Most Corvettes are rear-wheel drive, but the new E-Ray is the first Corvette with all-wheel drive. That AWD system is entirely electric. It consists of a 160-hp motor on the front axle that can power the car alone at modest speeds for 3-5 miles. It’s better at adding power and torque up front to improve performance. 

How fast is the Chevrolet Corvette?

The Corvette Stingray 6.2-liter V-8’s 490 hp (or 495 hp) doesn’t have not much more power than the last of the front-engine Corvettes, but it’s much faster, with a 0-60 mph time of just 2.9 seconds and 11.2 seconds in the quarter mile. The V-8 purrs demurely when cruising and growls when pushed. It’s not as loud as the new Mustang. 

Only one transmission is available, an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic, and it shuttles power to the rear axle exclusively, even in the AWD E-Ray. While we would love the ability to row our own gears, the dual-clutch is better for straight-line acceleration and track times. It shifts quickly and crisply, chooses the right gear for the need, and owners can use the steering wheel shift paddles to choose their own gears. 

The Corvette carries 60% of its weight in the rear, but wide rear tires and a well-tuned front and rear double-wishbone suspension give it great balance and grip in corners. It stays flat in turns, and the electric-assist power steering provides quick responses and plenty of feedback. 

We’d opt for the Z51 Performance package, which includes a performance-tuned suspension that can be lowered for track days, Brembo brakes, a unique rear spoiler and front splitter, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer performance tires, the performance exhaust, an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a performance axle ratio, and additional cooling. This package gives the car real track capability and sharpens its responses. 

Chevy outfits the Corvette with 12.6-inch front rotors and 13.6-inch rotors at the rear, but the Z51’s brakes are 13.3 and 13.8 inches, respectively. The base brakes are strong, the bigger brakes are better, and Chevy even offers carbon-ceramic brakes that can handle a lot of track driving.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06

The Z06 is powered by the LT6 5.5-liter V-8. With a flat-plane crank and with dual-overhead camshafts, it makes 670 hp and 460 lb-ft and revs up to 8,600 rpm. It’s a faster, louder beast that buzzes like a hive of angry hornets.

The wheel and tire sizes grow to 275/30R20 up front and 345/25R21 at the rear, with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires standard and optional Michelin Pilot Cup 2 Rs that are almost racing slicks. The suspension also gets a firmer tune, the brakes are bigger, and carbon-fiber wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes are available. A Carbon Aero Package employs dive planes, a high wing spoiler, a front splitter, and side skirts to add to 734 pounds of downforce at 186 mph.

The Z06 is the track machine of the lineup. It has the sharpest responses and firmest tuning of any Corvette, so much so that it becomes a little too harsh to drive every day. 

Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

With its front motor and Stingray engine, the E-Ray’s 655 hp is just a little shy of the Z06. However, it’s even quicker than the Z06 due to the immediate torque of the motor and the additional grip of all-wheel drive. It hits 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds compared to 2.6 for the Z06, and it covers the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds, a tenth quicker than the Z06.

All-season tires come standard, so Chevy says the E-Ray is the year-round Corvette. We wouldn’t drive it in the snow, though. It can also be had with summer performance tires, and those would be our choice. The AWD system helps pull the car through corners, adding a bit of balance, and softer suspension tuning than the Z06 makes the E-Ray easier to live with daily.