Five New GT7 Cars Will Cost a Cool 1.8 Million Credits

People have talked about the Gran Turismo 1.48 update for at least a week. Some tried to predict what cars it would bring, while others prayed their favorite vehicles would make it into the game. Many players have been asking for new racetracks, and I'm also starting to become eager for such an upgrade.

I spotted some interesting suggestions, and I thought I'd share some of them with you: the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (Paul Walker vibes right there), the Audi RS 6 (if you're into fast wagons), the Mazda 323 GT-R (at least we're getting it with Hot Wheels), and the Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z. It's not that GT7's list of cars is extensive, but there are still so many exciting vehicles to add.

I've already discussed the Honda Civic in an earlier story, as it's the main hero of the new Time Trial. So allow me to walk you through my experience with the other four cars in the latest update.

Volvo 240 SE Estate '93

Let's start with the slowest one on the grid. Gran Turismo 6 included three Volvos, but GT7 hasn't had any. The 1993 240 SE Estate features the iconic shape Volvo used in the past. But let's be honest, this is severely underpowered, with less than 110 hp on tap.

Weighing 2918 lbs (1324 kg) doesn't help either, but it does have an incentive. After paying 40,800 credits to buy it from the Used Car lot, I needed 84 seconds to lap around Tsukuba. It's officially the slowest vehicle I've driven on this track. But I did notice something interesting once I connected my steering wheel.

My fast lap improved by four seconds, but I realized this car enjoys going sideways. I instantly thought it would make a good drift car. And it seems many other players felt the same, judging by all the photos and videos of them pushing it within an inch of its life. I opted to add some upgrades, including a low RPM turbocharger. I got it down to 1:06.937, about as fast as the modified Civic EG. It's still a grocery-getter, and an engine swap might be useful.

Volvo V40 T5 R-Design '13

As I worked for Volvo for a few years, I've driven many of their modern cars. The company gave me the keys to a V40 with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine: a white R-Design model. I had a blast driving it for several months, and my dad was certain it was the perfect car for me. It wasn't as thrilling as the RX-7, but it might have been faster in the real world.

I'm not sure I would have included the V40 in GT7. Wouldn't an S60 Polestar be much nicer? After all, we are talking about a FWD vehicle that weighs a hefty 3395 lbs (1540 kg). The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine only makes 210 horsepower, but we can cut it slack for being an inline-five-cylinder setup.

The V40 T5 R-Design is slightly cheaper than its older sibling, at 40,000 credits from Brand Central. It will lap Tsukuba in 71 seconds or less but expect tons of understeer. I didn't even bother upgrading this one, as I was more eager to test the next car.

Nissan Skyline GTS-R (R31) '87

Nissan already had an impressive presence in Gran Turismo 7, which had over 30 cars. You can drive GT-Rs, S-Chassis cars, and Fairlady Zs, you name it! But adding another iconic Skyline wouldn't hurt anyone, so here we have it.

The 1987 GTS-R (R31) may not look like much to the untrained eye, but let's not forget about its heritage. It's rather costly in GT7, as I paid 176,600 credits to add it to my garage. I needed 75 seconds for a full lap on the controller, realizing it feels faster than it is. It's more exciting than any of the two Volvos and even outranks the Honda Civic.

The interior is spartan as the old Volvo wagon, but what do you expect from an '80s Nissan? I loved the classic warning beep once you go past 62 mph (100 kph). But the RB20DET needs some upgrades to come to life. I managed to lap Tsukuba in this thing in 64 seconds, but beware of its tendency to oversteer!

Honda NSX GT500 '00

The Honda NSX GT500 is the highlight of update 1.48. It doesn't come cheap; I paid 1.5 million credits for it at Legend Cars. But you won't even care about the other four vehicles once you sit behind the wheel. I instantly remembered why I was so in love with Hondas in high school.

I had to sell my Toyota GT-One (TS020) to buy this new car, but it was worth it. Even with the controller, I did a complete lap of Tsukuba in 58 seconds. I shaved two more seconds once I plugged in the Logitech G29 steering wheel. There's no time to think about anything else when you're driving, as it will punish you for any slip of the right foot.

After driving for several laps, I decided: it's one of the most brilliant cars available in Gran Turismo 7. And I can't help but wonder if it can do a sub-53-second lap around the Japanese race track with enough practice. One more month to go until update 1.49!