The first-ever hybrid ‘Vette packs more of a punch than Chevy lets on.
The Chevy Corvette E-Ray uses the same 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 as the entry-level Stingray, but with some help from an electric motor on the front axle. The automaker claims that combination makes a combined 655 horsepower and 592 lb-ft of torque. Paragon Performance’s all-wheel-drive dyno tells a better story, though.
At the wheels, a stock Corvette E-Ray made 573 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque in Paragon’s testing. That’s 14% less horsepower than Chevrolet says, though that’s typical drivetrain loss for a rear-wheel-drive car with a dual-clutch transmission. So, the advertised figure is pretty spot on there. It’s the torque number that’s shocking, however, as it’s a 6.4% increase at the wheels from what General Motors claims. That might help explain the E-Ray’s ability to hit 60 mph from a standstill in just 2.5 seconds.
How do the E-Ray’s actual figures compare to a stock Corvette Z06? The Z06 makes more power, with 610 wheel-horsepower, but it only begins to best the E-Ray at around 7,500 rpm—2,000 rpm higher than where the E-Ray hits peak power. The Z06 also makes considerably less torque, with a 424 lb-ft of peak wheel torque. And once again, that torque kicks in far later in the rev range. So, in almost all real-world circumstances, an E-Ray is going to be quicker than a Z06.
We already knew the Corvette E-Ray was a bit of an overperformer. After all, it was The Drive’s Best Performance Car of 2023. But it’s nice to see our suspicions confirmed with science and graphs.
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