LIKES
- A performance value
- 0-60 mph in less than three seconds
- Great forward sightlines
- Supportive seats
- Track-ready power and handling
DISLIKES
- Obstructed rear sightlines
- Small cargo areas
- Manual transmission, please
- No automatic emergency braking
BUYING TIP
- Opt for the sportier feel of the Z51 Performance Package, which includes magnetic dampers that make for better ride and handling.
The 2023 Chevy Corvette is an American take on the European exotic at a fraction of the price.
What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette? What does it compare to?
An American exotic, the Corvette is a mid-engine sports car available as a coupe or convertible. Competitors include the Audi R8, Jaguar F-Type, Nissan GT-R, and Porsche 911 and 718.
Is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette a good car?
It’s a great sports car with performance that borders on supercar territory. The Corvette has a rumbling V-8 that puts its power to the pavement efficiently. The mid-engine design gives it great balance on a twisty road or racetrack, and its ride is comfortable enough to drive it every day. This all comes at value prices compared to its European rivals. That earns it a TCC Rating of 6.6 out of 10.
What's new for the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette?
The 2023 model year marks the return of the high-performance Z06 but this time with a different kind of engine. It’s powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 inspired by the Corvette racing program. Equipped with a flat-plane crank, it can rev to 8,600 rpm and produces 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.
Chevrolet also introduces a $5,995 70th Anniversary Package for 2023 with special paint and wheels, plus two-tone leather seats with red contrast stitching and red seat belts.
The C8 Corvette’s design comes off as a mix of C7 Corvette and late-model Ferrari. It has a traditional Corvette pointed nose and headlights and taillights influenced by those of previous generations. The form factor, however, is Ferrari, with a cab-forward design highlighted by pronounced air intakes in front of the rear wheels. The coupe’s clear window shows off the engine like a piece of jewelry.
The cabin seats only two, though it has good room for both occupants. The design, however, angles all the controls and screens toward the driver. It also separates the passengers with an angled wall that extends from the center console to the dash and plays home to the climate controls.
American muscle sits behind the driver. In the Stingray, it’s a 6.2-liter V-8 that churns out 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. An optional performance exhaust increases both figures by five. It comes hooked to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle that pushes the power to the rear wheels. The weight over the rear wheels improves traction and enables a 0-60mph time of 2.9 seconds. The V-8 isn’t efficient, though, with EPA ratings of 16 mpg city, 24 highway, 19 combined.
The Corvette rides and handles well, too. It’s agile in short spaces, has lots of grip, even with the base all-season tires, and in Z06 or Z51 form, features the cooling and braking necessary for track duty. The available magnetic dampers improve both the ride and handling, making the Corvette Stingray a viable daily driver.
We haven’t driven the Z06 yet and we’ll update this report once we get behind the wheel.
How much does the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette cost?
The 2023 Corvette Stingray costs $65,595 for the coupe and $73,095 for the convertible. The new Corvette Z06 coupe costs $106,395 or $113,895 for the convertible.
The Corvette is behind the times for safety as it completely lacks automatic emergency braking and comes standard with only rear parking sensors. Blind-spot monitors and a rear camera mirror are optional.
Where is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette made?
In Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Styling
The mid-engine Corvette mixes Ferrari and traditional Corvette cues.
Is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette a good-looking car?
Low, wide, and sinister looking, the Corvette stands out on the street, and could easily be mistaken for an exotic supercar. We rate it an 8 here, adding two points for its arresting exterior and another for its purposeful cockpit.
The Corvette’s lines flow from its mid-engine design, which puts the cab forward and requires big air intakes on the rear quarter panels. The nose has the pointed look the Corvette has sported for generations, and the Corvette’s traditional creases grow even more prevalent.
The coupe also has two removable roof panels for an open-air targa design. The convertible does away with the clear engine cover and removable roof panels in favor of a flying buttress-style rear roofline and a power hard top.
The cabin aims the controls at the driver and keeps the driver and passenger in separate cocoons via an angled wall that also houses the climate controls. Leather upholstery with contrast stitching, carbon-fiber trim, and a variety of interior colors spruce up the cabin.
Performance
The Corvette slays a racetrack and manages to be comfortable on the street.
The Corvette makes prodigious power that isn’t lost on its way to the pavement. It also attacks corners with precision, while delivering a firm but comfortable ride. That qualifies as a perfect 10 in our book.
How fast is the Chevrolet Corvette?
The C8 Corvette doesn’t have appreciably more power than the front-engine C7, but it’s much faster. Its 6.2-liter V-8 spins up 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Opt for the Z51 Performance Package, and those numbers increase to 495 hp and 470 lb-ft. The 0-60 mph run takes just 2.9 seconds, about the same as the last-generation ZR1, which made 750 hp. It can also cover the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds and run up to a top speed of 194 mph.
