What’s the Difference Between The Chevy Tahoe LS and LT?
Choosing a car can be complicated, especially when there are so many options to consider.
Once you’ve narrowed down a model you like, now it’s time to pick a trim.
If you’re considering a Chevy Tahoe, you may be wondering what the difference is between the LS trim model and the LT trim model.
LS and LT are different trims of the Chevy Tahoe SUV. They both have the same build and performance. The difference is in add ons, like a sunroof, leather seats, and an entertainment system. There are many more upgrades that are available for the LT trim but not the LS trim.
While the base model is the same for the LS trim and the LT trim, there are tons of different perks and upgrades that vary between the two trims.
Let’s explore them in detail to compare and contrast the trims.
Base Model
The LS and LT are just different trims for the same car, so they are based on the exact same model of car.
This means that they drive the same and have the same dimensions.
The LS trim is the most basic trim available for the Chevy Tahoe.
It’s a good idea to know the basic vehicle before adding anything on, so here are the specs of a Chevy Tahoe 2021.
- Length – 210.7 inches
- Height – 75.8 inches
- Width – 81.0 inches
- Weight – 5,498 lbs
- Max cargo capacity – 122.9 cubic feet
- Gas tank – 24 gallons
- Towing capacity – 7,900 lbs
- MPG – 15 city / 20 highway
- Maximum passenger capacity – 8 people
- Safety rating – 4 stars
There are upgrades you can get that can affect these specs, especially weight.
Different trims may affect the overall weight but, otherwise, they won’t make much of a difference to the specs.
Price
A big difference between these two trim is the price.
The LS is the basic trim of the car and will start out at about $51,295.
On the other hand, the LT will start out at about $55,995. That’s a difference of about $4,700.
Then, if you plan on getting extra upgrades and add-ons, it will cost even more.
Some might wonder if it’s really worth that much more to do the LT trim.
Before you decide, take a look at the other differences and available upgrades for these two trims.
Basic Differences
The basic LS trim comes with cloth seats, a manual liftgate, a 10-way adjustable driver seat, a manually adjustable steering column, and tinted glass on the side and rear windows.
It also has advanced technology features such as windshield wipers that can sense rain and automatically turn on, an infotainment screen with Bluetooth, a backup camera, and a 6-speaker audio system.
Upgraded safety features include an indicator of how close you’re following the car in front of you, a system that alerts you when it senses a possible forward collision, and sensors that tell you when there’s a pedestrian in front of you.
In some cases, it can even engage emergency braking.
Now, the LT trim is very similar to the LS trim, it’s just one step up.
It has all the same basic features that were just listed for the LS trim, plus some extra features as well.
The standard upgrades include 10-way adjustable seats for both the driver and front passenger, with two preset capabilities for the driver’s seat, auto-dimming review mirrors, and a 9-speaker system.
Another useful difference is that the manual liftgate is replaced with an automatic one.
There are sensors built into the car that can sense the car’s key fob.
As you approach, you can open up the liftgate by putting your foot under the rear bumper.
You also can set how far up you want the liftgate to go.
Available Upgrades
There are many extra features you can add to your Chevy Tahoe to customize it.
Overall, the biggest difference between the LS trim and the LT trim is the number of available upgrades.
The LS trim is good if you want the basics, but if you want a more customizable ride, then you might want to look into the LT trim.
One example of possible upgrades is heated review mirrors.
This might seem like a little thing, but when winter rolls around, you’ll be glad your mirrors can defrost.
Other available upgrades that would be wonderful in the cold winter are a heated steering wheel and heated seats in the second row.
You can also elect to get a power tilt steering column for the LT trim.
Both LS and LT trims come with a manually adjustable steering column, but getting this upgrade means that instead of manually adjusting your steering column, you can move it with the push of a button.
One fun upgrade for the LT trim is an electric sunroof.
This sunroof covers both the first two rows of seats and can be retracted with a push of a button.
This is a mostly aesthetic upgrade but it allows for extra light and ventilation.
The basic seats are upholstered with cloth, but the LT trim has the option to replace the normal seats in the two front rows with leather upholstered seats, available in different colors.
In addition to fancy seats and heating mirrors, you can get a more advanced infotainment touch screen with a navigation system.
Also, an upgrade that the kids will like is the rear entertainment system, which includes two screens on the back of the driver and front passenger seat.
Now they can take their favorite shows on the road!
Another part of the car you can upgrade is the backup camera.
Normally, it will show you the area behind your car as you back up.
With the LT trim, you can upgrade it to a surround vision model.
Surround vision is superior because it uses multiple cameras to create a complete 360 overhead view of the vehicle and its surroundings.
This can be helpful when parallel parking or navigating tighter spaces.
The list of available upgrades goes on to include different sized tires and wheel locks.
The one adaption that is available for the LS trim and not the LT trim is the adaption from an 8 passenger capacity to a 9 passenger capacity.
This adaption involves trading out the bucket seats for bench seats, resulting in three rows of bench seats.
This isn’t a very common adaption, and it isn’t available if you select the LS trim.