2011 Chevrolet Corvette Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Chevrolet Corvette review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Corvette, and includes Chevy Corvette safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette is about as close as it gets to an American exotic car. Sold in coupe and convertible body styles, the Corvette features big V8 engines, rear-wheel drive, and impressive performance and handling all wrapped in a great-looking package.

Standard Corvette models can be equipped with larger, cross-drilled brake rotors for 2011, and the optional automatic transmission receives additional paddle-shift refinements for the second year in a row. A new standard wheel design is painted silver, chromed, machined, or rendered in Competition Gray. Z06 models receive new Goodyear F1 Supercar Gen 2 performance tires for 2011, along with revised exhaust system tuning. For all models, the navigation system now comes with a USB port and an auxiliary audio input jack, and the cabin can be ordered with contrast-color stitching. Inferno Orange and Supersonic Blue are new colors, and any Corvette can be ordered with contrast-color headlamps for the first time.

There’s additional news for the Corvette Z06 in 2011, as Chevrolet adds options that bring the car a little closer to the ZR1 in performance and appearance. A new Z07 Performance Package adds Brembo ceramic brakes, larger Competition Gray 20-spoke wheels wrapped in bigger Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, and a Magnetic Ride Control Suspension. A Carbon Fiber Package adds carbon-fiber aerodynamic enhancements including a front splitter, rocker panel trim, full-width rear spoiler, and roof panel. Or, you could just opt for one of the 500 new Z06 Carbon limited-edition models planned for production, which includes all of this stuff plus a raised carbon fiber hood, a leather-and-suede interior, black wheels and exterior trim, a special engine cover, and other unique details. The Z06 Carbon is only painted in one of the two new Corvette colors.

Keeping track of all the different Corvette models available isn’t easy, but we’ll do our best to sort things out. The most popular model, in part because it is the least expensive but also because it is offered with an optional automatic transmission, is the standard Corvette. Available in coupe or convertible body styles, the Corvette arrives from the Kentucky factory in 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, or 4LT equipment designations.

The Corvette 1LT is equipped with the types of features you expect on a car that starts just below $50,000, including leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, OnStar telematics, Keyless Access with push-button start, Xenon high-intensity discharge headlights, and Eagle F1 run-flat performance tires. The Corvette 2LT adds perforated leather, a power front passenger’s seat, power lumbar and bolster adjusters, Bluetooth, a cargo net, and a luggage shade. The Corvette 3LT bumps equipment levels with a Bose premium sound system, a USB port, an auxiliary audio input jack, a navigation system, a heads-up display with a track mode, a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, heated front seats, and more. The Corvette 4LT includes the same features as the 3LT, but has a leather-wrapped interior treatment that covers the dashboard and other parts of the cabin in genuine stitched cowhide.

Options for the standard Corvette models include a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, a dual-mode exhaust system that brings a small increase in horsepower and torque, and several wheel finishes. A Magnetic Selective Ride Control Suspension is also available, and most models can be outfitted with a two-tone interior.

Next on the model roster is the Corvette Grand Sport. Identified by its wider track and fenders, larger wheels and tires, and Z06 design cues, the Grand Sport is upgraded with a performance suspension and better brakes. When equipped with a manual gearbox, the Grand Sport also gets a dry-sump oiling system, a differential cooler, and a rear-mounted battery, as Chevrolet figures there’s a chance this version might just make it onto a racetrack. Signature Grand Sport hash marks draped over the right front fender and two-tone leather seats are included in this model’s Heritage Package.

Though Grand Sports with a clutch pedal are equipped for track work, there’s no denying that the far more powerful and lightweight Corvette Z06 is the model you want for racing. Offered only as a fixed-roof coupe, the Z06 gets a strengthened manual gearbox, an aluminum frame, and fenders and doors made out of carbon fiber. A 7.0-liter V8 engine makes 505 horsepower, backed up by a retuned-for-2011 dual-mode exhaust system. Firmer suspension tuning, vented and cross-drilled brakes clamped by six-piston front rotors, and lightweight thin-spoke alloy wheels wearing Goodyear F1 Supercar Gen 2 performance tires make the best of the Z06’s prodigious power. Functional vents and aerodynamic aids have the secondary effect of setting the Z06 apart from the standard and Grand Sport models, and because the Z06 is designed to be the lightest Corvette in the lineup, many frivolities are optional, like a Bose premium sound system, navigation, extra leather cabin trim, and a variety of other items that sit on the options list.

For 2011, the Corvette Z06 can be equipped with option packages that better bridge the gap between it and the $110,000 Corvette ZR1. The Z07 Package adds Brembo ceramic brakes, bigger 20-spoke Competition Gray wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, and a Magnetic Ride Control Suspension. Add the new Carbon Fiber Package, and the Z06 is decked out with a carbon-fiber front splitter, carbon-fiber rocker panel trim, a full-width carbon-fiber rear spoiler, and a carbon-fiber roof panel. If those features sound good, you might want to grab the new Z06 Carbon limited-edition model. Only 500 will be produced, painted Supersonic Blue or Inferno Orange, and they will have the Z07 Package and the Carbon Fiber Package along with features like a raised carbon fiber hood, black wheels and exterior trim, a special engine cover, and a leather-and-suede interior treatment.

