2011 Chevrolet Corvette - Review

The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette may rest at the affordable end of the supercar spectrum but the homegrown hero is nothing short of amazing when it comes to tearing up the tarmac.

The Corvette is the perennial bang-for-your-buck winner, providing you with a healthy 430 horsepower for less than 50 grand. And in its latest iteration, the car now offers plenty of refinement, quality and a lot of practicality.

The car is basically a two-door coupe or convertible powered strictly by a big, American V-8. In its more potent forms the Corvette is capable of outshining cars costing more than double it, but even in its base trim the Corvette goes like a rocket.

The base model is best for those buyers looking for a little style and a sporty drive. The Grand Sport is next up the rung and comes with some track-worthy upgrades, including a wider track and new aero parts. It’s best for the drivers who want the race car look and feel but with sports car ride and handling.

The Corvette Z06 and ZR1 are totally different beasts. They come fitted with race-bred engines and in the ZR1, a custom supercharger system that allows it to belt out an insane 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. With driving going strictly to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual, mastering the Corvette ZR1 certainly demands some skill and is a car you really need to know how to drive to extract the most out of it.

The Z06 is no push over either, with 505 horsepower and 470 pound-feet coming from its monster 7.0-liter V-8, driving this particular ‘Vette will require just as much hair on your chest as the ZR1.

Key competitors to the Corvette lineup include the Nissan GT-R, arguably the only other car that offers this much performance for under 100 grand, as well as the Porsche 911, now defunct Dodge Viper, as well as a couple of Italian exotics.

The only letdown is the outdated interior, where cost savings help translate into more performance per dollar. Opting for the available leather package, however, helps solve some of those ills.

The standard Corvette coupe starts from $48,930, the convertible from $53,580, the Grand Sport from $54,770, and its convertible variant from $58,850. Moving up to the Z06 kicks the entry price to $74,285, and the powerhouse ZR1 starts from $106,880.

For a more detailed look at the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette, click here for our full review.