There's no need to take the key out of your pocket to unlock the Corvette or start its engine. Simply walk up and pull the door handle. Sensors detect your key and unlock the door. Climb in, buckle up, and press the starter button.
The cockpit in this sixth-generation car is much improved over past Corvettes. It no longer looks like an upgraded Camaro inside. The two-tone leather treatment no longer makes us feel that a black leather jacket is required attire. The cabin features premium soft surfaces, nice grain in the materials and elegant tailoring. The dashboard is finished in a soft material that feels rich to the touch. Real metal accents are used, but they don't generate glare. The electronics displays serve the driver without getting in the way, and they no longer resemble something from a movie-prop space ship.
The seats are comfortable and easier to adjust than those in past Corvettes. Sitting in the Corvette still evokes that feeling of sitting deep down in a massive machine, but there's more headroom than ever, and the windshield doesn't seem as close to the driver's face. Hefty side bolstering on the optional sport seats, even more so with those in the Z06, makes it more difficult to slide in, but the bolsters squeeze around the thighs and torso and hold the driver like Velcro.
The instruments are big analog gauges that are easy to read at a glance. The Z06 gets a unique cluster with more gauges. The Corvette is, thankfully, devoid of a lot of digital readouts. One exception is the head-up display, which projects speed, rpm and even g-forces onto the windshield, a handy and entertaining feature.
The Convertible's five-layer fabric top is available in four colors, and it features an option not offered in a Corvette since 1962: power operation. The power top operates with a single-button control and completes its cycle in 18 seconds. An easy-to-operate manual top is standard.
The Convertible looks good with the top up, and it looks terrific with the top down, with body-color trim that gives it the racy appearance of an open-cockpit Le Mans prototype. Naturally, the convertible gives up some cargo capacity. It offers 10.5 cubic feet of storage with the top up, which isn't bad for a roadster, and just 5.1 with the top down.
The coupe offers 22.4 cubic feet of trunk space, more than most sports cars.
