Our 2021 Chevrolet Corvette's Front Trunk Release Stopped Working
With its engine moved behind the passenger compartment instead of in front, the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette gains extra storage space where the engine used to be. We find the front trunk, or "frunk" as it's often called, is very useful—at least it was until it stopped opening.
There were no warning signs. Out of the blue, the electronic release mechanism just stopped releasing. Whether you pushed the button on the key fob, inside the cabin, or under the headlight, the turn signals would blink in acknowledgment but the hood wouldn't budge. Thankfully, none of our stuff was locked inside.
We should note, this isn't the first issue Chevrolet has had with the C8 Corvette's front trunk lid, nor is it a repeat of those past issues. First, the company had an issue with front trunk lids not latching correctly and coming open while driving. Later, it was found the emergency release button inside the front trunk (in case a small person gets trapped inside) might stop working 10 minutes after the car was turned off. Both were corrected by a software recall issued months before our car was built. Ours just plain didn't want to open no matter what button you pushed or whether you were moving or parked.
Luckily for us, it happened right around the time the car started asking for its first service appointment. With 8,817 miles on the Corvette's clock, we dropped it off at the local dealer, where we were informed it also had two outstanding recalls in need of correction. The first was a software update to correct an issue with the infotainment screen failing to come on in cold temperatures, an issue we'd only noticed once or twice because Los Angeles never gets that cold. Easy fix, covered under warranty.
Neither the front trunk lid nor the other recall, for the fluid reservoir cap on the front lift system, could be fixed that day, unfortunately. The cap was on backorder (apparently, it leaks sometimes, though we never had this issue), and the latch actuator in the front trunk needed to be replaced. That, too, had to be ordered.
On the plus side, we did get the first oil change and general service out of the way. Eight quarts of synthetic oil, a new filter, and a billable hour of the tech's time set us back $183.04. The dealer called us back 12 days later when the parts arrived and fixed both the front trunk and the reservoir cap under warranty.
Separate from the service, we wore through our first set of tires with 11,589 miles on the clock. With staggered wheel sizes front and rear, the tires aren't all the same price, with the fronts going for $406.99 each and the rears $537.99 apiece. Altogether, a fresh set us back $1,889.96, plus $100 for mounting and balancing by ZipTire.
Less than 12,000 miles is a very short life for a modern tire, but there are extenuating circumstances. Some of those miles were on a racetrack, which wore them down more quickly. Before it hit the track, we also put the car in its optional track alignment, which specifies a lot of negative camber, among other things. Greatly preferring how the car drives in track alignment, we elected to leave it that way knowing it would wear the tires out faster.
Sure enough, we noticed cords showing on the inner shoulders of the rear tires at 11,589 miles even though there was plenty of tread left on the rest of the tires. Let that be a lesson to you: Check the entire tire for wear, not just the tread in the middle.
Wear on the inside shoulders is the price of running negative camber, which tilts the tops of the wheels inward rather than positioning them straight up and down. It's great for grip in turns but bad for tire life. Fun fact: A Formula 1 car is limited to 3.25 degrees of negative camber on the front wheels. The C8's track alignment calls for 3.00 to 3.01 degrees of negative camber in the front. You can see the lean on these wheels.
