MotorTrend has announced that the Corvette Z06 has been named the 2023 MotorTrend Performance Vehicle of the Year. The Z06 bested 20 other contenders, including the Honda Civic Type R and Toyota GR Corolla. No longer just a bang-for-buck star, Chevy’s 670-hp mid-engine supercar defeated the competition thanks to performance that rivaled or topped some of the world’s most pedigreed sports cars, such as the Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica and McLaren 765LT Spider. At 2.8 seconds to 60 mph, the Corvette Z06 was the quickest vehicle in this year’s field, while its 1.16-g lateral grip figure and 95-ft. stop from 60 mph were second-best.
“This is the world-beating supercar we have longed for, with the way the engine delivers power until you hit the 8,600-rpm redline and the huge grip levels that encourage ever-higher cornering speeds—this is the best American sports car ever made,” said MotorTrend Group head of editorial Ed Loh. “MotorTrend is honored to name the Corvette Z06 as our Performance Vehicle of the Year.”
The Corvette Z06 was judged the winner from a diverse field of 20 all-new or significantly updated vehicles, and it excelled against the award’s six key criteria: driver confidence and engagement, efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence and performance of intended function.
Among the highlights of the Z06 are its value, as well as an era-capping engine, perhaps the last and likely the best naturally aspirated American V-8 ever, according to MotorTrend. Other longtime Corvette strengths have been retained and improved upon, including its suitability for daily driving; when utilizing its Tour drive mode, the Z06’s suspension is all-day comfortable. The Z06 is also genuinely approachable in ways many other cars of this ilk are not. GM’s Performance Traction Management (PTM) system offers precise adjustments to the electronic safety net, and as you grow more comfortable with the car, you can peel away layers of this backup bit by bit, or simply jump in with PTM’s transparent hand keeping you carbon-fiber side up.
The Z06 coupe starts at $110,290. Pile on every performance option you can put on the entry-level 1LZ trim level and the cheapest max-performance Z06 runs $138,175.
For more in-depth analysis on why MotorTrend named the Corvette Z06 its 2023 Performance Vehicle of the Year, visit MotorTrend’s Performance Vehicle of the Year award article.