The 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 is the hottest car of the year — by far. Today I’m going to review the new C8 Corvette, and I’m going to take you on a tour of the new 2020 Corvette. Then I’m going to drive the 2020 C8 Corvette and tell you what it’s like on the road.
High expectations are a bitch. Whether you’re anticipating Adele’s next album, Ron Howard’s next movie, or Christian Yelich’s next at-bat, it’s only human to feel a little deflated if it doesn’t turn out just the way you’d dreamed it would. And, so, the deflation potential is high with the new mid-engined 2020 Chevrolet Corvette.
HIGHS: Laid-back cruiser, ferocious track animal, well-executed interior (finally!).
From the moment that rumors surfaced that the engine in the next C8-generation Corvette might move behind the seats, the presumption that the car would be a breakthrough, a revelation, and a revolution has followed it like a moon shadow. Now it’s here. And it does look more like a Ferrari than a Corvette, with the same cabin-forward proportions as every hyperfast, megadollar exotic on the market. And we’ve driven it extensively. So, has Chevrolet built a supercar for the masses—an American Ferrari—or simply a better Corvette? The answer is yes—but with an asterisk. It’s complicated.
Immersive Exposure
We did our judging by spending a week in a C8 equipped with the $5000 track-capable Z51 Performance package and optional FE4 magnetorheological dampers (an additional $1895), the hottest version available at launch. We drove it on the road. We track-tested it to scrutinize its performance capabilities. And we timed laps at Grattan Raceway outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in both the C8 and a similarly equipped C7-gen Z51 Vette to see whether the mid-engine model’s claimed handling advantage over its front-engine predecessor is real.