In the mainstream automotive marketplace, there are key influential players in the sports and muscle car arena. In comparison to high-end brands, these sports cars are relatively on the low end of the cost spectrum, and typically have lower end power and performance to match. Anyone who has seen the new 2016 Chevy Corvette in Miami, or out cruising the streets elsewhere in the United States, can tell you that this stereotypical description does not apply to the bowtie brand’s muscle car.
Chevy Breaks the Mold with the New Corvette
The Corvette may carry a lower starting MSRP than high end sports cars, but the base power and performance is anything but lacking. Chevrolet designed the newest Corvette model to directly compete with the big boys, and whether they like it or not – Corvette is standing out in a big way.
Completely redesigned in 2014, the Chevy Corvette has received minimal changes for the 2016 model year, but the changes made, are still well worth mentioning. Three new design packages were added to the list of available options in this year’s Corvette lineup, including Jet Black Suede, Spice Red, and Twilight Blue. The wheels on the base Corvette received a fresh new design, as did the redesigned optional carbon fiber hood. Other updates include a flat-bottom steering wheel, available two-tone GT seats, a front curb view parking camera, the deletion of the chrome bar on the grille of the Carbon Flash package, and the newest Chevrolet MyLink system featuring Apple CarPlay capability.
With so much added for 2016, the Corvette has been keeping up with all of the sports cars in its segment, and even playing keepaway with the bigger names in automotive muscle. It may come as a surprise that the 2016 Corvette is being compared to names like Porsche, but once you get a glimpse of the power and performance specifications that the new Corvette is packing, your initial doubt will quickly transform into belief.
5 Ways the Corvette Beats out Two Major Offerings from Porsche
A sports car like the Corvette has been an American icon since it was first introduced in 1953. Today, an entire museum is dedicated to its history and prestige, while special conventions take place around the world every year in order for drivers to show them off. While it should not be surprising considering all of the above, people are still shocked when they find out that a bowtie-branded vehicle can play hardball with a name like Porsche. But it can, and it does.
For our purposes, we are comparing the Stingray 3LT Coupe to the Porsche 911 Carrera and the Porsche Cayman S. These three vehicles are comparably equipped, and ready for a fair comparison. Keeping this in mind, let’s discover some ways in which the 2016 Corvette Stingray is giving Porsche a run for its money.
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Price:
It should not come as a surprise that a Chevrolet would be less expensive than a Porsche. Even with its high-end power offering, the Corvette Stingray still comes in far less than the competition. The trim level of the Corvette Stingray we discussed above, starts at $60,400. The comparably equipped 911 Carrera starts at $84,300, while the Cayman S get a starting MSRP of $64,100. As you can easily see, the Corvette Stingray is the least expensive of these vehicles, and as you will easily see, it’s not for lack of features.
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Powertrain:
The 2016 Corvette Stingray is equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that makes 460 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. The Porsche 911 comes standard with a 3.4-liter engine for 350 horsepower, and 287 lb.-ft. of torque. The Cayman gets the same engine as the 911, but only makes 325 horsepower, and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. Another “win” for the Chevy.
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Fuel Economy:
The 2016 Chevy Corvette Stingray offers the highest fuel economy rating of 29 miles per gallon on the highway. The Porsche 911 falls short at just 27, while the Cayman gets a still menial 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The Corvette offers a fuel tank capacity nearly two gallon larger than the Porsche models, which means it can go much farther between fill ups.
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Acceleration:
This category is what gives drivers bragging rights over others on the road. The newest Corvette Stingray boasts an acceleration time from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. The Porsche Cayman can get to the same speed in 4.7 seconds, while the most expensive of these three vehicles takes 4.4 seconds to get to sixty miles per hour.
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Interior Racing Features:
All three of these sports cars were designed to go fast, and they each feature some performance specs that help them harness that power in the most effective way. The 2016 Corvette Stingray offers a cockpit designed entirely for the comfort of the driver. This Corvette Stingray model includes two 8-inch LCD displays, a Head-Up Display, Nappa Leather GT seating surfaces, a competition sport seat, and a flat-bottom steering wheel for enhanced driver experience. Porsche models get one 7-inch touchscreen, four-way power seats, and a dual-zone air conditioning system. Comparatively, these cars are sorely lacking in the cockpit feature category.
Corvette for the Win
Owning and driving a Porsche sports car may give you a warm fuzzy feeling of superiority, but in the back of your mind, you will always know that you are driving a car that is not the best on the market. More expensive does not always translate to the best option, which is incredibly clear in this side by side comparison.
Consumers often hear a luxury name like Porsche and immediately assume that the vehicle is the most powerful and equipped of any other in its category. They also tend to think that the high sticker price of the Porsche is validation of their first assumption, when we can obviously see that this is not the case.
Porsche may carry with it a feeling of grandeur, but after making a few car payments towards that $84,000 sticker price, that feeling will be replaced by something that more closely resembles remorse.
The 2016 Corvette Stingray is a shining example of how drivers can have exceptional sports car performance, without a ridiculous price attached to it. As anyone can clearly see, the Porsche does not inflate their prices for the incredible power and performance that their sports cars pack, but rather for the hood ornament attached to their coupes.
The Corvette: Affordable Power
The new Corvette Stingray starts at just $55,400, and even the base model includes impressive and agile performance specifications you wouldn’t expect at that price. The Corvette gives drivers ultimate power behind the wheel, as well as in their financial lives.
Don’t pay a premium for simple name association, pay for the real power and performance you are seeking out of your sports car. If you do this, buyer’s remorse won’t even enter into your frame of thought. Unfortunately, we can’t promise the same if you end up driving home a Porsche.
If you want a high performance sports car but have a realistic budget, then the newest Corvette Stingray is the exact vehicle you have been looking for.
