The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette

With supercar performance, an affordable price tag, and flashy styling, the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette honors the nameplate’s decades-old status as an automotive icon—but with a mid-engine twist. The current C8 is the first generation to have its naturally aspirated V-8 engine mounted behind the passenger compartment, which boosts Chevy’s halo sports car into the realm of exotic machinery. Its sharp handling and explosive acceleration are a match for sports cars costing tens of thousands more, but it’s also comfortable and refined enough to drive cross-country. The C8 is offered as both a convertible and a coupe, and the hardtop model has a roof panel that can be lifted off to allow the sun to shine in. Its cabin is cozy but comfortable and there’s adequate trunk storage for groceries or luggage, making the Corvette an easy sports car to live with on a daily basis. We’re charmed by this perennial favorite and we think you will be too.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Corvette, and to celebrate Chevrolet will offer a special commemorative edition. The 70th Anniversary model will be available only on the top- line 3LT trim, but can be ordered on both the coupe or convertible body style. Exterior enhancements include special dark-finish aluminum wheels with 70th Anniversary center caps, red brake calipers, and special exterior badging; White Pearl Metallic or Carbon Flash Metallic are the two exterior colors, and they can be had with or without Satin Gray or Satin Black racing stripes. Leather upholstery with red stitching and microfiber trim adorns the 70th Anniversary edition’s seats, and a set of custom matching luggage is also included. The 70th Anniversary treatment is also available on the high-performance Z06 model, but we review that car separately. Other enhancements for the 2023 model year include new 20-inch wheel designs, optional black tailpipes, new Stealth Aluminum interior trim, and an available Adrenaline Red Dipped cabin theme which covers the dash and door panels in red upholstery.

The Corvette is available as either a coupe or a convertible with a folding hard top. Since the coupe’s roof lifts off for open-top motoring anyway, we’d stick with it. We’d instead spend the money to upgrade to the 2LT version which adds a number of features, including a head-up display, a wireless smartphone charging pad, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, a 14-speaker Bose stereo system, blind-spot monitoring, and much more. The Z51 performance package is also a must-have as it brings all of the Corvette’s best performance-oriented gear.

Although the engine is in a new location—now behind the passenger compartment instead of in front of it—it remains a 6.2-liter V-8, albeit one making 490 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. With the dual-mode performance exhaust that is part of the Z51 package, it makes 495 horsepower. The Z51 option also adds an electronic limited-slip rear differential, more aggressive brakes, and summer tires. An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic (a Corvette first) is the sole transmission. It is controlled either by a push-button gear selector on the center console or by using two large steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. A manual transmission is not available. In our testing, we recorded a zero-to-60-mph time of 2.8 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 122 mph in a car equipped with the Z51 performance package and the optional FE4 magnetorheological dampers. We managed a braking distance of 149 feet from 70 mph and recorded 1.03 g’s on the skid pad. Even in base form, however, the new Corvette is capable of heroic handling and delivers big thrills on both road and track.

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