A detailed report published last week by the National Corvette Museum shows that out of the 40,689 2016MY Corvettes built, only 9249 came with the 7-speed manual transmissions.
That’s under 23 percent, and most of the models commissioned with a stick were, unsurprisingly, coupes.
So, it looks that Chevy Corvette owners prefer the automatic instead of the manual. And who came blame them? The paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission has an advantage in terms of performance, with Chevy saying it makes the Corvette slightly faster in a straight line.
In terms of fuel economy, the difference between the two transmissions are negligible, with the manual carrying a 1 mpg advantage over the automatic’s EPA-rated at 16 mpg (14.7 l/100 km) in the city. Both are rated at 29 mpg (8.1 l/100km) on the highway.
Food for thought: Is all this fuss about how sports cars owners really love their stick and third pedal a reflection of reality or just the motoring Press being stuck to stereotypes?
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