GTA IV Vehicles Overview - Grand Theft Fans

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Important Information to Keep in Mind

GTA 4 has the widest collection of vehicles ever in the franchise, featuring a total of 123 unique modes of transportation once you also factor in elements such as trains and trams.
This game was developed with the idea of realism as a core concept. Therefore, most, if not all, of the vehicles one can access in this game are either fully possible IRL or pretty much exact replicas of IRL vehicles currently driving about on our streets.
Due to limited graphical ability and the sheer amount of pressure this game put on the game consoles of the time, GTA 4 took a step back in terms of number plate generation when compared with GTA San Andreas and GTA 5. Number plates are not entirely unique in this game, with many identical units being generated simultaneously.
This list will only cover the standout cars from GTA 4; nobody wants to read through information about some of the utterly forgettable vehicles they put into the game.

The Elephant in the Room

When I began researching this guide, I took a short hop back onto GTA 4 for the first time in a little while, having saturated myself with GTA 5 over the last couple of months and years. As I explored the city, two things really stood out and surprised me. Firstly, the graphics of this game really do still stand up. Secondly, however, and quite annoyingly, I had forgotten that GTA 4 did not have any planes that the player could access or use to skydive out of at insanely high speeds and altitudes.

While I remembered this being a point of annoyance for me the first time I played the game, having developed a need to steal and eventually crash massive jet liners from GTA San Andreas, I didn’t actually know why they were omitted. So, I had a little look.

According to the developers of GTA 4, their focus was on realism for this title; therefore, they decided that it would not be quite realistic enough for them to insert planes into a game that takes place entirely within a built-up city the same size and scale of a fictional New York. While I accepted this point at first, some more thinking on the matter made me realize just how much of a silly line this really was. After all, the New York area that this game is supposed to cover has three conventional international airports within the city limits IRL, so this excuse is just that, an excuse.

I think the developers simply could not be bothered designing and implementing planes for this game or ran out of time at the back end of project development. Either way, aircraft will not, in any way, be featured on this list.

Conventional Land Vehicles

Sports Cars and Supercars

Banshee

This car features in almost all of the GTA titles, becoming a staple in the franchise. If you were a copyright lawyer, you might try to make a case that this car is a simple copy of a Dodge Viper. You know, because of how it looks, drives, and sounds.

This car can spawn in the game as three different models. One will have a hard top roof, the other with chrome roll bars, and the final will have a vented hood.

Comet

As a little kid, did you ever imagine yourself driving a Porsche through a busy city or absolutely caning one through some narrow streets? Well, look no further because the Comet is here in all its glory. This car also features in many of the other GTA titles and, as mentioned, is a direct copy of a Porsche 996.

This means that the car is slightly more compact than modern Porsches like the newer 911s. However, this compactness makes the Comet an excellent car to drive, with handling superior to almost every other car in the game.

Coquette

Now, the developers are really not trying to hide their plagiarism with the name of this car. The Coquette is a car that may resemble, if only slightly (completely), a Chevrolet Corvette C5. However, I will say that it does appear they have changed some details about the car in their game. First of all, this car seems slightly longer than the IRL inspiration and features flatter wheel arches and different headlamps. Outside of this, everything else remains the same.

These cars often spawn in one single color block. However, you may see some with an alternate single stripe pattern running up the middle of the main body; however, these car versions are much rarer.

Feltzer

The tagline given to the Feltzer by the design team at Rockstar is, “Dark, sleek, and handsome… the Feltzer.” While I am sure this is an inside joke that I am too stupid to understand, the line still gives you an idea about this car.

This car can be compared to a Mercedes Benz SL R230, featuring the two-door layout of that car and the low-slung ride height that gives it such high performance around corners and in straight lines.

The car features flared wheel arches and a spoiler. These cars can spawn in several variations, including soft-top, hard-top, and top-down models. However, you can also spot some versions of this car with a badgeless rear vent.

Infernus

This was my favorite car in the entire franchise at one point. The Infernus is styled after the famous and decade-defining Lamborghini Murcielago, featuring some of that car’s best features and small parts from other Lamborghinis released at the time.

