| Magazine | GM Spec. | CD | MT | RT | RT | Edmunds | MT | CD |
| Pub. Date | Dec. 2008 | Nov. 2008 | Oct. 2008 | * Feb. 2009 | Oct. 2008 | Jan. 2009 Aug. 2009 |
Mar. 2009 | |
| 0-30 mph (sec) | NA | 1.7 | NA | NA | 1.5 | NA | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| 0-40 mph (sec) | NA | 2.3 | NA | NA | 2.1 | NA | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| 0-50 mph (sec) | NA | 2.8 | NA | NA | 2.7 | NA | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| 0-60 mph (sec) | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| 0-70 mph (sec) | NA | 4.4 | NA | NA | 4.3 | NA | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| 0-80 mph (sec) | NA | 5.2 | NA | NA | 5.1 | NA | 4.9 | 5.5 |
| 0-90 mph (sec) | NA | 6.1 | NA | NA | 6.0 | NA | 5.8 | 6.4 |
| 0-100 mph (sec) | NA | 7.6 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 7.4 | NA | 7.0 | 7.8 |
| 0-110 mph (sec) | NA | 8.8 | NA | NA | 8.6 | NA | 8.1 | 9.0 |
| 0-120 mph (sec) | NA | 10.0 | NA | NA | 9.9 | NA | 9.5 | 10.4 |
| 0-130 mph (sec) | NA | 11.9 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 11.1 | 12.2 |
| 0-140 mph (sec) | NA | 13.6 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 13.0 | 14.0 |
| 0-150 mph (sec) | NA | 16.4 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 15.8 | 17.1 |
| 0-160 mph (sec) | NA | 19.2 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 18.9 | NA |
| 0-170 mph (sec) | NA | 22.5 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 23.1 | NA |
| 1/4 Mile (sec/mph) | NA | 11.5 / 128 | 11.2 / 130.5 | 11.4 / 129.3 | 11.4 / 125.5 | 11.5 / 128.3 | 11.2 / 130.5 | 11.7 / 127 |
| Street Start, 5-60 mph (sec) | NA | 4.0 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 3.9 |
| Top Speed (mph) | 205 | NA | 200.4 | NA | NA | NA | 200.4 | NA |
| 0-100-0 mph, sec | "under 11.0" | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Braking (ft.) | NA | 70-0 mph: 142 ft. | 60–0 mph: 97 ft | 60–0 mph: 106 ft 80-0 mph: 183 ft |
60–0 mph: 106 ft 80-0 mph: 183 ft |
60–0 mph: 96 ft | 60–0 mph: 97 ft | 70-0 mph: 141 ft. |
| Lateral Accel. (g) | 1.01 | 1.07 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.06 | 1.10 | 1.07 |
| Test Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car and Driver, December 2008, Pg. 50: | "...it is a great piece of work: faster, easier to drive at the limit and more comfortable in daily use than the Z06. It is one of those rare cars, such as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and the BMW M3, that make its driver look more heroic than reality suggests. To do that with a car that has such formidable performance is a rare feat." |
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| Motor Trend, November 2008: | "Class-shattering power, race-car handling grip, monster brakes, and sweet control inputs leave even the bluebloods in this Chevy's wake. The ZR1 has a few glaring flaws -- including a fade-into-the-traffic-flow exterior and a cockpit lacking almost any signs of flying first-class -- yet by nearly every objective measure (and most subjective ones, too) this new Chevy expands the performance envelope for premium supercars. And at a fraction of the price of the European thoroughbreds. In the supercar realm, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 rules." |
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| Road and Track, October 2008: | "If the Z06 is a steal, then the ZR1 borders on grand larceny. You can't get close to this level of performance without driving a wannabe race car or wiping out your bank account on something overly exotic." | |||||||
| Motor Trend, January 2009: | "outrageous speed, handling, and brakes at a price that simply embarrasses the competition. the new supercar king. | |||||||
| * Road and Track, Feb. 2009: | You can download the Road and Track summary sheet for this test - here. | |||||||
| Key: RT: Road and Track, CD: Car and Driver, MT: Motor Trend | ||||||||