GM Just Can't Win! Corvette Ends Up In The Cellar In $50k Convertible Comparo

Boy, when you're on a losing streak sometimes you just can't get a break.

In this case, the shining star of GM's faithful, the Chevrolet Corvette, gets TROUNCED in this month's C&D's $50k convertible comparo.

If you are a believer that the Corvette is the BEST GM can do, then you'll be in tears when you see the cars ahead of the supposed 'Ferrari for 1/3 the price'.

Ready for the ranking?

1. 2009 Porsche Boxster S
2. 2010 BMW Z4
3. Audi TTS
4. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette

The one question that I always ask when I read these is HOW did they write all those articles with such AMAZING praise of the Corvette over the past years and how is it a TOP TEN car if it's not even first in this category?

Could the Top Ten award be like a JD Power award or MT Car of the Year? The best awards MONEY can buy?

Listen to some of the quotes in the review of the Vette and tell me if a car described like THIS should be a Top Ten Best Car?

"The Chevy felt unweildly on California's tight coastal roads"
"The suspension handles minor bumps without upset, but the residual vibrations can be felt through the whole car."
"The Lows: Chassis Flex, Slow reacting slushbox, rental car interior"

When you read this kind of stuff it sure makes you wonder about these 'Buff Books' credibility.

Hopefully, a new era is in development at C&D.

The new editor of Car & Driver Eddie Alterman who we personally know, is a really good guy but faces a HUGE challenge in a world where all mags are dying.

Some suggestions for all of the Mags...

1. Re-earn the trust of the readers with REAL tell it like it is reporting...yes, you'll lose deals from the likes of Acura/Honda (A paranoid old-school company in a wild west net world) for a while but all these companies have to be where the eyeballs are. That is why a lot advertise with us even though some wish they didn't have to because of our 'Reality PC' style. Or should we say 'Reality Mac' style these days?
2. More California attitude and WAY less Michigan.
3. Go heavy on comparo's, lite on news cause you can't beat sites like ours and no one likes old news...makes you look bad. You guys are awesome at your full car segment reviews...that is your GOLD. We'll probably never do them at that level of depth mostly because if we put 5 AutoSpies employees together for that long we'd probably all kill each other like in a science fiction movie.
4. Buy a great internet car site and ditch your net efforts. You can teach internet people about cars, but you can't teach car people about the internet no matter how 'Iconic' they are (reference Ending Road, er, Winding Road or MyRide as the examples of that)

Right now in the mag world there is the Big 4...MT, C&D, R&T and Automobile.

We believe a year from today only two will be standing.

And the two that stand will be the ones who are making REVOLUTIONARY changes to the strategies, right now.

We wish you the best of luck as C&D subscribers and as friends.

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bmwdrvr - 5/31/2009 10:26:03 PM

+2 Boost

The vette for one is not intended to compete with these cars, not to mention this review contradicts many reviews of the vettes performance even from UK mags. Ironically in its newest iteration they are saying the car is horrible, yeah right......not likely, the Vette when compared to much more expensive "performance" cars fairs much better than this.

dlin - 6/1/2009 2:11:13 AM

+4 Boost

Not sure..... what is it supposed to compete w/ then? California? But for it to lose to TTS... you can see how many people/judge out there are pro-German junkies.

dlin - 6/1/2009 3:39:42 AM

0 Boost

And as I've said so many times, C&D is absolute JUNK!

ThierryHenry14 - 6/1/2009 1:01:57 PM

+1 Boost

The reason the Vettes have always been praised is for the price, when it is compared to "higher" priced cars.

Not to take away from the Vettes, but it was not always the best performers, but because it was so much cheaper than the other cars in the test, it was praised

bmwdrvr - 6/1/2009 9:15:20 PM

+1 Boost

your not being realistic, the believe everything you hear type I guess. Unwieldy? Clearly this editor isnt used to driving many cars, if the Vette feels unwieldy, The vette may not be on everyones best or favorite list, but even those that dont like wouldnt call it unwieldy by any stretch of a word. The vette is more a supercar on a budget, than a competitor for a luxury hardtop 2 seater, a compact mid engine roadster, and Audi's version of the golf with the R20's engine, so unwieldy in a supercar sense maybe by comparison to these cars, but clearly not in the same category, by no means, and clearly if the vette feels unwieldy I can only imagine this testers experience with other cars of the Vettes' caliber, as the Vette is generally considered a nuetral handler, predictable, and very easy to drive.

globaltrader - 5/31/2009 10:41:09 PM

+3 Boost

Ok, so whats with the mid seventies picture of the vette? Who is picking on whom? Gm is going to smoke a lot of companies in short order, I will buy the first stock available!!!

