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It may not have the racing chops of say Gran Turismo 5 Prologue or Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Grand Theft Auto IVis still a big-title game for 2008 (probably the biggest wethinks) withsome big-time automotive tie-ins. There are more than 100 differentvehicles to play with, most of which are inspired in one way or anotherby real-life automotive counterparts. Click through to take a look atthe purpose of driving in GTA4, and learn how some of the more notablein-game cars compare to their non-pixelated brethren. It's definitelybecome a two-way street between the automotive and video game industries.
How Cars Are Used In GTA4
Transportation: Since Liberty City — the setting of GTA4and modeled after New York City — is an open-world environment, meaningyou can go anywhere at any given time, cars are pretty damn important.For a reference, the open world is so large that it could take 10minutes or more to travel from one end to another.
Missions: Driving is a crucial part of almost everymission. Whether you're tasked with escorting a hooker, stealing aspecific car, or just running a simple car chase, cars are an essentialaspect of the storyline.
As A Weapon: Whether running people over in missions orjust screwing around plowing down the sidewalk, a properly piloted carbecomes a potent weapon. If you prefer more traditional armaments, youcan also break out the windshield and fire either a handgun or SMG, ordrop grenades while cruising around Liberty City.
Racing: Early in the game you meet up with Brucie, asteroid-enhanced meathead who sets you up with street races all aroundLiberty City.
Entertainment: Most vehicles in the game have a radio thatcan be tuned to a wide variety of always-entertaining radio stations.Oh, and you can pick up hookers in your ride and choose from one ofthree different "services."
Banshee You'll soon learn that the Banshee is one of the better vehicles in the game. This Panoz Esperante knockoff features just a hint of Dodge Viper.With a top speed of 208 mph, a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, and nearperfect brakes, the Banshee is one of the more common vehicles in GTA4that can get you around in a hurry.
Blista Compact A lot of the vehicles that populate Liberty City take their cues fromthe 80s and 90s. One of the better of these vehicles is the BlistaCompact. This vehicle obviously gives its hat tip to the Honda CRX and VW Corrado, and sports a top speed of 186 mph along with other decent, if not "blista-ring" statistics.
Cavalcade & Cavalcade FXT You can't have a game that focuses on crime and the underworld of society without the classic Cadillac Escalade...even one with a little Hi-Luxthrown in for laughs. As in real life, there's a regular version of theluxury SUV and the FXT truck version. Both of these vehicles are greatfor GTA4 because they are 4WD and particularly durable, allowing themto stand up to bullets, collisions, and other common occurrences inLiberty City.
Comet No, not that Comet. This Comet is a quick little bugger that takes its nod from the 996-series Porsche 911 while paying homage to the venerable 959.It's 4WD and tops out at 208 mph. The Comet is a really rare gem, butthere's a mission from Brucie where you're given the vehicle. At thispoint, if you're ever given a very nice car in a mission, it's yourbest bet to just store it.
Coquette The Coquette is another speedy two-door coupe. It's RWD and tops out at208 mph. Unlike the Comet, it's a little less rare, so there's betterluck of finding it around town. If you couldn't already tell, thatappears to be an NSX staring at you through the body of a Testarossa. And the Corvette reference, both in name and appearance, is unmistakable.
Dilettante The folks at Rockstar Games are obviously concerned about ridiculous gas prices. That's why they've provided the Dilettante, a thinly-veiled Toyota Prius.Without the need to fill up with gas in the game, there's no way totruly tell if the Dilettante is a hybrid, but one interesting caveat isthe fact that this vehicle is noticeably more quiet than any othervehicle in Liberty City. It may be the silent killer in real life, but it's not too shabby at smashing pedestrians on the screen either.
Infernus In terms of performance, this is the best of the best in GTA4, rightfully so considering it's essentially a Diablo/Murcielagoblend. The Infernus is one of the most rare in the game, but luckily agay man rewards you with this vehicle — which he took from hishigh-profile lover — for doing some missions for the guy (seriously).Just make sure you store the Infernus rather than taking it for ajoyride where you end up wrecking it. In-game, the Infernus has a topspeed of 208 mph, a $100,000 value, a 4.4-second 0-60 time, excellentbrakes and more.
