GT vs SE: Difference and Comparison

Due to technological advancements, many new inventions appeared in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, such as transport facilities, especially automobiles.

Numerous car models are on the market, each designed for a specific purpose, such as personal, commercial, or sporting use.

Both GT and SE are types of sports car models that have been invented in the market to offer high performance in terms of speed, safety, fuel-saving, and luxurious technology.

GT is designed to be having high horsepower and an efficient braking system. However, SE cars are excellent at adjusting seats electronically and upgrading interior technology.

Key Takeaways

1. GT (Grand Touring) and SE (Special Edition) are designations used by car manufacturers to describe specific trim levels.
2. GT models emphasize performance and luxury features, while SE models focus on unique styling or limited-time offerings.
3. GT and SE trims vary greatly depending on the car manufacturer and model.

GT vs SE

GT (Grand Touring) are car models emphasizing performance and luxury, with features such as sport-tuned suspensions, high-performance engines, and premium interior materials. SE (Special Edition) are car models offering unique styling cues and additional features over the base model.

Grand tourer cars, or GT cars, are automobiles specifically designed to travel long distances at high speeds. These cars are based on basic-looking cars with front-mounted engines and rear-mounted driving wheels.

The passengers’ comfort is considered when designing the seats in these vehicles. Even for a longer duration, these are mileage-effective cars.

SE cars stand for sports edition or special edition. These cars are available in the market for sports. When any automobile launches a vehicle as an updated version of its previously designed models, those cars fall under SE.

Generally, these upgraded models are relatively few. Moreover, these cars consist of comfortable seating and the effective speed to cope up with racing-like scenarios.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	GT	SE
Horsepower	Engines of GT cars have higher horsepower nearly, 175 hp.	In SE cars, horsepower is relatively lower than GT.
Brakes	In GT cars, rear disk brakes have been embedded to ensure stability.	Rear drum brakes are present in SE cars
Sway Bars	In a vehicle’s suspension, sway bars are thicker.	Sway bars in the suspension of SE cars are small comparatively.
Exhaust System	Exhaust included in the grand tourer cars is two in number.	Single exhaust is there in special edition cars.
Colour of Glass	On GT cars, all the glass, including the windshield, is painted the same color as the car itself.	The Colour of glasses in SE cars is always black.

What is GT?

GT is an acronym used for grand tourer cars. Grand in English means big, and Tourer in English means a tour. Therefore, these cars are specially designed for long journeys in the 1950s in European countries like Italy. Later became part of the sports industry too.

G T cars have a luxurious and comfortable interiors. Comfortable cushioned seats, an updated sound system, LED screens, pre-installed GPS, an armrest, and high-level safety systems are all available. Thus, these automobiles are known as luxury sedans.

These cars are divided into three sections on the outside: an engine section, a passenger section, and a cargo section. The color of the windshield, front, rear, and window glass is determined by the car’s color.

Grand tourer cars also have thicker sway bars to prevent the car from swaying and two exhaust systems. Furthermore, it is equipped with modern rear disc brakes.

Other features are low fuel consumption and high horsepower of the engine, thanks to advanced technology.

Ford Mustang, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Bentley Continental are some of the most prestigious automobile brands that release GT cars.

All of these companies provide a luxurious line of grand tourer cars to make the journey and competition memorable.

What is SE?

The abbreviation SE is used to indicate either a sport edition or a special edition. As the name implies, these vehicles are built for sports and are customized to the user’s specifications. European manufacturers created these cars in 1900.

Sport Edition automobiles have a dynamic performance. It means that various factors are considered when designing a vehicle, such as acceleration, speed, and wheel quality, to provide fun and excitement while driving.

Traditionally, these cars had only two seats: a driver and a passenger, and they didn’t have a roof. Later, depending on the car’s size, a four-seat option became available in sport edition cars. Moreover, such cars can be a luxury too.

These cars are considered to be an improved version of an existing model and are produced in limited quantities to meet market demand. Even though their engines have a lot of horsepower, they don’t have as many as grand tourer models.

These sports cars were designed specifically for racing and were only available in sedan form until 2002(three-compartment model).

All SE cars have a black windshield, side glass, and front and back glass to protect people from the sun’s harmful rays and provide privacy while travelling.

Main Differences Between GT and SE

1. The horsepower of the engine in GT cars is higher than in SE cars (170 hp).
2. Grand tourer brakes are much more advanced, with rear disc brakes. On the other hand, old-fashioned rear drum brakes are installed in SE cars.
3. The rides of the GT cars are very smooth due to the presence of thick sway bars in suspension. Whereas sway bars of sport edition cars are small.
4. GT car’s front, rear, and side glasses are colored according to the car’s paint. On the contrary, SE cars consist of black glass to ensure privacy and protection.
5. To manage the effects of poisonous gases released by vehicles, GT cars have two exhausts, while SE cars only have one.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617307096
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9055970/

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023