San Francisco: That
late, great, lamented San Francisco band The Tubes satirically asked,
“What Do You Want From Life?” One of my straight-faced answers would be
“A Corvette Convertible!”
I am not normally
a convertible guy, heck I am not even a Chevrolet guy but I challenge
anyone to come up with a better, more fun sports car. Let’s start with
the price, something that usually is at the end of a review. The 2006
Corvette Convertible lists for $53,070, which compared to Corvettes of
old sounds like a ton of money, except when you factor in inflation and
then compare a new ‘Vette to other vehicles of similar performance -
$53,070 is one heck of a deal. Basically it’s the best sports car you
can buy for the money today.
The current
Corvette is one of the best looking ‘Vettes in some time to my eye. The
nose of the car reminds me of a smile, while the rear kind of turns up
as if ignoring those behind. I like that attitude. There are some who do
not like the large, flat tail. I am not one of them. I like the little
lip spoiler highlighted by the center high mounted stop light, the big,
bold, and round stop lamps, and the four aluminum exhaust tips.
Inside the
Corvette is a fine, no, just about perfect, two-place grand tourer. I am
not sure why Chevrolet insists on calling the Corvette a sports car. The
latest ‘Vette is without a doubt one of the world’s finest grand touring
automobiles. It is not a Spartan sports car.
The “base”
Convertible has six-way power adjustable leather seats; power
everything, a great climate control system, sound system, etc. Trust me,
you will be comfortable on the longest drives. Then when the drives are
a little shorter, and much twistier, you will still feel right at home,
snug and in control behind the wheel.
The standard
convertible top is a manually operated version. I drove a ‘Vette with
the power operated top. If you want maximum ease of operation opt for
the power, otherwise stay with the manual and save a little weight. I
could not find a listing for the difference but the convertible, at
3,199 lbs. is only twenty pounds more than the coupe.
Under the hood is
the awesome, 6.0-liter V8, LS2 engine. What is so amazing about this
engine? How about 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque from the all aluminum,
16-valve, over-head-valve engine? Mark my words, and I am not going out
on a limb here, the LS series of engines will be remembered as one of
the world’s greats.
Two transmissions
are available; a manual 6-speed is standard, and an automatic 6-speed
with “paddle” shifters on the steering wheel. I drove the automatic and
I was very impressed, even though I am not a fan of paddle shifters
(probably more me than the shifters; old dogs and new tricks type of
problem).
Other than my
right foot there were two things controlling all that power and
torque. The Goodyear Eagle F1 tires do their best but even the massive
P285/35ZR-19s in the rear will turn to expensive smoke if you turn off
the traction control. Unless you are a very experienced driver leave the
traction control on. The front P245/40ZR-18 Goodyears are there to get
you around the corners with confidence. You can upgrade the same size
tires to Eagle F1 Supercars if you think you need even more grip.
The Corvette will
generate more cornering force than many of its purchasers are used to
and to help protect those who may get in over their head the ‘Vette has
Active Handling. This helps to keep you from doing something stupid,
like turning your beautiful Corvette into fiberglass splinters.
Braking, something
domestic cars have lagged behind the Europeans on until fairly recently,
is phenomenal. I think the brakes, even the base brake package, exceed
the power of the engine. It is because of this over-engineering that the
Corvette is so good.
Being a working
stiff I tend to look at cars a little differently than some others. I
ask myself, “Could I live with this as my only means of
transportation?” Not that I could afford a Corvette Convertible or the
insurance, but the answer would be, “YES!” The performance is
astronomical, both straight line and cornering. It is also a very
acceptable commuter, and long distance tourer. The Corvette is a
comfortable means of transportation for two, although storage is limited
in the convertible (11 cu. ft with the top up and 7.5 with the top
down).
The LS2 engine
will run on regular fuel although premium is recommended. It is capable
of almost 30 mpg on the highway with either transmission
(18-city/28-highway with the manual, 17-city/27-highway with the auto).
Not bad for a car that is capable of 0 - 60 mph times around 4.3
seconds, and a top speed well in excess of 2.5 times most Interstate
limits.
You can get your
2006 Corvette Convertible in its standard luxury trim for $53,070 or
fully optioned out for $66,150. For that you get things like a heads up
display with G-force read out, a navigational system, power top,
super-duper sound system, Magnetic Selective Ride, On-Star, and more.
The really good stuff is there in the base package; all the rest is
subjective icing.
One thing you
cannot get, at least not at this time, is the LS7, 7.0-liter, Z06
engine. Other than bragging rights, 99.9% of Corvette buyers really do
not need 505 hp. I do not know why Chevrolet does not offer the LS7 in
the convertible, but I am sure they have their reasons. The Convertible
is a fine car as it sits. Buy one and enjoy it for what it is, one of
the world’s great sports cars, a true Grand Touring car.
By
Bruce Hotchkiss Price © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Chevy Home Page
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Column Name: The best
sports car you can buy for the money
Topic: The 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Word Count: 1,056
Photo Caption: The 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Photo Credits: Chevrolet Internet Media
Series #: 2006 - 59
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