GW McLintock

Note: this is my first ride report! I'm using a format that seems to be used pretty commonly for this. Constructive criticism (along with general comments) is appreciated

I had originally booked a full-size with an upgrade PC (so was expecting Premium), but when I got to SLC and the wonderful agent (she was so nice!) told me about what was available, I figured this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette

This rental was like a dream. I had the base LT1 convertible model with the LS3 engine and 6-speed automatic (with paddle shifters of course), along with a few other things; MSRP is around $57,675. Oh, and it was red -- as was the carpet on the ground outside the driver's door in the lot

Powertrain: The Corvette LT1 is powered by the LS3, a roaring 6.2L V-8. It can produce up to 430 hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. It also came with the 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. To do 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds, you apparently must have the automatic transmission, as the manual just can't keep up. I tried to count it out, but by the time I reached 5 seconds I was well over 70. The top speed I hit was 110 mph, but I could have very easily gone MUCH faster. At very low speeds the engine seemed a little rough, but not enough to really be of any concern. I averaged a little below 25 mpg (and it takes regular!).

Ride/Handling: Many people say I've never driven a "real" car before (unless you count our late '92 Taurus, and perhaps my grandparents' 2007 CTS). This was the best car I've ever driven in the brief 20 years I've been around. It's solid, smooth, and firm. Wind noise becomes noticeable as your speed increases, but what vehicle doesn't have this issue over 80 mph? It can also stop on a dime. One thing I didn't like so much was that you really feel the bumps in the road. Also, since it's so low to the ground, you have to be careful sometimes -- especially in very hilly areas.

Interior: The first thing I noticed was how low it is. When you get into the bucket seats you feel somewhat lower than you really are. However, they are quite comfortable. The armrest compartment is a decent size, as is the glove box. There is also some room behind the seats where you could stash a few things. All of the buttons are placed relatively intuitively. One thing to keep in mind is that there are no actual keys -- it uses a proximity remote and a push-to-start button. In the lot when I first got in, I learned you had to push the brake pedal before pushing the start button, otherwise nothing would happen.

Design: Not much to say here... it looks GREAT:


Features: The model I had was the baseline trim, so didn't come with too much. However it did have door sill plates, which look cool. Also, as I mentioned, there are no more keys; they have been replaced with proximity remotes and a push-to-start system. There were also no door handles; instead there were buttons that served its purpose.

Value: Normally this car runs upwards of $200 a day, from what I was told. I paid quite a bit less than that (I've been asked not to share this information ) and, for an opportunity like this, it was worth every penny. I'm in love with the car. It came up on the bill as a U6, in case anyone was wondering. I don't think there's anything else in that class (or the PTAR) than the Corvette convertible. It had a little over 10,300 miles on it when I took it out, which is a lot for a 2012 model in December 2011, but I feel like it would have been mostly highway driving; regardless, I came away feeling as if it was very new. It also did decently on gas. If I could afford it, I would definitely get this again.

Summary
PROS:

• Looks
• Performance
• Prestige (it's a Corvette!)
• Fuel economy

CONS:

• You feel every bump
• Engine slightly rough at low speed

If you want to see some photos I took (along with others from my trip), you can check them out here. Thanks for reading! I hope y'all have the pleasure of renting one of these someday too

-J.

drzoidberg

Bright red, very nice! Great review, thanks for posting.

How was the visibility, due to the low seating position?

aces_high

Very nice. I see they took away some of the design features from the ZHZ.
Does it come with in-dash NAV? What about HUD?

I hope they gonna get those in Hawaii before my next trip.

GW McLintock

Visibility was actually decent. You're far back enough in the car (since the cabin is pretty far back) that you can easily see the traffic light in front of you. The mirrors are well-placed, too.

-J.

GW McLintock

No in-dash nav. And no NeverLost either (probably for the best, too). I had my own GPS but I kept it in the cupholder... something about driving a Corvette with a GPS stuck on the windshield just didn't feel right to me.

No HUD either since it was the base trim. I've seen photos of that though, it looks really cool! That would have been fun to have, but by no means actually necessary.

-J.

moman

That's a pretty solid (and accurate) review.

The engine "lopes" at idle. This makes it seems like the sports cars of yesteryear and with the exhaust system sounds like a Lamborghini or Ferrari.

Great car to drive though, just don't expect a ton of room for suitcases.

