Sat in a C7 today

"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake) 06/27/2015 at 22:40 • Filed to: None

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Have you ever put on a glove and had it fit your hand perfectly, as if it was made just for you? That’s what it felt like. I need to own one yesterday

macanamera > Jayhawk Jake 06/27/2015 at 22:43

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That's exactly what it felt like for me. How tall are you?

jkm7680 > Jayhawk Jake 06/27/2015 at 22:44

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HOW THE HELL DO I GET OUT OF HERE?

oh.

Jayhawk Jake > macanamera 06/27/2015 at 23:06

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I’m 5’8”. I’m a bit portly, usually I find sports car seats to be too tall and too tight. These were perfect, and the ergonomics on the whole were fantastic.

The Challenger I have this weekend is basically too big for me in every way. My arms are too short to comfortably rest on the armrest or door and hold the wheel, the pedals are too big and far apart, even though I have big feet. The C7 felt perfect in every way the Challenger doesn't fit.

ViperGuy21 > Jayhawk Jake 06/27/2015 at 23:08

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The first time I sat in a C7 I couldn’t find the door handle to get out.

Still can't to this day....

Jayhawk Jake > ViperGuy21 06/27/2015 at 23:18

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It's a button.

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > Jayhawk Jake 06/27/2015 at 23:31

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Haven't sat in a Stingray, but the only car I've ever sat in and felt that way before was a 965 Turbo. It just felt so right.

macanamera > Jayhawk Jake 06/27/2015 at 23:40

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I’m 5 foot 8 as well, and the C7 fits me like a glove.

The Challenger is ridiculously huge, I've driven one.

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 00:27

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Every time a c7 (or any corvette since the c3) I’m struck by how similar it feels to the high-volume Chevy economy car of the same time period: cavalier, cobalt, crude. If it weren’t for the corvette logos just being in the cabin doesn’t feel all that special. Something that expensive should feel special. Miatas are half as expensive yet manage to both feel like a tailored glove and feel deliberately crafted and special. Competitors to the vette like various Porsches, Jaguar F-Type, Nissan Skyline, BMWs and Audis, etc., all feel special where the vette doesn’t. The Porsches and Jaguars (and Aston Martins, but those are pricier) feel similarly deliberate and tailored where the corvettes feel cramped and cheap.

for Michigan > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 04:24

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That’s what I loved about my Fiero. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot else to love... :P

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 06:37

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I don’t agree at all on the C7. The cabin feels quite premium and very special.

AM > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 07:02

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Have you been inside the C7? The previous gen Vette’s had horrible interior but the C7 is pretty premium and a nice place to be. For you to say Nissan is better than it probably just means you have a slight bias because the GT-R interior sucks whereas the old Skyline’s were pretty good,

AM > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 07:07

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The interior of the C7 is quite a nice place to be, I was truly surprised when I first sat in one. I’m 5’11 with an average build so I fit good in most larger cars including the Challenger however I do agree that the Vette is a nicer fit. Chevy really hit the nail on the head with the C7.

boxrocket > AM 06/28/2015 at 13:30

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I’ve been inside 9 c7s, including one several times a month since February. They’re much improved over prior generations, much like everything else gm is making now, but still not really up to the same level as European and Japanese rivals. The GT-R is showing its age, but still feels well-constructed and highly functional.

ViperGuy21 > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 13:32

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Yeah, took me a minute to find it the first time lol

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 13:34

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You need to experience some of its rivals then. They feel no more special than a Camaro or if there was a Crude SS coupe. This includes experience with Stingray, Z06 and Z07. Yes, they are massively improved over the heinously-awful c6, but still nothing special. A Silverado high country, despite sharing the IP, radio, and other bits with lesser silverados, feels more special than a c7.

AM > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 14:09

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Fair enough. It isn’t at Porsche’s level yet but it’s getting there. I will say that the electronic door releases are a stupid idea.

boxrocket > AM 06/28/2015 at 15:21

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Oh goodness, yes. What’s really awful is that not only have they continuednthat silly trend with the new generation, they spread it to the CTS coupe and ear. Fun fact: if the battery is dead, there is no way to get into the cabin without connecting the battery to a jump pack or another vehicle.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 16:45

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I still don’t agree, and I feel like you’re just bashing Corvette because it’s the hip thing to do.

I drove a Boxster GTS. I’ve driven a Cayman R. I’m not claiming the C7 is on their level, but it’s still damn nice inside. And the layout of the C7 makes it feel more special than a Camaro or an SS.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 16:47

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What? You can get in the car if the battery is dead. It’s not even that difficult. I guess I don’t know for sure if the C7 is the same, but on the C6 you can use the key in the keyfob to turn a lock above the license plate to open the trunk which gives you access to the manual release for the door in the trunk.

