Corvette C6 Coupé (05 on) - Review

The standard C6 has a meaty 6.0-litre V8 engine, normally driving through a six-speed manual gearbox, while the Z06 goes the whole hog with a 505bhp 7.0-litre V8. There’s nothing sophisticated about either engine, but there’s also no doubting the punch they pack, with the standard car seeing off 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds and the Z06 dropping that to just 3.9 seconds. Both cars' engines rev more sedately than European alternatives like the Porsche 911, but the Corvette engines just keep on delivering more and more power with a deep and booming V8 sound from the exhausts. The lazy V8 nature makes both Corvettes easy to meander through traffic, while the optional automatic gearbox for the 6.0 C6 makes it even more of a laid back cruiser.

The C6 has masses of grip thanks to its huge tyres, but there’s also an adept suspension system at work to help the car through corners with great control and balance. The suspension is set very firmly and on UK roads the occupants feel every jitter in the road surface. It also takes a while to learn how to drive the Corvette smoothly as the steering is almost too quick to react and does not have as much feel or sensitivity as the likes of a Porsche 911. It's a large car for many UK roads, emphasised by the driver sitting down low and the steering wheel being on the left-hand side. Fortunately, the brakes are more than a match for the car’s performance, and the Z06’s brakes in particular are exceptional.