I don't think you can get Kalahari without the 2 or 3LT pkg.

 

I don't like blanks or spaces where optional equipment would have been and that is what the 1LT has where the HUD and seat heating cooling would be.

 

I don't care about butt warmers or any of that other crap. All I care about is performance, so Z51 and M7 for me.

 

I would recommend the 2lt. I just bought a Corvette and it was the best deal that I found, but it was a 1lt. The only thing I had to have was homelink. It was easy to add ($220 took less than 5 minutes). Also, I added the automatic dimming rearview mirror (it was cheap and easy to do too). I think the sound system is better in the 2lt, you get nav standard (at least $600 extra to add to a 1lt) and you do get HUD. HUD was not very important to me. I had it on my Camaro and during the day I couldn't always see it due to the Sun.

 

I ordered my 2015 coupe as a 1LT. I didn't see anything listed in the 2LT package that I needed or would miss.

 

I was very much like you, on the fence, four months ago. In the end, I opted for the 1LT. There are a couple of features in the 2LT that I kind of wanted but decided they were not worth the $5k. I have no regrets.

 

I have a base 2014 1LT now for 3 years and when I ordered my car I too worried about not having the HUD since I had it on my C5 & C6 but I had noticed that the graphics on the C7's were very large and I could easily read the speed and keep my eyes on the road. The rest of the 2LT features, like heated seats & mirrors, in Florida, I think not. As with most of these upgrades they're just window dressing designed to entice you to spend more money. I have zero regrets and as for the missing sub woofer, well, I listen to my exhaust far more than the radio so what. Oh I forgot the "cheap" looking interior. I've had yet to have a single person say to me, "How come the interior looks cheap?"

 

The 1LT is all you need. Yeah, I miss the heated seats but 2LT adds and lot of extra cost and the HUD is a gimmick is far as I'm concerned.

 

Others have shown you the features you'll lose if you go 1LT. As someone who specifically bought a 2LT because of the features here are the ones I would really miss (my Vette is my only car so it's a sort-of daily driver for me):

* Memory seats/easy exit, largely because of easy exit. I'm 5'10" and mostly torso, very short legs, so the seat is very far forward. Getting out the car with the seat in the driving position is almost impossible.

* Front parking camera. I find this invaluable; bought the 2LT specifically because of this feature after having experience in other sports cars with very low front ends.

* Cooled seats. Heated seats are a joke but the cooling is really nice once the temps climb into the 80's.

* Auto-dimming mirror. These are always nice when driving at night, but you can easily add this yourself so no need to buy a 2LT just for this.

Finally, if you get a colored interior I think you need at least a 2LT. The 1LT's with colored seats look horrid IMO. Of course this is completely irrelevant if you get black.

 

Great info from rangda above. Regarding colors, Adrenaline Red / Jet Black and Gray / Jet Black along with solid Jet Black are available with 1LT though it's only the seats that come in the color.

 

1LT is the best sports car deal on the planet IMO. Car comes stock w/ everything you need to enjoy the ride in comfort.

 

Ultimately, its about you and what you like, adn how the features fit your style.

My C5 is a 1LT, was my DD for 12 odd years, and I have no regrets - very few mods, still enjoy driving it.

My C7 is a 2LT.

I've already spent more on C7 mods that I have on C5 mods.

Part of that is my own fault because I bought off the floor, so it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Thought I could live with it, but thats been overridden.

I knew wanted that C7 logo in the seats and the better radio, so that automatically pushed me towards the 2LT level

For you, will the C7 be a DD, and how long is your daily commute?

Didnt get heated seats in the C5, thought they were expensive to fix toys.
OTOH, my 7 is barely to temp when I pull in the parking lot at work, so I "discovered" te heated seats I was ambivalent about to begin with are actually quite nice to have in the winter.

HUD:
At purchase time, I didnt really care about the HUD (or NAV) b/c I never had HUD, adn my TomTom works.

But NAV doesn't t take up windshield space, and I (eventually) realized the HUD/NAV integration was nice to have/convenient. (I know, Wayz et al - I dont have unlimited data on my phone)

And if I have the radio turned up, I may not hear TomTom talking to me - NAV cuts the volume and change the HUD display, both of which are hard to miss.

Now when I drive other vehicles, I really do miss the HUD.

Not part of the 2LT package, but the sueded seat inserts are worth it IMHO in that they have texture, which helps hold you in the seat during spirited driving - In the C5 - my butt slides across the smooth leather on hard corners - but the C5 seats are wider than the 7 seats so that may be a moot point..

Autodim mirrors are helpful in that the side mirrors also dim, which greatly reduces glare from cars on either side, especially from tall trucks or with poorly aimed HIDs.

Byond that, as the others have said, most of the rest of the 2LT items are convenience features - nice to have, but may not be essential to your style - and if you've not had those features before, you don't know what you are missing, and they seem like expensive overkill.

I think homelink is the only completely useless feature (for me) because as I said earlier, its not compatible with my comparatively ancient garage door opener.
And OnStar, but thats another thread.

But once you start using those extra features, you may find you like them.
At which point, you realize GM marketing knows you better than you thought

 

Are you saying just the OP wouldn't be missing a thing or are you saying the tens of thousands of people that selected the 2LT wouldn't be missing a thing if they downgraded to the 1lt, or did you really mean that you personally wouldn't' be missing a thing due to your very specific needs?

 

I have a 1LT and to me the driving experience makes up for the lack of features.

 

I think you might regret the missing options of the 2lt eventually. 1lt is fine but the 2lt really is the sweet spot. Where are you located btw?

 

 

As others have said, it's very much personal preference. I am a big fan of heated seats, they are nice of course in cooler weather, but are also great if your back decides to bother you on a long road trip. The Corvette I rented before I put in my order also had the cooled seats, which I found really nice. Warm day, top off, A/C off, but cooled seats on is a nice experience. The HUD, while not necessary, is a nice to have in my opinion.

Maybe the biggest one for me is the front view cameras. The front end of the Corvette likes to drag on small obstacles like parking blocks. Maybe you get used to it, but I found it very hard to judge. The cameras were a life saver for me for front end parking.

Since I like most of the features, I found 2LT a good buy, but you may differ. Note none of the features have to do with performance though, they are all creature comforts and technology.

 

1LT for me. Elmer, eboggs on this forum, has a NavTool installation sticky to tell you how to install a front camera, which I had done at Best Buy reasonably or you can do it yourself. Other than that, 2LT memory seats were always going every which way so I didn't want them. I like non-auto dimming rv mirror better. Don't want or need bun warmers or bun coolers. Don't much like heads-up. I use my own garage door opener. Other stuff I could do without for the five grand or whatever it is difference. Do like and did pay for Z-51 performance stuff - my 2 cents.

 

There are two schools of thought on this...

Some buy their corvette strictly for the performance aspect and couldn't care less about the luxury and convenience amenities. They rather spend the extra $$ on a Z06 if they could afford it but the luxury/convenience bells and whistles don't rank up there.

Then there are those that share my view. You are buying a CORVETTE, the car that many dreamed about owning since they were kids. I want just about every option available, I don't want a half loaded car, I want all of the buttons, bells and whistles....the whole shebang, the total experience of performance, technology and luxury. If $4500 (after discounts) is going to make that big of a difference averaging out to just $75/month over 60 months...then you may want to rethink the entire purchase.

Which school of thought you agree with is a personal decision based on your objectives but the last thing you want is to make this sizable purchase and then have regrets.

 

Nothing wrong with a 1LT or 1LZ on the Z06!