Better than the C5 in every way

My last 4 cars have been a '98 Corvette C5, a 2000 BMW M5, a 2002 Lexus SC430, and finally full circle back to a 2005 C6. I really missed my C5 ever since I sold it, and when they started talking about the changes in store for the C6, I knew I had to have one. The quality on the early C5's was just OK, but every year Chevy improved something, to the point where the 2004's were pretty solid. Keeping the Corvette team intact for the C6 was important - no matter how good a product is, the team that developed it can always think of ways to improve it - and they did. The mere fact that all of the auto magazines are comparing the $50k C6 to $90k Porsches should be praise enough, much less having the C6 come out on top in most of the comparisons. No other car in it's price category comes close to the performance of the C6.

The major improvements were squeaks/rattles, interior design, shifter, electronics (keyless ignition, GPS Navigation, XM Radio, improved HUD), horsepower ( 50) and torque. This thing pulls like a tractor.

A few nits - CD player that comes with NAV system won't play MP3's, no roof gutters gets interior wet when it's raining, no steering wheel controls for radio, no way to skip to next radio preset with a single button. Skip shift annoying (1st-4th bypass under light throttle to avoid gas guzzler tax) - first thing I did was bypass it.

A few surprises - the Z51 option surprisingly compliant, not harsh at all. Well mannered to the limit - more balanced than the C5. Shifter much better than C5 - shorter more precise throws. Also, I averaged 26 mpg on a recent 300mi trip - compare that to any other performance vehicle out there and it's an absurd achievement.