2017 Chevrolet Camaro Gets New Base Model

During the 5th generation of the Chevrolet Camaro, the GM muscle car was offered in eight trimlines – 1LS, 2LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, 2SS ZL1 and Z/28. When the new 6th generation Camaro was introduced for the 2016 model year, Chevy had simplified the lineup with just four trimlines - 1LT, 2LT, 1SS and 2SS. However, according to the folks from CarsDirect, the 1LS trimline will return for the model year, arriving as an entry-level package at the same time that the high performance ZL1 hits the street.

The 2017 Camaro 1LS
The 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1LS will come with the 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and the 6-speed manual transmission, with a price (including destination) of $26,900 (coupe) and $32,900 (convertible). In looking through the 2017 Camaro order guide (where the 1LS package was discovered), it appears that the Camaro 1LS and Camaro 1LT share pretty much every feature except for the transmission, as the 6-speed manual is the only available gearbox in the 1LS and the 8-speed automatic is the only available gearbox in the 1LT.

The one key difference is that the manual transmission is required for the V6 Camaro 1LE, so you will have to order the 1LS if you want to add the V6 and the high performance 1LE handling package. The 1LS can be fitted with the 3.6L V6, as can the 1LT, for an upcharge of $1,495.

In other words, if you want to buy a 2017 Camaro base model with the manual transmission, you will be buying a 1LS whereas in 2016, that same base Camaro with the manual transmission was called the 1LT.

Now that the 8-speed automatic is the standard gearbox in the 2017 Camaro 1LT coupe and convertible, the base prices of that trimline have risen to $27,595 and $33,595 with the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

It should be noted that the Camaro 2LT remains unchanged, with the 6-speed manual serving as the standard transmission and the 8-speed automatic being optional – with the buyer’s choice of the standard turbo-4 or the optional V6.

It should also be noted that when compared to the pricing for the 2016 Camaro, the 1LS still costs more than the 2016 1LT with the manual transmission ($26,900 to 26,695), but the 2017 1LT with the standard automatic transmission costs less than the 2016 Camaro 1LT with the optional automatic transmission ($28,190 to $27,595).

Why the Camaro 1LS?
I am sure that some of you read that information above and thought to yourself – “this is just the previous 1LT with the manual transmission and a different name” – and you would be right. With all of the features of the 1LS and 1LT aside from the transmission choices being shared, the 1LS is little more than a 1LT with a manual transmission, so on the consumer end of things, this is little more than a trimline name change.

On the business end of things, differentiating the 1LS and 1LT Camaro coupes and convertibles could allow Chevrolet to offer unique standard features in the future, along with also offering special pricing incentives on each trimline. Basically, the addition of the 1LS trimline gives General Motors more room to adjust what comes in each trimline and how much each trimline will cost at any given time – while making pricing strategies simpler for dealerships.

(The image at the top of this piece is actually a 2017 Camaro 1LT, but the 1LS should look identical to this car when that trimline reaches dealers later this year.)