Corvette C7 Z06 Review | Automatic vs. Manual (A8 vs. M7) Comparison

I know what you're thinking, Dan. There are plenty of Z06 reviews out there and I know that. So this one's gonna be a little different. We're not gonna talk about the usual stuff. Instead I want to talk about the whole automatic versus manual debate. I've owned both and here are my thoughts. So get your popcorn ready. This is the most you'll ever hear me talk. For the longest time, the Z06 only came in stick. It was a pure driving machine. The C7 is the first generation that GM is offered an automatic on the car. Many people criticized them for it denouncing the 8 speed automatic. So I had to try it for myself. Let's start with street driving, since this is what a large majority of these cars will see. This part is entirely subjective and it's hard for me too, because there are days when I'm sitting in traffic and I'm happy that I'm driving an automatic. And then there are times when the road is open and all I can think about is ripping through the gears. But the best I can do is tap on these silly little paddles. The worst part about the automatic is the delay after you hit the paddle. It can take up to half a second for a gear change to actually execute. And that's just plain stupid. And don't get me started on the downshifts. Every single one sounds like a dog vomiting. On the other hand, the rev match in the manual Z06 is leagues above the autom automatic. It's almost addicting to downshift. It's not even a contest here. People often wonder why GM didn't put a dual clutch system in this car. And my theory is that just wouldn't be able to handle the power. But that's okay because you know, the new F90 M5 went from dual clutch to automatic as well. I just wish GM programmed this thing a little better. If you go into it with the expectation that you'll have lightning fast PDK response, you'll be crying yourself to sleep at night. But if you know you're getting a glorified slush box and you know its limitations, then I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. So let's talk about the track now. Does it overheat? Well, I can tell you that after six track days in 95 degree weather, the manual never went into limp mode. I can't say the same about the automatic, but. But that's only because I haven't had a chance to get this one on the track yet. Word on the street though, is that it's going to start acting funny once ambient temperatures are over 80 degrees. But that's only if you leave it in drive or shift that red line every single time. They recommend you short shift around 5,500rpm to avoid the issue. For most people, that's still plenty fast. But if you're a competitive driver, why would you want to race your car at 8/10 the limit? So what's the bottom line then? The automatic will eventually overheat in hot weather, but you can avoid that by driving slower. And that's okay because you'll still be faster than everybody else. But if you really want to drive your car around the track, get the manual. But what about in a straight line? Which one's faster? Well, this one's not so black and white either. When I tested the 61 30, the automatic went 2/10 of a second quicker. But that's not the whole story. You see, the way they set the power up in the automatic is that the first four gears are nice and short, but once you hit fifth gear at 125 miles per hour, the car falls flat on its face. That's when the manual starts to reel it in. So if you're a quarter mile racer, get the auto. But for high speed roll racing or half mile stuff, get the stick. Speaking of roll racing, if you're gonna roll race, the automatic don't do a 60 roll because it puts you in this weird place where you're too low for third but too high for second. The manual doesn't have that problem though. Another thing that I'll tell you is that you can miss a gear in the automatic. Not in the traditional sense of missing a gear. But watch this race here. See, that was the shift delay I was talking about. I hit the paddle just before redline, but the computer takes forever to register it and it just slams into the limiter. And so it doesn't upshift, it just stops accelerating for that moment. And you have to wait for the revs to drop to re engage the paddle. The only way around it is to time your shifts earlier to compensate for that delay. It's not impossible, but it's annoying. Let's talk about one last thing. Shift speed. Chevy claims that the eight speed automatic shifts faster than a pdk. And while that's questionable, it's definitely faster than you and I could shift. The upshifts sound aggressive, and on downshifts you get this exhaust burble that I never had on the manual. The seven speed, however, does have one trick up its sleeve, and that's no lift shifting. Some of us refer to this as power shifting, And we all know that eventually it'll destroy your transmission. But on the Z06, you can do this all day until your heart falls out. The problem is you can't power shift everywhere. And that's why the auto is faster in almost every scenario. So what's the verdict then? Well, there's no right answer to that question. It comes down to what you really want the car for. For me, I'll stick with the auto simply because I want to get the most out of the car on the street. From a 40 roll, it's undeniably lethal. And I don't plan on tracking this car as often as I did with my manual Z06. So the whole overheating thing, that won't bug me as much. But at the end of the day, can't really lose. You'll be driving one of America's greatest sports cars. Speaking of great American sports cars, the new GT500 just got unveiled and it's only coming in dual clutch. Seems like everyone is going that route now. I feel like rowing your own gears will eventually become a novelty. And to get the most out of a performance car, you have to go with the automatic version. Won't stop me from buying another manual sports car though. Better get one while I can. I know I didn't cover everything here, so if you think of anything, let me know in the comments. And don't forget to subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.