An 8-speed dual-clutch automatic sends the power to the rear axle. It fires off quick, crisp shifts and offers steering wheel shift paddles for drivers to choose the gears. While we’d like a manual option, this gearbox is no penalty.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette 2-door Stingray Coupe w/3LT Angular Rear Exterior View
The body is 3.6 inches wider to fit wider wheels and tires, and it also features a configurable rear spoiler and bigger intakes for additional cooling. Chevy increases the wheel sizes to 20- and 21-inches front and rear, respectively, and offers carbon-fiber wheels. The car’s higher performance envelope also necessitates bigger brakes and a performance-tuned suspension.
Is the Chevrolet Corvette 4WD?
No, like it always has been, the Corvette is rear-wheel drive.
The Corvette sits low, and rides on front and rear double-wishbone suspensions. With the engine out back, weight is balanced 40/60 front to rear. That aids traction and also contributes to stable, agile handling. Big tires provide excellent grip, and well-tuned electric-assist power steering puts the car on a direct path while providing good feedback. It’s a well balanced car that an experienced driver can drift through corners, or cut an exact line, depending on which is more important, silly fun or lap times.
We recommend paying up for the magnetic dampers, either in higher-line models or the Z51 Performance Package. They provide an excellent balance of improved agility and a comfortable ride quality that makes the Corvette a viable everyday sports car. The Z51 also has more cooling, stickier Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires, and a more responsive electronic limited-slip differential to control power through corners. This package is a no-brainer for anyone who plans to take their Corvette to the racetrack.
On the track or street, the Corvette has big brakes for strong stopping power. In standard form, they measure 12.6 inches up front and 13.6 inches at the rear, and they grow to 13.3 and 13.8 inches with the Z51 package. Bigger is better for performance driving, but the base brakes will be more than enough for daily commuting.
Comfort & Quality
The Corvette’s cabin is built to serve the driver, not provide a lot of space.
The Corvette has supportive seats to keep drivers steady on a racetrack, and the cabin is well built with high-quality materials. That adds two points, but the complete lack of a rear seat costs it a point for a total of 6 here.
Chevrolet provides either snug or snugger sport seats and angles all the controls toward the driver to make the task of driving as easy as possible. It also has good head and leg room for the two occupants it can carry, provided they aren’t very tall. The driver and passenger are separated by a central buttress that also serves as the home of the climate controls.
The driver enjoys a far different seating position than previous, front-engine Corvettes, by sitting farther forward and getting a clearer view down the short hood to the corners of the car. That helps when placing the car during performance maneuvers. The view out the rear, however, is heavily obstructed and can also suffer from a glare off the engine cover in the coupe.
Safety
The Corvette is behind the times in terms of safety features.
How safe is the Chevy Corvette?
Not that we’d want to see it, but the crash-test agencies haven’t demolished a Corvette. While that disqualifies it from receiving our rating, we would dock it for its lack of automatic emergency braking if we were to rate it.
The Corvette comes with standard rear parking sensors, and it offers blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alerts, and a rear camera mirror. Poor vision to the rear makes the rear camera mirror an important option.
Features
The 2023 Chevy Corvette hits supercar heights at sports car prices.
The Corvette is well equipped in its base version and it adds more amenities and performance equipment as you move up the lineup. It remains a performance value as well to bring its score to an 8 out of 10 here.
The Corvette is offered in 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT trims for the Stingray and 1LZ, 2LZ, and 3LZ trims for the new Z06. The Stingray starts at $65,595 for the coupe and $73,095 for the convertible.
The Stingray 1LT trim comes equipped with 8-way power seats upholstered in leather, a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, 10-speaker Bose audio, remote start, LED headlights, and alloy wheels, 19 inches up front and 20 inches in the rear.
Which Corvette should I buy?
For the best balance of features and performance, we recommend the $72,895 2LT coupe with the $6,345 Z51 Performance package for a total of $79,240. It increases the power and improves cooling, traction, braking, and aerodynamics. The 2LT adds a 14-speaker Bose audio system, a head-up display, navigation, wireless smartphone charging, GM’s Performance Data Recorder to track and record lap times, a rear camera mirror, memory for both seats, heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, blind-spot monitors, and rear cross-traffic alerts.
How much is a fully loaded 2023 Chevrolet Corvette?
Fuel Economy
The Corvette’s V-8 needs to be fed a lot.
Is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette good on gas?
Not really, and it qualifies for our lowest rating based on our 2023 revised system. With EPA ratings of 16 mpg city, 24 highway, 19 combined for both the coupe and convertible with the 6.2-liter V-8, it gets a 1 out of 10 here. Ratings aren’t yet available for the Z06’s more powerful 5.5-liter V-8.
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