ABS is one of those exquisite inventions that automates cadence braking, a technique previously reserved for skilled humans, and makes the result available to everybody. Short for Antiblockiersystem, the initialism also conveniently stands for the English translation, anti-lock braking system. Introduced by Mercedes and Bosch in 1978, it’s now a standard fitment on every car. ABS not only saves lives but also, in less serious situations, a lot of tears, fights, gnashing of teeth, ‘if only’ soul-searching and money. Cadence braking is a technique used to generate the maximum possible braking force available from a tyre contact patch on a slippery surface in a given time and distance. Just as important, it allows you to maintain steering control at the same time. When a wheel is locked up on a wet road, for instance, the contact patch is generating less grip than the instant before it locked. Worse still, locked front wheels cannot steer a car. On a dead-flat skidpan, a car with all four wheels locked will drift along on the same trajectory, even if the driver twirls the steering wheel from lock to lock. To cadence brake properly (only in a car with no ABS), the driver stamps as hard and fast on the brake pedal as possible, cleanly releasing it completely each time to make sure the wheels rotate for a split second before being locked again. This does two things. It takes the contact patches to the point of maximum grip (just before the wheel locks) as frequently as possible. The effect is to provide the maximum amount of braking effort over the distance travelled. Second, each time the wheels rotate briefly, the tyre will roll in the direction it’s pointing, steering the car. ABS does a similar thing, better, and in the case of the latest Bosch ninth-generation system, 40 times a second. An ABS system consists of a unit containing electrically operated hydraulic plunger valves, an accumulator (a reservoir to store hydraulic fluid under pressure) and a pump. When the ignition is switched on, the pump pressurises the reservoir and, at the instant a wheel is going to lock, the valve controlling that brake will partially open to block further pressure to that brake, regardless of how hard the driver is pressing the pedal. If the wheel continues to lock, the plunger of the valve moves further, bleeding fluid into the accumulator. Once the lock-up has been prevented, pressure stored in the accumulator is used to reinstate pressure at the brake caliper and the process starts again and for as often as necessary. What the driver feels and hears is a high-speed juddering vibration from the brake pedal and clicking noise that feels weird, but it’s essential to keep braking as hard as possible. ABS is a wondrous technology, not just because it’s complex, but because it’s robust enough to be trusted, always. Its ability to control individual wheel braking has also enabled other major safety systems such as DSC/ESP and brake-based lane-keeping systems. Putting drivers straight Lane-keeping support, as opposed to ‘assist’, actively steers the car firmly but gently back into lane. Cameras detect the lane marking and, on cars with electric steering, the system can take partial control of it to steer. Alternatively, Bosch ABS 9 allows brakes to be gently applied on one side to steer the car in that
Origin: Under the skin: Why you can always count on ABS
BTCC 2019: BMW’s Turkington crowned champion in thrilling finale
BMW 3 Series driver Colin Turkington secured the 2019 British Touring Car Championship crown in dramatic fashion at Brands Hatch, as the title fortunes between him and his rivals see-sawed throughout the three-race meeting. Although Turkington went into Sunday’s events as clear favourite, having secured pole position for race one and holding a substantial championship points lead, his hopes were hit by an inspired victory for Honda Civic Type R racing Dan Cammish in race one, followed by a non-score in race two when he was punted into a spin by Cammish’s team-mate Matt Neal. All that drama left Turkington 25th on the grid for the final event of the season and trailing Cammish – who was leading the championship for the first time this year and eight points clear in the title standings, with Turkington’s West Surrey Racing BMW team-mate Andrew Jordan 13 points off the title leader. Even has Turkington scythed through the field it looked likely he would be frustrated in his bid for a fourth championship title, as Cammish held his cool in the pack. As the race neared its conclusion both Jordan and Turkington were ahead of Cammish, but not by far enough to deny him