Project C7 Corvette Stingray: Introduction Part 1

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Up until the introduction of the C7, Corvette interiors were one of the longest running jokes in the automotive world with a plasticity Fisher-Price inspired dash and rent a car terrible seats.

The C7 interior breaks that mold and is straight out awesome. It is full of soft-touch quality materials with real carbon fiber accents.  The fits are tight and rattle free.  Even the plastic looks good.  The stock seats (there are also competition seats available) offer plenty of adjustment and hold us in place when the road gets fun.  

The infotainment system has both Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility so you can plug in your phone and stick it in the glovebox (cuz there's nowhere else to really put a good mount for it).

 

The C7 has a refined, world-class interior. The 3LT package our car came with gives us some interior/comfort extras: center console lid, door arm rests and instrument panel in selected interior color. 

The 3LT package included upgraded audio and navigation; custom leather-wrapped interior package features leather-wrapped upper instrument panel, upper door trim panels and console storage cover, sueded microfiber-wrapped upper interior trim package includes headliner, visors, trim above windshield and rear window, A-pillar trim and area around the quarter window.

The C7 finally has the world class-type of interior an expensive sports car deserves. After spending a lot of time in a Black Editon GT-R for instance, we would say the Corvette has a better, higher quality interior. It is better than many Porshe offerings as well. After a road trip to LS Fest in Vegas, the C7's interior proved to be comfortable and fatigue free even after hours behind the wheel. 

 

The cars telematics are also world class. There are a several user configurable dash gauge options that let you customize the center section of the gauge pod. The “track” mode gauge setup shown here looks the coolest, but when cruising around the streets, we rarely see the tach because it's hardly ever over 2000 rpm- thanks to all the torque the direct-injected LT1 engine has on tap.  
 

 

Our stingray was equipped with the Performance Data Recorder (PDR) available as an option on the 3LT package Corvettes. The video is recorded from a small camera in the windshield in front of the rear view mirror and stored on an SD card in the glovebox. Up to 30 different performance metrics are then overlaid on the video automatically.  If you're on a track you can also choose a start/finish line and lap times will also be displayed.  

This is a pretty handy tool to have at the track for instant feedback and review without having to do any overlaying or data analysis like other track mapping software, but the video quality and high camera angle leaves a little to be desired (the higher the camera the slower it looks like you're going). As you can hear in the video, microphones in the cabin pick up ambient engine noise as well as the radio or any conversations you might be having in the car.

 

The HID headlights accented with LED running lights look seriously sick especially in the DRL mode shown here!
 

Hold on to your toupees! Our C7 also came with the $1800 carbon fiber roof option.  The roof is removable and can be popped off and stowed away securely in the hatch in less than a minute.

Even though the older removable roof Corvettes were flexy creak and rattle machines, the C7 is stiff, tight and rattle free even with the roof off. Years of continuous improvement in chassis design increasing stiffness pays off!

 

There are all kinds of vents on the C7 and they're even functional, every single one of them! Their placement was optimized with CFD studies. All of the little vents and scoops do something.  No rice here!  

 

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