2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Convertible

Chevrolet made its own unique place both in the automobile industry and the hearts of the masses by introducing a powerful car which can appeal to the people and was even affordable. Treading on the same path, Chevy offers its pinnacle of Corvette line-up, the ZR1 and that too with a drop-top avatar.

Over the years, Chevrolet has improved the ZR1’s overall dynamics, performance and aesthetics to make it even more aggressive performance oriented car but with a hint of practicality in it. With a supercharged V8 in it, this beast can take on any car boldly.

With a drop-top and a ton of carbon fiber-infused into its body, the ZR1, no doubt, becomes not just a track ace but also takes the form a weekend getaway car that can make a dramatic entrance anywhere with a hypersonic missile like instincts in it.

The 2019 ZR1 convertible comes with 2 trims, 1ZR and 3ZR. The Vette ZR1 comes with a base price of $161,495 and goes up to $136,495 for the top trim. Chevrolet offers a 7-speed manual transmission with Active rev matching for both the trims.

This car is not just a sports car, it is a supercar slayer which comes with a powerful 6.2L supercharged V8 engine as standard for all the trims, which produces 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque. This time, Chevrolet is offering its iconic sports car in a new avatar, a convertible, for the first time in the history of ZR1.

The 1ZR variant is the base variant which comes pretty much loaded with everything except for some additional personalization options and some interior features which come as either standard or are optional for the 3ZR.

Trim	1ZR	3ZR
MSRP	$126,495	$136,495
Key features	9-speaker Bose audio system	10-speaker Bose premium audio system
	1 seat color option	Front curb view cameras
	Two 8” color touch screens	Universal home remote
	Visible body colored Carbon-fiber roof panel	Napa leather seating surfaces
	HID Xenon lighting with LED park and turn signals	Factory navigation system as standard

We recommend – As both the trims are relatively similar, some extra personalization options comes as either standard or optional for the 3ZR trim. We recommend the 3ZR version it opens the doors for some extra personalization options which are not available with the 1ZR or are optional for it. Also shelling out an extra $2995 will get you the ZTK track performance package that will add a large 9” rear spoiler along with some additional mechanical upgrades that will make the ride even more thrilling and fun.

“The ZR1’s over-caffeinated heart is a progression of the Z06’s LT4 powertrain. A significantly larger supercharger port and direct fuel injection, and internal tweaks give birth to the ZR1’s LT5 V8” – Digital trends

Engine and Transmission-

Under the hood lies the over-caffeinated motor of the ZR1 that produces an outrageous 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque, making it the fastest production Corvette ever. With its mind-boggling engine stats, this car has enough oomph to make any car think again of getting on track against this beast.

As soon as the engine is turned on, the hidden beast gets ready to unleash its wrath upon the tarmac and lay waste to its rivals out there. With just a little push to the gas, the exhaust spits out the Earth-shattering burble of the monstrous V8. The burbling sound from the exhaust feels even more refined and full of bass.

Like its coupe variant, this car is a crowd magnet but on a larger scale due to its top-down feature, and when taken on a track, this car acts like an angry monster at large laying waste to anyone coming in its way.

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
MSRP	$126,495	$125,850	$158,850
Engine	LT5 supercharged V8	5 Liter V8	4L AMG V8 biturbo
Transmission	7-speed M/T	8-speed A/T	7-speed A/T
Horsepower	755	575 hp	550
Torque (lb-ft)	715	516	502

Talking about the performance, the vette leads the pack with the highest stats among its rivals. The SVR takes the second position, closely followed by the most expensive AMG GT S finishing at the last with the least power output of just 550 hp in the pack.

When it comes to gear shifting and transmission, the vette comes with a 7-speed manual with auto rev matching which makes shifting in between the gears buttery smooth and snappy. This combination of a 7-speed manual with Auto rev matching feels like a match made in heaven. The optional 8-speed manual also works fine but lacks the natural feedback that manual has in it.

Acceleration-

The vette packs a monstrous V8 engine under the hood that silently stays there until the engine is started. This gas guzzler gets a ton of power from the beastly engine at its heart. As soon as the pedal is pushed, the car beast gets unleashed spitting out 755 hp and tormenting the asphalt by its downforce.

The new vette is a throttle happy car and gets the rider to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. The gas pedal feels natural and has a great response that enables it to spit power even when a slight push is given to it. Though it has some wheel spin when the pedal is pushed, it manages to make up for this with ease.

