Our 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Delivered 40,000 Miles of Fun

From the November 2022 issue of Car and Driver.

40,000-Mile Wrap-Up

During our first weekend with the eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, we headed to an unlikely destination. With the trunk loaded with shotguns, a bin of hunting gear on the passenger’s seat, the frunk and remaining cargo space filled with Costco supplies and barley pops, we headed to northern Michigan for the opening of turkey-hunting season.

Michigan’s northernmost highways are empty at night. When the odometer rolled past 500 miles and the engine computer unlocked the last 2000 rpm of shove, it was time to press the long-travel gas pedal and let the 495-hp 6.2-liter V-8 drink deeply. Blink and the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic drops down a few gears, followed by firm, assertive upshifts.

The last mile to the hunting cabin is a rocky, rutted two-track. Before the trip, we removed the track-only cooling ducts for the rear brakes, and with help from the optional front-axle lift, the Corvette made the journey unscathed, cementing the notion that this is more than a mere sports car. It is a mid-engine multitool.

While some believed we should have kept the price tag south of seventy large by sticking with the base 1LT trim and adding just the essential go-fast goodies, such as magnetorheological dampers and the Z51 Performance package (performance suspension and exhaust, upgraded brakes and cooling, summer tires, and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential), we knew we’d be living with the Corvette day to day for 40,000 miles. We eventually settled on the $67,295 2LT trim, primarily for its additional creature comforts, including heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, and wireless device charging. We kept the options minimal and meaningful—the aforementioned Z51 package ($5995), front-axle lift ($1995), adaptive dampers ($1895), Red Mist paint ($995), and Carbon Flash wheels ($995)—for a $79,170 bottom line, still a performance bargain.

When the 1500-mile break-in period was complete, we headed to the test track. The 3665-pound Corvette leapt to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and pummeled the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 122 mph. That ties the 755-hp 2019 Corvette ZR1 to 60 and is just a half-second behind it at the quarter-mile stripe. The ZR1’s large 13-mph trap-speed advantage shows that the mid- engine car is more efficient at putting down power from a standing start. On the Z51’s Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, the Stingray needed only 148 feet to stop from 70 mph and circled the skidpad at a respectable 1.03 g’s. It’s worth noting that when we re-tested the Stingray at 40,000 miles, it precisely duplicated its original 60 mph, quarter-mile, and skidpad results. This is a consistent performer.

When it wasn’t out terrorizing a twisty two-lane road or casually running daily errands, the Corvette spent thousands of miles on the interstate bisecting the Midwest. It wouldn’t take long for staffers to praise the surprising comfort level of the Corvette’s base GT seats. From short to tall and skinny to wide, everyone found a supportive position in these chairs. On the highway, we were always impressed by the V-8’s seamless transition to four-cylinder operation and its ability to effortlessly cruise using half its cylinders at 75 mph, where the Corvette returns an honest 26 mpg.

Then there are the magnetorheological dampers, which could be simply labeled “magic.” We can only imagine the hell engineers endure calibrating suspensions on Michigan’s crumbling roads, but the Corvette is all the better because of it. The dampers deliver impressive ride quality over broken asphalt in their least aggressive setting and properly firm up when it’s time to get wild. In fact, they’re so good at tuning out imperfections that when our local dealer told us all four wheels were bent, we didn’t believe it. After a second opinion verified as much, we eventually had the wheels fixed, at a cost of $500.

The Corvette also proved to be not for the socially awkward. Everywhere it went, it sparked conversation, thumbs-up, and ear-to-ear smiles. The winter months turned those looks of joy to ones of disbelief as the Red Mist livery transitioned to a frozen slurry of road grime with a nose full of Michigan’s finest uncut blue road salt. As the roads turned to skating rinks, the Corvette cut through the ice like Scott Hamilton, with help from a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Alpin PA4 winter rubber. When the white stuff piled deep, the front splitter pushed more snow than El Chapo. Invoking the front-axle lift wasn’t much help, as it operates only at low speeds, but it was useful for keeping the chin from scraping on steep driveways.

Bent wheels weren’t the only destruction caused by Michigan’s deteriorating roads. Mother Nature’s violent freeze-thaw cycles tend to jackhammer the pavement surface, and when we unexpectedly encountered a piece of concrete in the road, it tore up the ground-hugging Vette’s underbody. Thankfully, none of the vitals were damaged, and the repair bill was a reasonable $471.

Over 40,000 miles, maintaining our Corvette was relatively inexpensive. The first oil change and transmission flush and filter swap are complimentary, but the next flush at 22,500 miles cost us $539, which is nearly half of our total service tally of $1153. Still, that’s about 50 percent less than service costs for our last Porsche Boxster. Unsurprisingly, we wore through a set of $1962 Michelins in 21,000 miles, but the Stingray demonstrated superb reliability with only two bogeys on its scorecard. Early on, the SD card that stores navigation maps failed, which is no big deal as we prefer the guidance apps beamed wirelessly through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay anyway.