Quite possibly, the coolest thing about this car is the multi-port exhaust system that extends out of the car bumper, spitting flame every now and then when you step on the gas. Thus giving this car the Infernus name. This rear section of the car is covered in a carbon fiber mesh that beautifully displays the five-port exhaust system.

These cars usually spawn in one block color, often dull and unassuming colors at that. However, they can be fitted with an additional center stripe of an alternate color.

Sultan RS

If you are a big fan of cars and are part of the scene that goes along with this, you might recognize the body of this car as the Lexus IS, otherwise known as the Toyota Altezza.

Due to this car’s familiarity with modification worldwide, the developers of this title decided to step in and do the work for the player instead of allowing them to ruin the overall look of the car by themselves.

Therefore, this car comes with three colors across the body, a body kit, and an aside pipe exhaust system. The rear spoiler on these vehicles is also massive, far bigger than most stock cars in the game.

Super GT

Thankfully the Aston Martin car company is not known to be a litigious sort because this car is a direct 1:1 copy of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage of James Bond fame.

While this car has featured in older entries in the franchise, the overall look and performance of the car have changed greatly between San Andres and GTA 4. GT, in this case, stands for Gran Tourer.

Turismo

Named after the iconic PlayStation series, the Turismo is styled and shaped after the equally iconic Ferrari 360 and F430. This connection seems oddly fitting for me, but I can’t really understand why.

Anyway, as you would expect from a car designed to take the place of a Ferrari, the Turismo’s handling and top speed are phenomenal, allowing the player to set record times all over the map.

Muscle Cars

Buccaneer

This car was introduced into the franchise with GTA San Andres, continuing to this day. The vehicle itself is designed to resemble a 1970sBuick Riviera. Therefore, it has earned itself a tenuous, at best, place in our muscle car section of this list.

This car can spawn in the game with only one select color, mostly muted in tone and almost faded looking. Although, you can often find different chrome elements on the body of these old cars, giving some difference between them.

Dukes

If you are looking for a classic muscle car to transport yourself to and fro bowling matches with Roman, this is the car for you. Not only does this car feature the classic muscle car styling and straight-line pull, but it is also reminiscent of the old Dodge Chargers that many of our fathers probably grew up with.

This car can also be found in a special variant throughout the game. This is known as the “Highway Reaper,” featuring a massive supercharger protruding from the hood and many other modifications. The top speed is also drastically increased.

Faction

First introduced to the series in GTA 4, the Faction is a callback to the classic American muscle cars of the 1980s, featuring the styling of an 80s Buick Regal.

The main selling point of this car has to be the T-square roof, allowing the player to have the roof both on and off simultaneously. This car also shares some styling points with taxis and police cruisers, such as the rims and tail lights.

Manana

Probably one of the best-looking cars in the game that doesn’t have overall top speed as its primary function. The Manana features characteristics found in old Buicks and Dodges; however, the car has been a part of the GTA universe since the very beginning and thus has gone through many incremental changes over the years, resulting in a car rather different from its IRL inspirations.

You can find this car in both hard top and convertible options. However, I honestly have no hope for you if you drive this beauty without the top down.

Peyote

First entering the GTA series with this game, the Peyote is designed to resemble the 1st generation of Ford Thunderbirds, a series of cars that have defined the American dream for generations now.

The car features numerous badges along its body, including a v10 supercharged badge, which asks why the vehicle is so slow. Then again, I suppose it probably does weigh the same as a small house.

Ruiner

This car is styled like many of the 80s-era muscle cars, featuring the short main body and massively long slopped hood that has become iconic ever since. Also, keeping with this time, the car also has a T-top roof for added cool points. This car was very popular with GTA fans, forcing its continuation in GTA 5 and probably beyond.

Outside of this, the car can spawn in three variations outside of general color. The first will come with a solid roof, the second with glass roof panels, and the third without.

Sabre

Styled in the shape of an early 80s GM G-body, this car also borrows elements from cars such as the Dodge 400 and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. You know, some of the worst-looking cars ever made. Regardless, this car was always destined for this unsavory ugly moniker as the developers decided that it should be one of the few standard cars to also spawn as a ‘beater.’

The standard versions of these cars spawn with a flat roof and two exhaust pipes; however, in addition to the added rust and bent body panels, the beater versions of this car also feature cowl induction hoods on the roof and twin exhaust pipes that finish on the opposite side of the rear bumper.

