Make no mistake; the C8 Chevy Corvette Z06 is a triumph of engineering. It laughs in the face of all other supercar manufacturers ditching naturally aspirated engines for forced induction. It does so while carrying golf clubs all the way to its 8,600 rpm redline and 670 peak hp rating. It’s a monster.
Unfortunately, much like the great clown Pagliacci, the Corvette’s joyous performance only masks the tears brought on by its fuel economy ratings — and I say tears because holy hell, are they bad.
The figures, which were initially reported by CorvetteBlogger.com, are allegedly what GM submitted to the EPA, and they come in at 12 mpg city and either 19 or 21 mpg on the highway, depending on whether or not you choose the Z07 package (you will, duh). That works out to a combined fuel economy rating of either 14 or 15 mpg.
Now, before you all get your pitchforks out of the closet or start angrily typing feral comments, I understand that the fuel economy isn’t the point of the Z06. Really, I do. But those figures are comparable to a Challenger Hellcat, which has a substantially larger engine, a massive supercharger, the aerodynamic cross-section of a suburban mall, and approximately the same curb weight as a teaspoon of collapsed neutron star matter.
The C8 Z06 will doubtless be a world-beating, staggeringly good supercar, but if GM has to give away a Bolt with every purchase to keep its CAFE requirements in check, maybe they should have kept it at the whole engineering thing for a little while longer.