In a world where social media holds such sway over public opinion, its easy to lose sight of the “gold standards” that the automotive community has used to identify what’s great in the current marketplace. However, when a publication as respected as “Car and Driver” publishes its “10 Best” lists, the world takes notice. Maybe its because publicatons like Car and Driver have always afforded an objective, seemingly unbiased opinion on the cars we love…and love to hate. But more than that, Car and Driver’s unique perspective of putting the reader “in the driver’s seat” affords us all an opportunity to experience many cars thru the written word. Whatever makes it good, seeing the new Corvette (in all its current iterations) landed among the best wasn’t just good…it was freaking awesome! (Hey, I never claimed we were an unbiased source of Corvette news – afterall, we are CORVSPORT.com – the ULTIMATE CORVETTE DATABASE!)
But I digress…
Out of respect to the article originally published by David Beard in Car and Driver’s January 2024 issue, I will not regurgitate all of the facts/figures that he shared. Instead, I will encapsulate some of his commentary with my own. As good as his article is, it’s brief, so to do anything else would be to take away his thunder….as a fellow automotive journalist, I’m simply not willing to go there.
Beard comes out of the gate with the acknowledgement that the Z06’s current pricing put it out of contention for the magazine’s 10-best because it exceeded their $110,000 price cap. Instead, he focused his attention on the enormously capable Stingray coupe and convertible, as well as the new Corvette E-Ray.
Beginning with the 2024 Mid-Engine Stingray coupe, Beard noted the rising prices of the Corvette, but also acknowledged its pricepoint as being a “remarkable value” at $69,995. We agree. While the new Corvette may be beyond the affordability pricepoint of many, its retail price (when compared to other cars in its class, is second to none in terms of value. Consider that for (slightly) less than seventy-grand, you are able to purchase a car that does zero-to-60 in less than three seconds, boasts nearly 500 horsepower, and is a monster in terms of acceleration, performance, and handling. Further, the fact that its competitors start at more than $100k and quickly work their way up from there, the new Corvette is an enormous value for those looking to make the foray into the performance car marketplace.
From there, Beard shifts his attention to the E-Ray. If the Z06 is off limits, he muses (we’re paraphrasing), the E-Ray promises “almost” as much performance and power as its big brother, but still meets the affordability requirements of the magazine.
One item that Beard emphasizes in his article is that the new E-Ray is anything but an environmentally friendly “green car”.” Once more, we agree completely. The purpose of the E-Ray’s front electric motors is to expand upon the robust horsepower being delivered by the car’s primary 6.2L mid-mounted engine. Collectively, the E-Ray boasts 655 horspower and accleration times that will outrun a Ferrari and Lamborghini, at least in the low end. Don’t believe us, check out this video:
If this article doesn’t convince you that the E-Ray is here to play, Beard’s article certainly will. Again, we’re going to pause here and leave things as they are, but we encourage you to pick up the latest copy of Car and Driver and read his article explaining why the new 2024 Corvette Stingray, E-Ray and (yes, even the Z06) are best-in-class.
