Edmunds Full-Test - Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
11-14-2009, 07:00 PM
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Edmunds Full-Test - Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Good Sport, but Not a Grand Sport
By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor | Published Nov 11, 2009
It's a sound product-planning formula to follow, and we endorse it: a special, limited-edition car with the looks and the hardware of an almost unattainable top-shelf model but for less cash.
The problem with the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is, it's not really a limited-edition car (no special VIN is assigned), it doesn't perform any better or worse than a base-model Corvette, and finally, the price of the Grand Sport comes within striking distance of the car it emulates — the brutal Corvette Z06.
This test car arrived in our garage with just under 1,000 miles on the odometer and with $13,790 in total options, taking its price to within $6,000 of a Z06's base price. At $69,510 as tested, our Grand Sport is also $9,535 more expensive than a 2010 BMW M3.
The Difference Between Good and Great
With 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels, the trademark Coke-bottle shape is exaggerated further.
As much as the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport seems like an interesting idea, we question Chevrolet's decision to put the sanctified "Grand Sport" name on this car to begin with. The original 1963-vintage Corvette Grand Sports were thoroughbred racecars, the most recent of which failed to sell on the auction block when its reserve was not met with a bid of $4.9 million. Even when the Grand Sport label was applied to a production Corvette in 1996, only 1,000 examples with specific VINs were made.
To be sure, the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport does have a legitimate place in the sports car world, and it follows an established pattern. In much the same way that you can buy a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S with the 911 Turbo's wide-body fenders, upgraded brakes and chassis but minus the Turbo's engine, you may now buy a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (base MSRP of $55,720) with the look and much of the hardware of a Corvette Z06 (base MSRP of $75,235), but without the totally mental, hand-built, 505-horsepower 7.0-liter V8 that often makes the Z06 almost undrivable on anything but an arrow-straight piece of highway.
Besides the Grand Sport coupe we tested, Chevy now offers four other distinct Corvette models ranging from a $50,000 base coupe to the $110,000 Godzilla-slaying ZR1. That's quite a range. The midpack GS is also available as a convertible for about $3,800 more and either the coupe or soft-top model is available with a six-speed automatic ($1,250).
The base price of the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport is $55,720 including delivery.
What Works (pros): Inspiring engine and optional dual-mode exhaust; Z06 flared fenders; Z06 functional ducts; Z06 brakes.
What Needs Work (cons): Usual Corvette faults, including flimsy seats and low-budget steering wheel; gaudy, expensive option packages; transmission issues.
Bottom Line: We understand the reasoning behind this 'tweener Corvette, but we're not entirely convinced it deserves the Grand Sport moniker or why it should cost this much.
Second Opinion
Our test car came loaded up with almost $14K in options, taking its as-tested price to $69,510.
Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr says:
I imagine the ghost of Zora Arkus-Duntov walking around the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. As you know, Duntov was the spiritual father of the Corvette, the ex-racer who transformed it from a clumsy styling exercise into a real sports car. It was Duntov who secretly commissioned the original Grand Sport, a factory-built lightweight coupe, late in 1962, evading General Motors' ban on factory-supported racing. GM's boardroom got a whiff of the project and shut it down in 1963, but not before five Grand Sports had snuck out the door and begun terrorizing racetracks across the country. The program might have been stopped, but the legend had begun.
So there stands Duntov.
Lifting the hood of the 2010 Grand Sport, he probably wouldn't understand the need for the silly plastic valve covers, but I bet he'd nod in appreciation of the 436-horsepower 6.2 liter V8. The Corvette guys were just starting down the road to aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads back then, and he'd appreciate the all-aluminum LS3, and the dry-sump oiling system would no doubt garner praise, too. Ditto for the fully functional intake ducts, because he was working with aerodynamics back then as well.
But this isn't Zora's second opinion, this is mine.
Compared to the Corvette C5 parked in my garage, this Grand Sport is much more of a Corvette in the way Duntov had envisioned. The engine is massively powerful and its response is crisp. The transmission is robust, even if the shift action and clutch feel seem a bit light for my taste. And though the handling is a bit vague, the cornering grip is very strong and the car's overall limits are high. And that sound from the exhaust! The bottom line being, if you want a better-performing coupe, you're going to have to pay a lot more money, and have a lot more explaining to do. This is a true Corvette — a Corvette that the ghost of Zora Arkus-Duntov would approve of.
