Z06 . . . the best vette yet

First, and foremost, the Z06 is "fun to drive", but perhaps a bit too expensive, (and no longer in keeping with the so-called "billie bob" Corvette, nor the original FRC's goals and objective according to the book 'All Corvettes Are Red'). Considering decade old 'used' ZR-1s now sell for half the price of any 2001 Corvette, the term "billie bob" has fallen by the wayside. However, next year's 400+ HP version of Z06, should easily dethrone previous king of the hill Corvette.

The most pleasing thing I noticed is the Z06 has a really great sounding exhaust note under hard acceleration; most certainly better than any other modern era factory stock Corvette. With such a viceral sound as this, I would not be so eager to plunk down any more of my hard earned cash for an after market exhaust. Why mess with perfection?

Another pleasant surprise, the Z06, capable of taking 1G in a turn, actually has fairly decent ride quality. You can still feel the ruts and bumps in the road, but nothing bad enough to render an overly punishing ride. In fact, any more "plush" ride and you'd be hard pressed to call it an American made "sports car".

Moreover, I could very easily see myself commuting to work or going on long trips in a Z06. The Z06, like all C5s, is certainly better than any previous generation and has a healthy dose of latest innovative design feature and modern near luxury car "refinements".

At first glance (and from seeing pics in all the mags, etc), I felt the 1999 FRC and now the latest 2001 iteration was not very attractive; arguably lacking in sheer elegance and styling. No question, the Coupe and Convertible models (in that order) still get my vote for best looks, but the Z06 tends to grow on you if given a chance.

I test drove a dazzling Millennium Yellow Z06 with black leather interior and snazzy red accents on the seats. A bit flashy, but I must admit it is kind of a striking color choice and certainly commands "thumbs up" and stares of envy from the general populous.

The instrument panel, as in all C5s, is world class and the itallicized font on tach and speedo is a nice touch. I especially like the back lighting at night - truly elegant. Passenger amenities and overall ergonomics are very good too, better than one should expect in car with this one's performance credentials.

In this area, one thing that is a genuinely significant improvement over all earlier generation Corvettes is the driver's foot well. There is plenty of room to relax your left foot way down deep in that side of the footwell.

Now for bad news on the ergonomics front, perhaps a fluke in the car I drove.

The six speed shifter was very notchy and temperamental. I can live with the 1-to-4 skip shift feature, carried over from the C4, but there is no excuse for a seemingly hard to shift tranny after all these years of continuous quality improvement within Chevrolet and GM as a whole.

Based on this one flaw, in an otherwise world class sports car, I would most likely pass on this year's model. At the very least, I would test drive the car before buying to make sure this is not a problem. Hopefully, next year's model, soon to be on additional booster dose of steroids, will have corrected this apparent anomoly.

The "demonstrator" Z06 that I test drove had 1750 miles on it and in fact was pre-owned (in the words of the sales person who accompanied me on my test drive) "by a dot com
entrepeneur, but a dot com no more".

The handling of the car felt very solid and steering seemed responsive on the street. No complaints there. I did not have a chance to "exercise" the active handling sytem, but it was tempting to reach over and simply turn it off nevertheless.

For a concantenated roof line as in the Z06 hard top, I was expecting visibility out of the windows to be compromised, but this was not the case. Certainly no worse than the convertible top up. And like that model, trunk space was surprisingly roomy; more than acceptable by most sports car standards.

Although less spaceous, at least there is something to be said for greater security of any precious cargo that may need to be put back there unattended to in a parking area of a dubious nature. For that matter, the 12 disc changer CD option quite naturally belongs back there and so it is.

The only other gripes I can think of (and darn few of those to be sure) are with the options on the car. There are a few key options that IMO should be offered with the Z06, just as in the other models, for safety sake.

Both LTPWS and HUD are not offered on Z06, at least not yet as of the 2001 model. One final dig on Z06 (and this is indeed VERY MINOR), my personal perference is to have a telescopic antenna mast like that in the convertible. The added weight penalty for such an enhancing features would not be significant, notwithstanding the restoration of a spare tire. I will concede that the EMT (Emergency Run Flat) "Y" speed rated tires should remain. Thus, no spare required.

However, I would gladly pay for replacement LTPWS sensors in the EMT tire stems. Then, should a flat occur, one still would need to provide a lethal injection of "fix a flat out of a can" from the onboard accessory kit in the trunk. Albeit, a small price to pay for such a worthwhile safety feature.

Same deal for HUD (Heads Up Display). Although in next year's model Z06 that will supposedly be available if frequently (and never ending) rumored future changes in 2002 are to be believed.

While on the subject of persistent rumors, 2002 Z06 HP specs are to be aligned with where the 1995 ZR-1 left off. This, in a 400 pound lighter (and significantly more refined) car, will undoubtedly result in a new king of the hill Corvette. I think a whole lot of car buff mags are soon to be sold when these babies fall into the hands of eagerly awaiting automotive journalist.

More horsepower is generally very high on any new Corvette shoppers' wish lists. In this regard, I feel sorry for all current Z06 owners who payed way over sticker for the less powerful (385hp) model. On the other hand, because of these buyers, we have them to thank for perhaps a belated weaker demand for second year run Z06s, should the US economy continue to falter. Thus, subsequent buyers hopefully can hope to look forward to gradually falling prices.

As I recall, this is exactly what happened with the late, great, soon to be dethroned, but certainly not forgotten, ZR-1.

In conclusion, the Z06 is simply the best Vette yet.

Epilogue: For current upcoming new model year information and where to make the best deal on a brand new Z06 in North America, please send the author an e-mail request.