Corvette Boss: OK for Grand Sport X to Beat Z06 0-60 Because It Appeals to ‘Different Buyer’
The Drive ·
The Corvette Grand Sport X is quicker in a straight line than the iconic Z06, and that's just fine, the car's chief engineer says. The post Corvette Boss: OK for Grand Sport X to Beat Z06 0-60 Because It Appeals to ‘Different Buyer’ appeared first on The Drive .
The Corvette family keeps expanding with each successive generation. This year, Chevy brought back the Grand Sport and introduced the hybrid, all-wheel-drive Grand Sport X—a 721-horsepower monster that made the E-Ray it replaced seem chill by comparison. But the comparisons don’t end there. With an official 0-60 time of just 2.4 seconds, the new Grand Sport X accelerates more quickly than the vaunted Z06.
That development has prompted some fans to ask for an all-wheel-drive Z06. GM isn’t opposed to that idea , but Corvette Chief Engineer Tony Roma doesn’t necessarily see the Grand Sport X’s performance as a threat to the Z06. Why? Simply put, they appeal to very different shoppers.
“Yeah, to us in the Corvette team, they’re pretty dramatically different buyers,” he told The Drive during an exclusive interview .
Roma described the Grand Sport X buyer as someone who likes straight-line performance, someone who’ll treat the car more like a grand tourer, or someone who simply commutes a lot in inclement weather. This isn’t the first time the Corvette team has drawn this distinction; they said similar things about the Grand Sport X’s predecessor . And remember, even the E-Ray could keep up with a McLaren P1 in a sprint to 60. It may have “only” had 655 hp, but it was certainly no slouch.
“If you’ve driven a Z06, the engine is higher strung, it sounds just glorious when you wind one of those out above 8,000 RPM, it’s just amazing, it makes a lot of power,” Roma said. “It’s rear-wheel drive, stiff, still comfortable, but less comfortable than a Grand Sport X. So it’s really a different buyer, and I hope people that approach the cars look at it that way.
“A lot of people come in and talk about just zero-to-sixty time or just power. Well, there’s way more than that here,” he added.
To Roma, “better” is simply a matter of use case. Even where the two models overlap, they approach performance very differently.
“If you want to take a Z06 to the track, it is super rewarding,” he said. “That car is razor sharp and just amazing. A Grand Sport X is a great track-day car too, but it’s not as razor-sharp. It’s a little bit heavier. Yes, it has all-wheel drive to claw out of the corners. It’s just a different experience.”
Roma likened them to similarly rated restaurants.
“Do you prefer this cuisine or that? That’s the way I look at it, right? They’re both great cars, they both do exactly what they get asked to do, it’s a taste thing,” he said.
We’ll say this for certain: Chevy’s menu leaves little to be desired.
Got a story tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!
The post Corvette Boss: OK for Grand Sport X to Beat Z06 0-60 Because It Appeals to ‘Different Buyer’ appeared first on The Drive .