It's a sound product-planning formula to follow, and we endorse it: a special, limited-edition car with the looks and the hardware of an almost unattainable top-shelf model but for less cash.
The problem with the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is, it's not really a limited-edition car (no special VIN is assigned), it doesn't perform any better or worse than a base-model Corvette, and finally, the price of the Grand Sport comes within striking distance of the car it emulates — the brutal Corvette Z06.
This test car arrived in our garage with just under 1,000 miles on the odometer and with $13,790 in total options, taking its price to within $6,000 of a Z06's base price. At $69,510 as tested, our Grand Sport is also $9,535 more expensive than a 2010 BMW M3.
The Difference Between Good and Great
As much as the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport seems like an interesting idea, we question Chevrolet's decision to put the sanctified "Grand Sport" name on this car to begin with. The original 1963-vintage Corvette Grand Sports were thoroughbred racecars, the most recent of which failed to sell on the auction block when its reserve was not met with a bid of $4.9 million. Even when the Grand Sport label was applied to a production Corvette in 1996, only 1,000 examples with specific VINs were made.
To be sure, the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport does have a legitimate place in the sports car world, and it follows an established pattern. In much the same way that you can buy a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S with the 911 Turbo's wide-body fenders, upgraded brakes and chassis but minus the Turbo's engine, you may now buy a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (base MSRP of $55,720) with the look and much of the hardware of a Corvette Z06 (base MSRP of $75,235), but without the totally mental, hand-built, 505-horsepower 7.0-liter V8 that often makes the Z06 almost undrivable on anything but an arrow-straight piece of highway.
Besides the Grand Sport coupe we tested, Chevy now offers four other distinct Corvette models ranging from a $50,000 base coupe to the $110,000 Godzilla-slaying ZR1. That's quite a range. The midpack GS is also available as a convertible for about $3,800 more and either the coupe or soft-top model is available with a six-speed automatic ($1,250).
A Civilized Z06
OK, so the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is Z06 Lite. The Grand Sport model offers aggressive looks, big ol' wheels and tires, giant brake hardware (same size discs as the Z06, but not the exact same brakes), functional brake cooling ducts, and specific manual-transmission gear ratios.
We tried the 2010 launch control; it's consistent but slower than a driver with a calibrated butt.
Power comes from the base Corvette's pushrod 6.2-liter LS3 V8 with a Z06-style dry-sump oiling system and it's rated at 430 hp. If you pay $1,195 for the two-mode performance exhaust, the exhaust note changes character dramatically at about 3,500 rpm, which we like perhaps even more than the 436-hp output rating for the engine that comes with it.
At the test track, we discovered to exactly nobody's surprise that the 2010 Corvette GS produces essentially the same acceleration as the last 2009 Corvette with a manual transmission and optional exhaust we tested. The benchmark of 60 mph arrives in 4.4 seconds (4.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). The quarter-mile is consumed in 12.4 seconds at 115 mph. Yeah, it's fast and sounds great, but aren't Corvettes supposed to be fast and sound badass?
We tried the new-for-2010 launch-control system (select Competition mode, clutch in, 1st gear, whack the throttle to the floor, then dump the clutch), and while it is very consistent, it's also about three-tenths slower than a test-driver with a calibrated butt. Although we never ran into it during performance testing, on more than one occasion during our test-driving we found the infamous Corvette "mystery gear" on the way to 3rd gear. The shifter sometimes felt as if it was in 3rd gear, but wasn't.
The standard 14-inch front discs with six-piston calipers and 13.4-inch rear discs with four-piston calipers help bring the car to a halt from 60 mph in just 106 feet, but the feedback through the pedal is always vague and wooden.
A Typical Corvette
Corvette owners would also be familiar with the ambiguous messages coming from the Grand Sport's chassis. Test driver Josh Jacquot said of the GS after lapping the skid pad at an impressive 0.96g: "Massive grip, but not intuitive balance." After a pass through the slalom at 68.8 mph, he said, "Again, unnatural steering feel in quick transitions — not completely numb, but also not talkative — doesn't make me want to attack the slalom like other cars do."
Such empirical numbers certainly demand respect, but our test-driver's subjective impressions don't measure up to those from tests of equally accomplished cars, where the comments are more like, "Very easy to maintain control at the limit. Steering delivers excellent feel and response for the inputs given. The ratio, assist and feedback are all spot-on."
To make matters worse, our track-testing session managed to dislocate the right rear suspension's toe adjuster. Our in-house suspension guru found the eccentric cam mechanism had shifted about 90 degrees out of spec. Any road imperfection made the rear of the car very unstable and prone to jerk and wander. Luckily, we have a go-to guy at Stokes who straightened things out in less than 5 minutes.
