Against the grain. That is the trajectory of the Chevrolet Corvette going back almost 70 years, which is what makes the Corvette journey so remarkable. Against the grain compared to other sports cars from around the world. Against the grain versus anything else on American roads. The 2022 mid-engine Corvette Stingray is everything Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov and his worthy successors could have imagined. Drew Doran with CARandDRIVER wroteWith a lineage that stretches back to the 1950s, the Chevrolet Corvette is a mainstay of performance-car culture, and the current C8 model takes that tradition to a new place with a thumping V-8 mounted behind the passenger compartment and a still-affordable price tag. Performance in the supercar range and surgically precise handling make the Corvette a track day darling when equipped with the Z51 packagelike this carbut its ride over rough stretches is unexpectedly smooth and its cabin is comfortable enough for daily use. Storage areas behind the engine and in front of the cabin offer enough cargo space for a weekend away, and its attainable price, exceptional performance, and surprising practicality make it a 10Best winner and earn it a spot on our Editors Choice list. Spend the money to upgrade to the 3LT version which addshead-up display, a wireless smartphone charging pad, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, a 14-speaker Bose stereo system, blind-spot monitoring, and much more. The Z51 performance package brings all of the Corvettes best performance-oriented gear. Although the engine is in a new locationnow behind the passenger compartment instead of in front of itit remains a 6.2-liter V-8, albeit one making 490 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. With the dual-mode performance exhaust that is part of the Z51 package, it makes 495 horsepower.. In our testing, we recorded a zero-to-60-mph time of 2.8 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 122 mph.