But why on earth does this thing cost nearly $70,000? The Grand Sport should be the basic Corvette — a powerful, well-sorted and truly potent sports car infused with racing technology. Leave the chrome wheels, inadequate seats, silly stripes and the badge as options. And leave those options for the old guys who want to wear bad Hawaiian shirts and spend their Thursday nights parked outside some burger joint.
Let the tacky luxury items be the options. Performance like this should be standard.
Performance
0 - 30 (sec.) 2.1
0 - 45 (sec.) 3.1
0 - 60 (sec.) 4.4
0 - 75 (sec.) 6.1
1/4 mile (sec. @ mph) 12.4@115.1
0-60 with 1-ft rollout (sec.) 4.0
30 - 0 (ft.) 26
60 - 0 (ft.) 106
Braking rating Excellent
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft (mph) 68.8
Skid pad, 200 ft diameter (lateral g) 0.96
Handling rating Very Good
Sound level @ idle (db) 52.0
Sound level @ full throttle (db) 87.3
Sound level @ 70 mph cruise (db) 64.6
Price as Tested $69,510
Fuel Economy 16.1 mpg observed
Acceleration comments Requires higher launch rpm than base Corvette due to super-wide rear tires. Still, finding the right launch isn't impossible and it's fairly easy to pedal it to find traction, and a happy medium is fairly intuitive. There's still something satisfying about slamming a Corvette that sounds like this one does through the gears. We tried the built-in electronic launch control that was dead consistent, but ultimately slower (about 0.3) than our own organic traction control.
Braking comments Consistent, but not inspiring, pedal feel. Some awkwardness at full ABS -- a bit wooden, actually. Obviously powerful brakes.
Handling comments Skid pad: Massive grip, but not intuitive balance. Dumping the throttle does produce the desired effect; however, it's not as naturally adept at doing so as other sports cars that cost as much as this one does. We found an ever so slight advantage (0.01g) to running the skid pad in Competition mode. Slalom: Again, unnatural steering feel in quick transitions. Not completely numb, but also not talkative. Doesn't make me want to attack the slalom like other cars do.
By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor | Published Nov 11, 2009
It's a sound product-planning formula to follow, and we endorse it: a special, limited-edition car with the looks and the hardware of an almost unattainable top-shelf model but for less cash.
The problem with the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is, it's not really a limited-edition car (no special VIN is assigned), it doesn't perform any better or worse than a base-model Corvette, and finally, the price of the Grand Sport comes within striking distance of the car it emulates — the brutal Corvette Z06.
This test car arrived in our garage with just under 1,000 miles on the odometer and with $13,790 in total options, taking its price to within $6,000 of a Z06's base price. At $69,510 as tested, our Grand Sport is also $9,535 more expensive than a 2010 BMW M3.
The Difference Between Good and Great
With 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels, the trademark Coke-bottle shape is exaggerated further.
As much as the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport seems like an interesting idea, we question Chevrolet's decision to put the sanctified "Grand Sport" name on this car to begin with. The original 1963-vintage Corvette Grand Sports were thoroughbred racecars, the most recent of which failed to sell on the auction block when its reserve was not met with a bid of $4.9 million. Even when the Grand Sport label was applied to a production Corvette in 1996, only 1,000 examples with specific VINs were made.
To be sure, the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport does have a legitimate place in the sports car world, and it follows an established pattern. In much the same way that you can buy a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S with the 911 Turbo's wide-body fenders, upgraded brakes and chassis but minus the Turbo's engine, you may now buy a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (base MSRP of $55,720) with the look and much of the hardware of a Corvette Z06 (base MSRP of $75,235), but without the totally mental, hand-built, 505-horsepower 7.0-liter V8 that often makes the Z06 almost undrivable on anything but an arrow-straight piece of highway.
Besides the Grand Sport coupe we tested, Chevy now offers four other distinct Corvette models ranging from a $50,000 base coupe to the $110,000 Godzilla-slaying ZR1. That's quite a range. The midpack GS is also available as a convertible for about $3,800 more and either the coupe or soft-top model is available with a six-speed automatic ($1,250).
The base price of the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport is $55,720 including delivery.
