In their quest to make the new Corvette Stingray as European as possible, GM engineers may have overcooked it a little. The car is packed with gadgets and gizmos and digital features that make up 69 unique sources of information. Luckily, they have designed an intelligent cluster display that makes it easier to manage this sea of information.
The Stingray’s instrument cluster features three traditional analog gauges for speed, fuel level, and engine-coolant temperature, and an eight-inch liquid-crystal display screen in the center, where the magic happens. The cluster is organized into sport, tour and track themes that change with the Driver Mode Selector. Each is configurable.
The video below will give you an idea of how it all works, but the question is, do we really need all this information and all these blinking lights to enjoy driving a sports car? What happened to the raw and beautiful simplicity of the American sports car? When did the Corvette turn into a geekmobile?
Here are 10 configurable display features that will help drivers realize the Stingray’s capabilities:
1. Tour theme – Displayed when the Stingray is in Weather, Eco, or Tour drive mode, this is the most modern display, providing essential vehicle information drivers want for commuting or long-distance driving and includes key vehicle information and multimedia displays
2. Sport theme – Displayed when the Stingray is in Sport mode, this theme is designed to recall the classic sports-car experience, with a single, radial tachometer dominating the display
3. Track theme – Inspired by the cluster of the Corvette Racing C6.R, this theme prioritizes the information vital for a successful track outing, including a “hockey stick” style tachometer, large gear indicator and shift lights
4. Adjustable redline – All themes feature an adjustable redline that shows the suggested maximum engine speed as low as 3,500 rpm when the engine is cold
5. Tachometer ‘halo’ – The Sport theme features a ring around the tachometer that glows from yellow to amber to red as engine rpms increase
6. Shift lights – The track theme features shift lights influenced by the C6.R, which illuminate from the outside-in, transition from green to yellow to blue and flash at redline providing an easy-to-see shift notification at high speeds
7. Friction-bubble/cornering force – The friction bubble that displays lateral and longitudinal G-forces allows drivers to measure how close they are to the Stingray’s limits
8. Tire temperature gauge – Leveraging the existing Tire Pressure Monitoring System, this patented system informs the driver as the tires warm up from cold to warm to hot, with hot being the optimal temperature for peak grip and track performance
9. Acceleration timer – The interactive timer features programmable start/end speeds, which enable drivers to measure any acceleration run, from a traditional 0-60 mph to acceleration from 70-100 mph in top gear
10. Lap timer – Shows current, previous and best lap times, enabling drivers to measure their consistency while lapping a road course