Page 98 - Motor Trend (January 2020)

CAR OF THE YEAR
even point out the $377,000 price gap with
Ferrari. Whoops, I just did.
Much of the credit is due to the
quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch
transmission. Big takeaway: We’ve yet
to test a quicker naturally aspirated,
rear-drive production car to 60 mph,
price be damned. The C8 did great in the
quarter mile, too, covering 1,320 feet in
11.1 seconds at 123.2 mph. That beats the
direct competitor Porsche 911 Carrera S
by 0.1 second. A win, however, is a win; the
Corvette is quicker than the Porsche.
Braking from 60 mph takes place in
97 feet, which is world class. The C8’s
figure-eight time of 23.3 seconds is quick
but behind the aforementioned Porsche
(22.7 seconds) and stuff such as the
Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE (22.9 seconds).
I’ll go ahead and blame the awkward
brake-by-wire system.
We all agreed there’s more work to do
here. “It’s near-impossible to accurately
modulate the braking effort in Track
mode, the system defaulting to instant-on
ABS intervention at pedal speeds and
98 MOTORTREND.COM JANUARY 2020
weights a steel-braked 911 would shrug
off,” MacKenzie said.
But those are modest complaints. The
C8 wins our award on the strength of how
it drives. “Phenomenal performance,”
news editor Alex Nishimoto said. He’s
right. While conducting limit testing of
the entire field at the Hyundai Motor
Group California Proving Ground, I knew
the Corvette deserved to be a finalist—but
my mind remained open to other vehicles
taking the top spot.
It was after cruising the twists and
turns of Cameron Road on our finalist
loop near Tehachapi that I became
convinced the mid-engine Corvette had
to be our winner. “It’s so easy to drive,”
editor-in-chief Ed Loh said.
That’s perhaps the No. 1 big change
from behind the wheel of the C8
compared to the C7. You can just go for it
and attack a road with abandon. I loved
how potent, aggressive, and in control I
felt. Total confidence.
Many judges mentioned that there’s
a touch of understeer. Note, I did not
say complained about, just mentioned
that it’s there. Loh noted that dialing in
some understeer is a “sensible strategy,”
as this will be many owners’ first time
driving a mid-engine car, and understeer
keeps the nose pointing in a straight line
when you push the throttle farther than
your skills allow. Let me stress that we’re
talking a skosh, a pinch, a tiny amount of
understeer. We’re just saying the car isn’t
tail happy. “The genius of this Corvette is
it feels benign to beginners,” MacKenzie
said, “but it’s not boring for experts.”
As a group of experts, we loved driving
the thing. “The sound is just thrilling
when you accelerate, punctuating each
shift change, sounding and feeling
fabulous,” Priddle said. Theodore agreed:
“The C8 has very high capabilities that
most owners will not reach.” Nishimoto
added, “Happiness is having a small-
block V-8 rumbling behind you.” Rechtin
called the C8 “something that can be
driven very fast, all day, but you emerge
completely rested and relaxed.” And
MotorTrend en Español managing editor
Miguel Cortina said, “Finally, a Corvette
that I enjoy driving.”
To become a MotorTrend Car of the
Year, you have to punch hard against our
After decades of waiting, the
mid-engine Corvette has lived
up to the hype and then some.