Review: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 goes to Hell and back
The new ZR1 is truly a daily driver supercar, at least for most days. Even with proper snow tires, it would be extremely unwise to attempt driving a ZR1 in the winter. The ride is comfortable enough, however, that even driving it in Michigan is tolerable, while the grip is sufficient to drive through corners at speeds that would easily get you thrown behind bars. Even the interior – while not up to the standards of Audi or Ferrari – is livable enough as long as the seats get replaced by something better. As for fuel consumption, let's just say that the ZR1 consumes premium refined petroleum – a lot of it. But with an engine like the LS9, does it really matter how much gas gets burned? At a starting price of $102,450 and out-the-door tariff of $115,300, this car truly is a bargain amongst its performance peers, which is an exceedingly small group. Cars like the ZR1, CTS-V and Volt are perfect examples of why we should hope GM emerges from its current financial malaise. GM will need to get more than its product sorted for the company to be pointed on the road out of Armageddon, but when they finally do, it's clear that the automaker already has the perfect chariot for the ride out of hell.
As wonderful as the mechanical bits of the ZR1 are, if there is one thing people have been less than enthralled with, it is the interior. The C6 Corvette isn't terrible, but compared to Paukert's R8 or virtually any other $100k car, it does feel cheap, even with the premium leather interior. The layout is fine, but much of the switch-gear and controls are carried straight over from lesser Chevrolets, some from a eons ago. Anyone who drove a cruise control-equipped GM car in the 1980s will feel right at home with the turn-signal/cruise stalk in the 2009 'Vette. Similarly, one glance at the steering wheel screams Malibu. These, however, are passable sins. There is one major functional problem with the ZR1 interior that screams out for correction.
Any car that go 200+ mph and pull 1g on the skid-pad should really have an outstanding pair of seats. The CTS-V is available with an optional set of Recaros that steadfastly hold the driver in front of the steering wheel. Even the crude and rude Dodge Viper has a fabulous set of thrones. So why does the ZR1 have to make do with seats that don't even belong in a base Corvette? Please, GM, at least offer the Recaros as an option. There are, however, aspects of being in the ZR1 that far surpass competitors, visibility being chief among those. Aside from the low roof necessitating a forward lean to see some traffic lights, visibility in all other directions is excellent, especially over the shoulders. The R8 definitely loses here.
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