the title. Then, on lap 13, the title fortunes swung dramatically as Cammish suffered brake failure and was pitched off the track, backwards into the tyre wall. That left Turkington to reel off the remaining laps and sneak the title by two points, sparking huge celebrations at BMW, in stark contrast to the heartbreak at Honda. Meanwhile, the race was won commandingly by series stalwart Jason Plato (Vauxhall Astra). It was his 97th win in the championship. Race two had earlier been won by Ash Sutton (Subaru Levorg), while Cammish had ignited his title hopes with a brilliant drive on slicks in the wet to go from 12th on the grid to win race one. That, combined with an assured drive to third in race two after Turkington’s misfortunes, had looked to be enough to earn him his first title in the series until disaster struck just two laps from the end of the final race of the season. It marked his first non-finish in
Origin: BTCC 2019: BMW’s Turkington crowned champion in thrilling finale
Dubai’s now using supercars to build its ambulance fleet, too
Apparently Dubai is running out of things to do with all its supercars, because now its turning the darn things into ambulances.It seems like a skit out of Top Gear — we cant help but think of Jeremy Clarkson piloting a Porsche 944 to the aid of some poor schmuck with a severed artery, but the vehicles Dubais adding to its paramedics services fleet are obviously more capable than a 30-year-old four-cylinder Porsche.In fact, the three new vehicles doled out to the forces first responders will be a Chevrolet C7 Corvette, a Nissan GT-R and a Range Rover. No trims are specified for the vehicles, but the Range Rover will be a dedicated female responder, staffed by an all-female EMT team. (Some conservative families in the kingdom dont allow men to treat women patients.)Without thinking too hard about it, this seems like a great plan for first responders who need to get to the scene as quickly as possible. In a life-and-death situation, seconds really do count, and the launch control in the Nissan GT-R should help nicely with cutting back on those seconds. In reality, the vehicles wont be used too often for actual emergencies. Instead, theyll likely be carted around to special events and used as demonstration vehicles. Wed expect theyll be fully staffed by professionals should a problem arise, but theyre not a total solution.The ambulance fleets siblings in the Dubai police force include some even more serious performers, like a Bugatti Veyron, a LaFerrari and an Aston Martin
Origin: Dubai’s now using supercars to build its ambulance fleet, too
Marque de Triomphe: Citroen centenary road trip
Leaping years ahead, sometimes even decades, is what Citroën is most famous for. It has made cars that levitated. Cars whose headlights peered around corners. Cars with suspension resembling frogs’ legs, their wheels able to cross terrain usually the habitat of tractors. Citroën has made cars inspiring learned philosophical prose, cars transporting cinematic love stories, cars to traverse remote parts of the planet and cars whose ingenious inner plumbing helped save a French president from assassination. Citroën is still innovating today, if not at the rate that it did during its first 50 years of life, and it may be about to innovate more boldly again, if its latest Ami One urban car and centenary-celebrating 19_19 concepts are genuine in their ambition. But that’s in the future. Right now, we’re driving Citroën’s new C5 Aircross to Paris, birthplace of the company and location for various centenary celebrations, among them a 100-car display of Citroëns on the site of the original factory at Quai de Javel. The C5 Aircross doesn’t present the extreme styling of some of these cars and trucks, but its make-up certainly mirrors the emphasis on practicality and comfort that has distinguished some of the marque’s most famous models, from the 1934 Traction Avant to the 2CV and today’s C4 Cactus. The C5’s novelties include Citroën’s Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension, an ingenious rethink of the traditional bump-stop that allows the car to ride on softer springs and dampers without listing like a holed ship. The suspension is intended to complement comfort seats whose 15mm of extra foam topper aims to further soothe, a feature that’s standard on the C5’s top two Flair and Flair+ trims. Our car is the latter version, pulled by a 180bhp 2.0-litre diesel via an eight-speed automatic. The practical end of the equation is provided by an almost totally flat floor – rare, despite the domination of propshaft-free front-wheel