Vette Enough? Chevy Corvette Tested by Inside Line

Description

FOLLOW-UP TEST BY EDMUNDS' INSIDE LINE: www.edmunds.com Kicking GM while it's enduring the bitter sting of bankruptcy seems so sophomoric. And so do the massive powerslides we've been doing in the company's 2009 Chevrolet Corvette, so let's begin this review on a positive note by discussing one of the Vette's finer points: Acceleration. First thing you need to know: At wide-open throttle, the LS3 under the Corvette's hood does subtlety like Jessica Simpson does brains. That is to say, not so well — which is awesome, actually. Nailing the gas in this, the tamest of Vettes, is akin to unleashing a thousand pushrod-wielding Hulk Hogans on the car's rear tires. There's a blast of torque followed by a double underhook suplex of forward force. It's as impressive as it is surprising. This is, after all, only a base Corvette. But it's got motor. The LS3 is possibly the best bargain in the world when it comes to eight cylinders arranged in a vee, and it defines the modern Corvette. In our hands it blasts this 3275-pound coupe to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.0 seconds with 1 foot rollout like on a drag strip). But it doesn't stop there. The quarter-mile is incinerated in 12.3 seconds at 116 mph. The trip from 100 to 120 mph takes 4 seconds flat — only 0.3 second slower than the often-drooled-over and far costlier Nissan GT-R. And the fun continues, according to Chevrolet, until 190 mph.

Keywords

2009, Chevrolet, Corvette, muscle, car, 6.2-liter, LS3, V8, engine, auto, motor, Chevy, GM, race, Edmunds, Inside, Line

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