Trucks, SUVs, and Vans in Gran Turismo

Trucks, vans, and SUVs are usually not the kinds of machines most racing gamers want to use in a racing game. It is, however, nice to know you can race them, right? Not a lot of people realize or care that performance comes in a variety of vehicles- not just sports cars and compacts. Understandably, all the performance types want the latest and greatest sports cars and exotics. However, not as many want to find equal performance in modifying trucks and SUVs. Some see these machines as comical or oddball vehicles. Look at the likes of Forza Motorsport- whereas FM4 has vehicles such as the GMC Syclone, the Ford Raptor, and various other machines.

One of the first real trucks featured in the Gran Turismo series was the Subaru Forester. But if you REALLY think about it, the Daihatsu Midget D-Type was the first-ever pickup truck featured in a Gran Turismo game. You probably wonder why you could race with a Daihatsu Midget in GT5's Pick-Up Truck Challenge. God knows you're not going to outrun 11 pickup trucks even in a maxed-out Daihatsu Midget D-Type.

Even in Gran Turismo 4, two of my favorite vehicles to tune and race were not sports cars. I used a Toyota Tacoma X-Runner to win the Japanese Championship in GT4. I modified and tuned a Honda Odyssey to become one of my special tuner machines. I even ran a few Family Cup races in Gran Turismo 4 with the Odyssey. The real mark of a true performance fan is when someone can find tuning potential in vehicles other than sports cars or sports compacts.

--- The Future of Trucks, SUVs, and Vans in Gran Turismo ---

Not necessarily for any upcoming GT, but what would be great models to consider for future GTs and as downloadable content? Allow me to provide inspiration for all of you. I'd like to begin with this video to show you what truck racing is like in Gran Turismo:


^ "Sport Pick-up Truck Challenge"

Before I begin, if you see any of the following symbols, here is what they indicate:

[C] = concept
[R] = racing model

Okay? So here goes!

More Trucks?

It was really disappointing that the only trucks in GT5 are basically all the carry-over trucks from GT4. If PD wanted to enhance the truck lineup, they will need to get a good deal of trucks to enhance the lineup. Gran Turismo may even have to look to what the Forza Motorsport series did. In case you're interested, here are some search results on YouTube for videos on trucks in Forza Motorsport: Forza Motorsport Truck videos on YouTube.

I will include as many different trucks as possible to maybe fuel some interest in getting more trucks into Gran Turismo. It doesn't mean any of these will show up, but these are examples to help provide a bit more diversity.


--- Truck Examples ---
• Chevrolet Colorado
• Chevrolet Silverado SS
• Chevrolet SSR
• Ford Ranger
• Ford F-150 Lightning
• Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
• 1941 Ford Pickup Truck
• 1951 Ford F-100
• 1947 Mercury M-47
• Dodge Dakota
• RAM 1500
• 1947 Dodge Power Wagon
• GMC Typhoon
• GMC Syclone
• Honda Ridgeline
• Nissan Frontier
• Nissan Titan
• Nissan Sunny Truck
• Nissan Navara
• Toyota Tacoma
• Toyota Tundra
• Toyota Hilux
• Mitsubishi Raider
• Mitsubishi L200
• Mitsubishi L200 Warrior
• Volkswagen Amarok
• 2012 Holden Colorado
• [R] Chevrolet Silverado SS NASCAR Stock Truck
• [R] Ford F-150 NASCAR Stock Truck
• [R] [Dodge] Ram NASCAR Stock Truck
• [R] Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck
• [R] Ford Raptor Baja Truck
• [R] Ford Racing Raptor XT
• [R] Toyota Tacoma NASCAR Stock Truck
• [R] 2000 Toyota Tacoma Pikes Peak
• [R] Nissan Navara Dakar
• [R] 1997 Toyota Tacoma Trophy Truck (raced by Ivan "Ironman" Stewart)
• [R] 2006 Mitsubishi L200 Evolution Racing Truck



Now for a few utes. I will somewhat consider utes as trucks. These are the more truck-like machines I want to make mention to:

• Chevrolet El Camino
• Chevrolet Avalanche
• Ford Ranchero
• Ford Explorer Sport Trac
• Subaru Baja
• Holden VE SS Ute
• HSV Maloo Ute
• [R] Holden SS Ute Brute Ute (learn more about V8 Ute Racing Series: www.v8utes.com.au)
• [R] Ford Falcon XR8 Brute Ute

I have no problem with trucks. Utes are perfectly fine as well.