drive these days – and a back bench whose centre seat is as big as those flanking it, another rarity. They’re hardly the reinvention of the motorcar, these features, but they’re evidence of Citroën’s rekindled quest to design exceptionally comfortable cars that are down-to-earth useful. The C5’s more softly absorbent ride is evident within metres of leaving Autocar’s road testing HQ in Feltham, where there are plenty of small-to-medium-scale bumps on the urban back roads to the M25. The Citroën sponges them up, often with a serenity redolent of the days when almost every French car rode with the supple elasticity of a bounding frog (no pejorative intended). But interruptions to this pillowy comfort occur, sometimes abruptly, if the C5 strikes a bigger, more invasive bump, the car being jostled in ordinary, unsophisticated style. Citroën’s old hydropneumatic suspension would cope better, but a chassis insider met later at the celebrations reveals that there are more Hydraulic Cushion developments on the way to tackle this issue. It would nevertheless be great to see more engineering solutions worthy of the man whose name appears on these cars. The restlessly inventive Andre Citroën was not only the driver of up-to-the-minute engineering, but also an energetic marketer of his company and his cars, the boldness of many of his ideas worthy of today’s tech companies. Take finding your way. Today, we have sat-nav, Google Maps, Waze, signposts and a (fairly) logical road numbering system. But when the car was young and most journeys short, navigating a route beyond familiar territory was at best frustrating, at worst hazardous. In 1921, Citroën began a collaboration with France’s Automobile Club that saw a network of Double Chevron-branded signposts – France’s first – deployed across the country. That way, his brand couldn’t fail to be noticed by motorists and just about every other road user. Today, those Double Chevron road signs are long gone, their directing and publicising jobs done. Andre Citroën might be amazed at the reach of the company now, even if it is far from the biggest car brand on the planet. It was an early player in new, not-quite-capitalist late 20th-century China, the world’s biggest car market and one of Citroën’s most crucial despite recent turbulence, it’s big in Europe, big in parts of Africa and intent on becoming bigger still, especially beyond its home continent. On the rather less adventurous venue of a wide, lightly trafficked autoroute, the C5 feels stable, relaxed and impressively quiet, the calm spoiled only by occasional wind noise and, if you work it hard, a diesel that airs too much of its rattling grumble. The relative novelty of sitting high in a Citroën (the C3 Aircross SUV is pretty new too, and few remember the Mitsubishi Outlander-based C-Crosser) adds an aura of light indomitability to the C5 mix as we do battle in the tollbooth grand prix. This is a race won with wits as much as grunt, although the 180 BlueHDI has plenty of that –
Origin: Marque de Triomphe: Citroen centenary road trip
Electrify Canada planning 20 new 350-kW charging stations across the country
Volkswagen built Electrify America, its U.S. multi-brand-compatible network of EV charging stations, as part of a settlement with authorities there over its Dieselgate scandal. But now the automaker has voluntarily expanded that effort with a Canadian arm to give electric vehicle owners that same level of charging access.Electrify Canada announced early October that it plans to open 20 350-kW-capable charging stations at Canadian Tire locations in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.While you wouldnt be able to jet clear across Canada via the charging network, youll now probably be able to take reasonably long journeys in the western and central parts of the country with a properly long-range electric vehicle, that is.The only car that can utilize the 800-volt chargers to their full potential is, currently, the Porsche Taycan, which can be charged at up to 270 kW. (Electrify Canadas chargers offer up to 350 kW of charging power.) Teslas Model 3 can charge at only 250 kW right now, and other brands EVs charge at about 150 kW.Charging stations for multiple types of connectors will be available; all stations will have a 350-kW CCS DC fast-charging connector, as well as one with 50-kW CHAdeMO fast-charging. The rest of the stations chargers will offer 150-kW CCS fast-charging.Pricing is based on 75-kW-, 125-kW- and 350-kW-per-minute power levels. There is a $1 session fee per charge-up, but an Electrify Canada Pass+ is only $4 per month, which waives the session fee and knocks the cost down by roughly 20 cents per
