2012 Chevy Corvette Harrisburg PA

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For 2012, the Corvette's interior has been updated and features new seats with greater lateral support, a new steering wheel and a padded center console and armrest. A Bose premium stereo is available. In honor of Chevrolet's 100th birthday, there's a new Chevrolet Centennial Edition of the Corvette. The package includes unique Carbon Flash Metallic paint, satin-black graphics and wheels, unique badges and cabin trim, and Magnetic Selective Ride Control.  Buyers can also customize the color of their Corvette's brake calipers, which can be painted red, yellow, silver or gray.   The Chevrolet Corvette is the great American sports car. It's thrilling to drive and delivers breathtaking acceleration performance and exceptionally tenacious grip for braking and cornering. Yet it's fairly easy to live with and relatively easy to drive. The ultra-high-performance Z06 and Grand Sport models push the envelope for off-the-shelf production cars to incredible limits.

Powering the 2012 Corvette

The Corvette Coupe and Convertible are powered by a 6.2-liter V8 with 430 horsepower. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard; a 6-speed Paddle Shift automatic is optional. An optional dual-mode exhaust system raises horsepower to 436 hp. There are four trim levels; 1LT, 2LT, 3LT and 4LT, with increasing levels of features. Corvette Z06 comes with a 7.0-liter V8 producing 505 horsepower, with dry-sump lubrication and coolers for the power steering pump, gearbox and rear differential. Corvette ZR1 has a supercharged 6.2-liter version of the Z06 V8, utilizing an Eaton four-lobe supercharger. To put the Corvette's performance in perspective, understand that the least-powerful engine available makes 430 horsepower. The Corvette can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and cover the standing quarter-mile in 12.5 seconds. There's lots of torque at all engine speeds, and throttle response is very willing. This thing goes, and it boasts a top speed of 190 mph. The Z06 is a great supercar value in high-performance automotive history: Zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 11.7-second quarter mile, top speed in the neighborhood of 200 mpg, and 1.04 g constant lateral grip, according to Chevrolet.

2012 Chevy Corvette Design

Functional elements dictate the design and the result is a forward motion that implies performance. The lines of the bulging hood, the shape of the fenders, and the cat's-eye headlights all point forward to a subtle beaklike shape. A pair of fog lights flanks a wide air intake below. Vents behind the front tires let hot air out of the engine compartment. The sculpted fenders, with sharp creases that sweep dramatically up to the planed rear deck, call to mind race cars as well as jet fighters. At the back, four round taillights recall Corvette's past and make the car look like an F-18 taking off in full afterburner mode. On the functional side, the optics of the reverse lights magnify the light they throw out to help when backing up in this beast. To move weight from the front to the rear, the transmission is mounted behind the seats and connected to the differential, rather than being attached directly behind the engine. In the Z06, this quest for front-rear balance extends to the weight of the battery, which is relocated in the rear cargo area. The Z06 is distinguished from other Corvettes by lots of subtle appearance tweaks, starting with the roof. It's fixed rather than removable, adding an extra element of structural stiffness for track driving. In front, the Z06 has a wider, lower grille and a separate, unique air scoop above the bumper to shove more intake air under the hood. Its fenders are wider front and rear to cover massively wide tires and rims. In back, brake scoops are located in front of the rear wheels, the Z06 spoiler is slightly more prominent, and its exhaust outlets are wider, too.

Inside the new Corvette

The Corvette is available with a special two-tone leather package that adds leather upholstery to the top of the instrument panel, upper door panels, and console cover. The effect is a more elegant, higher end look than the Corvette has had in the past. The instruments are big analog gauges, easy to read at a glance. The Z06 gets a unique cluster with more gauges, and the ZR1 has a supercharger boost gauge. Cubby storage is decent. The glovebox is roomy and, in the Coupe, there is 22.0 cubic feet of storage space under the glass behind the rear seats.   There's no need to take the key out of your pocket to unlock the Corvette or start its engine. Simply walk up and pull the door handle. With the keyless start feature, sensors detect your key and unlock the door. Climb in, buckle up, and press the starter button.  The Convertible's five-layer fabric top is available in three colors, and it offers power operation. The power top operates with a single-button control and completes its cycle in 18 seconds. An easy-to-operate manual top is standard. The Convertible looks good with the top up, and it looks terrific with the top down, with body-color trim that gives it a racy appearance.

2012 Corvette Lineup

Standard features for the Corvette include leather seating surfaces, dual-zone automatic climate control with a pollen filter, power everything including seats, cruise control, tilt leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls, remote keyless entry and starting, AM/FM/CD stereo with auxiliary input jack, XM Satellite Radio, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, automatic headlights, alarm, fog lights, xenon headlights, OnStar telematics, and P245/40ZR18 front and P285/35ZR19 rear run-flat tires on alloy wheels. The 2LT and above models add sport seats with adjustable lumbar support and side bolsters, plus Bluetooth connectivity.

The Grand Sport Coupe and Convertible are equipped the same as the base models but with wider-body styling to cover their wider track, racing-tuned suspension, and Z06-sized tires and brakes.

Corvette Z06 comes with a 7.0-liter V8 producing 505 horsepower, with dry-sump lubrication and coolers for the power steering pump, gearbox and rear differential. Beyond the engine, the Z06 package includes a host of high-performance components. The Z06 hardtop is fixed in place. Its brakes are upgraded, its tires are huge, and it's offered only with the 6-speed manual transmission.

Corvette ZR1 has a supercharged 6.2-liter version of the Z06 V8, utilizing an Eaton four-lobe supercharger. To deal with the additional stresses and loads, every appropriate piece of the engine has been upgraded. The ZR1 is available only as a coupe, and only with a heavy-duty 6-speed manual transmission. The ZR1 gets huge Brembo brakes, 15.5 inches in front and 15.0 inches in the rear, and made of special heat-resistant carbon-ceramic material. The tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 2 ZP run-flats, sized 285/30ZR19 in front and 335/25ZR20 in the rear; the rims are 10 inches wide in front and 12 inches in the rear. The ZR1 also has the lighter-weight aluminum chassis components of the Z06, and carbon fiber for the roof, hood and front fenders. In addition, the ZR1 hood has a transparent panel.

Conclusions

Safety features that come standard on all models include dual-stage front airbags, side airbags, ABS, tire-pressure monitor, traction control and electronic stability control. The Chevrolet Corvette is the best bang for the buck when it comes to serious performance. For the price of a midsize luxury sedan, the Corvette delivers supercar performance. It's easy to drive on a daily basis and maintenance costs are not exotic. For more on this model, visit the official Chevy Corvette website!

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com