Perennial

Vehicle
Perennial
A Perennial in GTA III.
A Perennial in GTA III.
(Rear quarter view)
A Perennial in GTA III.
Appearance(s) GTA III
GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
GTA Liberty City Stories
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV
GTA Chinatown Wars
Also known as Maurice (During GTA III development)
Vehicle type Station wagon (GTA III — GTA:VCS)
Minivan (GTA IV — GTA:CW)
Body style 4-door station wagon (GTA III — GTA:VCS)
4-door minivan (GTA IV — GTA:CW)
Capacity 4 (driver and 3 passengers)
Manufacturer Dinka (GTA IV)
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The Perennial is a recurring station wagon/minivan featured in every Grand Theft Auto game since Grand Theft Auto III (except Grand Theft Auto Advance). The car's outward appearance and performance has changed only slightly throughout its appearance, having only been radically redesigned as a minivan from Grand Theft Auto IV onwards.

Design

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

In GTA III, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas, the Perennial has a close resemblance to the 1962-1964 Chevrolet Nova station wagon, though they are fashioned much smaller and shorter. The GTA San Andreas version features the most cosmetic changes among the three, with changable two-tone body colors, a redesigned frontal V-bumper, redressed light clusters, and metallic side trimming. The GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas renditions also feature optional roof racks towards the rear.

In GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories, the car assumes a slightly newer and slimmer model that resembles a 1969 Ford LTD Country Squire, based on the position of the side panels and grille, but retains elements of previous iterations of the car in the rear. The cars also constantly feature roof racks.

According to the Capital Autos website, the Perennial in GTA III was known as the "Maurice" during development of the game.[1]

GTA IV — GTA Chinatown Wars

In GTA IV, in contrast to the Perennial's rustic station wagon appearance throughout the GTA III Era, the Perennial is now based on a more streamlined and modern minivan, the JDM Third Generation Honda Odyssey with the windows of a 3rd gen Honda CRV and 2nd gen Honda Stream. The US version of the Honda Odyssey is much taller and more formal-looking, so it appears to be the JDM/International version of the Odyssey, which looks more futuristic and is not sold in the US despite it being common in the game. It does not have sliding doors, as the international version does not feature them. The rear of the sides and rear window are also similar to those a Mercedes-Benz R-Class. It is the only vehicle in GTA IV which has fully glassed roof, which is very reminiscent of the ill-fated Renault Avantime, though it was a coupe and not an MPV. The taillights seem invented but loosely resemble a 2003-2005 (US) Accord. The interior seating is part leather and part cloth.

GTA IV's Perennial is also available as an airport shuttle van, bearing FlyUS liveries and a strobe light, lacking a glass roof, and spawning at the Francis International Airport.

The GTA Chinatown Wars rendition appears to revert to an older design, sporting a lean 1970s appearance more alike early renditions of the Regina. For the PSP and iOS renditions however, the Perennial adopts the GTA IV design; the front end however seems to have been tweaked such that it resembles the second-generation Toyota Previa/Estima/Tarago.

Performance

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

The underpowered, front-wheel drive Perennial is quite sluggish. Acceleration is highly lacking, as is speed. The handling is responsive, but quite slow, and is prone to oversteer, as well as rollovers due to its unstable suspension. Because of its large turning radius, it's hard to perform J-turns or 180-degree spins, although it is FWD. It is, however, quite sturdy, and can withstand significant crash damage before bursting into flames and exploding. The Perennial is also easy to ram off roads, especially with large, fast vehicles such as the Fire Truck and the Barracks OL. In GTA Vice City Stories, it's slightly faster.

