The 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette May Be Cool and All, But Tt's Not As Practical As The C7

The Chevrolet Corvette just became an even more awesome car with the release of C8-generation. Not only it boasts more technology than ever, but it also made the switch to a mid-engined layout. America's coolest sports car ditched its traditional configuration to move into a segment that includes sports cars like the Ford GT, Ferrari 488 GTB, and McLaren 720S. That's insanely cool! But the C8 Corvette isn't all bells and whistles. When it comes to trunk space, the mid-engined Corvette isn't as practical as its predecessor.

The Corvette's trunk capacity, a downward spiral

Naturally, you can't expect to have too much trunk space in a sports car, but things have become worse for the Corvette with each generation, especially in recent decades. The C6, for instance, produced from 2005 to 2013, offered 22.4 cubic feet of luggage room in its coupe version. That's impressive even for modern standards, because it's more than you get in a full-size sedan. The Ford Taurus, one of the most practical full-size cars out there, has a trunk capacity of 20 cubic feet. Sedans like the Chevrolet Impala and Volkswagen Passat have even smaller trunks, rated at below 19 cubic feet.

By comparison, the C7 Corvette (2014 - 2019) lost a whole lot of trunk space. Rated at only 15 cubic feet, the coupe version of the C7 lost 7.4 cubic feet of luggage room. That's a decrease of more than 30 percent. Things get even worse with the C8 Corvette, which can swallow up to 12.6 cubic-feet of luggage. That's a little more than half of the C6 Corvette's capacity and lower than any full-size sedan, as well as most mid-size four-doors. It's also just below the old Dodge Dart and Toyota Corolla sedans, rated at 13 cubic feet.

The severe drop compare to the C6 and C7 makes sense though, as the generous luggage compartment behind the seats had to go away to make room for the mid-mounted engine.

The 2020 C8 Corvette slips below the competition

Granted, it's not fair to compare the C8 Corvette's trunk capacity with cars from other segments, but things don't look necessarily better if we compare it to other mid-engined sports cars. Especially if they were designed with extra luggage room in mind.

Two such cars come from McLaren. First up, we have the 570GT, a 570S with extra luggage room atop the mid-mounted engine. This British sports car stores up to 5.3 cubic feet under the front lid and 7.8 cubic feet between the engine and the glass cover. That's a total capacity of 13.1 cubic feet, a half cubic foot more than the C8 Corvette.

The second McLaren with plenty of luggage room goes by the name GT and was launched for the 2020 model year. It's a spiritual successor to the 570GT, but it stands in a league of its own, as it is not related to any other McLaren currently available. It also offers significantly more luggage room. The compartment between the engine and the rear lid is large enough to swallow 14.8 cubic feet. That's already an extra 2.2 cubic feet over the C8 Corvette. Add in the 5.3-cubic-foot compartment in the front and the GT's luggage capacity grows to a whopping 20.1 cubic feet. That's a solid 7.5 cubic feet more than the C8 Corvette.

The McLaren 720S, technically a full-fledged competitor for the C8 Corvette, has a similar trunk capacity. The 5.3-cubic-foot front compartment and the 7.4-cubic-foot rear compartment amount to a total trunk capacity of 12.7 cubic feet. The Ferrari 488 GTB, on the other hand, has significantly less cargo room, with the front compartment being able to hold only eight cubic feet. The Lamborghini Huracan is similar to the 488 GTB as far as space goes, but it's split differently. The front compartment holds up to 5.3 cubic feet, while the space between the seats and the engine will hold a further 2.5 cubic feet. This means the Huracan has a total luggage capacity of 7.8 cubic feet.

The 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette is practical enough

Despite the limited luggage room compared to its predecessors, the C8 Corvette is still practical for a high-performance supercar. The trunk is large enough for two sets of golf clubs or a couple of larger bags or two smaller trolleys. Let's face it, you'll never buy the C8 Corvette as a family or vacation car.