Read More About Our Long-Term 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Z51:
- The Corvette's Arrival
- Update 1: The C8 Corvette's Launch Control Is Inconsistent
- Update 2: How the Corvette Z51 Was Faster (Once) Around One Track Than a Porsche Cayman GT4
You may also like
A member on the Bronco6G forum noticed something a little funny recently: The 2022 Ford Bronco configurator no longer features the image of the base level Bronco, and the entry-level model is no longer selectable at all. We took a look for ourselves and found that, indeed, the base Broncos are gone and only the price and wording remains above a grayed-out "image missing" graphic. That same Bronco6G forum poster also mentions that a user's local dealer explained their reasoning behind the move.Is There A Replacement?As it seems that Ford has removed the base Bronco from its configurator, we have yet to hear of any official new entry-level trim for the popular SUV. The post was made on January 11, 2022 and the last webpage crawl from the Internet Archive was back on November 19, 2021. We don't know when this was changed and how long it's actually been this way, though if you mess with the Ford website's url to force it to show the 2021 Bronco configurator, the base Bronco tile appears normally and you can build one. It could be that ongoing supply chain issues (and hardtop problems) are impacting the base-level 2022-model-year Bronco, so Ford is putting the kibosh on ordering one (it wouldn't be the first such limit or delay Ford has levied on Bronco intenders).At the time of this writing we have yet to get official word from Ford on the reason the Base model is gone. Either way, the blanked-out base Bronco leaves the two-door Bronco Big Bend version as the new price leader—though for 2022 it starts at $35,280, a far cry from the $30,795 listed for the two-door base version.A Dealer RumorHowever, the rumor mill is picking up where the base Bronco's faint scent trails off. On that same forum post, a member mentions talking to their local dealer about the loss and what was coming. (Again, we have no official word from Ford to verify this and so it should be taken with a grain of salt.) The explanation is that dealers were having trouble with selling the base Bronco for a profit versus other trims and weren't ordering as many.We find that somewhat hard to believe, given the popularity of the Bronco and the stories of people who were willing to fork over cash for one—any Bronco at all, really. Ford does not release monthly sales figures nor do they break down trims in their quarterly figures, so the base Bronco's fate at the hands of dealer ordering preferences or customer preferences are a mystery.A First-Gen Call Back?One interesting theory, on the other hand, was a mention of a "Heritage Edition" to replace the base model. It was described to a forum member as a standard Bronco with a white roof, calling back to the original, first generation Bronco. Given Ford's history of playing up its historic models, we can't say that isn't too far fetched. Again, we must stress that we have reached out to Ford for confirmation on all of this—the loss of the base model and the introduction of a Heritage model—and, as of press time, Ford has not responded to our questions. So don't rush to conclusions until we're able to confirm from Ford any of it is true. If or when we do hear back, we'll update this story.
WHAT IT IS: The Buick Wildcat EV concept showcases the brand's new face, logo, and design language for a lineup of future electric vehicles. Each will be called Electra, followed by an alphanumeric designation. Although the Wildcat is a coupe, the upcoming Electra models will be all SUVs (at least initially), beginning with a compact offering in 2024. By 2030, Buick's entire lineup will be badged Electra. Two compact two-row models are planned. One is lower, sportier, more car-like, and geared toward couples; the other rides higher with more cargo room for families.WHY IT MATTERS: GM saved the Buick brand because of its popularity in China, but cool electric SUVs could make it hip in North America and restore some former glory. Besides, the more EVs that share GM's Ultium system of batteries and platforms, the greater the company's ability to reduce costs and keep them more affordable.PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: All these new electric vehicles use GM's BEV3 electric architecture and Ultium battery technology developed with partner LG Chem. The first Electra SUV's powertrain could mimic that of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, which launches with a single motor in the rear, good for 340 hp, 325 lb-ft of torque, and about 300 miles of range.An all-wheel-drive performance variant should follow in 2023. Buick has shown previous concepts with dual electric motors and a 12-module 100-kWh battery, providing 583 hp, a 0-60-mph time of 4.3 seconds, and about 370 miles of range. When the first production Electra SUV arrives in 2024, it will also feature one-pedal driving, on-demand regenerative braking, and GM's Ultra Cruise hands-free driver assist technology. A giant screen will stretch across most of the cockpit.ESTIMATED PRICE: $55,000EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: 2024
With back-to-back electric vehicle reveals last year, including the all-electric A6 E-Tron Concept, Audi just unveiled another close-to-production EV model. Underpinned by the same platform as the upcoming A6 EV sedan, the Audi A6 Avant E-Tron Concept is a peek at the monolithic electric station wagon version with an ultra-long wheelbase. Slated to join the four-ring brand next year, the battery-powered A6 Avant E-Tron will effectively be the first electric station wagon available in the U.S.Powertrain and RangeA Quick OverviewAudi equipped this concept car with advanced exterior lighting technology designed and developed in-house. Drivers can configure the LED headlights and OLED tail lamps with various custom light signatures. High-resolution projectors built into each side of the car illuminate the ground and function as greeting lights and warning signals for approaching bicyclists.And finally, while recharging the battery, occupants can play videos games on a virtual screen projected onto the wall in XXL format via the LED headlights. (The car must be parked and, of course, facing a wall.)Design AnalysisPricing and Availability
0 Comments