That new appearance is easily and immediately recognizable. Chief Engineer Dave Hill stated, "We wanted the '05 Corvette to say 'Corvette' at 100 yards," a goal that was accomplished by looking forward while retaining what C6 Chief Designer Tom Peters calls, "basic aesthetic attributes that form the foundation of Corvette design...best exemplified by the classic mid-year Corvettes of 1963 through 1967." Traditional Corvette design elements like side extractors and paired round (or in some instances roundish) taillights are coupled with dramatic new arching fenders and an egg-crate front grille-an element that hasn't been seen for decades. The grille is fully functional; unlike the C5 (and C4), which was 100-percent a "bottom breather;" the C6 relies on the front grille opening for 60 percent of its air intake requirements. From some vantage points, I see strong C3 influences in the contours of the front fenders, particularly as they transition inward toward the hood and in the hood lines as it tapers toward the front fascia.
Perhaps the single most noticeable change for the '05 is the exposed headlight modules. Each fixed headlight enclosure contains three lighting elements, a HID Xenon low-beam/projector-beam lens, a tungsten-halogen high-beam projector lens, and a combined outboard parking light/side and turn-marker light/daytime running light. The lights are covered by a clear polycarbonate shell over a body-colored housing, and both headlight lenses are encircled by chrome trim rings.
The side of the C6 is dominated by the large, crisply defined side vents, the harder-edged fender lines, and 1 inch-larger diameter, five-spoke flangeless wheels at all four corners. External door handles have been replaced by membrane switches hidden in a pocket behind each door. The roofline is highly reminiscent of the C5, but with a trace of a jet fighter canopy in the profile and a more pronounced double-bubble effect when viewed from high angles.
The rear of the C6 follows the theme of evolving and refining the C5. The new taillights are round rather than oval, with a lights-to-license plate relationship that's very close to the Fifth-Gen. Corvette, and four round exhaust tips are at the bottom center. A new black "diffuser" surrounds the exhaust outlets and contributes to a visually narrower cross-section. The license plate holder is more smoothly integrated into the rear fascia and was designed specifically to accommodate the relatively tall and narrow rectangles seen in North America, the long and narrow plates of Europe and the UK, and the tall, wide plates used in Japan. Overall, the C6's rear looks somewhat busier and much less ponderous that the C5's bustle.
The icing on the design cake is that the new body offers improved aerodynamics, with a remarkably low .28 coefficient of drag (the sleek C5's drag coefficient is .29). The new design also offers both reduced lift and increased high-speed stability relative to the C5.
The cockpit of a C5 is an exceptionally hospitable place, with acceptable-for a sports/performance car-ingress and egress and superior ergonomics. It is a comfortable abode for spending extended hours on the highway, something I can attest to after my "Funfest or Bust!" road trip last September. On the other hand, the C5 interior is, how can I say it diplomatically, not up to the standards of the rest of the car. I'm saying this as a C5 owner; there are aspects of the C5 interior that, for the price level of the car, border on cheesy. It was well-styled, but the materials, finish, some switches and controls all conspired to remind you that you were in a corporate sibling of Cavaliers and Monte Carlos. It seems, well, plasticky (is there such a word?). That's all changed for the better in the C6.
Anyone who has spent time driving a C5 will feel at home almost immediately. There are no drastic changes in control or instrument locations; as the "laced gloves" magazines used to say, everything falls readily to hand. But then it did so in the C5, too. The difference is that it feels and looks better in this next-generation Corvette.