[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
Well, we do have a supercharger here, because the power is crazy.
[LAUGH]
Oh, yeah.
[SOUND]
Few would argue this is the new golden age.
[MUSIC]
Age of horsepower.
But for the most part, brawny cars today, do it with much smaller displacement power, or tank under the hood.
[SOUND] Except for the big 'vettes, which keeps things big.
Let's drive the king of the big 'vettes, the Z06, and check the big, American style cat.
[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
So what is the Z06?
It's basically king of the hill right now in the C7 7th generation Corvette.
You take what's already an impressive 6.2 liter V8 face car, and then you add a bunch of brawn.
A supercharger on top of that V8, a standard seven speed manual with rev matching, magnetic rheological adaptive suspension Suspension standard.
Wider fenders up front to cover way bigger wheels and treads.
All kinds of radical airflow and cooling management around the body.
And a steel reinforced Jesus bar.
One of the few cars where you might actually use it.
New for 16 you've got a front curb and chin camera, a rear lid that doesn't require you to slam it, it cinches itself, and CarPlay or Android Auto with CarPlay out first.
But you don't buy a car like this to play with your smart phone.
You buy it to play with the motorized screen instead.
I can't get enough of that.
Okay, let's get serious.
Seven speed manual gear box, this is base, but notice our manual has paddles on the wheel.
Those are your toggles to turn on or off rev matching.
We'll try that on the road and thee track momentarily.
Now down here is your mode controller for the vehicle, and it's very simple compared to a BMW M car.
There's weather, eco, tour, which is normal, sport, and track.
Not a ton of variables around That.
Under the home menu is something you won't find on any other car with Chevy MyLink and that's this the PDR, the performance data recorder, which is a misnomer.
It's a forward looking video camera that also has a data recorder, that overlays telemetry on the HD view forward.
This is basically a smart GoPro built in the car and no one else does it quite like And generally around the cabin this is a mix of traditional and modern cabin technology.
A partial LCD instrument panel but real gauges around it for other functions.
You've got your touch screen here of course but a ton of tactile knobs right below it.
[SOUND]
Now the simplest headline on a Z06 is that the engine is supercharged.
And here is your supercharger and plant right at the top.
And I mean right at the top.
Look at this thing.
It just barely fits in the profile of the engine bay, it's right here at the height of the hood gasket.
So when you add some mass on top, you want to lower it on the bottom.
As a result this engine has dry [UNKNOWN] lubrication.
A very shallow pan below to keep overall height managed.
And not add a bunch of tall center of gravity killing mass.
[SOUND] And in between those two components you've got tougher forged internals to handle the chaos that this guy brings upon them, and you've also got stronger, better breathing high performance heads.
The output numbers are a pleasant pair, 650 horse, 650 pound feet of torque.
Seven-speed manual's basic.
You can get an HP automatic.
I won't be speaking to you after that.
However, with that HP, and the high performance package, you can get the zero to 60 down under three seconds.
But it's 3500 pounds worth of [UNKNOWN].
And should you care the average MPG is 18, that's not bad for something that puts out 650.
Gets there partly because of direct injection and very much because of cylinder deactivation.
[MUSIC]
You never get used to this kind.
Big power.
I'll be honest.
I'm more of a naturally aspirated kind of guy.
I kind of like that smooth linear feel.
But this is just a hoot.
We're at the same raceway performance driving Center at Sonoma, a course layout that constantly reminds you how light and sharp the turn in is on this car.
Coupled with that responsive throttle, this Vette feels about half its weight.
I'm in, let's see, sport mode right now, and I've got tremendous power, I've got Throttle ability.
I do not even miss the rev matcher when it's on or off, because this engine blips and modulates so beautifully, which is interesting for a great big engine.
It breathes very lightly, I would say.
It's not hard to get it up or down on the rev clock because it's a nimble set of internal This bed has a perfect 50/50 weight spread, largely because the seven speed manual I'm working is a trans-axle, not a transmission.
In other words it's located at the back of the car, instead of getting it up all lopsidedly with the engine at the front of the car.
Nice gearboxing clutch by the way.
The Corvettes used to have kind of horsey drive lines.
In the last couple generations not any more this guy is just easy to drive.
But man is there some stuff under there.
And we've got the magneto-rheological adaptive suspensions doing wonders of course to keep me in good shape.
That's also the technology that'll keep enjoying your Z06 on the ride home after the track.
Okay, done up CNET style, a Z06 is gonna start you at about $80,400 with a seven speed manual.
That's for the coupe, by the way, more for the convertible.
Then there's that Z07, additional performance package, $7,500.
I'm gonna pass.
I'm good here.
$1,800 for the PDR Track Recorder with telemetry laid over the video.
I love that.
I'm all in.
Now you're at about 82, 2, out the door, the way I'd do it.
[MUSIC]
More cars driven CNET style, standing by now at CNETOnCars.com.
Click on the road.
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