GTA IV

The Dinka Perennial "MPV AW" returns to the GTA lineup with a significant makeover, both in looks and performance. Gone is the horrendous FWD layout, ditched in favor of a rear-biased 30% Front/70% Rear AWD layout (hence, AW). The Perennial is more than likely powered by a mid-range V6, and is coupled to a 5 speed gearbox. Acceleration is now average, with a reasonable top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h). Handling is also upgraded significantly, as the Perennial no longer flops about on the road, but keeps steady. The suspension is quite firm for a vehicle of this size, and aides high-speed cornering. Braking is average, and the optional (but rare) ABS definitely helps. Crash deformation is below average, and as such the Perennial cannot sustain much damage before being un-drivable. However in a head on crash, minimal damage is suffered in the interior.

Customization in GTA San Andreas

The Perennial in GTA San Andreas can be modified at a TransFender, which offers a moderate range of customizations for the car:

Italicized pricing denotes prices at the Las Venturas TransFender, which charges 20% more except Colors.

  • Colors
    • Car Color 1 (primary body color): $150
    • Because Car Color 1 does not define the car's roof, and there are no options at TransFender to modify the roof color, a Pay 'n' Spray can be used first until the desired roof color is achieved before entering TransFender to color the body.
  • Exhausts
    • Large Exhaust: $250 ($300)
    • Medium Exhaust: $200 ($240)
    • Twin Exhaust: $300 ($360)
  • Lights
    • Round Fog Lamp: $100 ($120)
  • Nitro
    • 2x Nitrous: $200 ($240)
    • 5x Nitrous: $500 ($600)
    • 10x Nitrous: $1,000 ($1,200)
  • Spoilers:
    • Drag: $200 ($240)
    • Worx: $200 ($240)
    • Pro: $400 ($480)
  • Side Skirt: $500 ($600)
  • Wheels
    • Import: $820 ($984)
    • Atomic: $770 ($924)
    • Ahab: $1,000 ($1,200)
    • Virtual: $620 ($744)
    • Access: $1,140 ($1,368)
    • Off Road Wheel: $1,000 ($1,200)
    • Mega: $1,030 ($1,236)
    • Grove: $1,230 ($1,476)
    • Twist: $1,200 ($1,440)
    • Wires: $1,560 ($1,872)
  • Car Stereo
    • Bass Boost: $100 ($120)
  • Hydraulics: $1,500 ($1,800)

Trivia

  • In GTA San Andreas, Big Smoke is originally depicted during "Big Smoke" to own an all-black Perennial at the very beginning of the game, only to watch it blown up during a drive-by an enemy gang. Smoke subsequently replaces it with a Glendale. There are several ways to obtain this Perinnial; after the cutscene of the Ballas destroying Smoke's car, kill them with a weapon and push the Perennial to a garage. Alternatively, enter the blow up all cars cheat during the cutscene where Carl and Smoke are about to enter the Perennial. You'll fail the mission for destroying Smoke's car, and he will walk off. Then push it to the garage next to you. However a much easier way to obtain an all-black Perennial is take one to Transfender and paint all the parts black.
  • In GTA San Andreas, driving the Perennial will dramatically reduce the player character's sex appeal.
  • In dialog during outings with Michelle Cannes in GTA San Andreas, she will mention that her first car was a Perennial.
  • In GTA Vice City Stories, during the mission Truck Stop, the player would be driving a fireproof Perennial.
  • The roof-mounted light on the FlyUS variant of the Perennial in GTA IV does not light up when the engine is running, unlike the FlyUS Feroci, but it is more easier to be broken than the former's.
  • In GTA IV, the police radio refers the Perennial as a "MPV".
  • When dating in GTA IV, Kiki Jenkins will compliment the player for his choice of vehicle if driving a Perennial.
  • In perfect condition, this car can be sold in the S&M Auto Sales for $2,200 in GTA IV.
  • Within GTA IV multiplayer races, it is only possible to select the FlyUS version of the Perennial, rather than the civilian version, whereas the Feroci is available as a civilian model only.
  • The Perennial plays the following radio stations by default when entered:

Locations

GTA III
GTA San Andreas
GTA Liberty City Stories
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV

References