My only complaint to date with the Z06 is that the rear truck lid can occasionally not open enough when using the key fob open function.
The ZO6 offers simply outstanding performance, and has been a real thrill to drive daily. The thing really eats up the road, yet is comfortable enough to be a daily driver.
Handling is simply awesome, with great predictability, razor sharp steering, and excellent road feel.
The cabin is a bit loud at times, like a real sports car should be. The exhaust note is very muscular, and sounds great at full acceleration as well as in between gearshifts.
Ergonomics are generally good, although some of the interior bits are a bit dated in appearance.
The HUD feature is a must-have, and once you have driven with it, you will not be able to live without. It is great for keeping your eyes on the road, where they should be. Interior lights can be dimmed completely at night, leaving just the HUD for guidance - a great feature.
The Z06 surely gets it's share of looks also - it is a classic design, and looks great from almost any angle. My only suggestion would be to lower it to help the muscular appearance and reduce the wheel gap.
Actually...It would be the contrary.
The 911 Turbo, would run over your pathetic Vette at any day fo the week.
The Corvette Top Speed is about: 175 Mph
While the German Rocket, Porsche 911 Turbo is about: 195 Mph.
So, I'm afraid to say that once again, you Americans got screwed by the Germans again.
In fact, you guys got screwed, not just the Porsche, but also the Ferrari 360 Modena that goes at a Top Speed of: 185 Mph and the other Italian Tarmac eater; The Lamborghini Gallardo that goes at a Top Speed of: 200 Mph.
You Americans may know, how to be build a Pick-Up Truck, but in matters of Sports car, you people are far away from the European masters.
OH Dear! I almost forgot the British!
The Aston Martin Vanquish goes until: 205 Mph
The Aston Martin DB7 Vantage and GT, both reach: 190 Mph.
I have to think to myself, what is the cost of a 911 or any of the other cars you mentioned...
I just picked up a 2004 Z06 for $42000. and with just the addition of super charger a cam and a couple of other upgrades for a total of under 10k I could run all over the junk that comes from outside of the USA...
In response to the review date April 4th by whomever.
Firstly, I am not sure what is meant by, "The Germans have screwed you again." When were we screwed the first time? It must have been like when I was drunk and met up with this ugly German girl and we... Well, anyway I digress.
Anyway, no doubt the Porsche 911 turbos are wonderful examples of German engineering but, I must agree that for the money the Vette is a much better buy and with a few relatively inexpensive mods as mentioned would leave the 911's in the wienersnitzel and still cost far less. In addition, I don't know about most of the folks out there, but, I am not going to be driving my car anytime or anywhere 175 miles per hour let alone 195. But you are right, the 911 turbos are faster off the shelf than the Vette. Say, what does a 911 turbo cost?
Certainly the Italian cars that you mentioned are endowed with style, grace, and performance. However they are rather temperamental, expensive to fix and possess a gasp inducing asking price. However, the point is well taken, they are faster than an off the shelf Vette but, beyond the reach of most people's pocketbooks.
I don't know much about the Aston Martin Vanquish but, if their anything like the old British Marques of the past or the Mini Cooper of today then, the 205 mph you mentioned is certainly misleading. You see, the 205 mph assumes that the car would actually run for an hour without a breakdown. From my experience, not very likely with a British automobile. Too bad too. The British, in my opinion, have always had a flair for design as in the Jaguar's, MG's, and so on.
One last thing, how about letting us in the good old USA know when the Germans or British or whomever are going to be pulling out their Mini Coopers again so at least we can don some protection!
I Recently Test-Drove on a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 5.7 V8 Manual and I'm afraid to say, that I HATED IT!!!
It maybe a little bit Fast at straight line, but when get to the corners... Oh Dear...
The Corvette drives worse than a Big and Heavy Buick Park Avenue. I Honestly can say that if people say, that the Corvette drives incredibly well, So I must say, that the Volkswagen Jetta VR6 Handles like a Dream...
I Myself own a 2004 Acura NSX and it is a superb sports car. Amazingly Fun to Drive and corners incredibly well; All in all an a True Driver's car.
I Confess that I Waited 20 Years to drive a Corvette and I became disappointed when I drove it.
