10 Tech Innovations in the C7 Corvette Explained

There are a variety of features that help the Stingray post an EPA estimate higher than the C6's 26 MPG, but the key component is the cylinder deactivation in the 6.2L small-block V8.The car recognizes when you're driving in touring mode, on the highway for example, and seamlessly will shut down four cylinders, turning the engine into a 3.1L four-banger. Simply, if the driving conditions don't require V8 power, there's no need for it, a philosophy that gives the Corvette a great advantage in the fuel economy department.

Most supercars these days have completely done away with the manual transmission (there is also a paddle-shifting 6-speed automatic version of the 'Vette in line), yet Chevrolet wanted to maintain its roots by not only keeping a stick, but by adding another gear. It uses active rev matching, a dual-mass flywheel and a dual-disc clutch to make it as smooth as possible during both down and upshifts. There is only one other 7-speed gearbox on that market, and that sits in the Porsche 911.

Basically, the new Corvette can read your actions faster than you can. As soon as you start to shift gears, the car pumps the throttle to make sure that it's at exactly the perfect RPM level that it needs to be for the smoothest shift possible.

For the first time ever, the Corvette frame is being produced in-house at the Bowlong Green, KY assembly plant. And that's not even the special part about this addition. The new aluminum design took 99 lbs. off the the car's previous frame while still managing to be 57 percent stiffer. The weight distribution also gives the car a fantastic 50/50 power-to-weight ratio.

If you think that all those vents were added just for looks, you're crazy. Every single feature on this car has a purpose. In the front, the car eats up the air through a downward facing radiator, helping to cool the engine. The air escapes through the hood vent, spewing out over the top of the car to add more downforce. In addition, the air is sucked into those rear quarter inlets, cooling the differential and transmission, exiting through the teardrop vents that come off the taillights.

Yes, everybody knows that the use of carbon fiber reduces the weight of a vehicle while maintaining its strength and rigidity, but only the hood and the roof panels are made out of carbon fiber on the new "Vette. Why? Because when there's less weight on the top of the car, it lowers the center of gravity on the vehicle, giving it an even more planted feel.

In the Z51 package, the 'ray comes with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The car assesses the conditions, differently based on what mode you're in, and alters how how fast or slow or how much the limited slip engages. This helps create more balanced and stable steering response.

The first is right where you'd expect, in the center of the dash, and has a touchscreen used for all things entertainment with the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system. The second screen is right in front of the driver, built into the gauge cluster. The gauge is customizable, giving you options for what information about the car you want to know while driving, and the arrangement changes as you shift through the mode selector. For example, in track mode, the screen will give you the options for tracking your lap times that is based on the Corvette Racing C6.R racecar.

As opposed to the new Camaro Z/28, which only has one speaker (they were forced to because of safety requirements), the Stingray Corvette isn't specifically made only for the track. It can, of course, tear up Laguna Seca, if the driver wanted to, but features like the drive mode selector really enforce that this car has many personalities for many situations. One of those situations is cruising and blasting out the newest mixtape through an available 10-speaker system that has two subwoofers.