2016 Chevrolet Corvette is the Perfect Road Rally Vehicle
2016 Chevrolet Corvette.
There are not enough car enthusiasts in this world. Even if they are fans of other brands, the world needs more and more of our kind before we all go extinct and self-driving cars take over. It’s extra sad when we lose one of our own, especially so early in life. To celebrate a fellow enthusiast, I took a new 2016 Chevrolet Corvette convertible on a road rally to honor his memory and have some fun.
Patrick Hespen spent a lot of time working at the various automotive manufacturers in the Detroit area. His final stint before succumbing to an extremely rare form of bile duct cancer was with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Everyone loved him, regardless of which manufacturer or person you asked. To celebrate his life, and to raise awareness and funds for bile duct cancer, the Hespen Rally was created. All the OEMs set aside their rivalries for a nice road trip to his home town of Cleveland.
Hespen Rally lineup. (Photo: Steven Pham Photo)
The silver Corvette convertible was my ride for the rally that started on a cold-for-September morning on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Many different cars showed up, with almost all of the major manufacturers represented. Aside from my Corvette, there was also a new ATS-V present.
Cadillac ATS-V. (Photo: Steven Pham Photo)
During this drive, the Corvette really shined. It didn’t have the most horsepower at the rally, because there were a few Hellcats present, but it was more than enough to keep up with the rest of the gang as we blitzed towards Toledo. The car was equipped with the 8-speed automatic, but in reality, only 3 of the gears are really needed.
Patrick’s prized VW Corrado. (Photo: Steven Pham Photo)
The performance exhaust and sport nature of the V8 made the Corvette sound unique and powerful. It doesn’t sound like it’ll rip your face off like a Hellcat does, but it does sound like a proper sports car willing to handle anything you throw at it. When you are giving it the beans, the automatic upshifts amazingly quick, causing the exhaust to bark a bit. Chevrolet says the transmission shifts as quick as the Porsche PDK, and I have no reason to doubt it.
A genuine mix of performance. (Photo: Steven Pham Photo)
The Bose stereo and Chevrolet MyLink system work well, and now support both Android Auto (coming later this year) and Apple Car Play. The configurable instrument cluster is great, and easy to read. The heads-up display, in full color, gives you all the information you need and a bright shift light for performance driving.
If there are flaws, they are few. MyLink is a little slow to respond in the Corvette, for some reason, compared to other GM vehicles I’ve been in. Also, I don’t care if it’s cool, I’d be okay with just having normal door handles.
Wind power and Corvette power.
Not that anyone really cares about fuel economy, but when not rallying I was able to get over 31 miles per gallon. Yes, that’s in Eco Mode and not driving like a loon, but I also didn’t have to drive super-conservative to achieve those numbers, either.
At $73,455 as tested, the 2016 Corvette Stingray Convertible isn’t the least expensive way to have fun, but it’s a car that you can have fun with every single day of the year if you wanted to. It eats the miles on the highway, is a hoot on the back roads, and isn’t so harsh that it beats you up on the commute. Throw in midsize sedan fuel economy and you have quite the bargain.
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Rally photos via [Steven Pham Photo] and used with permission.