Which makes/models offer the best deals on upper trims?

I realize pricing and incentives will vary with time and based on location, but traditionally what auto brands and which models offer the best lease incentives on high-end trims? Sport models, luxury models, platinum models, etc. It seems like a heavy majority of lease deals on here are for either base models or one step up. Thought it’d be nice to get a thread going on what to keep an eye on for high-end trim deals.

This question doesn’t make any sense. What features are you looking for? With some brands even a mid trim comes packed with lots of features.

Or do you just want to go around telling people you got a fully loaded model?

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I’m curious - it’s as simple as that. You may disagree with the methodology here but the question absolutely makes sense.

Incentives are typically a set dollar value, regardless of vehicle configuration or trim. As you equip the vehicle with more options, the incentive becomes a smaller percentage relative to the price of the car. That’s why it’s easier to get a better deal on a base model than a fully optioned vehicle.

Occasionally, some makes like Audi penalize higher trims with lower residual values, but partially offset that with more lease cash and/or lower money factor rates.

Sometimes you’ll find big discounts on well-equipped models, not necessarily because of incentives, but due to lack of consumer interest, and the dealer has no choice but to discount them heavily. Think of oddball cars like a $100K Volvo XC90 Excellence or weirdly optioned BMW 7-series sedans. But there’s no easy rule that’s universally applicable.

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