Stallion

This car is the bigger version of the Pony, thus the imaginative Stallion name. While the car resembles its smaller brother, it is more akin to the styling of a 60s Oldsmobile Cutlass, another great-looking, classic muscle car.

These cars can spawn with either a colored hard top or a black felt soft top that can either be upright or folded back.

Vigero

This car is a direct copy of the 1969 Chevrolet Camero and is thus one of the best-looking and sounding cars in all of GTA history. I mean, they really did copy this one directly from the IRL manufacturer; they even included a “Vigero by Declasse” badge on the grille, a reference to the IRL “Camero by Chevrolet” badge.

The Vigero is another car that can also be found in the world as a beater. These beater versions of the car can often be seen covered in rust and with pre-dented body panels.

Outside of the difference between the base car and the beater version, these cars can spawn with numerous variations.

Virgo

These cars, not to be confused with the Vigeros, are styled after the 70s Mercury Cougars and the late 70s Lincoln Mark 5s. This car can be found covered in chrome elements and with twin exhausts.

What is strange about this care, though, is its ability to take corners at tremendous speed, regardless of the sheer size and weight of the thing. This feature seems to fly in the face of the overall physics system of the game, but I am certainly not complaining.

The Virgo will spawn with only one block color. However, one vehicle variant can be found with a secondary paint color applied to the front and rear bumpers.

Voodoo

Originally introduced into the series in GTA: Vice City, the Voodoo has the classic shape of a low rider that many of us have seen during our San Andreas playthroughs, after all modifying a Voodoo and bouncing it up and down Grove street is probably a core memory for most 90s children turned gamers.

This car is based on the Chevrolet Impala, although most of the secondary styling cues for the car were taken from a 1964 Impala specifically.

Hatchbacks

Blista Compact

Another one of the cars that have proven popular enough to persist throughout nearly every addition of the GTA franchise. The Balista Compact is designed almost entirely using the features of the Honda CR-X as inspiration. After all, the Honda is a beautiful car, so why not just copy it exactly?

These cars can spawn with varying levels of additional trim. Some, for example, may spawn with a set of foglights and a sun strip. At the same time, others may have wider side skirts and a parcel shelf in the boot. However, all of these cars will feature two colors on the main body, the primary dealing with the top half of the car and the secondary, the bottom.

Futo

Another JDM-inspired car, the Futo, is based on a late 80s Toyota Corolla Levin while simultaneously taking style cues from the much better and prettier Skyline.

These cars feature breathtaking top speeds, acceleration, and handling, presenting like a car with far more HP than this little bucket should have. These cars come in many colors, with the primary concerning itself with the top half and the secondary, the bottom.

Four-Door Sedans and Estate Cars

Cognoscenti

This car is unique in GTA 4 just because of the sheer amount of opulence it oozes. Based on a Maybach, the cars that only super millionaires seem to own, this shouldn’t be surprising.

This car can spawn with either one color or in two-tone; however, it will always spawn with its unique set of 12 spoke alloys.

Oracle XS

This car was designed in the styling of the old BMW E36 range, featuring many of the same elements of these now classic and heavily sought-after cars. The four-door luxury vehicle may not be the height of opulence anymore, but in its day, it was something not to be ignored.

The car spawns on a set of unique rims and low-profile tires, giving the vehicle a sportier look than one would anticipate from a luxury vehicle. However, these tires do fit the V8 german engine that powers the vehicle to decent top speeds.

PMP 600

This section of the list should really just be called “the luxury section” because any car with any personality within it is one made for kings, it would seem. This car resembles a Chrysler 300C that copied the Bently Continental GT.

This means that the car features a very long wheelbase and a massive front grill that cannot be mistaken from even a good distance away. This car features probably the biggest engine of any car in the GTA universe in terms of sheers liters, coming in at a staggering 9.8 liters. However, this size does not translate into power.

Primo

The Albany Primo has been in almost every GTA game to date, including five, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The base car is mottled on the late 80s Cadilac Allante, meaning that it is an overall ugly-looking wagon, to say the least.

This car can spawn with three different colors on its body, although the tertiary color is more likely just trim than anything resembling bodywork.

