Not a single C8 Corvette will be sold for its fuel economy, but as it turns out, the mpg numbers it returns aren’t actually all that bad. As we just learned from Corvette Chief Engineer Ed Piatek at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the C8 has been EPA certified at 15/27 mpg city/highway.
The Corvette is powered by an LT2 6.2-liter V-8 engine producing 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Given that, 15 mpg in urban driving is good for such a burly block, but the 27-mpg highway figure is more impressive. Keeping revs low at speed is handled by the Corvette’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but a cylinder deactivation system is largely responsible for reducing the LT2’s fuel consumption.
Additionally, the C8 will be a good road-trip cruiser thanks to its 18.6-gallon fuel tank. Filled to the brim and with judicious throttle application by the driver (a tailwind wouldn’t hurt, either), the Corvette will be able to cover just over 500 miles between refills.
Piatek says to look at the Corvette’s competitors to get perspective on how impressive its fuel efficiency is. So let’s compare mpg figures for the road-going versions of some of the sports cars the race-spec Corvette C8.R will face at Daytona this weekend.
The Porsche 911 Carrera S is rated at 18/24 mpg, not exceptional considering its flat-six engine has less than half the LT2’s displacement. BMW’s M850i uses a V-8, albeit a smaller one that’s twin-turbocharged, and returns 18/25 mpg. The Ferrari 488 GTB also uses a smaller-displacement twin-turbo V-8, but sucks down a gallon of premium every 16 miles in the city, and every 22 miles on the highway. Efficiency is even worse for the V-10-powered Lamborghini Huracan, which is rated at just 13/18 mpg.
C8 Corvette buyers will be drawn much more to the car’s radical styling and stupendous performance than its fuel economy figures. But no one likes putting gas in their car, and the C8’s good efficiency and large gas tank will keep visits to the pump relatively few and far between—assuming those buyers can resist frequently testing their car’s 2.8-second 0-60 acceleration time.
And it’s possible an even more fuel-efficient Corvette is on the way. We have it on good authority that the forthcoming C8 Corvette ZR1 will rely on hybrid power to achieve its near-900-hp output. Take that, Prius!
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Source: WORLD NEWS
