Just realized with all the helpful comments that the coupe is more for tracking and I can’t afford to do that. So the convertible makes more sense.

I realized after reviewing all the helpful comments that coupe is really a track car. I can't afford to track a car at this point and all the maintenance. So, the convertible makes way more sense for me.

The Coupe is not a "track car".
The ZL1 1LE is a track car.
The Regular Coupe ZL1 is a GT triple thread sports/muscle car that can track, can strip, and can street, and does well in all categories.
The only thing the convertible does is lose features like the ELSD, PDR, cargo space, road noise and it puts on several hundred pounds and no doubt structural rigidity even though they claim no loss (Like all manufacturers)
There's nothing more comfortable or daily drivable about the Convertible, in fact, convertibles will have less thermal qualities for cold and for heat, as well as weather like snow or rain. All that people were saying was IF you were to ever want high performance from your car then the Coupe would be SUPERIOR for tracking purposes. Still doesn't make it a "track car" and the Convertible some kind of Mercedes S class...

The ZL1 1LE is an entirely different animal. With track tuned DSSV suspension, hard body mounts, really crazy tires, lots of aero, and more it's built for the track. Could you drive it on the road with regularity? Sure. But sounds like you're a wussy that would not appreciate it anyways (No offense, just calling it 100% how I see it).

Convertibles only make sense under one condition; you do not care about the features lost and you really love to drop the top and cruise with the wind in your hair. If that's you, god bless you. Get the Convertible and have fun.

I wouldn’t know. ELSD ant PDR seem like track features.

But i do know a few things: the LSD works just fine. It doesn’t have the bog issue that the ELSD M6 cars have. It launches HARD. My 4100lb+ car did a 3.7 0-60 the first time I tried on an unprepped surface... and in cold weather on the street it can spin the tires all the way through first and second and chirp third. Both in sport mode.

There is surprisingly little wind noise with the top dropped at highwy speeds. There is no body twist or cowl shake at all. The trunk is small; top down you get about 4” under the top in the trunk which I use to store my show floor mats, and enough room for a single carry-on bag behind the divider. The bose system has a special eq setting that automatically boosts the bass and sounds a bit better when you drop the top.

Verts, like the 1LEs are not for everyone. But if you are a convertible person, you will love this car. The ZL1 vert really is quite a special car.

OP, here is my impression from a 2017 ZL1 Convertible owner.

Peformance: clearly, the convertible comes in 3rd in this category. No way around it and no ifs ands or buts. As mentioned, doesn't make it a slouch, BY ANY MEANS, but its not the other two. If you plan to track the car, and want a track car, don't get the vert.

However, you have to take the comments from 5th gen ZL1 vert owners worth a grain of salt. Just as the 6th Gen coupe is a massive improvement over the 5th gen in every way possible, so too is the convertible 6th gen over the last gen. The bracing in the 6th gen is improved, 6 point double X bracing vs 4 point in the 5th gen. (In fact, all 6th gen convertibles have the same 6 point bracing. They started with the Zl1 and built the others from there, so the lower trims benefit.

The convertible top close time in the 6th gen is much faster than that in the 5th gen. 5th gen was an archaic process, you needed to release the top latch, and turn, and blah blah. In the 6th gen, it takes only 17seconds , and is 100% fully automatic, included self locking rather than manual locking. Also, this can be accomplished while driving up to 30 mph.

The visibility of the car obviously improves 10000000000000% with the top down. lol. That's not an exaggeration.

You will lose all of the performance goodies (PDR, 5PTM modes, ELSD) as mentioned, but if you aren't tracking the car, you won't miss the PDR.

I live in SOCAL, and drive with the top down everyday I drive it, so there's that also. The wind noise is a little annoying, but improved over the 5th gen (rented one once).

Also, there is zero similarity between driving with windows down and the sunroof open compared to hearing the exhaust on this car at WOT + feeling the open air with the top down while doing 100+mph (in Mexico of course). I love my vert for the reasons mentioned above, best of luck making your decision!

Just get both.

The windscreen for the convertible, although expensive is worth every penny.

Seriously convertible sounds bitchen!


Coupe sounds restrictive, but better performance.

My car is for having fun on the weekends, and having the drop top only improves that level of fun. I have a Camaro not a Vette as I have 2 kids who love to ride in the back and again, the vert just makes that generally more pleasant. I live in Houston, and while it is abnormally cold here right now, I can drive with the top down nearly every time I take it out. No regrets here at all.

Personally, I’ve never driven a convertible that felt as solid and planted as their coupe counterpart. The weight difference is usually quite noticeable when in comes to straight line acceleration as well. Then there’s the extra interior noises that usually come with a convertible.

I’ll take the performance and rigidity of a coupe every time, but I guess I’m just not a “convertible guy”. I’ve never felt that the positives outweigh the negatives. But I suppose it depends where your priorities lie — if you want a cruiser and plan to have the top down on a regular basis, then go for it.

sold and planted: after driving both, I can say that the additional six point double X bracing in the vert definitely keeps the chasis from rolling, and is a significant improvement over the last generation.

The wind noise is not as noticeable as you'd think with the top up, but the creaks at the connection points is what bothers you. you will hear creaks all the time, agree that is annoying.

This gen vert weighs 200 lbs less than last gen, with 80 more HP, that's a nice increase in HP/weight ratio. of course this gen coupe is lighter also by almost 300lbs. The vert weighs 250lb more than the coupe. So if you have a fat friend in your coupe, that' what the acceleration feels like in the vert.

not sure how many people will actually tell the difference in straight line acceleration in a 650hp car vs the same car weighing 250hp. I think the lack of ELSD in the vert is what makes a bigger difference.

For the money, this is the best vert on the market. but I'm biased ;)