Origin: Electrify Canada planning 20 new 350-kW charging stations across the country
Inside Alvis: reviving a long-lost British car maker
‘Decarbonise the engine and report. Check power steering and front wheel alignment. Straighten up front bumper. To be completed by Thursday May 13th, please.’ So wrote Group Captain Douglas Bader, the celebrated RAF fighter ace, in a letter to the works service manager that he left on the seat of his Alvis ahead of its annual checkup. It’s contained in a bundle of correspondence relating to Bader’s many Alvis cars (each featured a Spitfire mascot), just one of thousands of copies of customer correspondence that Alvis has received since being founded in 1919 and still keeps and refers to, in addition to the vehicle records for each of the 22,000 cars it has produced and 17,000 technical drawings relating to every major component it has ever designed and manufactured. “My chief interest when acquiring the company was these documents,” says Alan Stote, the energetic 71-year-old boss of Alvis who bought the company from its retiring owner in 1994. “I’m very interested in 20th century industrial history.” Fortunately for Alvis, Stote is interested in not only the company’s past but also its future. To that end, the former Goodyear tyre apprentice, who went on to make a fortune in remould tyres before selling his company in 1988, has launched a series of six Alvis continuation models based on two different chassis – three pre-war cars, each powered by an Alvis 4.3 straight six, and three post-war cars with 3.0-litre Alvis engines under their bonnets. Prices start at £250,000. So far, four cars have been built (each takes two years) at the company’s Kenilworth base and orders for five more have been received from Alvis’s distributor in Japan. Depending on the variant, production of each continuation model is limited to five or 25 cars. Engines in the pre-war 4.3-litre models are newly manufactured copies of the original motor, based on Alvis’s detailed technical drawings, albeit with some modern updates including fuel injection, electronic ignition, battery management and an ECU. The blocks and heads are cast in West Bromwich and the cranks and rods in Hinckley by Arrow Precision. Remarkably, the 3.0-litre post-war continuation models are powered by engines that Alvis manufactured in the 1960s and have been sitting in stock ever since. They’re minutely checked prior to fitment. New ones can be made if necessary. Alvis was founded by engineer and businessman Thomas G John in Coventry in 1919. Six years later, it became the first car maker to design and race a front-wheel-drive car. Three years after that, its front-drive cars claimed first and second places at Le Mans. In 1933, it designed the first all-synchromesh gearbox and later that year produced the first British car with independent front suspension. The war caused Alvis to shift its focus to the production of military vehicles and aero engines for the RAF, but after hostilities ended, car production resumed. Eventually, in 1967, Alvis stopped building cars. The following year, it relocated to Kenilworth, from where it concentrated on making parts for Alvis cars under the Red Triangle brand and restoring and servicing vehicles for customers. Over 50 years later, under the ownership of Stote, the company is still restoring cars and making and distributing parts around the globe for the 4800 Alvis models that remain on the road. Around 200 pass through its workshop each year. On the day I visit, Stote greets me in the company’s large showroom, filled with Alvis models of all ages. Stote’s enthusiasm for Alvis is infectious. He soon has me cooing over a 4.3-litre Bertelli Sports Coupé. I’m more familiar with the later, more restrained Park Ward-bodied TF21 cars, and there are a few in the showroom, but the pre-war 4.3s are stunning. However, all but the earliest Alvis models on display share a graceful, perfectly proportioned, low-slung look. Unfortunately, none is available to drive, so I’ll have to imagine how they feel. From the showroom, we walk the few hundred yards or so to the main workshop, a large three-storey building where the company’s 22-strong team of parts experts and craftsmen and women toil. It’s a fascinating place, with old Alvis heirlooms, including those original engines and even the original parts bins from 1929, rubbing shoulders with state-of-the-art production and vehicle testing machinery. Old and new skills rub shoulders, too. For example, in one area, Daz, an expert in aluminium work, is shaping the body panel of a continuation model using an English wheel. Every so often, he places it against a full-sized wood buck of the car to determine the accuracy of the curvature he’s forming. Watching him is Alistair Pugh of A2P2 Specialists Reverse Engineering, a specialist supplier, who uses a laser to digitise the original Alvis bodies to the last millimetre in order to generate the data necessary to produce the buck Daz is referencing. Stote now leads the way to another building containing
