How Much Faster Is Chevy’s New V-8 Corvette?

The 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray drops the older LT2 6.2-liter V-8 in favor of the newer LS6 6.7-liter V-8. This upgrade pushes output up by 40 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque. Testing an entry-level 1LT Stingray equipped with the Z51 Performance package reveals how the new setup compares against a 2020 C8 Stingray. The 2027 Corvette Stingray is a 200-mph car for less than $75,000, with a base price of $73,795 and an as-tested price of $101,095. Equipped with the $5395 Z51 Performance package—which adds Michelin Pilot Sport S5 summer tires, stiffer springs, better cooling, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and larger brakes—the new Stingray hits 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, narrowly beating the 2020 car’s 2.8-second run. At higher speeds, the gap widens. The new model reaches 100 mph in 6.9 seconds and 150 mph in 18.6 ticks, outperforming the previous Z51 which took an extra three-tenths to hit triple digits and 19.4 seconds to reach 150 mph. The quarter mile passes in 11.0 seconds flat at 124 mph, compared to the 2020 car’s 11.2-second run at 122 mph. While the base Stingray achieves 200 mph, the Z51 package dials top speed back to 183 mph due to larger brake cooling ducts, front splitter and rear wing drag, and a shorter 5.56:1 final-drive ratio shared with the Z06. Braking from 70 mph takes 149 feet for both cars, while stopping from 100 mph takes 297 feet for the newer car and 301 feet for the older model. On the skidpad, the 2027 car pulls 1.02 g on Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tires, slightly trailing the 2020 car’s 1.03 g on 4S rubber, partly due to the newer model weighing 3702 pounds—some 55 pounds heavier than the 2020 tester. Efficiency drops by one MPG across the board due to the larger displacement, delivering EPA estimates of 18 MPG combined, 15 MPG city, and 25 MPG highway. The soundtrack improves significantly, registering 53 decibels at idle (6 dBA louder than the 2020 car) and reaching 96 decibels at redline (up from 92 dBA), though cruising at 70 mph is one decibel quieter at 73 dBA. Vehicle specifications list a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door targa layout. The engine is a pushrod 16-valve V-8 with aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection, displacing 409 cubic inches or 6698 cubic centimeters, generating 535 horsepower at 6100 rpm and 520 lb-ft of torque at 4600 rpm, paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and control arm front and rear suspension.