2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
BASE PRICE	$55,500
LAYOUT	Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door hatchback, convertible
ENGINE	6.2L/455-hp/460-lb-ft OHV 16-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT	3450 lb
WHEELBASE	106.7 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	177.0 x 73.9 x 48.6 in
0-60 MPH	3.7 seconds

 

2015 CHEVROLET STINGRAY

 We know, we know. Manuals rule. Automatics drool. It’s one of the core arguments among the purest of the purists. But for GM and its crown jewel, the Corvette Stingray, this dispute is not if an automatic will be offered, but rather, which automatic will be offered. Facts are facts: 63% of the 37,000-plus 2014 Corvettes sold had a six-speed automatic. The rest, well, you know what they had.

DASHBOARD CORVETTE

“Really, this transmission was engineered around the upcoming Z06,” admitted Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “Corvettes are extremely tightly packaged with the transmission in the back, so we’re bearing-limited in longitudinal space. So essentially, this transmission is custom designed for our package space, as well as the performance capabilities of the car. Our priority was that it had to be able to withstand the 650 foot-pounds of torque and 650 horsepower.”

ENGINE DETAILS 2015 CHEVROLET

The end result is a Stingray that is up to five percent better on GM’s highway fuel economy test cycles in Tour mode (not Eco mode). That means 29 mpg — or 29.4932 mpg, if you want to get exact — compared to this year’s 28 mpg EPA rating. “We have an Eco mode in the car, and you have an Eco mode on the label, but we expect more people to drive in Tour, Sport, Track, so we label the car based on the Tour mode,” explained Juechter. He says that with additional fine tuning and testing, they’ll get to 30, no problem. “We’re going into production, so we don’t have time to tweak or retest for this year, so we’re going in with a 29 (mpg) label. In Eco Mode, it would do solidly in the 30s. And probably next year, we’ll come back and tweak the calibration of the transmission to (officially) get to 30 miles per gallon. In Corvettes, you can actually get the number that’s on the label.” Still, as is sits, that means it’s as efficient as its EPA-rated 2015 counterpart having a seven-speed manual. But get this: It’s also quicker. In fact, the 8L90-equipped Stingray is quickest Corvette in a straight line (until the Z06 arrives) with a 0-60 mph dash in 3.7 seconds and quarter-mile run 11.9 seconds (no word on trap speed). Added Juechter: “(Those times) should be easily replicated. We’ve had cars in the 3.6s — even some cars in the 3.5s, but we’re going to market with the 3.7 as the performance

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