Origin: Inside Alvis: reviving a long-lost British car maker
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the world’s most expensive mullet
Rolls Royce SUV in White Rock, NM (and Anasazi Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico)Douglas Merriam for Rolls-Royce The classic definition of a “mullet” – business up front, party in the back – typically applies only, at least in the automotive world, to Chevrolet’s ungainly El Camino crowd. But Rolls-Royce, having finally joined this, the automobile industry’s most crowded automobile sector, has staked a claim on four-wheeled mullet-dom with a huge – nay, dominant – ostentatious, glamorous off-roader. And when you wed, and weld, two such disparate concepts into one vehicle, you have to anticipate the raised eyebrows that come along with the applause.Named after the largest diamond ever mined, the Cullinan is the world’s most expensive, gorgeous, ridiculous SUV ever. It’s really not fair to put it in a class with other SUVs. While upscale brands all went SUV later than everyone else, there was no denying there was too much money lying around the segment to ignore. When I interviewed Ian Callum, Jaguar’s long-time chief designer, for instance, at the launch of the F-Pace, he openly sighed and said he’d pushed back as long as he could — against the idea. SUVs are a no-brainer, even among the elite. Even, as it turns out, Rolls-Royce. And, when you have just four models in your lineup and youve been the most celebrated manufacturer since the turn of the last century, to add something like the Cullinan to your parade is a statement. Rolls-Royce, unlike lesser marques, doesnt have to chase after customers. But the introduction of this car is a signal it understands and acknowledge the brand, long the staple of the oldest of old money, simply cant ignore the fact there is a lot of new money out there.Lots and lots of new money. If the traditional Rolls-Royces are sought after by the Downton Abbeys of the entertainment world, its todays athletes and musicians, swimming in fortunes quickly accumulated and sometimes just as quickly spent that prompt the storied manufacturer to retain the status of the brand while appealing to individuals who are themselves a brand.Its tempting to say its a case of if you cant beat em, join em. but this car isnt even close to anything else calling itself a sport utility. The deeply luxurious seating is made from only bull hides (no girl cows need apply); the lambswool carpeting is thick enough to resemble fur; and the wood and aluminum finishes are made from, well, wood and aluminum. There is no faux anything, and you can individualize to your hearts content.No ask is too big with Rolls-Royce, and bespoke finishes can run $40,000 to $50,000 (Canadian). If you chose one of the more exclusive finishes that include glass, silver, gold or even diamonds, that number can go much higher. When theyre hand-building you a car, you truly can have it your way. From the front, it’s classic Rolls-Royce, with the Spirit of Ecstasy unfurling her nightgown as she flies down the road. Or off the road, as we’re going to pretend will be the case. Powered by a 563-horsepower twin-turbo 6.7-litre V12 engine, it flies. The cabin is silent, save for one of the most incredible in-house sound systems you will find in any car, anywhere. As we prowled around the Santa Fe countryside, the run-flat tires finally threw back a little road noise on the gravel fire roads. It’s Rolls-Royce’s first offering with all-wheel drive, and the 637 foot-pounds of torque would effortlessly power even this 2753-kg (6069-lb) comfort kingdom up a mountainside (sand if you’re in Saudi Arabia, snow if you’re in Aspen). Rolls Royce SUV in White Rock, NM (and Anasazi Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico) Douglas Merriam for Rolls-Royce If you manage to wreck a tire, in true regal fashion, you dont change it yourself you cant, since there isnt a spare. You just call for assistance. They say theyll come get you no matter where you are, a promise that will undoubtedly rarely be tested. The