2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

CHEVROLET Brand Reviews:    • CAVALIER    • CORVETTE    • IMPALA    • MALIBU    • MONTE CARLO    2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE SERIES:    Description:    2-seat performance sports car    Model options:    Corvette Hatchback Coupe    Corvette Convertible    Corvette Z06 Hardtop Coupe    Wheelbase:    104.5 inches    Overall length:    179.7 inches    Engine size:    OHV 5.7-L V8 (LS1)    OHV 5.7-L V8 (LS6)    Transmissions/speeds:     LS1: Manual/6     Auto/4    LS6: Manual/6    Rear/front drive:     Rear    Steering:    Power rack and pinion    Braking:    Power 4-disc/     ABS/TCS/AH    Air bags:    2 (front)    EPA mileage est. city/hwy:    LS1 M/6: 19/28 mpg    LS1 A/4: 18/25 mpg    LS6 M/6: 19/28 mpg    Price range est.    $ 42,000 to $ 53,000   Read Feature Story   Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

CHEVROLET MARKS 50 YEARS FOR CORVETTE

Chevrolet is the volume brand at General Motors and the passenger cars grouped behind Chevy's bow-tie badge consist of a varied collection with multiple bestsellers ranging from economical commuter cars to refined family sedans and a sporty coupe, plus America's sports car, Corvette. Fabled Corvette, conformed as either a daring convertible or sleek hatchback coupe, marks a half century of production in 2003 with a 50th Anniversary edition. It's dressed in a special Anniversary Red paint job with specific badging to identify it, the interior shaded in Shale and unique anniversary wheels colored like champagne and inscribed with 50th Anniversary insignia. Cavalier, the compact-class economy car from Chevrolet, returns in two-door coupe and four-door sedan variations sporting new exterior styling with fresh fascia and new headlamps and taillamps. Cavalier also gains equipment with optional OnStar communicator and the subscription-based XM satellite radio service.

Impala, Chevrolet's bestseller full-size sedan in a nameplate tracing through five decades and accounting for more than 14 million units, rolls into 2003 on new aluminum wheels and carries more standard gear plus the XM option. Another Chevy sedan -- Malibu -- ranks in size between the larger Impala and budget-minded Cavalier. A 107-inch wheelbase implies that Malibu might fit at the elongated end of the compact class, yet there's so much interior space that it officially moves to the mid-size class. Malibu goes into 2003 with new paint colors. Monte Carlo, a two-door Chevy coupe spinning off the same platform as Impala, offers value due to pleasant road manners and numerous standard features. Fresh wheels and new color choices mark the 2003 Monte Carlo, which also has a remote keyless entry system as standard, plus optional XM satellite radio.

CAVALIER: Chevrolet's compact, continuing with three trim levels for coupe and sedan formats, shows new external features to mark 2003 editions. Top Cavalier model LS Sport wears new rocker moldings and foglamps. Further, there are new options for chrome aluminum wheels and exterior mirrors in the body color, plus a spoiler for the rear deck and cockpit upgrades with leather wrapping the steering wheel and shift knob. New patriotic colors on the paint palette range from Victory Red and Olympic White to Arrival Blue, and a daring shade of yellow is available for coupes. Trim levels for both coupe and sedan extend from the base Cavalier to upgraded LS and top-end LS Sport with GM's FE2 sport suspension. All pull power from a dual-cam 2.2-liter EcoTec four-in-line engine that makes 140 hp and mates to either the standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic.

CORVETTE: To mark fifty years of production, Corvette's 50th Anniversary Edition contains added equipment including GM's Magnetic Selective Ride Control damping suspension. Available as a coupe or convertible, the Anniversary Corvette wears special badges and uses the LS1 engine, a 5.7-liter V8 producing 350 hp. New standards also appear, like foglamps, dual-zone climate system, sport seats and power controls for the passenger's seat. The souped-up Z06 edition also moves into the 2003 lineup rigged with the LS6 V8 engine hitting 405 hp. That Z06 nameplate tracks back to 1963 when Corvette's chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov concocted a special showroom race car version of the then-new Corvette Sting Ray split-window coupe. The Z06 RPO (Regular Production Option) Sting Ray contained a heavy-duty suspension with stronger brakes, an expanded fuel tank, fuel injectors, GM's Positraction rear axle and a four-on-the-floor shifter. Today's Z06, like the rare issues of 1963, also adds up to a showroom race car although its bottom line does not. In the 400 hp club, no megabucks and exotic foreign brand can match the Z06 at twice its price. External markings distinguish Z06 with a unique grille, special ductwork by the rear brakes to cool them, and subtle "405" insignia worked into the Z06 badge.

IMPALA: Chevrolet's popular Impala sedan with a mid-size structure but full-size cabin stocking seats for all in the family, ranks among the top ten best-selling passenger cars in America and it's also the bestseller at Chevrolet. In Chevrolet's 2003 line, Impala scores special 16-inch wheel sets and new exterior color choices, such as Cappuccino Frost Metallic and Superior Blue. Two trims define the 2003 Impala -- a base model and upscale LS -- and there are two V6 powertrains available. The base Impala stocks a familiar 3.4-liter plant from GM that produces 180 hp. An optional 3.8-liter V6 reaches to 200 hp.

MALIBU: Good driving characteristics, sharp styling and comfortable accommodations combine with attractive prices to make the Malibu sedan another bestseller for Chevrolet. The current design has become a popular choice for dependable family transportation because it presents a genuine value due to Malibu's pleasant personality and the convenient features usually found only on a list of optional equipment. Malibu's standards include air conditioning, analog instruments with tachometer, a tilting steering column and stereo sound kit. Chevrolet equips Malibu with a 3.1-liter V6 that reaches to 170 hp through the standard Hydra-Matic 4T40-E four-speed automatic transaxle. The cabin layout for both Malibu and upscale LS trim includes two front bucket seats followed by a rear bench with room for three adult riders.

MONTE CARLO: In coupe style, Monte Carlo for 2003 rides on the platform of the Impala sedan and contains many of the same mechanical components yet follows its own track for exterior styling and interior features. The volume model -- Monte Carlo LS -- totes a 3.4-liter plant that delivers 180 hp and earns high fuel economy figures up to 32 mpg. The performance edition -- Monte Carlo SS -- packs a 3.8-liter V6 that reaches to 200 hp. Latest Monte Carlo colors are Berry Red Metallic and Victory Red.