It's the 1950s. European sports cars are all the rage, and no matter what region of the world you were in, they were a status symbol. Think of the way the Range Rover and G-Wagen are status symbols today, and that's what European sports cars were seen as back in the 1950s. Going into the '60s, with the rise of the traditional British sports car, North America didn't have anything to offer in this segment, but that was about to change very quickly.
Introduced in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette was USA's answer to the influx of European sports cars. It sold very slowly for the first few years, largely due to having an underpowered inline-six under the hood, but that changed for the 1955 model year, when a small block V8 was introduced. Since its introduction, Zora Arkus-Duntov, who was heavily involved with the development and rightfully earned the nickname as "Father of the Corvette," wanted it to be a mid-engine car. GM honored his legacy with the introduction of the C8 in 2019, the first ever mid-engined Corvette.
Overview Of The 2022 Corvette
The 2022 Chevrolet Corvette is a mid-engine sports car, the eighth generation in a long and celebrated Corvette lineage. Obviously, the biggest news about the eighth-generation car was the move to a mid-engine design for the first time ever; every single preceding Corvette was always front-engined.
In the past, Duntov had conjured up various different mid-engined Corvette concept cars, including a few with rotary engines. Now, finally, the Corvette is exactly as its father envisioned; the engine is behind the passenger compartment. On the outside, the Corvette is definitely striking; a sharp front end, big air intakes all around, a striking side profile, bright colors, and a unique pair of taillights seemingly inspired by those of the Camaro. For the 2022 model year, there's only one way to get the Corvette: the Stingray. The only major changes to the 2022 model are an improved fuel system and a new IMSA GTLM package, limited to 1,000 units.
2022 Corvette Powertrains And Drivetrains
The 2022 Corvette is available with only one powertrain and drivetrain combo. Open up the rear, and you find a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine, dubbed the LT2. It's based on the previous model's LT4, but with a pretty good dollop of changes, including re-tooling it for a mid-engine layout and dry sump lubrication. It develops 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, but equipping the Performance Exhaust adds five to both figures, totaling 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.
That power is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed Tremec dual-clutch automatic transmission. When equipped with the Z51 package, the C8 Corvette can accelerate to 60 mph in around 3 seconds flat, and some tests have even recorded a time below that. The top speed, meanwhile, is 194 mph. For the first time ever, the Corvette uses coil over springs instead of leaf springs, and GM's excellent magnetic ride control is also available on some trim levels. There's also an electronically controlled limited slip differential.
2022 Corvette Comfort And Quality
When compared to most of the previous iterations, the new Corvette's interior is in a totally different league. With the previous models, it was clear that all the money was spent under the hood and on the design. With the C8, the Corvette finally feels like a true high-end sports car. There's a new digital gauge cluster, a new infotainment system, and a very driver-centric cockpit. The infotainment system also includes a Performance Data Recorder, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, and you can also have a 14-speaker Bose sound system.
There are three different kinds of seats to choose from, as well as a variety of unique and interesting trims and colors. In terms of safety features, the C8 Corvette struggles a bit. There's the obvious cruise control, stability control and a smattering of airbags, but don't expect to find any levels of semi-autonomous driving here. However, there is a blind spot monitoring system and a rear cross-traffic alert system available. None of the available safety features are standard on the base model, though. The Corvette seats two passengers, and has a total of 12.6 cubic feet of cargo space, which is more than a lot of mid-engine sports cars.
2022 Corvette Pricing And Launch
The 2022 Corvette is available to order as of October 2021. Deliveries have been delayed, but they will definitely be worth the wait. The pricing is a little higher due to the aforementioned updated fuel system; the base Stingray Coupe starts at $62,195. The Convertible, meanwhile, starts at $69,695. If you want that below-three-seconds 0-60 mph time, you'll have to add the Z51 Performance Package, which costs $6,345. This also adds better Brembo brakes, and that all-important electronic LSD.
Over the years, the Corvette was steadily improved and finessed. With the move to the mid-engine layout and the engineering going on behind the scenes, the Corvette performs like a supercar, while being priced like a sports car and being as usable daily as a Chevy Malibu. If you're looking for a fantastic value-for-money, well-performing sports car, you have to shortlist the new Corvette. Small wonder that it was the fastest selling vehicle in North America in February 2021.