The 5.7 V8 Engine is sluggish of the line. The Acceleration is slow. The Gearbox is notchy and the clutch is heavy.
The Steering lacks in feel and is the turning radius is too big, considering this is a "Sports Car".
Sadly, I have to agree with the author of the first comment.
Americans just cannot build a Proper Sports Car.
The Chevrolet Corvette and others "American Sports Cars" like the Mustang or the Viper are not patch on the Europeans and even Japanese.
Overall the Corvette was a Raw and Heavy Car.
My Acura is much better, no wonder that they are called as "Japanese Ferrari" and I can say, this because I drove (I Said DROVE) a 2003 Ferrari 360 Modena and it was simply a Motoring Beauty.
By the way, with very few modifications, the Porsche 911 Turbo, that already puts 420 BHP would push around of 650 BHP or even 800 BHP!!!
My Acura with some modifications also, would beat so easily a Corvette.
In fact, my Acura NSX already beat the butt of the Corvette drivers. Recently I've beaten a Corvette Z06 at the lights. You guys should see the face, of the "Vette" driver.
Oh, and what we are talking here it's about Performance and not Bang for Buck, OK?
But anyway, Ferraris and Porsches maybe are ridiculously expensive, but they worth the money; They are TRUE Supercars.
American Sports Cars are supposedly to be "Beefy".
The Mk1 mini was 40 years old!!! It was an incredible bit of automotive engineering! And comparing it to an Aston Martin Vanquish is like comparing an lawn mower to the space shuttle. FYI, both Aston Martin and Jaguar are now owned by Ford. I am British myself and wouldn't buy anything other than a Japanese car, and definitely NOT anything American with push-rods. They don't sell well over here cos they'd last about 20 minutes before falling to pieces.
Corvettes aren't that bad. They sound great and the power is there, albeit with an outdated but venerable design. And the suspension could benefit from a total redesign. Transverse leaf springs were innovative in the 50s, but now it is time to move on. And styling leaves a bit to be desired. But that's a more personal choice. Given its intended market, which is North American driving conditions, it is perfectly fine. And a great value to boot. Where its competitors outshine the 'Vette is in overall refinement. Sitting in a Corvette, I can tell instantly that it is designed by committee with mass production techniques in mind. This accounts for is relatively low price. By contrast, its competitors offer power and uncompromised refinement in all areas such as sophisticated, well tuned suspension (Hey Cadillac, can you touch base with your colleagues at Chevy to teach them a thing or two about suspension engineering?), interior appointments and styling. That's why I've stuck with Porsche for the past ten years for my sports car fix. That doesn't mean I won't look a 'Vette next time. Hell... the new '05 sounds real promising. I'll report back my findings. In the meantime... come on guys... we don't need to engage in street brawls over our cars like so many impotent schoolboys.
I'd like to comment on all the people who still are hell bent that the Brits and Japanese have better sports cars than the Americans. Yes, off the shelf they are faster in top speed, and in acceleration for the best of they're sports cars. But their common sports cars are not anywhere as good in performance as the Vette. AND having both a modded Porche and a modded Vette running against each other with equal mods, yes the Porche will win, I'll admit that. But put $10k into the the Porche and you're looking at a final price of (correct me if I'm wrong) at least $95k - $105k, but if you take a brand new Vette and, but $15k into it then it WILL beat the Brits and Japanese hands down and still cost less than a stock Porche. And I'd hope that a Ferrari could beat a stock Vette if they're going to be asking 6 figures on all they're cars, I mean come on, if you're going to be selling a car for well over $100k then it had better be comfortable and perform like nothing else.
Muscle Car Enthusiast
Matt.
P.S. If you want that much sophistication go with a luxury car, not a true muscle car like the Vette. And I'm not saying the Vette is unsophisticated in least.
In response to the guy that said is "Acura is way better than the vette". It seems clear to me after reading your post that you are such a fan the import cars that no matter how well the Z06 performed (assuming you actually drove one) you would rip on it any way. If you compare the Acura and Vette in acceleration, lateral acceleration, top speed etc the Z06 out performs in all categories and that's a fact!
