2023 Chevrolet Corvette

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.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

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 skidpad. Even in base form, however, the new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette is capable of heroic handling and delivers big thrills on both road and track.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette earns EPA fuel economy ratings of 15 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined. We subjected it to our own 200-mile highway fuel-economy test and recorded 26 mpg, 1 mpg less than expected.

The last generation–remember the Corvette with the engine in the front?–managed a 27 mpg result in the same test. For more information about the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The Corvette remains a pure two-seater, and the futuristic interior is lined in materials such as leather, real metal trim, and imitation suede; it even has a fancy stitched headliner. Speaking of the roof, it’s removable on the coupe, just like those of previous Corvettes, and it fits inside the trunk that’s just aft of the engine compartment.

The rear trunk also can accommodate two golf bags, and a front trunk offers space for luggage or cargo while the roof is stowed. The driver sits behind a squared-off steering wheel and a 12.0-inch reconfigurable gauge display; a large infotainment touchscreen is angled toward the driver for ease of use.

The interior design takes the driver-focused concept to the max, bisecting the cockpit with a tall bank of switches for the car’s climate-control system. Overall, the new Vette’s cabin is quite good. Upgrading to the 3LT package gets you upgraded materials such as sewn leather on most of its interior surfaces, plus carbon-fiber trim.

The new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette offers two trunk areas, one ahead of the passenger compartment and one behind the engine, for a total of 13 cubic feet of storage space. Chevrolet says the Corvette can fit two sets of golf clubs in the rear compartment when they are stacked on top of each other.

In our testing, we were able to fit our set of clubs easily, so Chevy’s claim seems valid. When it came to see if there was room for our carry-on-size suitcases, we were able to fit one in the Corvette’s front trunk and two in the rear compartment.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette uses Chevrolet’s Infotainment 3 Plus system, which features an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth audio streaming, a 4G LTE mobile hotspot, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The system is easy to use and quick to respond to commands.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Corvette can be had with a limited number of driver-assistance features, and none are standard on the base model. For more information about the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.

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Full Specifications