After the fix and out in the real world, we will say that the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport's suspension setup is better than that of the discontinued Z51 handling package, but still not as multitalented as the F55 package with its magnetorhological dampers. By the way, you cannot order the F55 option on a Grand Sport. You get what you get, and you get a lot of grip, decent compliance and a good freeway ride at legal speeds.
Optional Equipment
Probably there would be an easy way to make this car less pricey. Our test car's options included the $7,705 Coupe Premium Equipment package, or Group 4LT, including lots of comfort and convenience features like a head-up display, leather-upholstered power seats with heat and memory, a power telescoping steering column (manual tilt), various leather-clad interior bits and special embroidered logos, plus Bluetooth and seven speakers for the Bose audio system. We'd skip it.
Speaking of superfluous options, we know the flashy, chrome cast-aluminum wheels ($1,995) and Velocity Yellow paint ($850) make for pretty photos, but the exhaust note draws enough attention as it is. The DVD-based navigation system with CD player ($1,750) seems reasonably priced, but the touchscreen interface and LCD display already look and feel out of date.
What we can't fault at all are these Z06-style body panels, which really make the Grand Sport coupe a uniquely attractive Corvette. Also all the scoops, ducts, vents and spoilers on the GS are functional! Because all the bits are rendered in fiberglass instead of carbon-fiber, plus the GS has a removable-panel roof instead of the Z06's fixed roof, this car weighs 3,311 pounds, 150 pounds more than the Z06.
We particularly like the GS's bulging rear wheel arches that barely contain the ultra-wide 325/30ZR19 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar run-flats. And that black wicker bill on the trailing edge of the rear deck does the rest of the Coke-bottle design justice, putting a sharp exclamation point on the swoopy body.
Yes, but
Once you skip the 4LT, navigation, gaudy wheels, look-at-me yellow paint and $295 pedal covers (seriously), you're left with a $56,915 Corvette with a thundering exhaust that'll consistently lay down 12-second quarter-mile runs, go around corners faster than most people would ever dare, and convert rear tires to smoke all day long.
Put it that way and the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport makes sense. We get it, we like it and we support it. But GM can keep all the price-inflating doodads; we'll take the bargain American sports car, please.
Perhaps the silver lining to the Grand Sport story is that all 2011 Corvettes will start as 2010 Grand Sports and only get better from there, just like the 2009 Mustang Bullitt foreshadowed the improvements made to the 2010 Mustang line. We just wish they would do something about those unsupportive seats and generic-looking steering wheel.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
deadviper says:
07:37 PM, 01/13/2010
Since when did the corvette need a chaved up edition? C'mon chevy quit clowning us. The standard car IS the better buy. Forget this grand sport.
paulhthewalker says:
03:13 AM, 12/07/2009
"Good Sport, but Not a Grand Sport"
Catchy, but not accurate
I like my C5, but...........................
my next car will be a Grand Sport which is a "Grand Sport"
1487 says:
12:46 PM, 11/26/2009
"I would love to see a feature for feature comparison of the BMW, Porsche, etc. Not these arbitraty off hand comments that editors make with absolutely no proof to back up their obvious bias agains any American car. Unless you get the all leather option in the more expensive cars ( also avaliable in the Corvette ) it looks absolutely no better."
All that you say is true but they are obligated to bash the vette interior without mentioning which specific cars are better. It's part of what they sign up to do here at IL. Auto reviewing is very much about group think and everyone knows you can't be taken seriously as a reviewer if you actually note the Vette's interior isn't bad and is actually very functional. Look at the interior of the M3 or GTR and see if you can explain how either is far superior to the interior of this car that was last redesigned in 2004.
"If the drivers are too candy A.. to let the tail be a little loose, they probably should not be driving high performance cars to start with. Lose = Fast. You would think a bunch of guys who write about cars would have figured this out by now...."
Some people prefer cars like the GTR that have computers that take care of everything for you. If you noticed, IL has been very harsh in regards to the handling of the Vette, especially the Z06, but they love the GTR because it allows ANYONE to look like an expert driver. Many hardcore auto writers love the GTR's performance but are not fans of its simulator like driving experience. The car is apparently so easy to drive fast that its not even all that stimulating or potentially scary.
and2222rew says:
04:10 PM, 11/23/2009
Please read the next line as if you were Lewis Black.
Why should the Covette Gand Sport cost so much? BECAUSE YOU GOT $13,000 IN OPTIONS.
Its also expensive because of all the comparos to the much more expensive 911. How come its not enough for the Covette the smoke the similarly priced Cayman? BTW that camparo the Caranddriver (sorry edmunds) did with a $75,000 Boxter S vs the slowest Covette avalible (and used for rental duty) doesn't count but even still the vette was faster. Also on the price point the last base Corvette tested was only 6 grand cheaper. Why didn't you complain about that? 6 grand doesn't sound too bad for brakes, body, dry sump lubrication, and suspension upgrades. I wish you guys were more consistant.
