This is what the new 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray sounds like inside the cabin.
So it turns out the reason we haven’t heard anything in terms of a real review about the new Corvette is that GM has placed a publication embargo until October 16th. So starting in the middle of the month, expect a whole bunch of publications to come out with reviews that will give us our first look at just how the new Corvette performs.
However, GM didn’t place an embargo on how the Corvette sounds. We can thank Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire with this latest video that gives us a first-hand account of just how amazing the new Stingray’s engine sounds within the cockpit.
The noise is pretty much perfect. It's definitely a big V8 but understated. It's been muted by the sound deadening in the cabin, but the right frequencies and volume get through to provide the driver with the perfect soundtrack to their day at the track. Combine that with a bit of tire squeal as Matt rounds a few corners, and you've got the best sounding Corvette ever made.
Or do we? It turns out that the noise you hear isn't entirely coming from the engine or the exhaust. Fake engine noise is actually being pumped into the cockpit through the speakers.
Motor1 reached out to GM for comment, and they were told that the car still relies on the engine for its base sound signature, "but given the passby requirements and the multiple cavities between the exhaust tips and the driver, some frequencies are lost and need to be supplemented. This results in an engaging and visceral driving experience, as our seventh-generation owners can attest to."
Naturally, this was met by more than a bit of controversy. Farah responded on Twitter to say that the engine noise could be disabled, but then the car sounds like a mere shell of its former glory.
The question we're all left with is a bit like the one posed in the Matrix: would you rather live in a fake world with the perfect noise, or do you accept the imperfection for the sake of authenticity?
(source: Motor1, Road & Track)