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
0-60 MPH (sec)	2.85	3.5	3.6
Quarter mile (sec)	10.6	N/A	N/A
Engine	LT5 supercharged V8	5 Liter V8	4L AMG V8 biturbo
Emission (Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/yr)	N/A	N/A	N/A

When compared to its rivals, the car leaves its rivals biting the dust. The vette takes just 2.85 seconds to reach 60 from a complete standstill, followed by the SVR taking 3.5 seconds and GT C finishing at third by following the Jag closely with 3.6 seconds. When taken to a drag strip, the vette proves itself as a drag king by taking just 10.6 seconds followed by the SVR. 

Braking-

The new ZR1 comes fitted with Brembo Brakes as standard that offers an exceptional braking performance. The Brake pedal is well tuned and feels natural to use and is quite easy to modulate. While decelerating, the brakes work really well and the calipers bite on the discs really hard. Overall, the braking performance of this car is really impressive, whether on city streets or on a track.

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
Front Brake (in)	15.5	15	15.4
Rear Brake (in)	15.3	14.8	14.2
Curb Weight (lbs)	3642	3729	3660
60-0 MPH (ft)	88	N/A	N/A

Ride and Handling-

As soon as the steering wheel is taken into the hands, the rider feels quite confident because of its firmness and controllability. The steering wheel is quite responsive and translates the feedback from the ride really well. Like its younger sibling, the z06, the ZR1 has a well-balanced steering column and comes with 3 driving modes to give the rider a unique driving experience in each mode.

The steering wheel is precise and its movements are well-controlled. The steering wheel feels slightly heavy a little heavy and firm but is responsive and directs the car where the rider wants it to be without taking much effort from the rider.

Kudos to the well-balanced chassis, steering wheel,and suspension system, the car has great road manners. The suspension system feels stiff but the magnetic ride control does a good job in making the ride smooth by filtering out harsh feedbacks. The car stays glued on the road and while cornering, it has negligible body roll, which makes the ride even better. 

As a performance car, the vette proves to be quite a fuel efficient car among its rivals and bags the first place as the most fuel-efficient car (19 mpg) followed by the Jaguar and GT C roadster, sharing the second place together. 

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
MPG (hwy)	23	24	20
MPG (city)	16	16	15
MPG (combined)	19	18	18
Tank cap. (gal.)	15.4	18.5	19.8

When tank capacity is taken into consideration, the GT C roadster takes the lead with the maximum tank capacity of 19.8 gal, closely followed by the F-type with 18.5 gal and the Corvette finishing at the 3^rd with just 15.4 gal.

“This two-seater is cozy but wide enough across to allow enough wiggle room so that it never induces claustrophobia” - Edmunds

Seating and Comfort-

It’s a common notion that a 2-seater vehicle can’t be spacious and comfortable. Chevrolet breaks this notion offering quite comfortable and spacious interiors with so much space left to stretch. Though not for relaxing, this car will definitely make the ride comfortable after a long day at work and will make the rider feel like sitting on a couch.

All thanks to the well-bolstered seats, the seating feels quite comfortable. The vette comes with standard GT seats and offer an option for performance-oriented competition seats which feel more comfortable than the standard GT seats. The upper trim comes with heated and ventilated seats to make the ride even more comfortable and less taxing for the body. 

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
Passenger Capacity	2	2	2
Front row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in)	37.9/55.2/43	37/56.5/43	38.7/55.2/43
Second row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in)	-/-/-	-/-/-	-/-/-

While getting in, the door handles lie in a little cubby space in which the rider has to put the hand to open the door. because of its low stance, the rider has to get low to get in which makes it slightly difficult to get in due to the steep windshield and aggressive interiors, but when the top is down, getting inside becomes even more easier.

The control panel is driver-centric as all of the controls are slightly tilted towards the rider which makes them accessible. The controls are easy to understand, all thanks to the labels on or around them.

Infotainment-

With so much happening on the inside, the interior looks far from being simple. With lots of angles and curves incorporated, the interior looks so busy yet so sophisticated with all of the controls in driver’s reach. The dashboard incorporates a large 8” touchscreen which is crisp and vibrant. Also, there is a hidden storage space behind the touchscreen which can be accessed by pressing a button present on the side of the screen.

