than the numbers should suggest, that's it. when it gets really cool. there is a bit of body roll the rotation is excellent but you are aware of the fact that the point of rotation is in front of you the engine, despite being in the front the mid engine is still in front you are sitting close of the rear axle, but this is a Corvette, it feels Todd and I love mid-engined cars.

We love the feeling that the nose has dropped and I am one with the road. I'm really a part of the driving experience more than any Corvette. Now it's one of the main reasons Chevy decided to finally go mid-engine is because there really wasn't any more performance available in the previous idea - you want to get the weight further back so it stays over the rear wheels and keeps the car in good traction. . Otherwise, you end up doing what many other manufacturers have done with their exotics and opt for all-wheel drive. GM is all about the aluminum core structure, that's what allows the C8 to be an amazing convertible and an amazing coupe because you don't really need a top, it's very strong structurally and should have the strength to take a step Ahead in terms of handling and this C8 is also equipped with a Z51 package and interestingly it has the track package which eliminates the front axle. lift system, so you can't even get it if you have the track package because of the suspension, but that's okay because you have mag gear and it's even more amplified in terms of its goodness, there are notable changes to the way this car It drives when you jump through the different modes, that's not just a little thing on the dashboard that doesn't change the actual character of the car and the handling does change.

This is the best thing about magnetic steering control is that you can turn this car and even previous corvettes. on a boulevard cruiser that's just laid back or you can crank it up and make it mad there's a seal and a tribute to zora right on your steering wheel it's the z button on your left side it's actually just a customizable button that you press and the car transforms into whatever what you want and that's what Zoro wanted for us. Zora Archus Duntov joined the project during the latter part of the C1 era around 1955 and wanted the car to be mid-engined practically from day one, we finally got it.

Zora, I'm sorry you couldn't see it, it has created a lightness and clarity in the front that I have never felt in a 3600 pound corvette, it weighs 200 pounds more than the c7 and you can't tell it's The heavy part of that is which is a little more powerful, but a big part of it is where the weight is. The difference on the C8 is that it blends into the corners and flattens out in the corners. You have the suspension working for you. the brilliant steering, wheelbase and engine power that keep you going. There are very few sports cars at any price that make cornering feel like this.

The feedback is there and the precision is there. They are both there. I just want to turn the car. to feel the dynamics, just to feel that rotational inertia, you can feel the weight is behind you and all you have to do is that classic mid-engine point where you want to go, feel the chassis settle and then add power and the zr1 just disappears the last big corvette we drove was flatter in a corner than the c8 but a couple of things to keep in mind firstly this is the base c8 secondly it's not sloppy at all this is an incredibly agile car which will grip better than you think because of that new design the best thing about the c8 right now is that the handling is so amazing it's very refined the magic is in the great ride quality thanks to the magnetic steering and a steering rotation that now it feels exotic because the whole platform was put on theengine center.

I am incredulous and hungry for this sense of direction. I don't have this on my Cayman. He is not this good

everyday

driver. Hagerty offers it to you, let's drive together. This is the last of the traditional ones. front engined corvettes this has an old school feel old school trends dating back to the corvette's history from the first generation but that doesn't mean it's bad this is a perfectly well sorted version of what it's all about converted this car, they had to make a mid-engined AC because from a dynamic perspective I feel like this car is as good and as fun as it is, I don't feel like it dances, it still feels heavy at the top of the corners driven In isolation, this is an incredible sports car. car and if you consider the fact that they are now used, they will cost you about half of what a c8To cost you, this is still a great sports car.

It's not half the sports car of the C8. The C8 had to be much better than the C7. It couldn't just be a little bit better. They can finally do what they want. and it shows that you have ever dated someone and you just thought why are they with me the c8 has an element of that it has an exotic style that hits you initially and you realize this is much better than i thought there is a surprise factor in the c8 which i wasn't expecting honestly every time i drive this especially back and forth with that c7 i just get into this one and it feels special it's right up there with some of the best mid engined cars on sale right now, It is a direct competitor, think about this, the Porsche Cayman and the Lotus Evora, two of the best mid-engine chassis of any price that are sold now.

It is also very different from both, so ask yourself, at similar prices and all three very well configured, which one is The Most used GM has done something for its brand and its Halo car that very few car companies have ever done, it makes a whole new generation of enthusiasts want this car more than anything and Todd and I have discussed whether that will continue when the C8s are everywhere. I think they will because they are a very special car now. What amazes me about this is the fact that we have driven the C7 in almost every variant we have driven in every generation of the Corvette.

I didn't think the C7 really had any problems and then I drove the C8 and suddenly felt old. Well, the reason the second car was conceived and built is to be better than the first. This is why the C8 exists and it doesn't just feel like a little bit better there is new technology here there is new build quality it feels decades better than the c7 which is shocking to me well you heard me say it I mean , I expected it to be better because I like mid-engined cars, but I didn't expect to be surprised, I'm very surprised, it's still a great car and now a great value, but this is the one I just want to drive, drive, drive, this one It is the car I want to have without a doubt and now.

This can be compared to almost anything at any price. It drives so well that they've made the Corvette exotic, which is crazy to say it's always been the king of muscle cars. It has been a very good sports car. The C7 is a great sports car, now it's exotic, now it's aspirational and, in what you say, you're right, what do you want to oppose to it? In a way it goes with him. I want one of these cars. I need one of these cars. Well done Chevy, well done GM. It's the Corvette the world needed, this car has taken the things I like about mid-engined cars and fused them with the anger and history of the Corvette, that's a win.