Yesterday I traded in my 2014 C7 Z51 on a 2015 C7 Z06. Both cars were 3LZ/LT and M7 and both are my daily drivers. After my first 100 miles including back to back drives between them I wanted to share my initial impressions on how they differ for those folks planning on buying and driving these cars regularly.
Ride
My Z06 is a stage 1 car and even without the Z07 package I can say that the ride is noticeably more firm in the Z06 than in the Z51 with MR shocks. I intentionally took a local road that leads down to a ferry crossing and is rough pavement with lots of patches and heaves but no major potholes. Comparing tour mode to tour mode I'd say the Z06 is approaching the level of firmness of the Z51 in sport mode. You also will definitely notice more tramming from the wider front tires. None of this is to say that it's horrible or something you can't live with day to day but I thought I'd offer a perspective from someone who in the last year has transitioned from a CTS-V to a C7 Z51 to a C7 Z06 as daily drivers and each has gotten progressively more firm. I'll also add that the Z06 still has a far better ride than the 2003 Porsche Boxster S I also sold recently.
Noise
The cabin is also a bit louder in the Z06 than the Z51. Again, it's not a lot louder but it's noticeable and I believe it is more wind than tire noise. More importantly though the exhaust is much louder when the baffles open up but is about the same when closed. In tour mode it looks like the baffles start to open around 3000 RPM and if you're on the gas when this happens she flat out barks and it sounds awesome! The entire way home I just kept playing changing the exhaust modes - loud at the stop signs, quiet when cruising at speed. I really can't understand why anyone would put an aftermarket exhaust on this car.
Driveability
I've been driving manual transmissions for nearly 30 years and with the exception of the dually I will only buy cars with manual transmissions because I simply enjoy the driving experience better. For some reason though I had a hard time getting the Z51 going from a stop smoothly. I never did figure out why that was but I can say that I don't have that problem with the Z06. Perhaps it's the taller first gear or all of the low end torque but it's just easy to drive even in stop and go. Also the clutch effort feels about the same as the Z51 to me.
Fuel Economy
Really too early to tell much here but it wasn't as horrible as I expected. So far it's been right about what the window stick said and about 4-5 MPG worse than the Z51. I got around 16 MPG cruising the back roads and 22 on the highway.
Interior
Really not much to say here. As everyone knows it's the same interior as the Z51 except the badge and wheel. I did noticed that the A-pillar and headliners have the microfiber material unlike my Z51 and one of my complaints about the Z51 Nav was that it was slow to respond to inputs. The Z06 Nav definitely feels more responsive and I suspect this was a 2015 change in the underlying hardware more than anything. One last comment is about the seats. I'm one of the folks who complained about the lower side bolsters digging in to my thigh. Eventually they do loosen up and it doesn't bother you but now I'm back to a fresh seat that needs to break in again.
Engine
Obviously this is the real star of the show but since it's not broken in I can't really see what the motor can do. However, with ambient temps in the upper 30's low 40's here is how I describe driving the Z06. Gently squeeze on the throttle until the tires start spinning, then back off a bit and keep going. You never really make it past half throttle. It doesn't really matter what gear or speed the torque of this thing is phenomenal. It is very easy to spin the tires and I put the car sideways just trying to gently pull out of the dealer.
Even just cruising along it is so easy to squirt around traffic with just a slight tip in of the throttle. Also, the whine from the supercharger when you get in the boost is damn intoxicating and it almost feels and sounds like an electric motor is propelling the car. For reference I also have a C6Z with a Katech Track Attack motor that put out 660 HP on the engine dyno. I'm sure the C6Z is faster all up but the experiences are totally different and frankly the C7Z motor is the one I'd rather have on the street.
I hope this helps folks that are considering the upgrade.
Ride
My Z06 is a stage 1 car and even without the Z07 package I can say that the ride is noticeably more firm in the Z06 than in the Z51 with MR shocks. I intentionally took a local road that leads down to a ferry crossing and is rough pavement with lots of patches and heaves but no major potholes. Comparing tour mode to tour mode I'd say the Z06 is approaching the level of firmness of the Z51 in sport mode. You also will definitely notice more tramming from the wider front tires. None of this is to say that it's horrible or something you can't live with day to day but I thought I'd offer a perspective from someone who in the last year has transitioned from a CTS-V to a C7 Z51 to a C7 Z06 as daily drivers and each has gotten progressively more firm. I'll also add that the Z06 still has a far better ride than the 2003 Porsche Boxster S I also sold recently.
Noise
The cabin is also a bit louder in the Z06 than the Z51. Again, it's not a lot louder but it's noticeable and I believe it is more wind than tire noise. More importantly though the exhaust is much louder when the baffles open up but is about the same when closed. In tour mode it looks like the baffles start to open around 3000 RPM and if you're on the gas when this happens she flat out barks and it sounds awesome! The entire way home I just kept playing changing the exhaust modes - loud at the stop signs, quiet when cruising at speed. I really can't understand why anyone would put an aftermarket exhaust on this car.
Driveability
I've been driving manual transmissions for nearly 30 years and with the exception of the dually I will only buy cars with manual transmissions because I simply enjoy the driving experience better. For some reason though I had a hard time getting the Z51 going from a stop smoothly. I never did figure out why that was but I can say that I don't have that problem with the Z06. Perhaps it's the taller first gear or all of the low end torque but it's just easy to drive even in stop and go. Also the clutch effort feels about the same as the Z51 to me.
Fuel Economy
Really too early to tell much here but it wasn't as horrible as I expected. So far it's been right about what the window stick said and about 4-5 MPG worse than the Z51. I got around 16 MPG cruising the back roads and 22 on the highway.
Interior
Really not much to say here. As everyone knows it's the same interior as the Z51 except the badge and wheel. I did noticed that the A-pillar and headliners have the microfiber material unlike my Z51 and one of my complaints about the Z51 Nav was that it was slow to respond to inputs. The Z06 Nav definitely feels more responsive and I suspect this was a 2015 change in the underlying hardware more than anything. One last comment is about the seats. I'm one of the folks who complained about the lower side bolsters digging in to my thigh. Eventually they do loosen up and it doesn't bother you but now I'm back to a fresh seat that needs to break in again.
Engine
Obviously this is the real star of the show but since it's not broken in I can't really see what the motor can do. However, with ambient temps in the upper 30's low 40's here is how I describe driving the Z06. Gently squeeze on the throttle until the tires start spinning, then back off a bit and keep going. You never really make it past half throttle. It doesn't really matter what gear or speed the torque of this thing is phenomenal. It is very easy to spin the tires and I put the car sideways just trying to gently pull out of the dealer.
Even just cruising along it is so easy to squirt around traffic with just a slight tip in of the throttle. Also, the whine from the supercharger when you get in the boost is damn intoxicating and it almost feels and sounds like an electric motor is propelling the car. For reference I also have a C6Z with a Katech Track Attack motor that put out 660 HP on the engine dyno. I'm sure the C6Z is faster all up but the experiences are totally different and frankly the C7Z motor is the one I'd rather have on the street.
I hope this helps folks that are considering the upgrade.