Agent001 - 5/31/2009 11:31:30 PM

-2 Boost

You would think the way they described the car, they were talking about the one in the pic.

So that's why we used a photo like that.

And I don't believe the government can make any business top of its class.

They will stay alive but as a mere fraction of its old self.

001

91z4me - 5/31/2009 11:26:32 PM

+2 Boost

I really doubt the Vette experienced chassis flex. The steel spaceframe of the monocoque Corvette is one of the things that everyone praises. It is safe, light, and extremely stiff.

800over - 6/4/2009 11:24:05 AM

+1 Boost

Yeah GM was in great shape before the economic downturn....wait a sec....

SP2Hybrid - 6/1/2009 2:41:14 AM

-1 Boost

@001:
"And I don't believe the government can make any business top of its class."

The government alone is quite capable of making a royal mess out of any business but imagine the combined abilities of the govt + FIAT!!!

While GM will likely survive with all the free money being thrown their way, how long do you think it will take until Chryslat (or Fisler?) throws in the towel?

MrBratwurst - 6/1/2009 3:43:20 AM

+3 Boost

— jpnuss

|| And I don't believe the government can make any
|| business top of its class."

| Really? Just look at Airbus.

Airbus:
2007 net LOSS: 0.904 billion EUR

Boeing:
2008 net PROFIT: 2.67 billion USD

Any questions?


Sources:
http://idea.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/12927/000119312509022654/d10k.htm#tx83612_13
http://www.reports.eads.com/2007/en/s/downloads/files/financial_statements_eads_ar07.pdf

dhkss2002 - 6/1/2009 4:11:01 AM

-1 Boost

The Coxster always gets points just for showing up.

528i - 6/1/2009 6:17:47 AM

+1 Boost

At least the vette looks better than the other cars in the test.

pcar4evr - 6/1/2009 8:01:29 AM

-3 Boost

Magazines (and much worse) newspapers are dying all over the country. Anyone look at the Sunday NY Times lately - pathetic and the price is going up!

C&D has lost alo of crediblity with many enthusiasts because of its blind BMW loyalty - one of their geniuses proclaimed the E92 M3 as the best car in the world. I hope this new guy can get past the advertisement dollars, but I don't see how.

schnell330i - 6/1/2009 9:01:50 AM

+4 Boost

C&D's "blind BMW loyalty?????" check the results, BMW came in 2nd place, and theyve come in much worse in the past few years.

and they werent alone in proclaiming the e92 the best car in the world: in next months Motor Trend, their editors will come to the same conclusion:http://blogs.motortrend.com/6545156/editorial/2009-bmw-m3-the-world-s-greatest-all-around-car/index.html

So suck it up, the vette came in last for the reasons listed so dont be pissed of at C&D for still building crap when compared to the competition, take it up with chevy

ThierryHenry14 - 6/1/2009 1:15:26 PM

+3 Boost

so if Company A makes the best cars, and Company B doesnt, and in 5 tests, C&D picks company A as the winner for all 5, does it make it bias? Does C&D have to pick a second place car as a winner in order to not be bias?

I'm not saying that BMW makes the best cars, but perhaps sometimes, they are always winning in C&D tests because they are great cars!

rigid - 6/1/2009 8:10:05 AM

-1 Boost

All the reviews that loved the Vette were talking about the coupe not the convertable. From what I have heard the convertable is junk. That is a weird group to put the Vette in anyway, why was the Benz convertable not included instead that is what those other care are competing with anyway? And honestly if you are buying a convertable why would you buy anything other than a Miata? Unless you have a small weiner and need to show your neighbors you make more $$$ the Miata is everything a convertable should be.

uaw_lax - 6/1/2009 8:47:41 AM

-1 Boost

Miatas seam sort of popular buy not manly enough for me give me aq vette anyday or at the very least a sky.

stevenv1999 - 6/1/2009 8:50:17 AM

+4 Boost

This is in the convertable catagory. Bang for the buck, the Vette is always hard to beat with a fixed roof and C&D knows this. Also, the Vette has never had as nice of an interior as it's european competitors. This is something GM will need to improve with it's next gen Vette.

MrBratwurst - 6/1/2009 8:58:31 AM

+2 Boost

What Works: Powerful engine, comfortable ride quality, unmatched performance-per-dollar proposition.