If you’re already in the car and the battery dies, there’s a release handle on the floor where gas cap or trunk levers are in many cars.

AM > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 17:44

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It’s a dumb idea I find but you can actually get into and out of the car with a dead battery. Like Jake said it has manual release mechanisms both inside and outside of the car. I don’t think it would pass regulations if there wasn’t a way to get out should it ever die.

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 19:02

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I know all about the release handles. Read my comment again: “cannot get into the cabin”, which, even as you said, involves taking the key (or removing it from the proximity fob) and opening up the trunk to get to the battery.

Also, autocorrect changed ELR to "ear".

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 19:06

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I “bash” on corvettes because I personally find them grossly overrated, overhyped, and overpriced for what they are (but, in fairness, a lot of things are). I appreciate and respect them, but I don’t like them nor recommend them. I also wouldn’t buy a Porsche, for as good and capable as they are, I’d rather have a Jaguar, Aston Martin, used McLaren, or something else that excites and delights me. Nothing gm makes gets my automotive pulse racing. I base my opinions on considerable experience, not what others say or want me to think.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 19:10

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You must be the only person in the known universe to consider a Corvette overpriced.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 19:12

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You absolutely can get into the cabin. Use the key to open the trunk, use the release to open the door. Enter the cabin through the door. It isn’t rocket science

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 19:31

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If it were entirely carbon fiber I could understand it. It’s mostly fiberglass.

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 19:34

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I haven’t looked for a door release in the trunk, because I just use the jump pack to unlock then start the car, since it’s dead anyway, then hook it up to a battery charger or replace the battery. I had to do that last week to a CTS-V coupe, which, in addition to the car being dead, the batteries to the remotes were dead, so I had to acquire hearing aid batteries before the car could even be gotten into. GM makes odd engineering choices just to seem "cool".

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 19:47

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I don’t think its an especially odd engineering choice.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 19:50

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My finger slipped, I meant to continue that thought. Electric door latch makes it easier to hide the handle, which is better for aerodynamics. It also means you don’t need a handle in the car, which saves space on the door.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/28/2015 at 19:53

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But its fiberglass covering a chassis, motor, and suspension that allows it to go toe to toe with performance cars costing twice as much. Hell C5 Z06s are still some the fastest autocross cars around

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/28/2015 at 22:29

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The little bit of a handle doesn’t make that huge an effect on aero, and there are other solutions (like Aston Martin and Jaguar’s flush handles that pop out when needed) that are less engineering-intensive and still function mechanically.

Are you one of those folks in the Chevy commercials that get in and think (wrongly), “This feels like a Lexus/Range Rover/BMW/Mercedes/etc.”? Because they are horrendously wrong.

Jayhawk Jake > boxrocket 06/29/2015 at 07:18

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The flush handles that pop out aren’t any better from a failsafe perspective.

I’m not an idiot, I know its a Chevy, it’s not a luxury car. Up until the C7 you aren’t wrong, corvette’s interiors have been bland and cheap. But now? It’s a really nice interior. Maybe not Aston nice, but the little time I’ve spent in a Jaguar didn’t blow me away any more than the C7

boxrocket > Jayhawk Jake 06/29/2015 at 11:12

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Except the pop-out handles have removable covers for the key, allowing immediate access to the cabin. There’s room inside the recessed area (which honestly could be bigger, I can only fit three fingers in there) for a hidden key slot, especially as small as the key is inside the proximity fob.

I know you’re a big fan of Chevy, and as I said the interiors have improved (the motion of the rotary knobs have a nice ratchet-like feel to them, for example), but I wouldn’t qualify them as “nice” just yet. Good, sure, but not nice. An ELR has a nice interior, despite CUE, and the awful vibrating seat that replaced audible parking sensor warnings. I had to hook up a trailer to a high country a few weeks ago and the butt vibrations from the rear sensors were incredibly annoying and distracting, but I didn’t find the defeat switch in the two seconds I spent looking..

Your boy, BJR > boxrocket 06/30/2015 at 13:13

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You open the trunk with the key and use the door release that's in the trunk. Battery is there too so you have access to charge it.

boxrocket > Your boy, BJR 06/30/2015 at 20:46

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...that’s exactly what I’ve been saying, save for the knowledge about the door release, which I’ve never looked for, and haven’t found in the ELR or CTS coupes I've been in the last few weeks.

Your boy, BJR > boxrocket 06/30/2015 at 21:08

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You're complaining that it takes MAYBE 5 seconds longer to get into the cabin as opposed to pop out handles?