Motor Trend Reviews the 2020 Corvette Base 1LT Interior

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Motor Trend Reviews the 2020 Corvette Base 1LT Interior


Lower trim levels on some cars make you feel like you’re getting just what you’re paying for: a bargain.

Not so with the entry-level 1LT C8 Corvette, according to a new review by Motor Trend.

If you can make do without fancy extras like heated and ventilated seats, head-up display, rearview mirror camera, and blind-spot monitoring, the base Stingray, which leaves the factory at just $59,995, doesn’t leave you feeling like Chevy cut corners when you’re sitting behind the steering wheel, MT says.

“After our extended time with the 1LT Corvette,” the magazine writes, “we’re having a difficult time calling it a ‘base car’ because it looks and feels like a premium product worth far more than its sticker price.”

Only 14.4 percent of customers chose the 1LT package in 2020, with the top-of-the-line 3LT (46.8 percent) and mid-line 2LT (39.1 percent) finishing ahead of it by far.

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Since all levels of the new Corvette include the same 495 horsepower LT2 V8 engine behind the passengers for the first time and the new 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, performance is virtually the same no matter which one you choose.

Motor Trend, which earlier had named the 2020 Corvette its Car of the Year, says the standard seats in the 1LT model they recently tested “stood out” during their figure-eight testing. “Despite the lack of side bolster adjustments, the standard seats provide a good amount of lateral leg and torso support,” they praised while also noting that the leather “feels good” and likewise “appears to be fairly durable.”

The downside to the base car, for some folks, is that only three color combinations are available for the interior – all black, black and gray, or the black and red combo featured in this test car. While the 1LT doesn’t have as much red on the door panels or instrument panel, MT noted that the red contrast stitching on those parts does “a great job of tying everything together for a premium look,” with the brushed aluminum on other interior parts “tastefully done” while helping break up the black dashboard.

Even though it’s less expensive, the 1LT also still gets the two digital screens for the instrument panel and infotainment system, with MT praising Chevy for making the touchscreens “fairly intuitive and sharp looking” and befitting of a premium sports car.

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While some of the high-tech features are missing on the 1LT model, MT notes that even the base model includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (now wireless for 2021), an available Wi-Fi hotpot, dual-zone climate control, and a 10-speaker Bose sound system “that sounds fantastic.” In fact, they find it “hard to imagine how much better the premium 14-speaker Bose setup in the 2LT and 3LT is.”

All in all, for those 2,946 folks (including just 283 convertibles) who wanted to take advantage of General Motors’ generosity of pricing the new mid-engine Corvette so low and opted for the bargain-basement 1LT Corvette, it sounds like maybe they aren’t all that far from the penthouse after all.


Source:
MotorTrend

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[VIDEO] Tadge Juechter Talks About Road Noise and Z-Mode During MotorTrend C8 Corvette Drive
The C8 Corvette Stingray is Named MotorTrend’s Car of the Year

 



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7 COMMENTS

  1. Frank, just go on line at Chevrolet.com and click on, build your vehicle and click on the Corvette, right after picking the color, then it goes to the trim levels, click on the 1-LT, then click on the “Compare trim packages and click the 2-LT when you get to the next page, go to the far right to the compare again, then pic the 3-LT and you can see the differences, there isn’t a lot between the 2 and 3, the 3 gives you Napa leather and more choices if you want the other seats.

  2. Someone nicely optioned a 2LT Corvette and ran the price up pretty good. That person was scheduled to receive their Corvette C8 in April 2020 in Northridge, Ca. at Rydell Chevrolet. For some reason that person decided that they didn’t want the car or couldn’t acquire it for some unknown (to me) reason. I had optioned a Convertible completely differently from this light gray coupe. I paid a premium and have a no time felt that I made a mistake. I really wanted (no one needs) the 2020 C8 mid-engine Corvette Stingray. While I often wish the car had Lt1 or Lt2 seats, I am learning to cope with the LT3 Sport/Racing seats. They are far better than I thought they would be, all except in the comfort arena. AS for the C8 it does not have the top of the line leather. For me, however, the all black interior is superb, has no unwanted glare or reflections and is easier to keep looking clean, even if I miss a cleaning or two. All the unnecessary carbon fiber and carbon fiber look accessories make the car look the business and that includes the High Wing Spoiler and 5VM ground effects kit which miraculously lay inside of the parts department the day I bought the C8. I said, “Yes,” to the salesman as soon as he asked me if I wanted the genuine Chevrolet accessory. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I refused delivery of the car on the 13th, so that I could ensure the dealer installation of the 5VM kit before I took delivery of the car. That made me wait a day or so. I must say that my C8 looks like a complete car. One must look quite carefully and be fully knowledgeable to find something missing because the car is not the LT-3 trim level. I’ve detailed all the options before so wont do it again here. I am probably one of those who would not really like the LT-1 nearly as much as the LT-2. Maybe I’m just justifying my purchase but 9 months later to the day, that is MHO and I’m sticking to it. AF

  3. I’d have a hard time NOT selecting a HUD. That item was in the C5 Corvette I previously owned 20+ years ago and to revert to dash gauges would really take an adjustment. With the other 2,3-LT offerings, I could probably do without those if a base car was all I could possibly afford. The backup camera is nice to have, but there are enough good wireless after-market cameras available now that can be integrated into the car’s screen and bumper that could suffice. As they say, “to each his (or her) own”…

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