MtlFire

Nice review. I snagged an upgrade to a 2012 Silver convertible at MCO recently. I'm still grinning from ear to ear when I think about it. I spent a lot of time on the gas pedal over the 3 days I had it, and was quite surprised with the fuel economy, it cost me a fraction of what I would expect to fill it up.

The trunk was one of the smallest I've ever seen. Not sure you'd get two checked bags and two carry on's in it. Anyone know if the trunk on the non convertible is any larger?

Mine had the neverlost. It cheapened up in the interior look quite a bit to have that bolted over the radio.

turbov6

I rented a 2012 silver Corvette out of MIA recently with around 7K miles. As others have reported it was in base "1LT" trim with the optional automatic transmission. This one also had Neverlost on the dash.

This is the first year Hertz started renting them with the manual convertible top. The manual top is easy enough to use and allows for significantly more trunk room space (with the top up). However it does require getting out of the car to operate which is less than ideal if you ever have to pull over and raise it on the shoulder of a highway as it starts to rain

I had a look at the Avis Corvettes on the lot out of curiosity and they are fully loaded Corvettes in the "2LT" or "3LT" trim complete with the factory navigation radio and award winning Bose audio system, heads up display and the optional "Dual Mode performance exhaust" that the previous Corvette ZHZ's had.

Perhaps Hertz is renting Corvettes without the factory Navigation radio to make it easier to try and sell Neverlost as an option.

All options aside, even the base model Corvette offers an incredible driving experience, exceptional power and handling on par with some of the world's best sports cars. If you ever have a chance to rent one, you won't regret it.

GW McLintock

I'm glad so many of y'all enjoyed the vette as much as I did.

It was expensive (around 4x as much as I was planning on spending for my FCAR) but I still think it was worth every penny

-J.

MtlFire

There was no manual in the glovebox, so I had no idea how to take the top down. I didn't want to give it a try and not be able to close it or something, so I left it alone.

I picked up the car in the Gold aisle. When I got to the booth I noticed they had charged me for Neverlost as well as satellite radio. Both of which I had refused on the rental. I had to go back to the counter and show them my reservation on my phone to have it taken off.

Last year (also in MCO) I had a cadillac escalade. It had factory NAV and neverlost?!

If I could get a decent deal, I wouldn't pass it by for sure. The above poster has me wanting to try a Avis corvette now as well.

turbov6

That's too bad there was no owners manual as you really need the instructions to operate the manual top. If you ever rent one again you can always read through the procedure online here before you go or print out that section and take it with you just in case it happens again:

http://www.chevrolet.com/assets/pdf/...ner_Manual.pdf

Someone has also posted a video of the operation here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohRvpDvPgjU

All Hertz Adrenaline collection vehicles include free Sirius/XM satellite radio. Most of the Corvettes I've rented from Hertz over the years have also had Neverlost installed in them. If you are charged for satellite radio, definitely ask them to reverse the charge as it's included free with the entire Adrenaline collection. And if you didn't request Neverlost on your reservation, again you should be able to have the charges refunded if the car happens to have it.

The Escalade is in the Prestige collection and all of these vehicles include both Sirius XM satellite radio and Neverlost free of charge. It can be a bit confusing as the Corvette originally started in the Prestige collection and then was moved to the Fun and then Adrenaline collection.

When Hertz first started renting Corvettes in 2007 they were fully loaded with the Bose audio, heads up display, etc. I'm not sure why they have switched over to the base model for 2012. I would encourage anyone who has rented one to send Hertz your feedback. Maybe if enough people write in they'll start renting the higher trim levels again.

MtlFire

Thanks for the links. Bookmarked for a future reservation.

RenHoek

I rented one of these with points for a weekend.
I nicknamed mine "The Monster"
It really should be illegal.
It was good for about 3 seconds of fun. When you are on an on-ramp doing about 40 mph, and you punch the gas pedal, in three seconds you are doing 120 mph, and you have to hit the brakes.
That's it. Three seconds, then slow down.
It's really unbeliveable how fast this thing is. I took my uncle out for a ride. He's been a car guy all his life, and he couldn't believe it.
It's the combination of super powerful engine and light body that makes this thing a rocket.
Of course, I got pulled over (only once), and I explained it was a rental and I wasn't used to it so he let me go. Nevertheless, it was for going 50 in a 35 trap, not doing 120.

Very fun, once in a lifetime experience, but I'd love to ride it again!

GW McLintock

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