Esperanto

These cars are used as the basis for Roman’s taxi service as well as his own personal taxi. Therefore, the player can expect to have one of these on hand should they ever be left high and dry somewhere.

Due to this, Esperanto comes in a unique variant named ‘Roman’s Taxi.’ Although unique, this car is no really any different from any other Esperantos in the game, except that it belongs to Roman and isn’t always accessible to the player in certain spawn locations such as Roman’s garage.

Stretch

As you might imagine, this car is a stretch limousine, a longer version of the Dundreary Admiral that is otherwise rather lackluster. As this car is used as a luxury transport, it features unique things such as a secondary TV ariel and side lighting along the body.

These cars also feature reinforced side windows to protect the clients inside. These windows can withstand serious damage before caving in; even a proportionate amount of gunfire will simply chip them.

Commercial and Industrial Vehicles

Benson

When discussing commercial vehicles, we must include the standard removal truck. This vehicle is an enlarged version of the basic truck found more frequently throughout the game as it is both longer and wider than standard trucks.

This truck features a V8 engine capable of lugging huge amounts of weight due to high torque vectors. The real benefit of this vehicle is its ability to soak up damage and keep plowing on with its sheer size, capable of blasting through most other vehicles with little to no effort.

Mr. Tasty

This ice cream truck, with probably the most disturbing name in the entire game, is relative as expected. Featuring twin ice-cream cone shapes on the front as well as menus plastered all over the outside of the van.

This vehicle replaced the Mr. Whoopee van from earlier games and is designed to look like an old Chevrolet P30. This vehicle is one of the harder ones to come across organically in the game, but when you, what great fun you can have, albeit at very low speeds.

Ripley

This vehicle is used as an airport support vehicle, designed to have a large central cabin capable of fitting one solo operator. These vehicles are covered in Fly US livery and pictures of airplanes (even though none can be found in the game).

The color of these vehicles is set to off-white due to the official nature of their use; therefore, the only variation one can see on them is the type of alloys fitted.

Airtug

This vehicle is another one similar to Ripley in the fact that it is strictly for airport use, completely pointless outside of this setting. The Airtug is also covered in Fly US livery; however, it allows for two people to sit on it while being exposed to the elements.

This vehicle essentially takes cues from a ride-on lawnmower in reference to its size and overall speed. You can find this Airtug at the Francis International Airport in its standard off-white color.

Emergency Department Vehicles

FIB Buffalo

This vehicle is based on the Dodge Charger police cars that were supplied to law enforcement agencies IRL between 2006 and 2010. Should the player get access to one of these vehicles, they can get access to the LCPD database, allowing them to play the most wanted and vigilante side missions. There is both police and standard version of this vehicle in other GTA games but not GTA 4.

The easiest way to get your hands on one of these vehicles is to accrue a minimum four-star wanted level and wait for the FIB to turn up, stealing one in the process. These vehicles are entirely blacked out and very high performing, considering the sheer size and probable weight of the vehicle.

Fire Truck

Easily one of the best and most fun vehicles in the game, the Fire Truck allows the player to blast through traffic using emergency sirens while simultaneously blasting the public away with concentrated water jets.

These vehicles look exactly as you expect, featuring the classic red and white design, coupled with the livery of the city’s fire department and the water turret on top. To get your hands on one of these bad boys, simply journey to your nearest fire department and have some fun. This should be easy enough to find, considering these large vehicles are often parked outside.

Enforcer

This NOOSE vehicle, complete with Liberty City livery, is used as the armored response vehicle for the GTA 4 equivalent of a SWAT team. This means that the small truck’s overall design is one of damage protection and armored brilliance. These vehicles are thus incredibly strong and almost impossible to destroy with simple gunfire alone or ramming.

If one of these vehicles turns up, you can expect your wanted level to be at least four stars or above.

Motorcycles

Faggio

At this point, the long-running joke of the Faggio should really be losing some of its luster, especially in today’s political climate; however, the sheer stupidity of the joke still gets me today.

The Faggio is essentially a Vespa or any other city scooter one would expect to see whizzing through rural Italy’s small streets. This vehicle has a surprisingly punchy engine, allowing the user to achieve higher speeds than I ever thought possible on such a scooter. Also, because of some weird physics glitch or oversight in the game, the Faggio is probably the easiest bike to perform a sustained wheelie on.