point of the Cullinan is to let everyone know you could go conquering the wilderness if you really wanted to, not to actually do it.There is no need to select from the off-road settings you might be accustomed to in lesser rugged rigs. You simply punch a button that says, rather vaguely, “off road” and satellite linkage determines what’s to come, and the car sets itself up accordingly. Attending the Santa Fe Opera House after a day off the road was a fitting close. They let you tailgate here, and the Cullinan has an optional picnic table and two chairs (leather-wrapped, of course) that pop out of that clamshell hatchback. Inside, you can get a fridge, and two champagne flutes are neatly tucked into the space between the rear seats. The overhead panoramic roof is intergalactic, with space for my cowboy-hatted head. Heck, I could even go ten-gallon.You can drop those rear seats if you need to head to Home Depot, though it’s hard to imagine a more not do-it-yourself owner than someone who has just plunked out a half-million or more for this
Origin: The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the world’s most expensive mullet
Father sues Tesla, saying son’s fatal fiery crash should have been survivable
A fiery crash that killed two California teens is being blamed on batteries, according to multiple lawsuits from the victims families.James B. Riley, the father of the driver, is now suing Tesla for the crash, which the lawsuit alleges should have been entirely survivable, according to the Detroit Free Press.In May of 2018, Barrett Riley and his friend Edgar Monserratt died after he lost control of his fathers Tesla Model S at 187 km/h. Another friend was thrown from the car and survived.The family of Edgar Monserratt had already filed a similar lawsuit against Tesla in January. Both of the suits blame the cars lithium-Ion battery pack for the occupants deaths, since it exploded upon impact with the brick wall. They said and wrote and published that they were going to compensate by putting this fireproofing material in but they never put the fireproofing material in, Riley said. Tesla intentionally removed safety features that engineers intentionally put in those (battery) cells to protect property and protect life.The vehicle originally had a speed limiter installed after Barrett got a speeding ticket for doing 177 km/h. The lawsuit also says the accident occurred because the speed limiter was removed without their consent or permission.According to a statement from Tesla issued earlier this year about the accident, no car could have withstood a high-speed crash of this kind. According to the Rileys, Barrett was uninjured due to the crash, and it was the fire that ensued that killed
Origin: Father sues Tesla, saying son’s fatal fiery crash should have been survivable
BMW, Rolls and Toyota Supra backup camera recall impacts 250,000 new vehicles
2020 Toyota SupraHandout / Toyota BMW is recalling more than a quarter of a million cars in North America for a software glitch that may prevent the backup camera feed from displaying when the car is put in reverse.There may be up to 51 affected BMW-built models stretching back to model year 2020, including the 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom and 2019 Cullinan SUV; the 2020 Toyota Supra and twin BMW Z4; and various trims of the BMW 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series and 8 Series from 2018 to 2020, including some M performance and xDrive variants.The model year 2018 thru 2020 BMW X3 SUV is also affected, as is the 2019 and 2020 BMW X4, X5, X6 and X7 SUV. Adjusting the back-up camera display settings in some of these vehicles will render the rearview image no longer visible, and it may keep that setting the next time the car is put into reverse, too. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified beginning in November, and dealers will update the cars software.Nissan and Infiniti recently recalled more than 1.2 million vehicles for a similar
Origin: BMW, Rolls and Toyota Supra backup camera recall impacts 250,000 new vehicles
Car Review: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
