The coolness of American sports cars.

I travel to the US for work once or twice a year, although I haven't been able to go recently due to Corona.

Whenever I do, I always rent a slightly better grade rental car and try to do as much car travel as possible. For example.I even did the grand touring from LA to Las Vegas and then to San Francisco.I have to say, this is one of the pleasures of business trips.

And I often think of the localAmerican sports cars look very cool.That is. Although we sometimes see them in Japan, the Camaros, Mustangs, and Corvettes we see on the streets of the U.S. look cool, whether from the scenery or from a sense of spiritual exuberance.

I am so fascinated that I look at the car sensor every time I return home.

especiallyI was very interested in this C8 Corvette and even thought about going for a test drive one day!It is.

This time, I happened to have the opportunity to test drive the new Corvette, and I would like to report on it.

Test drive a Corvette (C8) 3LT

My first impression of the exterior is that it is...It is genuinely cool.It is a design that encapsulates the coolness that boys feel, so much so that when children draw pictures of supercars and sports cars, they probably concentrate on this kind of design.

The wide-and-low body isOverall length 4630mm x Overall width 1940mm x Overall height 1225mmIn reality, however, it looks longer and wider. This is probably due to the large protruding side mirrors and the press line that rises from the front wheelhouse to the rear end, making it appear visually larger.

It feels bigger than a Ferrari (F8, etc.) and slightly smaller than a Lamborghini Uracan. Such is the feeling.

In addition, the owner said.There seems to be a lot of trouble with the width of the carSo, the side mirrors stick out more than the numbers, the doors are longer, and theThe black rectification plate extending into the air intakes on the doors is quite outward, andThey sometimes have difficulty entering if a car is parked next to them.

First, to get in, one presses a button under the door handle to open and close the door. This is much like a McLaren. The doors are huge, but they are not as heavy as they look, but they are just light enough to not feel cheap.

The interior has a very strong sense of envelopment and enclosure.The center console extends well beyond the dashboard and is tilted toward the driver. Personally, I like this design very much as it reminds me of the interior of the A80 Supra.

The seats are electrically operated, and there is no difficulty in reaching the pedals if you have a Japanese body type, as is the case in old American cars. A standard-sized person will be able to find an appropriate driving position.

Ride Comfort

When the engine is started, the 6.2-liter V8 engine wakes up with a heroic sound, which is unusual for a car these days. However, the sound is not overdone, and is within the normal range.

As I pull my finger up on the shift switch in D range, the Corvette begins to move slowly. After only the first 10 meters or so of driving out of the parking lot, theOh, the ride is so comfortable!I hear a voice saying, "I'm sorry.

The tires roll so gently that you would never guess from the exterior, and the feeling is not as stiff as that of a European sports car.

Probably, cars with so-called supercar designs, Porsche and others.Ride comfort that ranks quite high among ultra-high performance sports cars.It is. No, it's not high on the list, but I can't think of anything else in my experience.

If this is the case ...Good enough for a date car or for long distance grand touring.The first is.

Ease of driving and handling

When the accelerator pedal is depressed, the engine is so smooth and easy to handle that it is hard to believe that it is an OHV engine of over 6 liters, and the sensation is as light as a torquey 3-liter class engine.

As is typical of large-displacement NA engines, torque is full from low rpm, yet torque fluctuations are extremely small. The torque is directly proportional to the accelerator pedal position and rpm, and is very natural and easy to handle, making it easy to drive in a stop-and-go environment in town.

."This is easy to ride...While talking with the owner of the car, I tried to turn one or two corners. The steering response was very natural. The suspension, which I had expected to be mild, did not make me feel uneasy at all. The suspension was like that of a Mercedes coupe model, soft and supple, but with the same level of comfort.It is firmly grounded and does not feel scary in the slightest.

Switch from normal touring mode to sport mode.Electronic dampers, like Porsche's PASM, increase damping force and tighten the goofy legs.However, there is no discomfort. Physically, this would be about as firm as a stock Porsche.

The car turns, easing off the gas pedal and leaving the brakes on slightly. The Corvette drives through in a beautiful arc. I was completely unaware of this while driving.This is the Corvette's first midship layoutThe first is.

The feeling unique to this MR is a wonderful sensation, and many drivers will naturally smile when they experience the feeling of driving freely through the corners.The image of an American car that does not turn will be blown away at once.

8-speed DCT and engine sound and power

The 8-speed DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) is set to manual mode and shifting is done with paddles. This DCT is quite good. The shifting response and sharpness are very good, and the shifting sound is wonderful. When shifting up a gear, the "upshift" is a very sharp and smooth shift.Bong!The engine connects the gears with a "I'm in the middle of the road" and a lacy sound, and when downshifting, the engine makes a pleasant sound with a great rpm match.

This DCT is quite good. It is a world away from the transmission in certain supercars that are much more expensive than the Corvette, and compared to the PDK, it is more refined than the 991.1 and 981, and you can think of it as being as close to the PDK in the 991.2 and 718 as possible.

This alone makes this Corvette quite fun to drive.In addition to that, the engine sound is wonderful.I had an image of an old-fashioned sloppy V8, but that is not the case at all. Rather, I got the impression that the grains were well matched and the sound was more of a pleasant one.

The feeling of rotation when the driver steps on the pedal is, as one would expect from a vehicle with such a large displacement, a heavy rotation. However, the rotation itself is smooth, and there is no impression that it does not want to turn.

I'm curious about the sense of power, but to give you an honest impression of what I felt during the test drive, I'd say, "It's not that much more powerful.I'd say around 400 hp.I thought, 'I'm not going to be able to do that. ' After the test drive, I learned that it was 502 hp, 637 Nm.I didn't feel that sense of power.

The reason is that I've been driving a lot of high-performance turbocharged cars lately.Sometimes we're used to the instantaneous power of turbo power.I think it would be, and I think it is largely a matter of torque production and gear ratio. In terms of the physical feeling of mid-range acceleration, I would sayThe 992 Carrera felt faster, and my 991.1 GTS, a 430 hp NA, felt slightly faster.

However, it is not slow, as it accelerates from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, the manufacturer's published acceleration time. Since we only tested intermediate acceleration this time, the sharpness of the torque rise is inevitably mild, so I think we just felt it from our experience.

Sohyo (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan)

This Corvette, I like and like it very much.I would seriously like to have more parking slots for cars.

I have not seen such a comfortable, fast, and fun car in a long time.What's more, the design is cool, and a coupe can be purchased for 14 to 16 million yen.Moreover, the price includes a front lift and almost every conceivable modern equipment option.

It is an outstanding car in terms of cost performance. If you can enjoy this design and driving quality at this price, it is a good buy. If you are looking to satisfy your desire to own and show off, I would recommend a much more expensive supercar, but if you like driving itself and value driving quality and fun, I strongly recommend the Corvette.

On the other hand, compared to Porsche, it is a good value for money. Focusing on the driving aspect, it is as expected.The Porsche is more solid, and the quality feel including ground feel, stability, and fine drivability seems to be a cut above.However, there are many people who are not looking for that level of driving quality.

With that in mind, I think this Corvette is a viable option.

This new Corvette completely exceeded my prior imagination. It was a car that completely destroyed the image of the American sports car and showed me a new world. If I had been able to find a car like theIf you like this design and don't mind the width issue, etc., this car is one I would recommend.It is.

I think this is the car that will be the best partner for me.