The Corvette E-Ray Answers a Question Nobody Asked: Review

General Motors invested heavily in developing the mid-engine Corvette. Rumors put it at more than one billion dollars. It signaled GM’s commitment to the platform, that the company was serious about bolstering the Corvette’s global reputation.

For the Corvette to continue to evolve, it was a necessary shift. The C7 had increased output to a level where the Z06 and ZR1 were more adept at overheating and turning tires into rubber shrapnel than trading blows with supercars. The sweet spot was the Grand Sport model with the Z06 body and the Stingray drivetrain. The best of both worlds.

The Grand Sport hasn’t returned on the C8—at least, not yet. A widebody Stingray with fatter rubber and the base engine wouldn’t accomplish much, particularly since the Stingray’s grip makes it drive like an all-wheel-drive car.

Instead, the Corvette team went in another direction. They combined the Z06 body with the 495-horsepower LT2 V-8 and a small 1.9-kilowatt-hour battery to power the front axle. That created the E-Ray, an all-wheel-drive hybrid Corvette with 655 hp and 595 lb-ft of torque. It’s a bit of a conundrum.

The figures leave little to complain about. Chevy says it gets to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, making it the quickest Corvette ever. It also gets better gas mileage and should be more capable in slippery conditions than other C8s. The widebody means it looks great, and since it has the LT2, this Corvette maintains the small block lope that’s been a calling card for generations.

Around town, the E-Ray is typical Corvette, refined and comfortable. This is still one of the easiest mid-engine cars to live with regardless of class. It’s easy to see out of, you can fit a ton in its two trunks, and it does a great job of converting the Corvette formula to a car with expanded capabilities and a whole new powertrain layout. On the highway, it’s a perfect GT, well-damped and not too aggressive.

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

But most importantly, it’s damn quick. I don’t think it’s possible to exaggerate just how quick this car is. It’s a maniac. Pull out of a tollbooth, foot to the floor, and triple digits arrive nearly immediately. The torque from the electric motors feels urgent, and with the meaty small block backing it up, there’s a surge of power unlike anything else in this price galaxy. The last Acura NSX was similar, but the electric motors had to make up for gaps in the turbocharged engine’s power. The E-Ray has no turbos or gaps to deal with. Just a wall of power.

One addition is an all-electric drive mode. Chevy was keen to note that it can travel at up to 45 mph using the electric motors only for a few miles, a nice addition if you want to leave your home without a V-8 bark waking the kids, but there are caveats.

There’s no way to engage the mode if you’ve already started the car. For instance, if you’re pulling into a parking garage and want to shut the engine down to keep it quiet, you can’t. Instead, you have to engage the mode before you even start through the mode selector. And if you get on the gas a little too hard, the engine fires up, and that’s it: You can’t go back to EV mode. Annoying.

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Pros: Outrageously Fast, Widebody Looks Better Than Stingray, Stealth Mode Useful In Early Mornings

But the biggest annoyance with EV mode has to be that features like air conditioning won’t work because the engine powers the ancillaries. So if you drive in the so-called Stealth Mode, be sure it’s not too hot out or you’ll be sweltering in no time.

On the road, the E-Ray is the modern Grand Sport: A Stingray with more grip, but also, in this case, more power. The thing I kept thinking about, though, was which Corvette I’d buy, and it wouldn’t be this one.

Sure, it can get to 60 quicker than any other Corvette, but it’s only 0.4 quicker than the base Stingray, a car that starts at $68,300 (in theory). The E-Ray starts at $104,900. That’s a $36,600 price increase. But the bigger problem is not the bottom of the lineup. It’s the top.

The Z06 with its bespoke flat-plane 5.5 liter LT6 V-8 starts at $110,100. At that price bracket, you aren’t looking for practical reasons to buy a car, you’re looking for something special. The Z06 is deeply special, a Ferrari 458 from Bowling Green. Just starting it up will give you goosebumps.

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Cons: Costs Nearly The Same As Z06, Body-Color Accents Look Worse Than Z06, Who Asked For A Hybrid Stingray?

The E-Ray feels far less special. The body-colored accents hide some of the detail that made the Z06 pop. The start-up sound is no different from a Stingray. Daily driving at a normal pace doesn’t feel more special than the base car, whereas the Z06’s engine is thrilling no matter how fast you’re going.

In reality, the E-Ray is a more road-focused option in the Z06 price bracket. It’s the 911 Turbo to the Z06’s 911 GT3. Do I see an appeal for people who love the Corvette, but don’t want to go on track and want a straight-line rocket? Absolutely.

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

But that’s not me. I also don’t quite see the market here. How many Corvette buyers have said they need all-wheel drive or asked for a hybrid powertrain, especially one that doesn’t have an appreciable electric range and can’t operate ancillaries when it’s in that mode?

On its own, the E-Ray doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

The thing about the E-Ray is that it does what the NSX attempted years earlier: It brings modern hypercar technology to the masses for a truly reasonable price by modern sports car and hypercar standards. It’s also a valuable test bed for the upcoming Zora, a Corvette ZR1 with a hybridized front axle.

If the ZR1 makes 1,064 hp without any hybridization, get ready for a 1,200 hp Corvette that’ll destroy hypercars that cost an order of magnitude more. That’s what the Corvette should do, and that’s the one that excites me.

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DW Burnett / Motor1