2008 Ls3 Corvette 10 best cars in road test
Discussion
Continual development is the key to success for any automobile, and the latest Corvette makes an excellent poster car for that proposition. Back for its seventh-straight appearance on our 10Best roster, the Vette lists 22 significant updates for 2008, even though it received a major makeover three years ago—the evolution from C5 to C6.
We appreciate upgrades to the cockpit, particularly the spiffy (albeit pricey) new leather option, but the most salient improvements are dynamic in nature. For example, manual shift engagements are crisper, and clutch-pedal effort has been reduced. More important, steering feel, long a weak point on the Corvette’s score sheet, finally does a good job of connecting the driver with the front wheels, delivering the kind of tactile information critical to confident operation at high speeds.
Speaking of high speeds, the latest standard Corvette has more of that on tap than ever before, thanks to its new 6.2-liter LS3 V-8: 430 horsepower versus a mere 400 for the previous Vette. Over the course of its past six years as a 10Best Car, we’ve called the Corvette one of the world’s best high-performance buys, an assertion that continues to be true. Now even more so.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine; rear-wheel-drive; 2-passenger; 2-door roadster, 3-door hatchback, or 3-door targa
ENGINES: pushrod 16-valve 6.2-liter V-8, 430–436 hp, 424–428 lb-ft; pushrod 16-valve 7.0-liter V-8, 505 hp, 470 lb-ft
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed auto with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.7 in
Length: 174.6–175.6 in
Width: 72.6–75.9 in
Height: 49.0 in
Curb weight: 3150–3300 lb
We appreciate upgrades to the cockpit, particularly the spiffy (albeit pricey) new leather option, but the most salient improvements are dynamic in nature. For example, manual shift engagements are crisper, and clutch-pedal effort has been reduced. More important, steering feel, long a weak point on the Corvette’s score sheet, finally does a good job of connecting the driver with the front wheels, delivering the kind of tactile information critical to confident operation at high speeds.
Speaking of high speeds, the latest standard Corvette has more of that on tap than ever before, thanks to its new 6.2-liter LS3 V-8: 430 horsepower versus a mere 400 for the previous Vette. Over the course of its past six years as a 10Best Car, we’ve called the Corvette one of the world’s best high-performance buys, an assertion that continues to be true. Now even more so.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine; rear-wheel-drive; 2-passenger; 2-door roadster, 3-door hatchback, or 3-door targa
ENGINES: pushrod 16-valve 6.2-liter V-8, 430–436 hp, 424–428 lb-ft; pushrod 16-valve 7.0-liter V-8, 505 hp, 470 lb-ft
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed auto with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.7 in
Length: 174.6–175.6 in
Width: 72.6–75.9 in
Height: 49.0 in
Curb weight: 3150–3300 lb
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