The bigger mishap occurred after a day of lapping Virginia International Raceway. When we fired up the V-8 for the trip home, the sound of a fork in a garbage disposal and the smell of burning rubber came from the engine bay. The air-conditioning compressor had failed. The car was still drivable provided the A/C remained off, making for a sweaty 700-mile trek. Whether running the A/C on the track was the culprit or its failure was an untimely coincidence, we’ll never know. The repairs were covered under warranty.

A car of the Corvette’s outsize capabilities comes with a learning curve. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with all the buttons atop the divider separating driver and passenger, for example. With time, they make sense. And where else would those controls go? Buried in the infotainment? No thanks—physical buttons, even weird ones, win every time. Outward visibility isn’t great, especially looking out the back. The 2LT’s rear-camera mirror feature requires some visual adaptation, but it’s worth it. The top panel’s removal and storage in the trunk is fairly simple, but it eats into space for the Mossberg. These grievances may be trivial, but they’re real. Nevertheless, Chevrolet’s mid-engine creation is a four-season, do-almost-anything machine. Sorry, Ford GT. This is America’s supercar.

Rants and Raves

The successor to the original NSX, the everyday supercar, isn’t the current NSX, it’s this Corvette. —Rich Ceppos

The C8 Corvette makes the average Joe feel like Tony Stark in an Iron Man suit. —Eric Stafford

Cold starts are like a howitzer going off. Awesome. —Mike Sutton

The interior is overdone. Why does a mid-engine car feel so cramped? —Tony Quiroga

30,000-Mile Update

Our 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Z51 has done it all. It's conquered high-mileage road trips up, down, and across the eastern United States. It's turned laps around multiple racing circuits and been loaded to the gills with oversize items from Costco. Winter couldn't faze it, and heck, it's even shock-and-awed unsuspecting hunters with an off-road stint. The only thing left to do is cross the 40,000-mile finish line.

When we last visited our mid-engine superstar, it had emerged from winter with an odometer whose revolutions had slowed. With the warmer season now in full swing, wheels that are round again, and a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S sneakers ($1962), the Red Mist Corvette is back to piling on the miles. Our driving impressions haven't changed—we still thoroughly enjoy every minute behind the wheel. But we're newly infatuated with the targa top and its ease of use. With lightweight construction, it's so simple to operate that it can be stowed in the trunk in the duration of a stoplight.

The warmer temps and longer road trips have also helped bring our observed fuel economy up to 19 mpg. We're still impressed by how the 495-hp 6.2-liter V-8 hums along on four cylinders at highway speeds, and on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy loop, the Corvette returned a respectable 26 mpg.

Alas, the Corvette's perfect service record was interrupted by a failure on a trip to Virginia. The car traveled to Virginia International Raceway to support our first Lightning Lap track day, and we couldn't resist the temptation to get out and mix it up with some fellow track rats. With the car rolling on tires that were largely used up and not set into the aggressive track alignment, our laps were more about enjoying our favorite circuit than setting lap times.

It always sad when it's time to leave Virginia, but when we started the Corvette, we experienced a new kind of heartache. The clutch on the A/C compressor had failed, and upon engagement, it sounded like bolts in a blender and smelled of burning rubber. The Corvette was still drivable, provided the HVAC remained off. The 700-mile trek home was met with cool mornings, searing afternoon heat, and, fortunately, no further issues. Was running the A/C on the track the culprit, or was its failure an untimely coincidence? We'll never know, but the compressor was replaced at the dealer and covered under warranty.

Our fourth and fifth pit stops for service at 22,500 and 30,000 miles were routine oil-and-filter changes; at the former, a fresh cabin air filter was also installed. To date, we've spent $985 on service, a not terribly high sum for a car capable of playing with far more expensive exotics.

With less than 5000 miles to go, it'll take drastic measures for our opinion of this car to change. For now, we'll keep doing Corvette things, which is everything.

Months in Fleet: 14 months Current Mileage: 35,563 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 19 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 18.5 gal Observed Fuel Range: 350 miles
Service: $985 Normal Wear: $2083 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $971

20,000-Mile Update

While in most of the U.S., the year can be defined by four seasons, here in Michigan we experience a few more. We're talking about the transition periods such as false winter, second spring, pothole season, mud season, and construction season, which bridge the traditional seasons and make our state an interesting yet devastating place for vehicles to call home.

Here, sports cars typically shelter in place in a garage or beneath a cover (or both) for, let's call it, five months. But not at Car and Driver. Instead, we pilot our Chevrolet Corvette Z51, with its 495 horsepower delivered to the rear wheels, through the coldest, darkest, and most treacherous driving conditions of the year. After all, the Corvette is engineered to survive in these elements.