For the most powerful car General Motors has ever sold, get the Corvette ZR1. A hand-assembled, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 cranks 638 horsepower, and the Corvette ZR1 utilizes carbon fiber for its roof, vehicle floor, and exterior aerodynamic enhancements. If that’s not enough to set it apart, the engine can be viewed through a clear plastic window in the ZR1’s hood. A Magnetic Selective Ride Control suspension, a Performance Traction Management system, Brembo ceramic brakes, and a gas-guzzler tax are all standard with model. Options include a Bose sound system, a navigation system, a custom leather-wrapped interior, and other features that add more weight than usefulness.

There are three different engines that go into a 2011 Chevy Corvette. The standard model and the Grand Sport model have a 6.2-liter “LS3” V8 good for 430 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 424 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. The optional dual-mode exhaust system breathes a little freer, resulting in a horsepower bump to 436 and a jump in torque to 428 lb-ft. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, and a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters is optional. The EPA says fuel economy numbers are 16 mpg the city and 26 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission, and 15-city/25-highway with the automatic. Premium fuel is recommended, though not required.

A 7.0-liter “LS7” V8 with 505 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 470 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm is installed in the Corvette Z06, which is also the lightest of all the Corvette models. If you can’t operate a clutch, you can’t drive this car, as its six-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission choice. The Z06 is rated to return 15 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, and Chevrolet says it can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 198 mph.

A supercharged 6.2-liter “LS9” V8 resides under the Corvette ZR1’s windowed hood. Thanks to 638 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 604 lb-ft at 3,800 rpm, the ZR1 gets to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds* and achieves a maximum velocity of 205 mph. A rugged Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox gets that grunt to the rear wheels, and a gas-guzzler tax is levied against the ZR1 due to fuel economy ratings of 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

* Source: Car and Driver

Four airbags, Active Handling traction and stability control, and a tire pressure monitoring system that measures pressure in each individual tire come standard on the 2011 Corvette. Six free months of OnStar Directions and Connections service is also standard, which comes with Automatic Crash Response service, and the Corvette ZR1 also has a Performance Traction Management system. Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has performed crash tests on the 2011 Corvette.

Consumer Reports predicts that the standard Corvette will provide average reliability over time, while the Z06 model is expected to provide much better than average dependability over time. J.D. Power and Associates is also bullish on the ‘Vette, giving the sports car a predicted reliability rating of better than average.

Vehix spent a week driving a Supersonic Blue Corvette Z06, loaded with the optional leather-wrapped interior but not the performance-oriented Z07 and Carbon Fiber Packages. We certainly did not mind, because the Z06 was still a mind-blowing experience without them.

The first thing you want to do with a 505-horsepower sports car is test acceleration. So we drove out into the countryside, brought the car to a stop, and then launched it hard. Even with the Active Handling stability control system engaged, the wheels had a difficult time sticking to the pavement, so we grabbed second gear, the rear end hooked up, the dual-mode exhaust system bellowed magnificently, and the car literally screamed up to triple-digit territory. Interest in keeping out of jail for the night, we backed off with a big, fat, sloppy grin reflecting in the rearview mirror.

The next thing you want to do with a 505-horsepower sports car is test handling. So we drove into the mountains, and tackled the same stretches of twisty road that we use for all of our test cars. The Z06 seemed almost bored by the challenge, so surefooted is its grip, but this part of the drive revealed a couple of areas for improvement. Under light pedal pressure on a warm, uncharacteristically muggy day, the brakes shuddered a bit. Given the Z06’s cross-drilled front and rear rotors, six-piston front calipers, and 3,175-lb. curb weight, this was disconcerting. And, while we appreciate the fact that Chevrolet has calibrated steering effort so that more feel and heft is available when the driver wants it, the problem is that the extra feel and heft is accompanied by placing the stability control system into Competition Mode, which makes us squeamish on public highways.

As you might imagine, we drew the following conclusion: The Corvette Z06 is so utterly capable that it is unwise to attempt exploration of velocity and handling limits anywhere but a racetrack. In fact, our Supersonic Blue Z06 drew so much attention – we ended up with at least five different Crown Vics tailing us during 250 miles of driving – that you’re forced to drive like your grandmother most of the time. That would explain our 18.1-mpg fuel economy average.

Driving slow means you pay more attention to the Corvette’s interior. The seats are certainly comfortable, and the car doesn’t feel confining. There’s plenty of cargo space if you don’t mind the massive liftover height. And you can opt for a variety of creature comforts. But, as has been the case for decades, the quality of the interior materials is unacceptable at the price point.

Clearly, Chevrolet spends most of the Corvette’s development budget on engineering, and if you approach the car from this perspective, you’ll think it’s an amazing bargain.

The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette lineup is incredibly diverse. A $60,000 price difference separates the basic Corvette Coupe from the monstrous Corvette ZR1, and every model in between serves as a stair-step to better and more impressive performance. Because this Chevy offers exotic car acceleration and handling, iconic styling, and impressive durability at a relatively affordable price, Vehix recommends the 2011 Corvette.

By Christian Wardlaw