What Needs Work: Shifter from the Reagan era, steering from the (first) Bush era, squeaky interior betrays flexible platform.

Bottom Line: The least refined, most thrilling sports car you can buy for $60,000.

"It's only when the tach nears its 6,500-rpm redline, and the need for a rapid upshift occurs, that the first signs of the Corvette's "quaint" design show themselves. The long throws between each gear are only part of the problem. The real killjoy is the extra resistance — and excessive clunkiness — felt through the shifter as each cog is swapped."

"The primitive shifter combines with a slow and somewhat cumbersome steering wheel to keep the Corvette well beneath the BMW M3, Lotus Elise and Porsche Boxster on the "intuitive steering" scale. If you've never driven one of those cars, you'll probably think the Corvette's steering response is "fine." But sports car aficionados know we're well past the era of having to settle for "fine" steering."

"No, this isn't the refined precision machine you'll encounter in Porsche dealerships, yet it isn't the back-alley V10 brawler they're fawning over in the local Dodge showroom, either. The Corvette effectively straddles the vast gulf between these extremes, offering enough refinement to keep you on the neighbors' Christmas card list while sporting enough attitude and muscle to feel as American as a pro wrestling pay-per-view event."

"And, in the end, the Corvette remains a capable performance machine that can hang with anything from a Honda S2000 to a Ferrari F430 if conditions (and the driver's skill) permit. The levels of lateral grip provided by the Goodyear Eagle F1 tires give the car a confident feel when hurtling between apexes, despite its relatively large dimensions and 3,000-plus-pound curb weight."

What's more, it can serve duty as a near luxury, high-speed conveyance that will keep you and yours contented for hundreds of miles, something neither the Honda nor the Ferrari can convincingly claim. At highway speeds the ride quality, even with Z51 upgrades (includes larger brakes, performance-tuned suspension and stickier rubber all around), is comfortable, damping out expansion joints and generally quelling pavement imperfections. We were further impressed by the cabin's lack of wind or road noise with the top up, even at near triple-digit speeds.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Followup/articleId=105925

gkearns56 - 6/1/2009 9:27:42 AM

+2 Boost

Herro: You could have figured if the discussion involved GM or the union members, then UAW1 would take up for his UAW kronies. Don't waste your time because he'll tell everyone "the UAW members had nothing to do with GM's downfall. It was all management fault". What's the matter UAW you worried you might not be able to milk the government for a little more pension or health insurance funds? That's what you get when you build a piece of crap like the Aztec. (See the blog on why Pontiac failed). You're a fool if you think your UAW kronies will survive. Good Riddance!!

Redwood - 6/1/2009 11:07:43 AM

+3 Boost

The 1st place finishing Boxster is on the 10 Best list and the new Z4 and Audi TTS were not around to compete. That and the coupe is also part of that "Corvette" equation, and its stiffer structure probably doesn't have those same issues. So pretty much, I don't see your problem. Seems like you're just hating on the buff mags (I refuse to call them books) for no good reason.

Whelan - 6/1/2009 1:09:31 PM

0 Boost

Mack dump truck goes up against a Fiat 500, Mini Cooper, Ford Focus. The Corvette compares against other cars that are the same size, not little roadsters. The Saturn SKY Redline or Solstice GXP would have been a better comparo than the Corvette.

thstone - 6/2/2009 4:26:55 PM

+1 Boost

My biggest suggestion for all of the car mag's (and yes, I subscribe to all four) is to find a niche and exploit it. All of the car mag's still want to be everything to everyone and that just isn't possible anymore. You lose a lot of credibility testing supercars that get 8 mpg one month and then telling everyone to "go green" the next month.

Also, it would help if there was more turnover in writers. How long has Bedard been there? He was old when I was a kid and now I am fully grown with kids in college and he's still there! And how on earth does Lindamood/Jennings keep her job? What does it take to get a fresh perspective?

GetInSitDownShutUp - 6/2/2009 9:59:17 PM

+1 Boost

As a long time C&D subscriber, I would have to say this comparison was a joke. They had automatic and manual transmissions, no Z51 package for the Vette, and the prices were all over the place. C&D even resorted to using a 2008 RENTAL for the Corvette!!! Looks like the economy is even affecting car magazines.

AgentOrange - 6/3/2009 12:34:37 PM

+1 Boost

Car rankings have a lot to do with advertising dollars.
Car mags have determined that GM will not be in a position to throw dollars their way for a while (if ever) and so, there's no cost or risk at throwing any GM product under the bus.