Moonbeam You think we would let this list escape without the Moonbeam, which gives a nod to the best van ever made? Performance-wise, the Moonbeam kind of sucks, but it's good for the missions requiring you to haul around a lot of people.
Patriot The Patriot is a vehicle worth reckoning with in GTA4, obviously taking its form from the Hummer H2and it's smaller sibling. Unlike the real-life Hummer and all of itsaccompanying stereotypes, this is a very useful vehicle in-game —mostly because gas is non-existent, the Patriots are everywhere andthey are built like tanks, which can be good for car chases and more.In-game, the Patriot is a 4WD vehicle with a top speed of 145 mph and avalue of $50,000. Oh, and the American flag paint job is a nice touch.
Presidente At first the Presidente seems like a pretty cut and dry four-doorluxury sedan that most of the mob bosses drive throughout the game.Though the headlights scream Charger , a little closer examination of the rear taillights would suggest the Presidente is all about the Cadillac CTS...and the 175 mph top speed would hint CTS-V.
PMP600 Like the Presidente, the PMP600 serves as a great boss-car in-game. The fenders and front of the PMP600 definitely have a 300Cfeel. Other than the nice stereotypical mobster-boss usage, it's apretty average vehicle. It can stand up to a barrage of bullets,though, which is always helpful.
Ruiner The Ruiner is another one of the older-looking, but still good vehiclesin the game. The t-tops and headlights would suggest that the Ruinermost closely resembles an 80's Camaro,but no one would argue that there's an aura of 280Z in the mix. It's anice and speedy RWD vehicle with a 186 mph top speed and 6.3-second0-60.
Sabre GT Don't think GTA4 is all about fancy sedans and rusted beaters. The Sabre GT is a homage to the classic muscle car, with Monte Carlo and Torinoinfluences most obvious. Like most vehicles in Liberty City, the SabreGT is available in a variety of colors and offers the classic racingstripe. In-game, the Sabre GT tops out at a nice 175 mph, but a lowlevel of collision durability ensures that the vehicle won't last aslong as some other options.
Stallion Like the Sabre GT, the Stallion is another nice classically styledmuscle car featured in Liberty City. Trying to pinpoint a real lifecounterpart isn't as easy as some of the other cars featured on thelist, but we certainly detect some LeMans and maybe Javelinin there. You be the judge. In-game the car is pretty mediocre. It'sRWD and tops out at 165 mph. If anything, it has nice brakes.
Sultan RS This one goes out to the tuner crowd that is definitely playing thisgame. Seriously, we can't even enjoy a video game without carbon fibermadness? The headlights and spoiler say Lexus IS/first-gen Integra. In terms of performance, the Sultan RS is pretty speedy at 186 mph and the handling is nice with the AWD and decent brakes.
Super GT The Super GT is another very speedy, yet rare, coupe featured in GTA4.It tops out at 196 mph and the oval shaped front grill clues thisvehicle to be an Aston Martin Vanquish knockoff.
Turismo If you're going to find a supercar while roaming the streets, you'remost likely to stumble upon a Turismo. This is a 208-mph beast with amid-engine. This car obviously takes cues from the Ferrari 360 with some Venturi influences. Note that this vehicle lacks durability, so be careful out there.
Uranus This is only funny because the car's name is Uranus and it looks like a Ford Escort GT.We're not sure if one of the designers just had a bad experience inhigh school with the car (which isn't that uncommon) but come on, theEscort GT is worthy of a name better than Uranus — just ask the MAKE LeMons team (sans the GT part).
Voodoo The Voodoo deserves a mention because it has been a nostalgic part ofthe Grand Theft Auto series. Not only does it blend styling from the1959 Impala and possibly an equivalent vintage Imperial, but inprevious GTA titles this car was outfitted with functional hydraulics.Pardon the stereotyping, but It's also generally driven bygangster-type persons in Liberty City who will try to fight you uponcarjacking.