OVERVIEW End of the road for front-engined Corvettes and a fine send off PROSBrutal speed, classic looks, surprisingly ample storage space CONSAutomatic transmission is not a great one, competition seats really mean it VALUE FOR MONEYExcellent WHAT TO CHANGE?Any flaw the test car had, could be fixed with the option sheet HOW TO SPEC IT?Give me the Grand Sport with the standard seats and a stick The Chevrolet Corvette is not a slave to tradition. Its a slave to function it hasnt remained front-engined all this time simply because enthusiasts want the engine in a certain place to preserve the classic Corvette formula. GM has done so because this aids its function.Sometimes, that function is less sexy than lap times: In the days when the Corvette shared suspension components with the Chevelle, it kept the overall cost down and allowed more generous cargo room, making it a proper long-distance car.But the design has always been purpose-driven. The purpose of the C7 Corvette was to take the front-engined formula as far as it would go. Even Ferrari knows front-engined sports cars are a rose-tinted throwback to the past, and that the future is mid-engined. The upcoming mid-engine C8 changes the Corvette formula weve known for 66 years, but before we drive the C8, lets see what the final hurrah! of the front-engined Corvette brings us.Sheathed in fiberglass as theyve been from the beginning, the C7 slices a menacing profile. The hood is long and low, bounded by muscular bulges. Every corner of the C7 is sharp, violent and trimmed with black aerodynamic bits. The wings, scoops and vents are all very real, and you can feel the heat roiling out of them after a spirited drive. This is the supercharged Z06 variant; slide into the cockpit and a data plaque proudly tells you this rocket makes 650 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque. There are a lot of Corvette sub-models and the Z06 is second from the top; above it sits the all-conquering 755-horsepower ZR1 track animal. Below is the base, naturally aspirated Vette with 465 horsepower, as well as the Grand Sport which, interestingly enough, is essentially a Z06 but with the base engine. In addition to said supercharged engine, the Z06 gets wider fenders, a host of aerodynamic enhancements and wider tires. They measure 285 millimetres up front, and a full 335 in the rear.The C7 is also the last Corvette to offer a manual transmission; you can spec the seven-speed manual in any Corvette model, but in an odd move, this particular Z06 had the eight-speed automatic. Talk about a missed opportunity.Climbing into the C7, youll see something no future Corvette will ever give you: A long hood with a V8 underneath. The raised fenders hearken back to the C3, and the view is reminiscent of the older car from behind the wheel. In Z06 form, the pronounced center bulge never lets you forget a fat supercharger sits atop the LT5 engine.The rest of the interior is beyond reproach; compared to the Little Tykes/Tupperware adventures of the C5 and Cobalt-like C6, the C7 is a revelation. I like the dramatically sweeping cockpit that surrounds the driver, and the digital cluster and central tachometer tell you this is a car to drive. Alcantara covers the dash binnacle, shifter and steering wheel. And dont forget the oh-so-trick quilted suede headliner. Corvette interiors have come a long way.And so have the seats! Theyve almost gone too far, actually. The test car was equipped with the optional Competition seats, and, boy, does GM mean it. They have adjustable side bolsters, but they really only adjust from too tight to even more tight. I cant imagine that wider people would be very comfortable in them, but if you want to do real track work in your Z06, these seats certainly hold you in place. Did I also mention that the passenger gets two Oh, crap! handles? There are plenty of cubbies for your things and the rear cargo area is more than generous for a couples luggage for a weekend getaway. The Corvette likes being driven slowly or straight-up fast. None of the quickly malarkey for the Z06. Around town, the automatic is buttery smooth, the shifts almost imperceptible. The ride is sports-car-firm for sure, and without the optional Magnetic Ride Control, it just kind of is what you get all the time, no bumpy-road modes to be found.In the city, the major downside is the constant battle of the various fans against underhood heat, doing their best to keep the engine cool; they must use a lot of energy because urban fuel mileage is downright atrocious. On the highway, though, the Corvettes double-overdrive automatic and extremely long 2.41:1 rear axle gears drop engine revs down to under 2,000 at brisk highway speeds, easily loafing the Corvette along and getting a respectable 10.2 L/100 kilometres.And when you want to go fast, the Z06 is willing and ready. It will absolutely catapult you into the horizon at any speed. The rear tires are massive, but theyll still
Origin: Car Review: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
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