Everyone loves to root for the home team, no matter what you think about the Corvette and its history, it’s good to know something from Bowling Green, Kentucky is properly able to challenge the likes of German and Japanese hardware, long some of the best in the business.
However, the 2015 Corvette Z06 puts everyone on notice, bystander or automaker. As the bystander, it draws the eye in with razor-sculpted styling and loud noises. As the automaker, it keeps them up at night. Car and Driver decided to round up two of the Z06’s playmates and brought them together for a little comparison test. Unlike the indecisive Motor Trend comparison, there was one clean winner here. And that is the 2015 Corvette Z06.
Joining the C7 Z06 is the 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S and the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo. It should be noted C&D didn’t take these cars to the track, instead opting to test these cars as road-going driving machines, good for jaunts down the freeway and carving canyon roads. Maybe the results would be different if the three went racing. But maybe not.
The GT-R, as capable and impressive as its gadgetry is, was simply deemed the elder. The car has been around for awhile, and it’s showing. Ride quality was also lamented, which was described as “violent” at times, making livability a challenge. The $50,000 asking price above the standard GT-R was also questioned, since the 55 extra horsepower the package includes only warranted a slightly lower 0-60 time.
Next up on the C7 Z06’s kill list was the 911 Turbo S. To be fair, C&DÂ basically come out saying this car should be the winner. But its astronomical as-tested price of $195,175 docked it major points when it came time to pick a winner. The 911 Turbo S was deemed the luxury car of the comparo, and also put down a quicker time during 0-60 testing, thanks to all-wheel drive.
But it was the home team up to bat, and it knocked one out of the park for us. The 2015 Corvette Z06 earned praise in every area combed for flaws, and the Z07 performance package is much to thank for it. The incredible amount of grip located in the Sport Cup 2 tires continues to blow every driver’s mind, including ours. The supercharged LT4 engine takes the car from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, hardly laughable when considering power is sent to only the rear wheels. The Z06 earned this win, and it does us proud.
In this pseudo-ball game scenario painted here, this is the part where everyone starts cheering, beer is spilled, and peanuts are dumped on the ground. But there’s always another game, and more challenges. It’s no secret an R36 GT-R will be on the way, and Porsche will do doubt zero in on what the 2015 Z06 does right, and does right so well.
That said, from the looks of it, the Corvette team isn’t sitting idly by either as we eagerly await more information on a C8 Zora mid-engined Corvette. That would be quite the home run for our home team, wouldn’t you say?
Comments
No Viper?
Comparo didn’t include kit cars.
The Viper is known for a brutally harsh ride in normal cruising. It would have come in 4th place.
Good comparo. Offers both extremes compared to the Z06.
Except for the fact that these cars are the current “flagship” models for these companies with gobs of power, neither of the competitor’s should be compared to the Z06. Usually to find the best of a certain class, you have to use even ground to compare from. All three are at vastly different price points with vastly different targets for performance- it’s not all about power at this point- and the Porsche and the GT-R are both AWD to the Z06’s RWD. If you wanted an actual comparison, use the Ferrari F12/Viper/etc. The Porsche to use for this comparison would also be the older GT2, so a 911 Turbo is a bit uneven. If the ‘Vette is supposedly targeting the big money in a comparison, actually target them.