REVIEW: The $80,000 mid-engine Corvette is the best bargain supercar, yet it's unexpectedly tame to drive

- The 2020 Chevrolet
Corvette is the first mid-engine Corvette ever. - It has a naturally aspirated V8 between its axles that makes nearly 500 horsepower.
- Starting MSRP for the mid-engine Corvette is $58,900. But after options, my loaner came out to $80,315.
The person walking their dog pumped a fist triumphantly into the air upon seeing my Rapid Blue 2020 Corvette loaner drive by. So did a driver in their brand-new Corvette, going the opposite way on I-80. Another driver in an oncoming red Ferrari 488 flashed their lights in greeting.
Wherever you go in the new Corvette, that'll be the standard reaction - for a while, at least, until everyone calms down about the car a bit.


The 2020 Corvette: Folklore no more
Since 1953, the Corvette has been Chevrolet's two-door, two-seater sports car. For the first seven generations, it used a traditional front-engine setup, where the engine was located in front of the driver.


When the C7 Corvette launched as a 2014 model, about half of its customers optioned it with a manual transmission. By the end of the C7's production run, however, the number had shrunk to only 20%. That, according to Car and Driver, was enough to convince General Motors' money team to axe the manual option on the C8 altogether.

Details and safety ratings: An all-American V8
Cheer up, though. The C8 has plenty of other good stuff, like its naturally aspirated V8. Most automakers don't offer that anymore! Packed between the base C8's axles is Chevrolet's LT2 engine: a 6.2-liter V8 that produces a claimed 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. All of that is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The automaker quotes a sub-three-second time to get from 0 to 60 mph when the base car has the $5,000 Z51 Performance Package.
Because the engine is now no longer in the nose, the C8 has two trunks: one in the front and one in the back. The front trunk will fit a pretty average-sized carry-on suitcase, while the rear trunk is much longer and will fit a set of golf clubs, according to Chevrolet. Why this is a unit of measurement is beyond me.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the C8 to return 15 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 19 mpg combined. Corvettes, like many sports cars, generally aren't rated for their crashworthiness.
What stands out: The steering, suspension, and transmission are your friends


The road feedback doesn't mean the C8 is murderous on your bones over long distances, though. It cruises comfortably, its cylinder deactivation system keeping four of the eight cylinders inactive in order to save fuel.

It's relentlessly fast on upshifts and snappy on the way back down. DCTs, as I've experienced them elsewhere, typically don't handle stop-and-go traffic very well. They shudder all the way down, jerking to match the right gear with the steadily decreasing speed of the car.


What falls short: An all-consuming interior
When Chevrolet set out to build the new C8, it really seems like the intent was to remake the whole thing. The engine got moved. The base version is slightly more powerful. There's no more manual transmission. No more chrome wheels.And the interior went from this, which was just fine and serviceable:


As you can see, the big change was moving all the climate buttons to the giant, driver-oriented ridge thingy that sweeps down the center console like a spine and cleaves the cabin in two.
Here's a closer look at it.
The very best thing I can say about the new one is it looks like Star Trek cosplay. The worst I can say is that it's claustrophobic. From the driver's seat, I felt consumed, swallowed up by the tallness of the center console, the high window line and the narrow, steeply raked windshield.
Outward visibility is not great, which did not help to alleviate the overwhelming sense of mass that came from sitting in the new Corvette. The car is and feels big to drive. Intellectually, I knew I could fit it on the tight, twisting roads of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Emotionally, I'd still cringe a bit when there was an oncoming car.


How the C8 Corvette compares to its competitors: The most car for the least amount of money
With a starting price of under $60,000, it's tough to find a better bargain out there than the C8 Corvette. You get a 500-horsepower, mid-engined supercar for less than the price of the new BMW M3, and none of the pretentiousness of a Porsche or Ferrari. This is America's Sports Car, after all. The car with home-team advantage. If you don't like it, you're a dirty Commie.
Besides the Corvette, other mid-engine cars for sale today include the Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, Audi R8, Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari 488, Ferrari F8, Ford GT, Lamborghini Aventador, Lamborghini Huracán, Lotus Evora GT, all McLaren models, and Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman, according to this helpful Car and Driver list.

Good luck finding a sub-$60,000 C8 Corvette anytime soon, though. As of March, base-model cars were "virtually non-existent." My loaner certainly wasn't cheap, either.

In all, the car had $20,320 in options, bringing the total MSRP to $80,315. Still less than a 911, however!
Here's the window sticker, if you're curious.
Our impressions: The true everyday supercar
Head-on, the C8 is a visual punch to the face. Low, pointy, and wide, it captures the wild essence of great supercar design. Everyone will wave at you. Everyone will be stoked to see it. Smiles all around, and you'll feel just a little bit famous.In profile and from the rear, the design flattens out and becomes rather disjointed - a gripe overshadowed by the stunning front end.

But as striking as its face is, the C8 is docile. Driving it, you'll forget the car is mid-engined at all. It handles beautifully as a cruiser, agreeable and quiet, kind on your body over bumps but also not erasing the sensation of road imperfections altogether. It strikes a nice balance.
That tame mood also extends to when you want to push the car a little bit. Oh, there's power, no doubt about that, and it'll do the fast stuff just fine - but the C8 doesn't feel innately hyped-up and ready to go like other sports cars do.
Somehow, what a naturally aspirated V8 packed in behind you is supposed to offer just doesn't translate to a kick in the back of the head (the good kind) when you really put your foot down. Rather, it feels a little sluggish at low revs.
As a base model, though, it's clear that Chevrolet left room for what's coming next. It's the only explanation for all the tameness. The upcoming performance versions will build on what the C8 already offers, and will likely surpass what they were in the C7 generation when they put down 650 horsepower and 755 horsepower.
I'm speculating, but I wouldn't be surprised if in two or three years we find ourselves with a 1,000-horsepower, hybrid, mid-engined Corvette for the C8 generation.
Just hope you like attention.
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