What Works (pros): Inspiring engine and optional dual-mode exhaust; Z06 flared fenders; Z06 functional ducts; Z06 brakes.
What Needs Work (cons): Usual Corvette faults, including flimsy seats and low-budget steering wheel; gaudy, expensive option packages; transmission issues.
Bottom Line: We understand the reasoning behind this 'tweener Corvette, but we're not entirely convinced it deserves the Grand Sport moniker or why it should cost this much.
Second Opinion
Our test car came loaded up with almost $14K in options, taking its as-tested price to $69,510.
Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr says:
I imagine the ghost of Zora Arkus-Duntov walking around the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. As you know, Duntov was the spiritual father of the Corvette, the ex-racer who transformed it from a clumsy styling exercise into a real sports car. It was Duntov who secretly commissioned the original Grand Sport, a factory-built lightweight coupe, late in 1962, evading General Motors' ban on factory-supported racing. GM's boardroom got a whiff of the project and shut it down in 1963, but not before five Grand Sports had snuck out the door and begun terrorizing racetracks across the country. The program might have been stopped, but the legend had begun.
So there stands Duntov.
Lifting the hood of the 2010 Grand Sport, he probably wouldn't understand the need for the silly plastic valve covers, but I bet he'd nod in appreciation of the 436-horsepower 6.2 liter V8. The Corvette guys were just starting down the road to aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads back then, and he'd appreciate the all-aluminum LS3, and the dry-sump oiling system would no doubt garner praise, too. Ditto for the fully functional intake ducts, because he was working with aerodynamics back then as well.
But this isn't Zora's second opinion, this is mine.
Compared to the Corvette C5 parked in my garage, this Grand Sport is much more of a Corvette in the way Duntov had envisioned. The engine is massively powerful and its response is crisp. The transmission is robust, even if the shift action and clutch feel seem a bit light for my taste. And though the handling is a bit vague, the cornering grip is very strong and the car's overall limits are high. And that sound from the exhaust! The bottom line being, if you want a better-performing coupe, you're going to have to pay a lot more money, and have a lot more explaining to do. This is a true Corvette — a Corvette that the ghost of Zora Arkus-Duntov would approve of.
But why on earth does this thing cost nearly $70,000? The Grand Sport should be the basic Corvette — a powerful, well-sorted and truly potent sports car infused with racing technology. Leave the chrome wheels, inadequate seats, silly stripes and the badge as options. And leave those options for the old guys who want to wear bad Hawaiian shirts and spend their Thursday nights parked outside some burger joint.
Let the tacky luxury items be the options. Performance like this should be standard.
Performance
0 - 30 (sec.) 2.1
0 - 45 (sec.) 3.1
0 - 60 (sec.) 4.4
0 - 75 (sec.) 6.1
1/4 mile (sec. @ mph) 12.4@115.1
0-60 with 1-ft rollout (sec.) 4.0
30 - 0 (ft.) 26
60 - 0 (ft.) 106
Braking rating Excellent
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft (mph) 68.8
Skid pad, 200 ft diameter (lateral g) 0.96
Handling rating Very Good
Sound level @ idle (db) 52.0
Sound level @ full throttle (db) 87.3
Sound level @ 70 mph cruise (db) 64.6
Price as Tested $69,510
Fuel Economy 16.1 mpg observed
Acceleration comments Requires higher launch rpm than base Corvette due to super-wide rear tires. Still, finding the right launch isn't impossible and it's fairly easy to pedal it to find traction, and a happy medium is fairly intuitive. There's still something satisfying about slamming a Corvette that sounds like this one does through the gears. We tried the built-in electronic launch control that was dead consistent, but ultimately slower (about 0.3) than our own organic traction control.
Braking comments Consistent, but not inspiring, pedal feel. Some awkwardness at full ABS -- a bit wooden, actually. Obviously powerful brakes.
Handling comments Skid pad: Massive grip, but not intuitive balance. Dumping the throttle does produce the desired effect; however, it's not as naturally adept at doing so as other sports cars that cost as much as this one does. We found an ever so slight advantage (0.01g) to running the skid pad in Competition mode. Slalom: Again, unnatural steering feel in quick transitions. Not completely numb, but also not talkative. Doesn't make me want to attack the slalom like other cars do.
