2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Up Close
The all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is the seventh-generation of this iconic American sports car, and it represents the biggest design leap in recent memory for the car, which has taken an evolutionary design route for the past few generations. In forgoing some of the Corvette’s traditional design cues, the C7 attains a more muscular, modern look.
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The Corvette’s new face is reminiscent of another great American sports car: the all-new SRT Viper. From the exposed headlights, which include sleek LED accents, to the gaping lower grille, there’s more than a passing resemblance to the re-born Viper. But while the Viper has a hulking look, the Corvette’s lines give the design a sharp precision — especially the body sides with their defined rocker creases and shoulder lines. With the reintroduction of the Stingray name to the car, there’s also a Stingray badge aft of the front fender vents.
The car’s rear is even more visually modern than the front, with a design that largely ditches the circular taillights, which have been used on Corvettes for years, for a more rectangular style that’s similar to the current Camaro’s. The new taillights combine with a tall rear diffuser that eliminates some of the slab-sidedness for which late-model Corvettes are known. Familiar quad exhaust tips round out the tail.
The current C6 Corvette has been frequently criticized for having subpar interior quality, and it looks like GM has addressed this shortcoming in the C7. At first glance, materials quality seems much improved, though I’ve never been a fan of the push-button door releases and those remain. The quality looks similar to some of Chevy’s newest models like the upcoming 2014 Impala full-size sedan as opposed to reaching into the realm of Cadillac luxury. Besides the touch-screen in the middle of the dash, there’s a large configurable screen in the center of the instrument panel.
Overall, the new Corvette manages to incorporate enough familiar design cues to satisfy the Corvette faithful while finding ways to evolve the design and give Chevrolet a chance at capturing buyers who might otherwise be considering more-expensive sports cars like the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911.
