New CORVETTE C6 review at a glance:
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Advantages: Icon in the market, high performances, instantly recognisable styling, brutal engine, relatively affordable

Disadvantages: Astronomical running costs, left-hand drive only, lacks quality and sophistication, small network, lack of room
New CORVETTE C6 Review:
The Corvette is a rare sight in the UK, but it offers a lot for the money. It costs less than the most part of its European rivals, but the Corvette is a real supercar.

The new Corvette C6 model also handles as well as most of its European opposition and offers decent practicality too.

The standard new Corvette C6 has a massive 6.0-litre V8 engine, normally driving through a six-speed manual gearbox.

There is nothing sophisticated about either engine, but there’s also no doubting the punch they pack, with the standard car seeing off 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds.

The Corvette engine delivers a stunning power with a deep and booming V8 sound.

The new Corvette C6 has masses of grip, but there’s also an adept suspension system providing great control and balance.

The suspension is set very firmly and on UK roads the occupants feel every jitter in the road surface.

It is a large car for many UK roads, emphasised by the driver sitting down low and the steering wheel being on the left-hand side.

The interior is not very roomy. Head, leg and shoulder room are all tighter than you may expect.

The new Corvette C6 is pleasingly refined at all speeds on UK roads, with road noise suppressed, unless you give the throttle a hefty stab to make the big V8 motor growl. The interior has been upgraded in 2008.

The driver is presented with a simple dash on the Corvette, easy to read and understand.

An electrically adjusted drivers seat helps find the ideal driving position for most people, though some may find the steering wheel not to have the range of movement necessary to get perfectly comfortable.

Cabin quality is good, but some of the plastics look cheap compared to the European standards.

The small network and number of dealers could be an issue for those who are interested in this muscle car.

However, because of the limited buyer interest, the Corvette loses value more rapidly before levelling out at a point where enthusiasts will become very interested. Insurance and servicing will generate big bills.

GREEN CREDENTIALS

As expected for a car offering this kind of performance, the new Corvette C6 performs miserably on the eco front. With an average of 304g/km CO2 across the range, its emissions are high.

It is also disappointingly thirsty, averaging 21mpg.