!['00-'03 Ford Taurus SE Wagon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/%2700-%2703_Ford_Taurus_SE_Wagon.JPG)
Trim levels are used by manufacturers to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features.
The equipment/features fitted to a particular vehicle also depend on any
options packages or individual options that the car was ordered with.
Usage
For a given
car model
The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance.
The methods used to categorise cars into ...
, the trim level denotes which equipment and features are included as standard. A car buyer may add to this standard equipment with trim packages or individual options. The trim level with the least equipment/features is referred to as the "base model",
and the trim level with the most equipment/features is referred to as "highest specification" or colloquially as "fully loaded". Differences between trim levels typically consist of interior equipment (e.g. leather seats and reversing cameras) and cosmetic changes;
however, sometimes a trim level can include mechanical changes such as different engines, suspension, or all-wheel drive systems.
Some car brands use a different car model for what could be instead considered a trim level, therefore the distinction between a model and trim level can vary between brands. For example,
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
could choose to market the
Golf GTi
The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...
either as a standalone model, or as a trim level within the Golf model.
Manufacturers sometimes offer "delete options" - this is when one or more standard items of equipment from a certain trim level may be deleted, sometimes for free and sometimes with a credit. Sometimes the delete option costs extra: In the 1980s, German luxury car buyers began to pay manufacturers extra not to have the badges indicating engine fitment installed.
Debadging
The term debadging refers to the process of removing the manufacturer's emblems from a vehicle. Common emblems to be removed include the manufacturer's logo as well as the emblems designating the model of the vehicle.
Often debadging is done t ...
went on to gain popularity across the market, both as a form of
reverse snobbery
''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton ''Snob'' also refers to a per ...
while also allowing buyers to obscure lower-spec models or trim.
Naming systems
Trim levels are often designated by a pair of letters, for example DX, LX, LS, EX, GL, SE, or GT.
They can also be designated an alphanumeric code (e.g. Z28, XR5, GT3), or using a word (e.g. Executive, Ambition or Deluxe). Many of the letter combinations have their origins in named trim levels, with DX and DL meaning DeLuxe, GL "Grand Luxe", SE "Special Edition", GT "Gran Turismo", and so on.
In North American, long-running designations for high-performance trim levels include Chevrolet's "
SS" (first introduced on the 1961
Impala
The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...
)
and Ford's "GT" (first used on the 1965
Mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...
).
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
also use alphanumeric coding to denote handling packages installed on performance vehicles, such as "
Z28" on the
Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
, the
Buick GS
The Gran Sport name has been used on several high-performance cars built by General Motors for its Buick brand since 1965. In the GM brands hierarchy, Buick was surpassed in luxury and comfort appointments only by Cadillac, which did not produce ...
, or the
Oldsmobile 442
The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 (also known as the 442) is a muscle car produced by Oldsmobile between the 1964 and 1987 model years. Introduced as an option package for US-sold F-85 and Cutlass models, it became a model in its own right from 1968 to 197 ...
, and currently uses the designation "Z71" on the
Suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
and
Tahoe.
Some manufacturers have consistently used the same word for the highest trim level on several models, for example
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
used the word "Brougham" as the highest trim level on both the
Cedric
Cedric () is a masculine given name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel ''Ivanhoe''.Sir Walter Scott, Graham Tulloch (ed.), ''Ivanhoe'', vol. 8 of The Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels, Edinburgh University Press, 1998, , "explanator ...
and
Gloria
Gloria may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music
* Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise
* Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise
** Gloria (Handel)
** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
.
The "Brougham" designation as a trim level originated in the North American (US) market; it was originally a
bodystyle.
Options packages
Manufacturers sometimes sell bundles of options as an options package, usually at a discounted price compared with buying each option individually.
Common options packages currently include:
* Trim/appearance package: May include special paint colours, upgraded interior trim pieces (often made from aluminium, chrome or timber) and exterior
decal
A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water.
The word is short for ''decalcom ...
s. In past decades, appearance packages have also included two-tone paint,
pin striping
Pin striping (pinstriping) is the application of a very thin line of paint or other material called a pin stripe, and is generally used for decoration. Freehand pin stripers use a specialty brush known as a pinstriping brush. Fine lines in texti ...
,
bumpers painted the same color as the vehicle body, and
vinyl roof
Vinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top.
This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof and eventually evolved into a styling statement in its own right. Vin ...
covers.
* Sports/performance package: May include engine upgrades, handling upgrades (see below), a more aggressive front spoiler, a rear wing, upgraded brakes, and a
limited slip differential
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
. In an
SUV
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
or light truck, a sports package may consist of racks or tiedowns for transport of off-road recreational vehicles and other equipment.
* Towing package: May include heavy duty radiator, larger cooling fans, extra transmission cooling provisions, and revised axle gearing.
* Safety package: May include seat belt pre-tensioners, additional
air bag
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a Traffic collision, collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and a ...
s,
collision avoidance system
A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...
(AEB),
electronic stability control
Electronic stability control (ESC), also referred to as electronic stability program (ESP) or dynamic stability control (DSC), is a computerized technology that improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction ( skiddi ...
and
adaptive headlight
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
s.
* Handling package: May include stiffer springs, stiffer
shock absorber
A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
s, stiffer
anti-roll bar
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) wheels ...
s, larger/lightweight wheels or higher grip tires.
* Navigation package:
Satellite navigation
A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...
, often with turn-by-turn instructions.
See also
*
Car model
The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance.
The methods used to categorise cars into ...
References
{{reflist, 30em
Product management
Automotive technologies