Vehicle Types

Heavy Vehicles

Large and bulky vehicles are terrible when you need to move nimbly around narrow streets or perform off-road climbs, where they can get stuck easily. But if you have enough space, and you’re seeking to ambush the enemy or ram one off the road, these can be extremely handy, as long as you know which one to pick. The toughest of all the vehicles, these trucks can take a huge amount of punishment and can break through barricades and strike into enemy cars with ease. The handling is surprisingly adequate, too, as is the top speed in most cases. Only the acceleration (with the exception of the ambulance) is subpar. But if you need to run over or smash something, pick one of these monsters, like the MRAP.

Muscle Cars

Your first experience with muscle cars might be the 571 or Vespid models, which have rather tail-happy handling. Don’t let that put you off these American icons of the 1970s and the more modern takes on rear-wheel beasts with massive engines. Though they can be difficult to steer into a tight alley and require extra concentration when you’re going flat-out, they have exceptional top speed and acceleration; just watch out when you try to corner or handbrake. Practice your turns to avoid spinning out. These have a good toughness and are great to use in car combat tasks.

Sports Cars

Thoroughly recommended! Compact enough to work well in tight turns and around slower traffic and with enough power to reach a fleeing suspect or escape the police, these sports cars are utilized often by the discerning driver-for-hire. These cars have impressive acceleration coupled with spectacular handling and a top speed that’s more than adequate for most situations. Try out the Zusume R, which is the cream of this crop. However, these vehicles don’t do well with repeated battering, so be ready to change vehicles if you plan to ram and chase foes or survive a mass of police swarming after you.

Off-Road Vehicles

The four off-road trucks offered are excellent choices, and not just when you’re driving around the hills of Marin; they provide average or above ratings in all four driving categories, with particularly adept acceleration and handling. This is helpful, as they are quite bulky to maneuver, and you need the precision steering to swerve through narrow gaps. Don’t expect lithe bike or sports car–like handling, though. Where these vehicles really shine is their off-road capabilities; they don’t lose traction, so you can take them on any dirt trails they can fit down, on the grass and railroad tracks, or through the trails of eastern Oakland, without fear of losing control. Get yourself a Wildebeest and try out the more wild of rides.

Performance Cars

This has enough top speed and acceleration to pin your head back in your seat; they are the best at long, straight highway driving. Performance vehicles have the very best ranking for these two statistics and have higher-than-average handling in most cases. The only area these vehicles suffer is their toughness, which isn’t good at all; use them to chase a single foe, but a bunch of foes in vehicles. Though these vehicles have arguably better stats than sports vehicles, they are more expensive to purchase at showrooms, so you may wish to steal them or use sports vehicles instead. Certain performance vehicles are also quite tail-happy and are sometimes wider than sports cars, making them a little trickier to control at the very limits of speed and handling.

Motorcycles

Motorbikes are a thoroughly recommended mode of transportation, unless any kind of ramming is involved. They have incredible acceleration, meaning you should use them to reach locations as quickly as possible. Their small size means they can squeeze through gaps, such as raised bollards, that no other vehicle can manage. Move between traffic with ease. Take ramps and pitch the vehicle down slightly so both wheels land to minimize damage. Amaze yourself at the handling and top speed of the Sayonara bikes. And when you’re going off-road, use the Kuruhawa Motorsport 450.

Standard Vehicles

When you’re in need of four tires and a steering wheel, this variety of low-priced, unimpressive vehicle does the job. But what about escaping the police? Don’t expect rampant success at the wheel of these machines. They have poor toughness (a real problem during a jostling) and appalling acceleration, meaning you can’t get away or reach a fleeing target as easily. But the subcompact vehicles are narrow enough to easily weave through traffic. Plus, the vans are good for parking and climbing on their roof to look for a way into a restricted area, or they can act as movable cover.

Police Vehicles

The police have four vehicles, but only three are accessible, since you can’t pilot the helicopter—the ubiquitous patrol car (a rebadged Cavale), which offers reasonable acceleration and a good degree of handling; the rebadged Talos (SUV); and the SWAT team heavy vehicle (a rebadged MRAP), which is hardier but not quite as fast. Obviously, these vehicles won’t be available on your app, so you only get the chance to drive them when you steal them during a felony, when your Heat level is sufficiently high, and when you’re likely to be in danger. You’re more easily spotted driving a stolen cop car too! When you’re driving any of these police vehicles, the only difference is that the horn is a siren that is on continuously. As police vehicles don’t have a rigid set of statistics, information is not available for these models.