2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7 Review

The Cadillac Escalade is a legend in multiple segments: as a celebrity limousine, a wealthy outdoorsman’s shuttle and do-it-all hauler for large families. These core attributes continue for the new model year with detail revisions to the LED lights front and back and two new grille designs in the higher-dollar models.

The Cadillac’s exterior style and enhanced image is the main justification for its prices at the very top of the GM SUV line that also includes the Chevrolet Suburban and the GMC Yukon. The Escalade also has unique interior trims, much better noise/vibration/harshness ratings and top-level performance to match its flashy chrome exterior.

The Cadillac brings serious levels of style, luxury and power with a better drivetrain than its cheaper siblings, standard air suspension with electronically adjustable dampers and even magnetic ride control on the top Platinum model.

So the Escalade is a shortcut to get the most loaded truck possible. Making most options standard at the Cadillac’s $65,000 base price also ratchets up the competition to the seven-passenger Range Rover Sport, the Infiniti QX56 and the aging Lincoln Navigator.

Does the flagship Cadillac SUV still capture buyer wants and needs in the final years before its replacement in 2015?

Click past the jump for the full review of the 2014 Escalade and 2014 Escalade ESV with photo comparisons of the three available grille finishes.
When a new performance ride hits the market, like the 2014 Corvette Stingray, it is only a matter of time before Hennessey engineers get to cracking the code to drawing more horsepower from it. About a month after GM unveiled the all-new Corvette Stingray earlier this year, Hennessey let us in on the secret that it planned to tune the new sports car to upwards of 1,000 horsepower in several stages.

Today, just five months after making that bold announcement, Hennessey has outlined the details of its new HPE tuning programs for the Stingray. We are just a tad bit impressed, as Hennessey created four equally amazing kits for the Corvette that pushes it to between 600 and 1,000 ponies. So, if the stock 455-horsepower output just isn’t enough for you, you can rest assured that Hennessey has the right kit for you.

What’s great about Hennessey programs is that its engineers and designers never focus solely on muscle. They also turn their attention to updating the suspension, braking and aesthetics to help push the envelope of performance a little further.

UPDATE 07/16/2013: Hennessey has officially unveiled the HPE tuning kits for the 2014 Corvette Stingray. See the details after the jump

Click past the jump to read all the juicy details on the HPE kits for the new Corvette Stingray

Exterior

As standard, the only exterior modifications that Hennessey adds to the Corvette are badges for the body and a serial-number plaque on the engine cover. And that’s good for us, as the Stingray’s exterior is plenty sexy straight off of the factory line.

However, if you really want your new Corvette to stand out, Hennessey will be happy to oblige with a laundry list of optional add-on components. Hennessey will slap on various CarbonAero carbon-fiber body upgrades, including a front spoiler, a rear lip spoiler, a hood with a large central vent for additional cooling and reduced lift, and side sills for a more aggressive look — as if the Stingray really needs to look more aggressive...
Interior

Just like the exterior, Hennessey only adds a few minor touches to the inside with the standard HPE setup. The standard add-on equipment on the inside includes premium Hennessey floor mats and carbon-fiber door sills.

For a little extra cash, you can go all in and have Hennessey install a customized full-leather interior, some carbon-fiber elements and a five-point racing harness.
Drivetrain

The drivetrain is Hennessey’s bread and butter, folks. The HPE kits come in four variants: HPE600, HPE700, HPE800 and HPE1000. Those numbers don’t leave much ,mystery to the power output — 600, 700, 800 and 1,000 horsepower, respectively — but the beauty is in the details.

The base HPE600 kit starts off relatively light by installing a TVS2300 supercharger system and Hennessey’s in-house HPE Air Induction System. To help tweak the fuel and ignition systems for the supercharger, Hennessey also performs an engine management calibration and tunes your Vette on the dyno. At the end of the day, this system pushes the 6.2-liter V-8 to 600 horsepower at 6,300 rpm — up from 455 horsepower.

The HPE700 kit pushes the 6.2-liter V-8 to 700 horsepower at 6,300 rpm by adding to the HPE600 kit CNC ported heads for free-flowing air and exhaust, and a hot camshaft to further enhance the Corvette’s lung capacity.

The HPE800 kit changes things up a bit., as it still uses boost but from a different source. This upgrade straps a pair of ball-bearing turbochargers to the V-8 powerplant, an air-to-air intercooler to keep this pressurized air nice and cool, stainless-steel inlet pipes, and a pair of wastegates. Hennessey doesn’t stop there, as it also installs forged-steel connecting rods and crankshaft to handle the extra power, high-flow cylinder heads and a custom HPE camshaft for better breathing, an upgraded fuel system, an HPE ECM tune, a full stainless-steel exhaust system with downpipes and forged-aluminum pistons. This kit bumps the Vette to a whopping 800 horses at 6,300.

Finally, the big enchilada: the HPE1000 kit. The only obvious changes from the HPE800 kit to this HPE1000 kit include an HPE balanced and forged engine to help it handle higher revs and power, and an electronic boost controller. However, we are certain that Hennessey also installs even less-restrictive cylinder heads, a more aggressive camshaft grind and a more in-depth ECM tune. This kit pushes the 6.2-liter V-8 to an intense 1,000 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, making the Corvette a true Lambo and Ferrari killer.

As options on all the kits, you can add in an HPE Cold Air Induction Kit and long-tube stainless headers. On the HPE600 and HPE700 kits, you can also opt for a stainless-steel cat-back exhaust system.

Unfortunately, the on-track performance is unknown, but we can see the 0-to-60 times ranging from about 3.5 seconds in the HPE600 setup to the mid-2-second range with the HPE1000 setup. To date, we only know the official 0-to-60 time of the Stingray with the Z51 package and MRC with PTM and that is 3.8 seconds.

All four kits do come with a limited warranty. The HPE600 and HPE700 kits include a 3-year or 36,000-mile warranty, and the HPE800 and HPE1000 kits include a 1-year or 12,000-mile warranty.
Kit     Horsepower @ RPM     Torque @ RPM     Acceleration (0-60 mph)     Top Speed
HPE600     600 @ 6,300     TBA     3.5 Sec, Est.     TBA
HPE700     700 @ 6,300     TBA     3.3 Sec, Est.     TBA
HPE800     800 @ 6,300     TBA     3 Sec, Est.     TBA
HPE1000     1,000 @ 6,300     TBA     2.6 Sec, Est.     TBA
Suspension, Handling and Braking

None of the upgrade kits come standard with handling and braking updates, but Hennessey does offer them as options. You can opt for a set of Hennessey 10-spoke, monoblock wheels wrapped up in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires to help glue the Vette to the road. Additionally, you can toss in a set of Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and a Penske adjustable suspension upgrade to help slow the beast and tackle curves more confidently.
Pricing

The kits start out at $12,495 for the HPE600 and cap off at $67,950 for the HPE1000 kit. The full price list is as follows:
Kit     Price
HPE600     $12,495
HPE700     $18,450
HPE800     $54,950
HPE1000     $67,950
Conclusion

One word can summarize what Hennessey has done here: sick... To be the first to tune the Stingray to 1,000 ponies is an impressive feat, but we’re sure more and more tuners will come out of the woodwork as the newest addition to the Corvette bloodline hits dealerships.

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