trim level- make or break a car

233

233

233

Soldato
Joined
21 Nov 2004
Posts
13,558
Location
Wishaw
was sitting thinking about this earlier whilst replying to another thread and does anyone else have any good examples where a trim level makes or breaks a car, and puts it on a completely different level in looks and appeal to the lesser specs. i'm not talking base model 320 to M3 etc but heres a perfect example


gOkGMgIW.jpg




ppUFjP9n.jpg



still think a mk4.5 Mondeo Titanium X sport is one of the best looking cars of its time, and amazing the transformation a bit of added plastic and different wheels make to a car
 
Cleisthenes said:
You boring gits :D
Click to expand...
It's true though. I've been looking at Leons recently and I'll take the drab looks of the SE on 16" wheels with "comfort" suspensions over the FR anyday for sitting on the motorway for hours on end.

I think those two photos are a bit misleading too, pristine car in a staged location and flattering angle vs average example (complete with missing centre caps) at a 'that'll do' camera angle in some ghetto car park in British overcast grey skies :D
 
OP, you're comparing pre and post face-lift cars. Apples and oranges! I do agree with you though, there are some really weird trim levels about, I can only assume that designers must have gone to great lengths to purposefully uglify the car just to offer some variation.
 
lordrobs said:
It's true though. I've been looking at Leons recently and I'll take the drab looks of the SE on 16" wheels with "comfort" suspensions over the FR anyday for sitting on the motorway for hours on end.
Click to expand...

The FR is fine for motorways though, its town/city driving where the roads are potholed to hell that the ride suffers.
 
TRD edition of the GT86 came with much better looking wheels and added side skirts and a front lip. They changed the fog light surround too, and the front grille slightly, which gave the whole car a more aggressive look.
However, the 4 massive exhaust tips looked a bit silly on a 4 cylinder car with a very humble output - but the rear diffuser was subtlety changed to be body coloured, which again helped the look of the car.

GT86:
https://img1.icarcdn.com/2619333/ga...19333_cd5378710987429396243_v1sm.jpg?smia=xTM

vs TRD:
https://www.wsupercars.com/wallpapers/Toyota/2014-Toyota-GT86-TRD-V9-1080.jpg

I think that counts as the TRD edition was pretty much just a trim level - underneath it was exactly the same car.
Might not exactly be "make or break" looks - I certainly still like the look of my base model, but then I am hugey biased, obviously. Don't like it? Fite me irl.
 
There was the i20 turbo edition, cost £500 over the SE and gave you:

16" Alloy wheels over 16" steel
Integrated sat nav (with traffic and speed camera alerts)
Backup camera
1.0 turbo vs 1.2 normally aspirated
Auto headlights

Took a totally boring but practical car and made it a bit peppy, improved the looks and a good integrated sat nav.
 
Was looking for a new car back in November - Octy vRS comes with 18" wheels as standard, however there were a lot of cars doing the rounds with 19".
As I was buying "previously enjoyed" I knew that I was shopping to a budget and that I wouldn't be able to find all of the options I wanted.
In the end the car I chose did have the 19" wheels - I was warned by some that the ride would be noticeably worse.

To be honest I've not yet said to myself "I wish I'd gone for a car on 18" wheels".
I upgraded from a Mk2.5 vRS on 18" wheels to a Mk3.5 vRS on 19" wheels and the ride feels the same - it's a bit of an Apple/Orange compare as they are different cars, but I haven't found the 19" wheels as harsh as some described.

Of course I may regret when I'm paying an extra £20 or so per corner for tyres in the future.
 
I know big wheels make the ride worse, but small wheels and bulbous tyres are one of life's decisions you will regret each time you walk towards your taxi....I mean car.
 
Not exactly trim level (although in this case the FR trim also helps), but headlights can transform the look of a car. The SEAT Leon with halogen headlights looks dreadful compared to the LED version:

CflIoqCl.jpg


9C3ccVCl.jpg
 
Housey said:
I know big wheels make the ride worse, but small wheels and bulbous tyres are one of life's decisions you will regret each time you walk towards your taxi....I mean car.
Click to expand...

Well...there are a few exceptions, mainly classics granted, but still, chunky tyres sometimes look awesome:
https://d1r57ja1amoclf.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/toyota-200gt-goodwood-2015.jpg
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/438242-1524769600.jpg
https://www.supercars.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Screenshot-2016-05-16-15.39.33.png

To be fair though, you are right about modern cars, with their bigger slab sides - they look a bit "Woll Smoth" with tiny wheels in the arches.
 
My Focus came with the 18" version of those wheels - they look good but now I would take 16" with non XL tyres - the road noise is horrendous .
 
Pretty much every car I can think of looks far better with the 'sport pack' whether it be S Line, AMG Line, M Sport, etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom