C7 Corvette Turo Rental (The Long Story)

"Poor_Sh" (ar4x) 01/16/2018 at 22:22 • Filed to: turo, corvette

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So you may know, you may not, but I rented a C7 Corvette Z51 2LT on Turo for a 3 day road trip through central/southern Florida. Short story, TONS OF FUN, long story, keep reading.

My co-driver and I picked up the car at MCO, and it just immediately wins everyone over with the looks. The red, the shape, everything just screams awesome. AWESOME! But, I already knew this. So, I actually had to drop off my other rental (from my work trip) which meant my co-driver got to drive it first. Un. Fair. Oh well, I eventually got in the driver seat and took us to get lunch.

We both immediately noted how planted the car feels, it just can’t be shaken. The rear tires were bare though so hard accelerations made for some light fish-tailing.

The options in this thing are pretty incredible too. Heated and cooled seats, with great bolstering and adjustments. The screen goes down to reveal a little phone cubby. The dual-climate control is easy and there’s even an extra passenger setup which is just about the only thing geared towards the passenger in the car. And of course, the HUD!

The HUD is so cool, I think I barely looked at the actual gauges. The GPS directions, music, and pretty much anything else you want can all be displayed. Also, the different displays with the different modes are pretty great. Weather mode (not really tested), Eco mode (shuts 4 cylinders down.. got up to 29 mpg average), Touring mode (basically normal), Sport mode (a little more aggressive), and Track mode (ALL AGGRESSIVE). Spent the city-type driving in sport mode, small highway treks in touring, long highway treks in eco, and accelerations in track.

One thing that stands out is the amount of available storage. It’s really crazy for this sized car, though kind of obvious given the hatch size. We had 2 LARGE duffel bags, and 2 big backpacks, but still had room for my co-driver to buy essentially another backpack of gear... and then some.

However, the height of the trunk and wing do make it a bit worrying to load. You just feel like you’ll dent or scratch something. Not the worst thing, but it’s a small detractor.

Another small detractor is the cup holders. I will say though, they’re in the right place. But, they’re basically a small cell-phone pocket with a splitter shaped for cups. This splitter doesn’t stay in place, and constantly falls down through acceleration or braking when anything is in a holder.

See that? It’s just an example pic, but really it happens OFTEN. Oh and in this pic is the electronic parking brake which, I know they’re ubiquitous now, I don’t like them. It does turn off automatically so you can’t really forget it being on, but it seemed to be like a USB connector. Try it one way, doesn’t work, try the other, doesn’t work, try the first way, it works. WHAT THE HELL.

So I’m nitpicking a bit, but that was the point wasn’t it? Let’s move onto the transmission... 7 speeds is NOT NECESSARY. However, every auto journalist has already said this, but have they said why? I think it’s just honestly confusing trying to get into and out of 7th. Even getting into 1st was a chore, which may just be this particular car, but it kept kicking us out of gear when we tried to get going. The gauges show the gear selected, but the shifter just pops out. Poor showing. On top of that, it feels like you have to find every gear, rather than them just being the easy progression they should be. I’m going to admit something, sadly, but I VASTLY prefer the transmission on my Mustang. 6 speeds and each gear selects just right. Small letdown here.

Moving on, the targa top is pretty sweet. It removes easily, stores in the trunk, and still gives you most of the trunk space. Also, the car looks really great with the top off. Personally, I look really great with the top off :p

At highway speeds, the wind is buffeted perfectly. Barely touched our hair, made no bad noises, and just overall was way more pleasant than I anticipated.

So, we did 600 miles of driving, in the city, on highways, over a TON of speedbumps at a college. The suspension is incredible, we both agreed it handled the speedbumps better than our own cars (my Mustang, his WRX), and it completely put to rest my worries about ride height. The car is super easy to drive in traffic too. It feels quick, but it doesn’t feel like there’s too much power to handle. It was just as easy as any car, other than the shifting I mentioned.

Before my final thoughts, just thought I’d share that we saw this cool Ferrari at the gas station. Sorry for the bad pic though.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The car is special. Incredibly special. Tons of great options, many I didn’t even mention. It drives so smoothly in every aspect. It’s fun, it’s cool, and for the price it’s hard to beat. BUT, I’m not sold. We went fast (allegedly higher than the limit) and it just never felt like we were doing much. I honestly prefer the feeling in my Mustang when I go around turns, and accelerate. It’s just too smooth, which is really weird to say, and really weird to find that I don’t prefer it. Same for my previous transmission epiphany. So, will I buy one? Maybe. But I DEFINITELY still have to check out the M2 and Cayman.

46and2aheadofme > Poor_Sh 01/16/2018 at 22:55

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Nice writeup. That feeling of disconnection from the road is one of the biggest reasons I don’t want to give up my decade old cars. I’m stalking an F-Type on Turo for an upcoming trip. Wish I could find a 4C, but they’re probably already collector’s items.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Poor_Sh 01/16/2018 at 23:19

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They rented you a car with bald rear tires? Hellooo liability...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 46and2aheadofme 01/17/2018 at 00:56

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Like my ‘91 Corolla 5sp. Don’t laugh. Great runabout and 240k miles. 80-series tires... Great car.

BeaterGT > Poor_Sh 01/17/2018 at 01:19

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Awesome review, I have been waiting for a manual C7 to pop up near me. Bald tires and slipping out of first makes it sound like this car has been beat on. What year was it?

46and2aheadofme > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/17/2018 at 01:23

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Perfect example compared to a new Corolla. I think the worst was a Suburban I rented in Scottsdale. As I drove, I remember thinking that I have no idea what is going on with this vehicle, I really hope no drivers around me do anything unexpected.

random001 > Poor_Sh 01/17/2018 at 07:06

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Much like my Corvette experience. The car was so planted and unshakable until track-level speeds. But even then, it was just awesome. I want a C7 so bad, but I’d take my C5 back in a heartbeat.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 46and2aheadofme 01/17/2018 at 07:18

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I’m also driving a ‘12 Versa. Not a vehicle I’d have bought in a thousand years, but it fell into my lap. Spritely, nimble and very responsive and great road feel. I like the electric power steering as well. A very good car.

Before I rented a Z07, I’d rent a Cadillac CTS-V, but I have a wedding to pay for and I can barely pay for the gas in the Corolla, so my Turo aspirations are on hold.

Poor_Sh > 46and2aheadofme 01/17/2018 at 07:54

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Oh man, the F-Type is definitely on my list too. But I have been able to eliminate it from my future purchase list. It’s just too much luxury cruiser and expenses compared to the others. It does have the best seats though and it’s gorgeous.

I think the 4C would scare me to Turo haha

Poor_Sh > random001 01/17/2018 at 07:56

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Yes especially in Florida with long straight flat roads, it’s just a knife though butter. But that does make it feel somewhat muted.

Poor_Sh > BeaterGT 01/17/2018 at 07:57

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Thanks, and idk the year but it had about 47k miles so I would assume a 2015 maybe? The brakes also squealed a bit so my co-driver and I were thinking same as you, it gets beat on.

Poor_Sh > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 01/17/2018 at 07:58

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Yeah I’m almost certain they were the original tires, and at 47k that’s certainly stretching it.

random001 > Poor_Sh 01/17/2018 at 08:04

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I had the Z06, which in the C5 meant they removed 50% of the sound deadening, had windows that were 5/8 the thickness of the regular ‘Vette, and had that titanium exhaust, so it was somewhat less muted. The suspension was also tighter, steering feel more sensitive, and it felt more active. But still, yeah, very very sharp knife.

46and2aheadofme > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/17/2018 at 11:16

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Congratulations! Yeah, I would absolutely sell my M5 and get a CTS-V wagon if it existed in the newer gen.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 46and2aheadofme 01/17/2018 at 13:06

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Thank you. She’s chosen an outstanding young man and we are very happy for them both. They are doing everything responsibly.

Kem732 > 46and2aheadofme 02/28/2019 at 14:06

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I rented the 2019 stingray ...worth every penny. Actually I'm going on another trip to Miami this week was going to rent the 2019 Z06 but opted for another 2019 stingray since I had such a amazing time first go round. Can't wait

46and2aheadofme > Kem732 02/28/2019 at 23:05

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I also rented the F-type, it was an R with the barky, blatty exhaust and I enjoyed every minute of driving it throught Napa pissing off snobby p eople and pushing it on the surrounding windy roads . The neighbor lady next door to the condo where we were stayin g (relatives) actually came out and put her hands on her hips in disapproval.  So cliche. One the top car experience s of my life. 10/10 recommend F-Type R.