Maybe that's because the coupe was equipped with the Performance Handling package, that stiffened the springs, stabilizers and
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| The previous C6 I drove was equipped with the the Performance Handlingpackage, that included stiffened the springs, stabilizers and shocks,etc, but this particular roadster came with the stock suspension, muchbetter suited for daily driving. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, CanadianAuto Press) |
shocks, plus a number of other upgrades, and the convertible was riding on the stock setup. My guess is that the $2,170 suspension upgrade makes sense if you're spending weekends on the smooth surfaces of a racetrack, but if not, make sure and stay away from this setup as it makes a mess of day to day driving. Not only is it more rigid and therefore less comfortable, but road imperfections cause the car to jump and hop all over the place resulting in a loss of traction and, of course, a slower less controllable pace.
There were no such problems in my convertible test car. It was nice to drive around town, and fairly easy to drive quickly. When I say this, I wouldn't begin to compare it to the stability of a Porsche 911 Turbo, for instance, especially on a curvy road in the rain. At the hands of most drivers the Porsche will eat it for lunch and come back for seconds, and that's more due to all-wheel drive than the extra 15 ponies
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| The 400-horsepower 6.0-litre V8 is a lot more refined than its guttural bark lets on, spinning freely to its 6,500 rpm redline and sounding absolutely divine doing so. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
under the German car's rear hood. Even a rear-drive 911 is more confidence inspiring than any Corvette, but in the same sentence it's silly to compare something that's priced about $30,000 higher in base form. Add on some options, some of which come standard with the 'Vette, and the Porsche climbs to Neverland quicker than it can hit sixty.
So, putting things into perspective, I haven't had much more fun under $80K. Its 400-horsepower 6.0-litre V8 is a lot more refined than its guttural bark lets on, spinning freely to its 6,500 rpm redline and sounding absolutely divine doing so. The six-speed manual shifter (a slightly less sporting but nevertheless sophisticated six-speed automatic with manual mode is also available) moves easily from gear to gear, needing a purposeful push but no heroics, just like its well-weighted clutch pedal.
