Car & Driver: Chevy Corvette Z06 vs. Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911

[A Bum In A Bus]

Car and Driver has been up the butts of the foreign auto companies for years, occasionally they throw the American guys a crumb. Don't be fooled, the GT-R is a wanna-be, there's not one car in that group that can sit in the same light with the All American Vette, a real legend in the world of automobiles. Phooey on Car and Driver, they would like for you to believe they actually know their 'stuff', just another poser.

[Ambalanche]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

And honestly, I think GM needs cars like the Viper, the 911 in all its iterations, and the GT-R to keep GM's engineers' eyes on the prize. To be clear, the GT-R will make every Vette going forward that much better! Competition is a great thing for GM.

I agree, competitition is a great thing to keep continuous improvement. At least C&D did admit that the GTR in "Not Pretty" which is an understatement to me.

[Ambalanche]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

I too am fond of this color, anyone know the name of it?

Jetstream Blue

[yamahr1]

Here is the text story:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...omparison_test


If you bring up their ratings chart, the full extent of the bullsht is fully revealed. Like the GT-R gets 5 points for "rear-seat space", while of course the rest get 0 BECAUSE THEY ARE 2-SEATERS! They even rated the GT-R higher on exterior styling than the vette, which is ridiculous, seems contradicted by their own text where they describe the Nissan as "not pretty", and shows their overall import bias. Likewise with their subjective "Gotta have it" and "Fun to drive" categories, which award an extra 8+6 points over the vette.

Personally, I'd take any one of the other 3 cars over the doofy looking GT-R in a second.

[jwrebholz]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

I too am fond of this color, anyone know the name of it?

I've seen a Z06 in that color in person, and the photo just doesn't do justice. It really is gorgeous.

[chevrobill]

Strange how the #'s for the gt-r get a little slower each time it is tested.

[Ytriox]

In conclusion: it doesn't really matter which car wins. Just buy an Accord or an M3.

[eaton53]

Getting beat down, then winning because of "Gotta have it" is a Car and Driver tradition...

[big swede]

Originally Posted by eaton53

Getting beat down, then winning because of "Gotta have it" is a Car and Driver tradition...

While I'm glad the GT-R is available to the performance enthusiest I think the gotta have it factor is a huge opening for the bias claim in just about every comparison and it really needs to be done away with. I have always thought the gotta have it factor is purely up to the individual and is one of the reason you read and look at the other performance characteristics and then go for a test drive to build your own case for the car that YOU gotta have.

[heatroc]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

What's the problem with the results? You don't need a magazine to tell you how well suited the 'Vette is for its duties. 4th place finish or not, it's an amazing car with amazing lineage that has stood the test of time. While other names have come and gone-remember when the early 90's brought us "Corvette crushers" like Supra turbo, 300Z, and RX-7?-the Corvette remains an icon.

And honestly, I think GM needs cars like the Viper, the 911 in all its iterations, and the GT-R to keep GM's engineers' eyes on the prize. To be clear, the GT-R will make every Vette going forward that much better! Competition is a great thing for GM.

You couldn't be more right!

[vanshmack]

Originally Posted by eaton53

Getting beat down, then winning because of "Gotta have it" is a Car and Driver tradition...

THe "Gotta Have It" category infuriated me when C/D first began using it a few years ago. It seemed like it gave them the mechanism they needed to pick the car that they wanted to win a given comparo, not the one that's the most deserving.

Didn't the Porsche win the GHI category in this test based on it's red seat belts? I mean, at least you could make an argument for the Porsche, since it is, well, a Porsche.

At the end of the day, the GT-R is still a Nissan. Hardly much panache there.

[kodos78]

Not even going to read the article, because -- well it is C&D and they suck.
But looking at that photo -- look how ugly. I mean, really fugly that GT-R is next to the others.

The Viper looks badass as usual.
The Porsche looks like a Porsche, nothing controversial there.
The Corvette looks good.

And then you have the GT-R, which looks like an automotive catfish or something. Just offends the senses.

This car is going to look as gimmicky as a Grand Am 15 years from now.

I think it's a great sign when the Vette is the only car without a rear spoiler.

[TJ95GAGT]

I'd still choose the Vette over the rest of the group.

I think the previous GTR looks worlds better than this one and would rank higher on my gotta have it gauge.

[1G6]

I canceled C&D and MT years ago. I could flush the savings down the toilet and still be better off.

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

And it's the only AWD car in the bunch. Too me, AWD is like comparing naturally-aspirated to turbo. No comparison.

You talk to any race car driver, they will say they prefer RWD over AWD. Just as they prefer real shifters, vs. paddle shifters. And as a race fan, I prefer more in common with the race cars to the cars you can buy at a dealership. Such as H-pattern shifters. I will say, AWD is probably safer on a track. It's probably far tougher to get in trouble.

But, be sure. Nissan fans are purusing this thread to see us diss on the GT-R.

I, however, am not going to diss on it. Be sure, all 4 of these cars would be welcome in any of our garages. I think all of this is fun. The GT-R is forcing the next gen Z06 be even better.

Although, I found the driver of the GT-R was getting allot of under-steer. Seems he was taking corners to hot. Slow in, fast out. And you can plainly see the throttle-off over-steer demonstrated in the Porsche.

I think you would need plenty of seat time in each of these cars to figure out their peculiarities. From what I understand about Vipers. You really don't take corners in a Viper, you more just connect a bunch of straightaways. You connect the dots in a Viper, you go from this dot, to this dot, to this dot.

All 4 of these cars are welcome in my garage.