Hellfruy

This bike was designed after developers saw the West Coast Chippers El Diablo bike. In keeping with that bike, this virtual rendition has slanted handlebars that almost seem to hide behind the bike’s front headlight, giving the bike a unique and aerodynamic shape.

This bike is great for high speeds and freeways; however, the turning circle is atrocious, and so is the cornering, so be careful around tight bends.

NRG 900

This sport bike takes inspiration from the Suzuki GSX-R and comes in several variants. Most of these simply change the front end or a couple of contour lines; however, the differences are easy to spot.

While other bikes in the game may just look sporty, this bike has the figures to back up the look, featuring the highest top speed in the entire game, capable of reaching well up past 150mph.

Sanchez

If you want a bike that can handle dirt tracks as well as inner city traffic, this is the bike for you. Although, the rather X-games-like design might turn a few heads when in downtown Liberty City.

These bikes have become more and more prominent in the GTA series as time has progressed, becoming essential parts of many missions. However, the big selling part for me on these bikes is their Japanese heritage, inspired by the Yamaha YZ450F.

Boats

Jetmax

If I asked you to draw me a speedboat, I would bet $1 million that what you produced would look like the Jetmax—featuring a long and slippery body with a fully window-protected but open-air cabin for up to six people. This boat is everything you need it to be.

These boats are available along the shoreline of Liberty City, although they can be scarce and hard to keep once located due to a lack of a boat-saving system in GTA 4 like we have in GTA 5.

Dinghy

When I hear the word dinghy, I imagine a family of five heading out on a lake somewhere with a sorry-looking inflatable piece of rubber that could scarcely be called a boat. However, the dinghy we get in GTA 4 couldn’t be further away from this image.

Styled more like a military rapid response boat similar to the ones all the special forces use, this dinghy is fully equipped with a high-speed motor and protective plating around the inflatable areas.

Helicopters

Annihilator

This militaristic helicopter is probably the only such vehicle you will ever need, featuring the nimble maneuverability of a helicopter much smaller and the martial abilities of a proper Black Hawk chopper.

You can only find these choppers in black with a yellow stripe running around the entire body base, sitting on industrial wheels similar to those found on the Airtug. This chopper is also fitted with M134 Miniguns, giving the player a lot of firepower.

Maverick

This helicopter is essentially the shell that all other variations in the game, including the police pursuit chopper, are based on. This helicopter features a twin-blade flying system paired with a twin-engine power train.

This chopper is the perfect civilian aeronautical vehicle while also being capable of transforming into a police and fire vehicle when needed.

Repairing and Customising Your Vehicles

While one of the best things ever implemented into the GTA series was the ability to modify your cars, such as by turning them into Low Riders in GTA San Andreas, the developers of GTA 4 inexplicably took away this function from the game. This not only removed a large element of the game’s replayability but also annoyed a massive number of fans, forcing them to mod the game and insert the ability to mod their cars themselves.

Apart from this massive upset, they did keep in the ability to have your cars repaired by heading to a Pay ‘n’ Spray location on the map and driving through it. This will cost a small fee but much less than Los Santos Customs charges in GTA 5. These locations can be found via green spray paint bottles on the map.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How many cars are there in GTA 4?

Answer: There are a total of 123 vehicles in GTA 4. This includes all cars, boats, helicopters, and undrivable vehicles such as the subway.

Question: What is the fastest car in GTA 4?

Answer: The fastest car in GTA 4 is the Infernus, the GTA copy of a Lamborghini.

Question: Can you get a jetpack in GTA 4?

Answer: There is no way to get a jetpack in GTA 4 as you did in San Andreas. However, you can get one should you mod the game slightly.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, a comprehensive guide to GTA 4 vehicles, including cars, helicopters, and boats. While this edition of the GTA franchise did abandon some of the wackier elements previously seen in titles such as San Andreas, the realism and attention to detail that the team focused on instead ensured that the vehicles in the game were still fun to play around with.

With all this in mind, I hope you enjoyed this article and will check out some of the other great pieces we have on the site. Best of luck!

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