GM leans into electrification with the Grand Sport X: Review

There’s a long-running argument among Corvette people (and there are many of them) that the Grand Sport — a trim level that sits above base ‘Vettes, and right below the track-oriented Z06 — is the sweet spot of the lineup.

Earlier this year, Chevy announced the Grand Sport would return to the Corvette lineup, and that’s another good piece of news for General Motors’ (GM) halo car that’s doing well at the moment, with Corvette sales up about 24% in Q2.

The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport X · Pras Subramanian

The Corvette is selling well, and it’s been pushing the performance envelope while its buyers keep getting younger.

And now here comes the Grand Sport X, which carries a lot of the racing hardware and the good track stuff of sportier trims, but it’s more livable. For 2027, Chevrolet made it a very different animal.

Under the hood is a beast, electrified

The Corvette's LS6 6.7L V8 which becomes the standard engine of the 2027 Stingray, Grand Sport and Grand Sport X. — The Corvette’s LS6 6.7L V8 which becomes the standard engine of the 2027 Stingray, Grand Sport and Grand Sport X. · Chevrolet

Every 2027 Grand Sport is powered by an all-new 6.7-liter naturally aspirated V8 making 535 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque. It’s an absolutely insane powerplant, a totally new V8 for GM, and it becomes Corvette’s standard engine across the Stingray and Grand Sport lineup.

It’s also the start of GM’s next generation of V8s, with the architecture set to trickle into other Chevrolets, including trucks, down the road.

But the Grand Sport X takes that V8 and steps it up a notch, with the hybrid all-wheel-drive setup borrowed from the record-setting Corvette ZR1X.

There’s an electric motor and a compact battery driving the front axle, with an additional 186 horsepower and 145 lb-ft up front, and it recharges and discharges quickly. So you get V8 power at the rear wheels, two motors adding grip and maneuverability at the front, and a little electric propulsion in certain situations. Combined output is a monstrous 721 horsepower.

The model is the only hybrid GM currently sells, though the company has said it wants to add more to its lineup. The Grand Sport X replaces the E-Ray, and if you want an all-wheel-drive Corvette, it’s the only entry point now. The ZR1X above it is a whole different beast; we’re talking upward of $200,000 and 1,000 horsepower.

But the Grand Sport X is no slouch. Chevy revealed this week it will hit 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, with a 10.4-second quarter-mile at a brisk 131 mph and an 186-mph top speed.

The way it looks, inside and out

The 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport interior in the Adrenaline Red Dipped colorway. · Chevrolet

Inside the cabin is the new-generation Corvette cockpit, revealed a year ago. Chevy finally ditched the strip of buttons down the center for a more traditional dual-cockpit, dual-screen layout, with the drive mode selector in the middle for Sport, Tour, Track, and Corvette’s signature dialed-in Z mode. It’s leather everywhere with a suede-like Alcantara headliner. It’s a genuinely nice place to be.

Every Grand Sport borrows the wide-body kit from the Z06 and old E-Ray, which is a good thing.

Add the traditional Grand Sport hash marks on the rear quarter panels, plus the stripes over the hood, along with some carbon fiber aero bits, and I think it’s the best-looking Corvette you can buy.

Driving it

Fire it up, and the cold start alone lets you know this ‘Vette is different. Mine happened to be left in track mode when I picked up, and it was loud enough to floor me. Even just puttering around town, the sound is visceral.

Drop it into manual mode and work the paddles on the eight-speed dual clutch, and the upshifts and downshifts with that naturally aspirated V8 are fantastic.

But it’s also here where the hybrid system does some work: The electric motor fills the momentary gap between gears, so you never feel a lapse in power. The car is powerful enough that you wouldn’t notice much anyway, but the electric boost just pulls you through.

On the road, it feels planted and turns when you ask it to. Again, those electric motors at each front axle will do a lot of work when you need them, spinning the outside tire to give you extra cornering power, and in theory will help you in wet transition situations like rain and even snow. It’s something a normal Vette couldn’t dream of.

The steering isn’t twitchy or hyper-sensitive either, and that’s deliberate. This is grand-touring tuning, set up to be user-friendly for long distances and mildly prone to understeer, which is what most people are used to. If you want more edge, you’ll have to dial it in later.

Magnetic Ride Control means the adaptive dampers stiffen or soften depending on the mode, and you can create an individual profile for the suspension and everything else. From there, the packages let you add better brakes, stickier tires, carbon ceramics, and carbon-aero bits if you want to chase the track (or look the part). No manual transmission, and people will keep clamoring, but I don’t miss it in a car this performance-focused.

It’s also usable every day. Like the E-Ray, the standard all-season tires mean you could drive this in the rain, maybe even light snow. You’ll also pay more than the old E-Ray cost, but you get more, and you’re still well under ZR1X or 911 Turbo money, which is easily $250,000.

This car offers a lot for half that (the Grand Sport X starts at $112,195), and it does it with a naturally aspirated V8, a rare and fantastic thing in 2026.

Pras Subramanian is Lead Auto Reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram.

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