2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray vs the world: How it compares on paper

The 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray in its base form offers an astonishing amount of performance for the money. In fact, so impressive is the car’s spec sheet that the Corvette kind of exists in two different competitive sets: one of cars priced similarly, and another with cars of similar performance and reputation.

To get a feel for how it handles each of these segments, we’ve compiled specifications for those two sets of players. You can find the first set below, which looks at cars of roughly the same price point. Following that is a bit of analysis, and then there’s a chart of cars with similar performance and reputation. And that chart will also have some analysis.

Though final pricing for the Corvette hasn’t been announced yet, we know the Corvette will start at less than $60,000. And as far as pricing goes, its closest competitor is the Porsche 718 Cayman, which also starts at just under $60,000. Both are mid-engined and rear-drive, but the Corvette offers an extra 195 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The Cayman does boast a curb weight of right around 3,000 pounds, so it weighs a few hundred pounds less than the Corvette, but it’s likely not enough to make up for the power deficit. The Corvette’s sub-3.0-second 0-60 time bears this out against the Cayman’s best 4.5-second run. Impressively, though, the Cayman has more cargo space than the Corvette in a package that’s nearly 10 inches shorter. The Cayman also still offers a manual option for those that prefer self-shifting.

The 2020 Toyota Supra is on the cheap end of this sports car class, just crossing $50,000. It also boasts more power than the Cayman, though it’s still down by 160 ponies and 105 pound-feet of torque to the C8. It’s also about as roomy as the Corvette, despite being about the same size as the Cayman. Cargo space is a bit tighter. Its driving characteristics will likely differ, too as the Supra sits on a front-engine platform. It might even feel closer to a C7 Corvette in some ways.

The other mid-engine entry in this price range is the 2019 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. Its small 1.7-liter turbo inline-4 only makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, but it’s also far and away the lightest of this group at 2,487 pounds. That’s roughly 1,000 pounds lighter than the Corvette. It isn’t as fast as the Corvette in a straight line, but that lightness surely pays dividends in cornering and braking. It’s a small package, several inches shorter than the rest of these cars, and that shows in its miniscule 3.7 cubic feet of cargo space and lack of shoulder room. You pay more for less as the Alfa starts at just over $68,000.  The Alfa is also surprisingly frugal, though, with a combined fuel economy of 28 mpg, beating out the Supra at 26 and the Cayman at 25. While fuel economy for the Corvette hasn’t been announced, the current base C7 gets between 18 and 19 mpg combined. The new one will probably continue to be less frugal than these smaller, less powerful cars.

Now we move on to cars that would more traditionally be Corvette competitors, chief among which is the Porsche 911. As the base 992 911 hasn’t been revealed yet, we’re sticking with the still on-sale 991 911 Carrera. Its twin-turbo flat-6 comes up 125 horses and 139 pound-feet of torque shy of the Corvette. And despite having a couple hundred pounds less to carry around than the Corvette, the best 0-60 time it can muster is 4.0 seconds, over a second behind the Corvette. It does feature solid fuel economy ranging between 23 and 25 mpg. It has a bit more cargo space, too, when counting the rear seat area. But at $92,000, the 911 has quite a price premium over the faster Corvette.

The Nissan GT-R is another familiar Corvette fighter. Its twin-turbo V6 actually makes 70 more horsepower and nearly the same amount of torque. Nissan hasn’t released an estimated 0-60 time for the latest GT-R, but past models have beaten the 3.0-second mark, putting it right on par with the Corvette. The Corvette should weigh a couple hundred pounds less than the portly GT-R, but the GT-R makes up for some of its weight with all-wheel-drive traction. The GT-R is roughly on par for practicality, too. Nissan only gives cargo space for the trunk at 8.8 cubic feet. But the GT-R does have rear seat space that could be used and should put it about equal to the Corvette’s 12.6 cubic feet of space. The GT-R is still expensive though, ringing in at around $115,000.

Then there’s the 2019 Acura NSX, which is close in philosophy to the Corvette. It’s a mid-engine sports car designed to offer lots of performance and practicality. It’s the most powerful of this set with 573 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. It comes with a very different powertrain than the Corvette, as it uses a twin-turbo V6 and three electric motors. With a 0-60 time of 3 seconds flat, it’s slightly slower than the Corvette. But it does return combined fuel economy of 21 mpg, which will probably surpass the ‘Vette. Its electric motors also allow it to do some impressive torque vectoring tricks to improve handling. Inside, the NSX is roomier than the Corvette, but its cargo capacity is just 4.4 cubic feet. The NSX is also comparatively expensive at nearly $160,000.

What all of this reveals is that there isn’t really a car that can provide Corvette performance for a Corvette price. And even for tens of thousands more dollars, the competition is only barely matching it. This new Corvette is shaping up to be an amazing performance bargain.