Having driven both a 97 twin turbo all-wheel-drive Porsche 911 (993) and a 2002 Z06 corvette, I can say that they are both incredible machines. They both have their benefits and drawbacks, but nothing that would warranty bashing the other.
Here are my impressions of both:
The Porsche is an incredibly tight, well-engineered car, like many German cars tend to be. The sport seats hold you like a glove, and the car's engine feels like a rocket (over 400hp flat twin turbo 6), and the cornering is incredibly precise. The car is incredibly well-built. The seams on the body were flawless, the interior's fit and finish was unbelievable. Ever since my drive, I have longed to own one, but the only drawback was the fact that the car I test drove was over $60,000, and the used car dealer offered no warranty, or no maintenance history on the car. Additionally, it had higher miles, needed tires and brakes, and would eventually need a clutch and whatever other routine maintenance is required at 60k miles. I am sure that will not be cheap. Plus, this particular dealer has a bad reputation to begin with. I was not ready to shell out a boatload of money to a shady dealership for a car that may potentially cost a boatload more to keep on the road.
Then my eye turned to the 2002 Z06 (405 hp 5.7 v8). Pretty close in power and performance, and a fraction of the price of an older 993. The lines of the Z06 are pretty sharp. Once you sit in the car, you are surrounded by a computerized cockpit. A digital computer tells you everything from fuel economy, to oil change interval, and even tire pressure!. A heads-up display keeps your eyes on the windshield without having to refocus to look at instruments on the dash. The performance is also mindblowing. This car will roar through the gears just as fast as the 993 turbo, and it will corner better than any other muscle car... due to the fact that the transmission is in the rear of the car. I believe the weight ratio is something around 52/48. not bad. especially since you can pick up a used Z06 that still has some warranty left for around $35000! The drawbacks on the Vette are that the fit and finish are not quite as high quality as on the Porsche. The Z06's plastic interior creaked a bit more, and the car had characteristic GM clatter and clanks (I can say this because I have owned and driven MANY GM cars that do this), but it was still solid, and very competitive with the Porsche.
In the end it just comes down to personal preference and cash. For $35000, you can pick up a great Z06 that is under remaining factory warranty, with heads up display, and better fuel mileage, or you can spend over $60,000 on a Porsche 993 Twin Turbo with all-wheel-drive, but with no warranty. Someday I will own a Porsche 993TT, but for this fall, I have a Z06 in my sights.
In response to a few other reviews above, you people seem to be quite narrow minded, or just plain argumentative.
The Porsche will not run over the Z06. look up the specs on the stock Z06 and 993TT. It will be a tight race, and it will come down to who is a better driver. duh.
And a top-end difference around 20mph usually doesn't matter on anything, but a track. Usually the cops will say something if you're topping out at 185-200+.
...Additionally, you are also comparing cars that cost over $130,000 (Porsche), $250,000+ (?) for the Gallardo, etc... new to a Corvette that costs a little over $50,000 new. Give me a break - this is no comparison. You BETTER get a little more quality if you are spending over twice the cash for similar performance.
For the person who drove the Vette and said 'oh dear' about the cornering... you may need to take a race car driving course... I am not saying it to be cruel, but because I JUST TOOK ONE... and guess what some of the veteran race car drivers and instructors drive..??? CORVETTE Z06's! they have a near perfect weight distribution! They corner incredibly well! I don't know how you were driving that car to get scared in turns, but you better be very careful in any other car that has a weight balance favoring the front,.. or GOD FORBID THE REAR (like the 993TT - engine sits BEHIND the rear axle!)
I know a lot of you are big fans of your particular favorite cars, but it does not make the other car junk. Keep an open mind! Not all American cars are junk, and not all foreign cars are gems. People build cars. Where the people came from does not determine how good the car is. It's all about how good the design is. And keep in mind that you are bashing Americans... AREN'T YOU AN AMERICAN!? Instead of complaining, do something about it.
Don't get all bent out of shape, I am just stating the facts.
-Andy S (not hiding behind anonymity)
To whoever said the Z06 is heavy and doesn't corner... it's just about the same weight as your NSX and corners just as well! I should know, I've owned both!