06-18-2016, 05:33 PM | #29 |
Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 454
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Wow, I didn't expect to get such a positive reaction, but that just shows how classy people are on this forum. Thank you for all the positive feedback. With that in mind I thought you'd like to hear a comparison between the two cars now that I've owned the ZR1 for a while. I put 30000 miles on the ZL1 in two years of ownership......DD to back road hard mountain driving so I feel pretty good about ZL1 capabilities. About a month now with the ZR1, cruising and some hard back road driving so I think I have a pretty good feel for the car. Just one tangent to go off on......I had a horrible experience with two dealers who were selling a Z06 and a ZR1. I drove 2.5 hours to one dealer and 4 hours to the other dealer, after multiple phone calls and a very in depth conversation about how picky I was and that they needed to be straight up with the condition of the cars. In both cases they were no where near as good as described and I walked away. I will never buy a high end used car from a dealer again, lesson learned for me. If you are looking for a ZR1 or something similar I think you'll find that buying from an actual owner instead of a dealer who doesn't care about the car will leave you better off. The guy I bought the car from was literally "interviewing" me to buy his car and said that if he felt I wasn't going to take care of it that he wasn't going to sell it. Just my two cents. Ok, on to the comparison:
First off, I LOVED my ZL1 and just to defuse any discussion, I'm not going to say one is "better" than the other. They are both fantastic cars, different in many ways and similar in some. In no particular order, I'll start with the interior. Overall I think this is a tie in terms of quality, fit/finish, etc. I know the 5th Gen Camaro and C6 Corvettes get hammered on their interiors, but I honestly like their simplicity. I think they are both fine interiors, nothing fancy, but up to par in my book. The seats definitely go to the ZL1. Can't beat those Recaros. If you've read anything about the ZR1 you'll hear horror stories about the seats. I don't think they're that bad, but I don't track the car. Bottom line is there is little to no side support so if you are cornering hard you are sliding. Other than that they are fine. Comfortable. I expected the worst and they were better than I thought. HUD goes to ZL1, but that's to be expected because it's in color, more modern, etc. Not a huge deal though. Daily driving: Pretty close, but maybe a slight edge to ZL1. My ZL1 was manual, like the ZR1 and the throw is shorter in the ZL1. The ZR1 has a slightly harsher suspension in TOUR mode. Both do fine. No issues. Handling: I'll give a very slight edge to ZR1, but I have to say the ZL1 does a great job hiding its weight. Both are great in the corners but the ZR1 just feels a hair "tighter" to me, that's the only way I know to describe it. I'm sure a pro driver could give you more, sorry. Power: This is where the laws of physics simply take over. The ZR1 is 800lbs lighter than the ZL1 and has more HP and Torque. Below 3000 rpm they feel very similar when driven normally. Both powerful and smooth. Once you romp on the gas then it's no contest, the ZR1 walks away. The ZL1 has that nice linear acceleration curve all the way to redline. Smooth, powerful, satisfying....you all know what I'm talking about. It's a fast, powerful car. The best way I can think of to describe the ZR1 acceleration is that it's almost like a sportbike (I've owned several sportbikes, from R1s to GSX-R 1000s). I'm not going to say anything crazy like it's as fast as a crotch rocket because it's not, but it kinda feels like that. Above 3000rpm it's a relentless hold on to the steering wheel rush of acceleration. You really have to be careful with traction control off. I used to drive with it off all the time in the ZL1 and felt fairly comfortable. I won't drive with it off in the ZR1.....too easy to spin out. The rears will break loose, even with those huge 335 tires, on a whim. It really is one of the most awesome feelings I've had when I first really stepped into it with the ZR1. Crazy fast car. I don't know why guys mod these things, but I'm new to the car so I guess I'll get used to it. Exhaust note: I did the fuse pull with the ZL1 and loved the sound, but the ZR1 sounds like a banshee from hell. It absolutely screams! You have to hear it in person to understand how awesome it sounds. Mine has the mild to wild (essentially the fuse pull on a button). I thought the new GT350 had the best exhaust sound I've heard, until the ZR1. Looks: This is subjective so I won't really go here. The ZL1 is a badass looking muscle/sports car. The ZR1 is a badass looking C6 Corvette. I actually prefer the ZR1 looks over the standard C7 Stingray, but not over the C7 Z06, though in my opinion they are both awesome looking. Exclusivity: There were about 4600 ZR1s built from 2009-2013. They are definitely rare. I've only seen a couple on the road ever, until I started looking for them to actually buy. Not sure how many ZL1s were built? May or may not make a difference. So there you have it, a quick comparison of two great cars. I truly love owning the ZR1 but I do miss the ZL1. It had a unique character all its own, like any other high performance car. |
06-18-2016, 06:01 PM | #30 |
Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 454
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Here's a couple. I'll try and get some more.
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06-18-2016, 08:20 PM | #31 |
Drives: 2015 ZL1 Join Date: May 2012
Location: Gastonia, N.C
Posts: 393
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Man, that is a beautiful car. I think the C6 ZR1 is in my top 3 Corvette's of all time...
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2013 Camaro ZL1,Victory Red # 441....SOLD
2013 Camaro ZL1, Summit White # 3071...SOLD 2015 Camaro ZL1, Summit White # 1325 Rotofab Cai,PCM cc,Kooks Headers,Cats delete,MF X pipe, ZLWin cam,upper/lower, Lingenfelter hx,715 rwhp,646 rwtq, BMR 1.25 Springs, Varro VD01 Wheels, |
06-18-2016, 09:18 PM | #32 |
CamaroFans.com
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Great review and way to take your time and get the right one. Definitely two different cars, but it sure is hard to beat the ZR1.
Looks like you're enjoying it already.. |
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