2016 Corvette Stingray, A Beach, and 10 Years of Marriage

2016 Corvette StingrayOur romantic road trip was even more thrilling in a Corvette Stingray.

10 years of marriage and two kids is a big deal. We had a lot to celebrate and as our first big, no-kids, trip since our honeymoon, we wanted to make our tenth anniversary trip an experience to remember. We booked a delightful bed and breakfast for our first night, and a beach cottage for the rest of the week. We could have taken our family car, but I had an idea… What if we drove something fun? Something we couldn’t drive on a daily basis. Something I probably wouldn’t normally even choose to review due to practicality’s sake. So, I asked for a sports car and Chevy delivered with the ultimate all-American Corvette Stingray.

To say we were excited about getting to road trip in the Stingray is an understatement. I’m from Kentucky, home of the Corvette museum and factory. I’ve been a fan of Vettes since I was a little girl. To me it’s THE American sports car and I couldn’t wait to drive it. My husband was not disappointed. While it took some finagling to get his 6′ 2″ frame in and out, he had plenty of head space once he was seated. That part shocked us both. And once he was in, he didn’t want to take turns driving. 🙂 I can’t say I blame him. I really enjoyed driving it myself!

We left Paris, TX and headed to Gulfport, MS for our first night, and intended to stay in Biloxi and Ocean Springs, MS for the remainder of the week. We ended up venturing over to Mobile, AL for a tour of the USS Alabama, some killer BBQ and a beautiful beach-side cruise one day, and took the Corvette on the Mobile Bay Ferry when we went out to Dauphin Island to hunt shells. On the way home we made a stop in historic Vicksburg, MS.

Things You Should Know

455 horsepower
7-speed manual (standard) or 8-speed paddle-shift automatic (optional)
17 mpg city/ 29 mpg hwy
starts at $55,400 (model we drove was $70,760)

Things I Love

sculpted, head-turning exterior
0-130 in 5.8 seconds (or something like that. ahem.)
driver mode selector
projected driver heads-up display
light-weight removable hardtop

The unbelievably sexy exterior of the 2016 Corvette Stingray Coupe w/Z51 performance package

Y’all. I don’t use the word sexy to describe objects often, but there really isn’t another way to say it. This car is sexy. I stopped counting the number of people who grinned and gave us a thumbs-up at traffic lights, or stopped us to say how much they liked our car. We even had people ask to check it out, and my husband gave our innkeeper a little ride around the block in it. When you pull up in a Laguna Blue Tintcoat Stingray, everyone stops what they’re doing and checks out the car. Every time. I’m not saying it’s a good reason to buy a car, I’m just saying it’s a whole lotta fun to people watch when you’re cruising the town.

I’m a huge fan of the bright Laguna blue with the Jet Black interior, but I’ve also seen the Shark Gray Metallic exterior paired with the Adrenaline Red leather interior and I’d have a real hard time choosing between those packages if I were to buy one. The black and chrome accents are so sharp next to the blue. It really is irresistible. And when you come upon red and yellow Stingrays when crossing the bay bridge and you fall in line, you create a thing of beauty in your primary colors.

The headlamps on the Corvette are a thing of beauty. I’m a details girl, so all the little things like sculpted lights, functional exterior vents, and the shiny stingray emblem come together to make this one sleek machine.

The Cockpit. Er. Um. Interior of the Corvette is Hawt.

I was in the passenger seat a good deal of the trip and from my vantage point the gear shift read “flight selector.” I didn’t think twice about that. You feel like you’re in a high-tech flying machine, so why not call it that. I was disappointed later to learn that it really read “Eight Speed.” We had so much fun in the car that for once I wasn’t taking pictures.

I love the way the dash is set at a diagonal;  all the climate and entertainment controls conveniently face the driver. And the driver’s heads-up display projected in the windshield so you don’t even have to glance down to see your speed? That totally spoiled me. I was constantly trying to figure out how that worked, even in broad daylight. Yes. I’m a geek.

The seats were surprisingly comfortable. I think my large boned husband felt a little crowded by the shape of the seats, but I loved the way they were sculpted to hug my body and offer support in the tight curves. I also loved the 8-way power seat adjuster, leather wrapped steering wheel, and the Bose audio system.

The overall experience is phenomenal

There is a reason the Corvette is so popular. It is a beautiful, powerful beast. We won’t talk about how fast it goes because I’m not about to own up to my top speed, but I’ll tell you, if it had wings, it would fly. We had the time of our lives and the Corvette played a big part in that by making the hours on the road not-so-ordinary and making us feel really special for the week. It’s a car I’d love to own someday, when I don’t have kids to haul around.

If you’d like to see a whole lot of Corvette Stingray and vacation pictures, check out #mueller10yr on Twitter and my full album on Flickr!

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Erica Mueller
Erica Mueller

A web developer, digital marketing consultant, auto journalist, truck expert, photographer and lover of gadgets, Erica is a textbook geek. On her days off she loves to travel, garden, hike and camp, and play her guitar. You can find Erica on Instagram at @EricaDrives. Erica is a board member and a journalist member of the Texas Auto Writers Association.

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