Ditch the the options, get some new tires and you've got a $55,000 car with no rivals.
sranger says:
01:04 PM, 11/23/2009
I get so sick of people trashing the Corvett. This is especially true of the car's interior. I have a 2008 3LT and it looks as good as any other car in the price range. The dash is soft touch as are the arm rests. I did add a padded leather cover for the console ( all of a $100.00 ).
I would love to see a feature for feature comparison of the BMW, Porsche, etc. Not these arbitraty off hand comments that editors make with absolutely no proof to back up their obvious bias agains any American car. Unless you get the all leather option in the more expensive cars ( also avaliable in the Corvette ) it looks absolutely no better.
I got the Two Tone leather option in my vette. One of the reasons I bought the car is that the interior looked significantly better ( At least to me ) than the one in the 911 and Cayman. Again, you have to get the all leather option in these cars to see any realistic difference. Add that option to the Vette and your bias is flawed again.
As for the seats in the Vette, I am very greatfull that they are a little wider than others. I am 6'-4" at about 225lb and I need a full size seat.... Not everyone is 5'-6" to 5'-10"
As for performance, no car under $80K can truly outperform it....( Z06 excluded of course ) In my opinion most people who trash the Corvette, have simply never driven one or have some irration bias againts one. ( Like the guy below who said he would not own one because old people buy them ) They also usually won't race one ( at the track of course ) because they know that they will probably lose...
It is same with the arguments about the car's suspension and handling. I have the F55 magnetic ride. I notice that no Corvette is ever tested with this option. If they did it would eliminate the constant whinning about the car's handling over a bump... I guess that would take away the editors favorite reason to justify recomending a car that cost twice as much, has less performance, less interior room, less luggage capacity and gets worse gas milage. Also, if the car can be diven faster than other cars with similar HP, that means BY DEFINITION it handles better. If the drivers are too candy A.. to let the tail be a little loose, they probably should not be driving high performance cars to start with. Lose = Fast. You would think a bunch of guys who write about cars would have figured this out by now....
johnnyb13 says:
10:52 PM, 11/16/2009
Undrivable on anything but the straights huh? That's funny I thought your reviews and those of countless others raved about the excellent handling. Oh, that's right, they did. Even Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear liked it!
hondapilot2004 says:
03:56 PM, 11/16/2009
I could give less of a crap about an interior... the most important thing to me is that the car drives well. Probably the cheapest interior of all of the 15 or so cars ive driven goes to my 2006 Odyssey's front dash plastics, yet the car itself drives AMAZINGLY... (like better steering than the BMW i drove... and it was a 535xi) a good interior means bupkiss if the car drives horribly.
1487 says:
06:45 AM, 11/15/2009
"Interior looks very cheap, and that's a fact. I would rather have nice interior than 50 extra Horsepower. Let's get real, maybe about 5% of the time you push the car to the limits, and other times you just drive it like everybody else."
We expect BMW fanboys to harp on the vette's interior just as surely as we expect the sun to rise each morning. simple question: What about the M3's interior design screams superiority vs the Vette? Complaining about the Vette's interior is predictable and played out at this point in time. In spite of the predictable complaints we rarely get comparably priced benchmark vehicles that blow away the vette in terms of interior design. The M3 (and all 3 series models) is solidly built inside and it it has better optional seats than the Vette. That said, how exactly is its interior far better than the vette? Both are full of black leather and vinyl. Both have compact 3 spoke steering wheels. The vette actually has better gauges and ergonomics. I'd love to get some specifics.
1487 says:
06:32 AM, 11/15/2009
"In the end I'm not trying to directly compare the levels of development, techniques or materials used in the NSX to the Corvette as I was simply telling you the Corvette isn't the only high end sports car that gets little to no recognition or respect in regards to it's high levels of engineering, technical innovations and unique development/manufacturing processes. Anyone who simply writes off either car is purely biased and/or ignorant."
One difference is that the Corvette's formula is a proven success and the car has been around for over 50 years. The NSX was impressive but failed to thrive in the marketplace because there was too much emphasis on cutting edge technology and little focus on value and consistency with the Acura lineup. The NSX was the answer to a question no one asked.
1487 says:
06:15 AM, 11/15/2009
"- Give the interior the level of sophistication, material/build/perceived quality a car of this caliber deserves."
What are the build quality issues with this car? People get caught up in group think and fail to actually explain what they are talking about. I have been in the car a few times and have noticed no significant build issues. Care to offer any examples? Granted we are on Insideline where such claims are made without substantiation all the time but maybe you can provide some insight into where evidence lies that this car is poorly assembled. Pretty much every GM car designed in 2004 or later has solid build quality.