How to judge the status or popularity of a car? Is the 2015 Chevy Corvette Stingray still as iconic as it has over the last six decades? One way to find out is simply by people’s reactions. This shark grey Stingray Convertible attracted more attention than any other car this year (with just one exception of the BMW i8).
| STATS | Starting Retail Price | As Tested Price | HP / Lb-Ft |
| 2015 Chevy Corvette Stingray Convertible | $59,000 | $71,225 | 460 / 460 |
| EPA Rating MPG | As Tested MPG | Curb Lbs | |
| Rating: BUY IT! |
16 / 29 / 20 | 20.6 | 3,362 |
People want to know about the new C7 Corvette. It’s been on sale for a while, but Corvette remains an inspirational American sports car and not many are around. Did it improve? Did it get worse? How is the interior? How quick is it? What does it sound like? The questions are shared among the young, old, Chevy or Ford fans, and others.
Stingray’s propulsion comes courtesy of the new 6.2L V8 with 460 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, when you have the performance exhaust option. It comes with a choice of two transmissions. The 8-speed automatic in this tester is both smooth at cruising and capable of some aggressive track work. A 7-speed manual transmission is the other choice. You can use the paddle shifters to control the gears on the automatic, but you need to get used to a slight delay. However, just leave it in Drive or Sport mode and the transmission shifts quickly, smoothly, and will let you go to redline whenever you want.
The suspension is very well sorted and adjusts to road conditions if you have the Z51 Magnetic Selective ride control. Whether you are in Comfort or Track modes, it will not beat you up. It can be firm, but handles the expansion joints and rough surfaces nicely. It also corners very flat, while the tires provide plenty of grip.
Perhaps, the favorite feature of the car is the adjustable exhaust baffles. Push the start button, and the Stingray comes to life with a satisfying V8 burble no matter what. Leave it idling, select the Sport or Track modes and immediately hear even more American V8 rumble. This pleasure will set you back $1,195 as an option. Rev it a little to generate a great symphony and attract attention wherever you are. The sound is a very important component of the driving experience, especially in a sports car, and the C7 does not disappoint. It sounds even better under hard acceleration (watch the videos below).
When the top comes down, the price goes up and the experience is enhanced. The soft-top can be retracted or put up in under 15 seconds and at speeds of up to 30 mph. This is very handy as I found out when an afternoon shower interrupted my drive through a congested part of town. No need to pull over and go into park. Just check your speed and hold the button.
Speaking of price, this 2LT and ZF1 equipped Stingray Convertible has a final sticker of $71,225 including destination. This is starting to get pricey, but it also contains nearly $12,260 of options. It has the high-tech and cool Performance Data and Video Recorder, which can be of great help at your next race track outing. This car has the carbon fiber interior package with suede seat inserts.
The cockpit is a snug place to be, but my 6’2” frame fit nicely. You sit very low in the cockpit with a high belt-line. It provides a secure and confident feeling. It’s not cluster-phobic, even when the top is up.
The instruments and dash layout is useful and easy to get used to. There is a large LCD screen right in front of you flanked by the analog speedometer and fuel/temp gauges, a configurable color head-up display on the windshield, and the navigation/infotainment screen in the center stack. By the way, there is a hidden compartment behind the sliding center screen with a USB port. Presumably, this is where your phone goes, but you can hide anything there. Perhaps, your secret agent “license to kill”?
Fuel economy? Do you really have to ask? Actually, it’s pretty good. EPA rates the car at 16 MPG city, 29 MPG highway, and 20 MPG combined. I averaged 20.6 MPG after my regular city/highway loop and some spirited stop-light accelerations. (I was testing the sound.) On the interstate, the Corvette just hums near 2,000 rpm. There is no doubt that highway runs at 30+ MPG are possible as long as you obey the speed limit.
Which cars does the 2015 Corvette Convertible compete against? This is actually not an easy question. It’s a two-seater sports convertible. An American icon. It’s priced above pony muscle cars such as the Ford Mustang GT Convertible and Chevy’s own Camaro SS. In many cases, it punches above its class and competes against world-class performers, including the Porsche 911 and Jaguar F-Type that are priced higher. If you have $72K burning a hole in your pocket for a sports car, you should take a look at the C7 Corvette Convertible.
On the TFLcar scale of:
- Buy it!
- Lease it!
- Rent it!
- … or Forget it!
I give the 2015 Chevy Corvette Stingray Convertible an easy Buy It!
The car does everything very well. There were no hiccups or glitches, and it is an American icon that still gets all the looks and attention.
Check out all of the drag race action with the Stingray that is good at pretty much anything.
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Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFL since 2011.
