2008 CHEVROLET Corvette

Z06 compresses time and space.

Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 3 Value Rating: 5

With 500 or so horsepower in a 3200-lb. car, things happen a lot faster than you expect, and you get from point A to point B a lot faster than you expected. And this isn't the first fast car I've owned. But I'd love the Z06 if it had half the power--the Corvette team "added lightness" (aluminum, titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber) and the car feels alive. Yet the Z06 isn't particularly punishing, except for the gas bill. The handling is sharp, up to a point. I've never tracked it, and the car's limits are so high that it's difficult or impossible to explore them on the street, but my sense, based on some "spirited" driving in the hills, is that you take a Z06 past 8/10s at your peril. It's extremely easy to get the car out of shape with a little too much throttle, even at low speeds. Whether there's too much power for the chassis, or the chassis doesn't give enough feedback for the car to inspire confidence at or near the limit, I don't know. Probably both. The unpredictability is part of the thrill, of course, but I'd think twice before turning off the traction control. Anyway, it's the first car in 46 years of driving that hasn't ended up boring me. Tremendous bang for the buck, as long as you can keep it pointed straight.