Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2005 Porsche 911 VS 2005 Chevrolet Corvette Near Scottsdale, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Porsche 911 are height adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Corvette doesn’t offer height adjustable seat belts.

The 911 has standard head airbag curtains which act as a forgiving barrier between the driver and passenger’s upper bodies and the window and pillars. Combined with high-strength steel door beams and lower side airbags this system increases head protection in broadside collisions. Head airbags cost extra in the Corvette.

The 911 offers an optional backup radar to help warn drivers about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind their vehicle. This collision warning system uses radar to detect obstacles behind the rear bumper. The Corvette doesn’t offer a rear collision sensor.

Both the 911 and the Corvette have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four wheel antilock brakes, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available traction control.

The 911 comes with a full 4 year/50,000 mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24 hour roadside assistance. The Corvette’s 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty expires 1 year and 14,000 miles sooner.

The 911’s corrosion warranty is 4 years and unlimited miles longer than the Corvette’s (10/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the 911 have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Corvette.

J.D. Power and Associates’ surveys of the owners of three-year-old cars provide the long-term dependability statistics which show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche 10th in reliability, above the industry average. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 11th.

As tested in Car and Driver the 911 S 3.8 DOHC 6 cyl. is faster than the Chevrolet Corvette (manual transmissions tested):

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the 911 lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability. The Corvette doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

For better stopping power the 911’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Corvette:

The 911’s brakes have 14% more swept area (the area covered by the brake pads) than the Corvette (535 vs. 471 square inches), so the 911 has more braking power available.

The 911 stops much shorter than the Corvette:

The 911 S’ 235/30R19 front tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) which provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corvette’s 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 911 S has standard 19 inch wheels. The Corvette’s largest wheels are only 18 inches in the front and 19 inches in the rear.

The front and rear suspension of the 911 uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Corvette, which uses transverse leafs springs. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For better maneuverability the 911’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the Corvette’s (36 vs. 39 feet).

The 911 has standard seating for 4 passengers; the Corvette can only carry 2.

The 911 has 11.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corvette (64 vs. 52.1).

The 911’s power windows raise and lower automatically with one touch, especially convenient at tollbooths or drive-up windows. The power windows on the Corvette don’t raise automatically.

If the windows are left down on the 911 the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder. The driver of the Corvette can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The 911’s standard rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Corvette’s standard intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The 911 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Corvette doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The 911’s standard separate stalk mounted cruise control is close at hand. The Corvette’s standard cruise control is on an over-crowded turn signal stalk.

To help keep the driver’s hands on the wheel, the 911 offers optional steering wheel controls for the radio. The Corvette doesn’t offer steering wheel audio controls.