The car comes equipped with all of the features to keep the ride and the driver, both entertained. The vette comes bundled with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 9-speaker Bose premium sound system or 10-speaker Bose premium sound system with 2LZ and 3LZ variants. Also, there is a small display present in the gauge cluster which is configurable as it can be programmed to display all of the technical data of the car.

There is also a transparent HUD, which displays all of the necessary data like car speed, time etc. and also helps the rider to focus on the road. Its positioning, though is not that great as it competes for the visibility with the hood bump.

Cargo space-

Another notion that many people share is that the convertibles aren’t as practical as the coupes as they don’t offer a substantial cargo space for storage. The Corvette proves this fact false and offers a great cargo space of 10 cu.ft. Also when the top is down, the cloth top takes up very less space so the boot remains almost empty.

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
Maximum interior cargo volume (cu.ft.)	10	7.3	5.8

When compared to its rivals, the Corvette offers a significant amount of cargo space (10 cu.ft.) followed by the F-type with a decent cargo space of 7.3 cu.ft. The GT C Roadster takes the last place with the least cargo space of just 5.8 cu.ft.

“Around town, the ZR1 draws a crowd when parked, unsolicited questions from grocery store employees retrieving shopping carts, and even more thumbs-up reactions on the road. It is as over-the-top as they come, as it should be” – Motor Trend

Dimension and Weight-

The engineers at Chevrolet did a great job in making the Corvette not just light and fast, but also practical with great storage space and spacious.

Models	Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible	Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible	Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster
Curb weight (lbs)	3642	3792	3825
Length (in)	179.8	176.2	179
Width (in)	77.4	74.2	81.7
Height (in)	48.7	51.5	49.6
Ground clearance (in)	N/A	4.2	N/A
Wheel base (in)	106.7	103.2	103.5
Track width (in) F/R	64.4/63.6	62.4/63.4	N/A

Exterior Features-

The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 comes with a host of exterior features-

• Optional ZTK performance package
• Visible carbon fiber weave hood insert
• Removable Body-colored Carbon fiber roof panel
• HID headlamps
• Body-colored heated power outside mirrors
• Pearl nickel painted aluminum wheels
• Solar-Ray light tinted glass

The ZR1 comes equipped with a host of safety features-

• Active handling stability control and traction control
• Performance traction management
• Rear vision camera
• Curb view camera
• Airbag system
• Heads up display as standard on all trims

This car has not been tested for IIHS and NHSTA tests.

Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible v/s Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible

Jaguar F-type, when pitted against the Corvette gives it a tough competition in almost all of the segments listed. Be it seating space, cargo space or fuel economy, the SVR really takes the battle to its American counterpart, but still loses out. A car which balances out between luxury and performance, the F-type is definitely for those who want luxurious and plush interiors even while driving at high speeds. The ZR1. On the other hand is pure performance oriented car that focuses more on the performance rather than on interiors. The ZR1 has performance stats well above what the Jaguar offers. Considering their price tags, they both have similar price tags but unlike the F-type, the ZR1 is for those who want a monstrous engine with more practicality hidden in it.

Corvette ZR1 1ZR convertible v/s Mercedes Benz AMG GT C Roadster

When pitted against the AMG GTC roadster, the ZR1 takes a clear victory as it beats the AMG GT C in almost all of the segments. Be it cargo space, performance or fuel economy, the ZR1 literally overshadows the pricey MB roadster and justifies its worthiness for the money it commands. The AMG GT C roadster gives a high-end luxurious experience with plush interiors but lacks at power. The AMG GT C roadster is for those who have a can spend a big amount on a car with an underpowered engine and can let go of all those extra numbers that the vette offers. The Corvette, on the other hand, is for those who want some extra thumbs ups and high fives while riding on city streets and a thrilling ride while riding on the interstate or a track.

It’s a car, it’s a plane or it’s a missile, it’s a Corvette! All of these terms can be used to describe the nature of the new ZR1. An outrageous car with an outrageous power output that can take on many sports car out there any day.

With an out of the world performance along with a drop top that justifies its 6-figure price tag, this car really becomes a desirable car which will definitely attract attention where ever it will go and will help you in making a dramatic entry anywhere, be it a normal supermarket parking lot a car meet the car really carves its place everywhere it goes.

With a number of carbon fiber parts infused into its body, the ZR1 looks even more aggressive and bold. This car literally changes the game and with providing maximum of everything, be it performance, fun, or even attention. This car simply yet boldly says one thing, “just try me”.