2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport X Brings the Heat
The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport recipe has been pretty simple. Take the base engine and place it in the Vette’s wide-body envelope with all the available chassis upgrades. They call this the “sweet spot” because you get all the handling and braking of the monsters at the top of the lineup but without the expense and complexity of their beastly engines. In this case, propulsion comes courtesy of the new naturally aspirated LS6 V-8 from the base Corvette Stingray, which got an injection of at least 40 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque just in time for the arrival of this generation’s Grand Sport.
Actually, we should say Grand Sports, because there’s a new variant that goes by the name of Grand Sport X (and takes the place of the outgoing E-Ray model). It’s a bit of a mouthful, we admit, and we’re always saying GSX around the office. You have our permission to do the same.
While the base Grand Sport (wrap your head around that one) delivers the same 535 horsepower and 520 pound-feet as the Stingray, the Grand Sport X packs a mighty 721 horsepower thanks to the addition of a front-axle electric motor plucked from the ZR1X. Its tiny battery pack is situated in the center of the car in the tunnel between the occupants. This so-called eAWD hybrid system adds 186 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of instantly available torque to the front axle, a boon at launch—and also when pulling out of corners, thanks to insane levels of torque vectoring. There is a slight penalty for all of this, of course, as the GSX gains around 300 pounds, most of it up front between the wheels. On the other hand, it pips the regular Grand Sport for fuel economy, earning 18 mpg combined for the X versus 17 mpg combined for the regular edition.
The X comes standard with numerous goodies that are optional on the Grand Sport, including carbon-ceramic brakes, Magnetic Ride Control, enhanced powertrain cooling, and Performance Traction Management. The Grand Sport X features monster all-season Michelin tires, sized 275/30ZR-20 in the front and 345/25ZR-21 at the rear, and the touring suspension (softer springs and damper tuning, essentially) for $112,195. The Sport Performance package swaps in stiffer springs and a calibration for the adaptive magnetorheological dampers to match, plus Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires, for just $500 more.
What’s odd is that there’s no Pilot Sport Cup 2R tire option, even though that tire appears on the Grand Sport options list. GM representatives couldn’t explain why this difference should exist, because there’s no physical reason for it. They are merely assuming, for now, that the regular Grand Sport is more likely than the Grand Sport X to be taken to a track day. With that in mind, GM trotted out a pair of sample cars so equipped for us to test on the Atlanta Motorsports Park circuit: a Grand Sport on Cup 2R tires and a Grand Sport X on Pilot Sport 4S tires.
Right off the bat, the Grand Sport on Cup 2R tires proved to inspire more confidence through the turns, whereas the GSX on its Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires tended to squirm around a bit. But the Grand Sport X absolutely hooked up on corner exits because the mighty pull from its front axle led to considerably more terminal velocity at the end of what passed for a straightaway at this tiny club circuit. We ran the car almost exclusively with the Charge+ setting activated, which kept the battery topped up to about 80 percent despite our frequent deployments. Ultimately, the course was way too tight to really show off what this car could do in terms of lap times, but the difference was clear enough to imagine what might happen if these two were on the same rubber. The delta will also be plain to see at our Lightning Lap event at Virginia International Raceway, where the straightaways are considerably longer and speeds are much higher.
Likewise, when we get a Grand Sport X to our test track, we expect great things on the order of 60 mph in about 2.5 seconds. We’re expecting a quarter-mile time in the mid-10s and a trap speed close to 130 mph—frankly, the hybrid assist will last at least that long. The Pilot Sport 4S tires might hold lateral grip down to a little more than 1.0 g, and the 70-mph stopping distance should be around 150 feet. Time will tell, but that’s where our money currently sits.
On the road, the Grand Sport X drives like a cross between a Grand Sport and an E-Ray, because that’s essentially what it is. It has a pleasant temperament that doesn’t give away anything about its prodigious power, and its ride is as well sorted as any Stingray equipped with the Z51 Performance package. The carbon-ceramic brakes feel powerful, with an utterly firm pedal, even though regenerative braking is going on in the background. The all-season-tire setup is slightly more vague when it comes to steering feel, and the tires tend to exhibit faint pinging and cavity resonance on some surfaces. The summer-tire-equipped car responded a tad more swiftly and gave us more effort buildup, but we were hard-pressed to find anything more substantial.
Basically, we’re zooming in and picking nits. With a Grand Sport X, you’ll be more than happy whichever way you decide to go, and the base price difference is negligible: $112,195 for all-season tires or $112,695 for summers. Choose your weapon.
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Specifications
Specifications
2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport X
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, front-motor, all-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door targa or convertible
PRICE
Coupe, $112,195; Convertible, $119,195
POWERTRAIN
pushrod 16-valve 6.7-liter V-8, 535 hp, 520 lb-ft + AC motor, 186 hp, 145 lb-ft (combined output: 721 hp, 665 lb-ft; lithium-ion battery pack)
Transmission, F/R: direct-drive/8-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 107.0 in
Length: 184.6 in
Width: 79.7 in
Height: 48.6 in
Passenger Volume: 51 ft3
Trunk Volume: 13 ft3
Curb Weight (C/D est): 3900–4000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.5–2.6 sec
100 mph: 6.0–6.1 sec
1/4-Mile: 10.6–10.7 sec
Top Speed: 183 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 18/15/24 mpg
Dan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department.