The No-Sweat 'Vette

If you’re looking for a Corvette experience without the demands of a manual tranny, check out the easier, though by no means wimpy, automatic version

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Handling, silky new automatic, head-up display/nav system

The Bad: Clunky paddle shifters, tight head- and leg-room

The Bottom Line: An American icon gets a refined new transmission

Reader Reviews

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There are people who would compare driving a Corvette with an automatic transmission to going surfing in a raincoat. Why bother to get behind the wheel of one of the great performance cars on the road, the enthusiast argues, and let a microchip take over one of the most exciting elements of driving?

We wouldn't necessarily disagree with that viewpoint.

The fact is, however, that manual transmissions are disappearing from the American market, even on performance cars. The folks at Chevy say that about 70% of all buyers of the basic Corvette—as opposed to the even speedier Z06 (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/9/05, "Corvette Z06: Fast Wheels for Strong Hearts"), which only comes with a stick shift—now get the car with an automatic. If you're one of those people, read on.

As any lover of performance cars knows, the sixth-generation Corvette came out in the 2005 model year to near-universal acclaim (see BusinessWeek.com, 6/24/05, "Going Topless in the Best Vette Yet"). The big innovation in the '06 model is a new, far more refined automatic transmission: six forward speeds (versus four before), with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters that allow the driver to shift gears manually without using a clutch. The new shifting apparatus is matched with a new rear transaxle that, among other things, helps give the 'Vette an even weight balance between the front and rear of the vehicle.

Whichever transmission you choose, the sixth-generation Corvette is hardly a milquetoast. It's shorter and more European-looking than the previous version and has exposed Xenon headlights rather than the open-and-close ones Corvettes had become known for. It comes standard with a six-liter, 400-horsepower engine that delivers 400 foot-pounds of torque. The owner's manual gives you an idea of its speediness: Do not try to downshift into fourth gear at speeds greater than 168 mph, the manual warns, or into third at more than 124 mph. Any car that can do 130-plus in fourth gear without seeming to strain has real moxie.

The Corvette's interior also is much improved. The ragtop is multilayered and very well made; there were no air leaks in the top on my test car. The glovebox and center console seemed cleaner and more solid than on the '05, though the materials used aren't fancy. The instrument panel and doors are clad in what GM describes as “cast-skin foam-in-place trim.” It ain't leather, but it looks good and the company says it's very durable. The shiny metal rear wall in the passenger compartment with the Corvette logo in the middle is another inexpensive design solution that works well. Made me want to eat some red meat.

The new Corvette is a winner in business terms, too. In an otherwise disastrous year for General Motors (GM), sales were up 13.4% to 16,125 through the end of May. The popularity of the new automatic is one reason for the car's continuing success.

Behind the Wheel
How does this car do on the road? Anyone who has watched a new Corvette snake down the road can probably intuit what it's like to drive one. The car is very light (under 3,200 pounds), but also very low to the ground and stable. It sits on big, 18-inch wheels up front and 19-inchers in the back. Wide, road-gripping Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires are standard—8.5 inches wide up front and 10 inches wide in the rear for added traction and braking power.

Out back are four intimidating chrome tailpipes, and even with the automatic transmission, the exhaust note is fear-inducing. As with the Cadillac XLR-V, you hit the pedal and it sounds like hurricane-force winds are gathering behind you.

Still, the Corvette ragtop automatic I tested isn't as fast as the stick shift Coupe, which is rated to jump from zero-to-sixty in 4.2 seconds, or the Cadillac XLR-V, which has a bigger, supercharged 443-horsepower Northstar V-8 (see BusinessWeek.com, 6/28/06, Page 1 2 Next Page