More SUVs?

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and their many variations help make up another bunch of unique vehicles with unique performance characteristics. Care is needed racing these machines on certain tracks due to being so top-heavy. One of the first SUVs to ever show up in Gran Turismo

--- SUV (and other namesake) Examples ---
• Chevrolet Blazer
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Chevrolet Traverse
• Ford Explorer
• Ford Edge
• Dodge Durango
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Infiniti JX30
• Hummer H1
• Hummer H2
• Honda CR-V
• Honda Element
• Honda Pilot
• Nissan Armada
• Nissan Pathfinder
• Nissan Murano
• Nissan Juke
• Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Toyota RAV4
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Sequoia
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• [C] Toyota RSC Concept Car
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda CX-7
• Mazda CX-9
• Mitsubishi Endeavor
• Mitsubishi Pajero
• Subaru Forester
• Suzuki Grand Vitara
• Isuzu Vehicross
• Range Rover Evoque
• Bowler Wildcat (learn more about Bowler: www.bowlermotorsport.com)
• Bowler EXR
• Bowler EXR S
• BMW X3
• BMW X5
• BMW X5 Le Mans
• BMW X6
• BMW X6 M
• Mercedes-Benz GL550 4MATIC
• Mercedes-Benz G-Class (example: G500L)
• Audi Q5
• Audi Q7
• Audi Q7 V12 TDI
• Volkswagen Tiguan
• Volkswagen Touareg
• Porsche Cayenne
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo
• Peugeot 4008
• Lamborghini LM002
• [C] Lamborghini Urus Concept
• Volvo XC60
• Volvo XC90
• [C] Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Hyundai Tuscon
• Kia Sorento
• [B] Bowler EXR Rally Raid Car
• [R] Volkswagen Touareg Dakar
• [R] Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Dakar
• [R] Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Dakar

Is that enough SUV loving for you?

More Vans?

The van is seen more as a fad for most people. Somehow, for those who may never travel down dirt trails or do some really intense driving, they'll still buy SUVs rather than something as sensible as a van. I raced vans in Enthusia Professional Racing as well as in Gran Turismo games. They may be big, long, and heavy; but even you must admit there's something cool about pushing a van to its limits- both in driving and in tuning. Here are some vans to get you excited and to give you some inspiration:

--- Van Examples ---
• Chevrolet Astro
• Ford Transit Connect
• Dodge Grand Caravan
• GMC Safari
• Honda Odyssey
• Nissan Quest
• Nissan ElGrand
• Toyota Siena
• Toyota Alphard
• Toyota Estima
• Toyota FunCargo
• Mazda MP5
• Renault Avantime
• Mercedes-Benz R-Class
• Volkswagen Routan
• Volkswagen SambaBus
• [C] Volkswagen Microbus Concept
• [R] 1996 Renault Espace F1

Anything to get you interested!

--- Would You Want Supertruck Racing? (Bonus Material!) ---

Forget about those trucks... what about supertrucks? For some people, we usually think of them as big rig trucks here in the United States. There used to be a series in the 2000s called STRANA. However, that series has long been defunct. Here is a sample of supertruck racing (video NOT in English):


^ "Belle remontée Albacete FIA European Truck Racing 2008"

While it isn't likely we'll see these monsters in any Gran Turismo, would you even be open to see these in a Gran Turismo title? Imagine racing these things around Grand Valley Speedway, Deep Forest, Tokyo R246, or the full Cape Ring circuit! It would be interesting seeing something like this if it were to materialize for a Gran Turismo.





What trucks, SUVs, and vans will show up in GT's future? The ones I've provided are only a nice start. There is surely lots to love here if you're a fan of these aforementioned machines. So what do you think about seeing more of these in Gran Turismo? Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)	Subscribe to StyleSpace (SS)