When Chevy calls and says, “How’d you like to take a new 2014 Corvette Stingray for a top-down adventure to the Florida Keys for the day?” any answer other than “We’ll cancel everything… What time do you need us there?” is a huge mistake.
That’s because the all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray is unlike any of its predecessors. The “too long, didn’t read” on the 7th generation ‘Vette would say simply: “Neck-snapping power, surprisingly refined drive, shockingly stingy on fuel—best bang for the buck of any sports car available anywhere. Period.” Think sub-$60K Ferrari and you’re on the right track.
We met up with our convertible Laguna Blue test ‘Vette in Doral, just outside of Miami, near where Tiger and Phil battle it out on the Blue Monster. The plan was to head down US1 to Duck Key, grab lunch and make it back in time to beat rush hour traffic. Challenge accepted. (And accomplished.)
When you first lay eyes on the 2014 Stingray you can tell immediately this is a radically different ‘Vette. Forged into a more aggressive, angular and slightly intimidating design with sharper edges and fuller curves, this version shares only two parts with the outgoing model. Everything else is brand new. Including, for the first-time ever on a Corvette, its aluminum frame.
Corvettes are great for short run fun, but for road trips? Your lower back won’t speak to you for weeks. So knowing we were going to log triple digit miles over a single day was a concern. But slide into the new leather cockpit and all those concerns vanish.
Seems the engineers at Chevy spent as much energy on refining the inside of this version as they did the outside. The race inspired seats hold you in place, but never give you the feeling you’re nailed to them, giving excellent support, especially in the turns. (And with the ability to pull 1.03G in those turns, you’re gonna appreciate that support.)
In previous generations we’ve sometimes felt too low, too tight, too disconnected—but sitting in this Stingray you feel like it is strapped to you, a part of you, more than you’re simply sitting in a car. And it’s that connection that makes it so fun to pilot.
Both the coupe and drop top are engineered and designed to be open air cars, driven as often as possible with the roof tucked safely away in the trunk. (The coupe comes with a lightweight carbon fiber targa top) So the Stingray felt right at home on the Overseas Highway with the Florida sunshine beaming in.
And with its 455hp LT1 direct-injection engine (460hp with the performance exhaust), and 465 lb-ft of twist, it also felt right at home hitting speeds we’ll never admit to achieving on the open road, with the Stingray feeling like we were rolling on polished glass as palm trees whipped by.
My driving partner, busy tweeting from the passenger seat, looked over at the speedo during one part of the run and commented, “Huh. I never would have guessed we were going that fast.” Partly because the wind noise was lower than expected—we were actually able to listen to the radio blasting a tropical soundtrack as we cruised key to key.
Passing power? Phenomenal. At one point we were in the single lane section of US1, stuck behind a caravan of cars doing 5 mph under the speed limit. When the lane split into two, we had a short window to make a move. Pressing down the throttle got us to the front of the line in just a couple of seconds. With the deep roar of the engine announcing our approach—no need to use the horn to warn ‘em off
In truth, no one is surprised the new Stingray is heavy on power. Straight line giddy up has been the hallmark of the Corvette since its inception. But those that craved it paid the price at the pump. Well, you can stop mapping out gas stations along your route. It seems Chevy has finally cracked the code to delivering that whiplash inducing ‘Vette punch without draining the half the tank every few dozen miles.
Chevy boasts the new Stingray is the most efficient sports car on the market, with an EPA-estimated 17 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. After our run to the Keys and back, we averaged 27.8 mpg. Not too bad considering hyper-miling was not on the agenda.
With so much to love about the new Stingray, there was only one negative we found: With the top up you have some pretty serious blind spots to contend with. And the stylishly narrow side mirrors are not much help. It’s the same with the Camaro, and it seeped into the Stingray DNA. Would it keep us from buying one? We’ll let you know if we ever decide to return the keys to our tester to Chevy.
MSRP starts at $53,995.
