In this particular shot the new Corvette's interior really doesn't look too shabby. Sure it's not a 6er but remember, this is one of the North American market's bang-for-buck champions.
Apparently, that's real carbon fibre and real stitched leather in this otherwise typically 'Vette interior. The Corvette is a car that ought to be celebrated for its thoroughly American and unique recipe of ingredients.
People dismiss the OHV pushrod valvetrain and leaf spring approaches as being archaic - then again so is the daft practice of hanging an engine behind the rear axle - but each of these have improved and refined over the years to work holistically with the entire Corvette package. For instance, the leaf spring arrangement is quite unlike that seen in utility vehicles; it's no where closed to such a longitudinally positioned, multi-leaved, iron spring setup. In the Corvette this is a single, transversely-mounted, composite-material (yes, like that stuff in fancy skis, golf club shaft and tennis racquets) spring "bar" that helps lower the suspension's centre of gravity, reduces unsprung mass significantly and improves packaging. If you consider that this is combined with double wishbone geometry then you'll appreciate that the Corvette's suspension solution isn't archaic at all. Yes, the leaf spring does have drawbacks in terms of spring rate variability, wheel travel and adjustability but for its intended market the setup is well-honed and with every new generation the dreaded rear axle tramp is reduced further.
The new LT1 engine is something noteworthy too. Sure, it's not like the numbers are all that breathtaking in the context of the HP and Torque per litre naturally aspirated engine benchmarks from Porsche and Ferrari but in an entry level offering, 335 kW and 610 Nm is none too shabby. Then, couple this with the engine's direct injection, fully variable valve timing and ability to run in V4 mode and so too will you appreciate that this is not some old-tech rehash of an engine. And, of course, the big daddy, crowd pleasers are on the way too.
So with those potential detractors out of the way, when you now consider the entire 'Vette package as a whole [low hood profile, transaxle enable 50:50 weight distribution, muscular engine, light weight etc] you ought to agree that this is one of the world's cars worthy of being lauded for what it is.