Landstalker

Revision as of 20:06, 4 July 2011 by Simdriverx (talk | contribs) (Added trivia--~~~~)
Vehicle
Landstalker
A Landstalker in GTA III.
A Landstalker in GTA III.
(Rear quarter view)
A Landstalker in GTA III.
Appearance(s) [[Appearance::GTA III
GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
GTA Liberty City Stories
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV]]
Vehicle type 4-door civilian SUV
Capacity 4
Manufacturer Dundreary (GTA IV)
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The Landstalker is an SUV which is available in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto IV.

Design

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

The Landstalker has many different designs between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, usually combined from a variety of sources:

  • In GTA III, the Landstalker resembles a Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ.
  • In GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, the Landstalker resembles a 1984-1990 Jeep Wagoneer Limited with the headlights and front bumper from the 1983-1990 Chevrolet S-10.
  • In GTA San Andreas, the Landstalker generally resembles the GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories rendition but with a few changes. It no longer carries a rear-mounted spare tire; instead, a tire is visible inside the rear compartment. The engine sound suggests a V8 or a large displacement V6.
  • In GTA Liberty City Stories, the Landstalker resembles the GTA III rendition, but with the grille and headlights of a second generation Range Rover. The vehicle may also come with a roof-mounted luggage rack and Zip boxes in the rear compartment.

GTA IV

In GTA IV, the Dundreary Landstalker bears some resemblance to the GTA Liberty City Stories rendition. It resembles a slightly altered 2007-present Ford Expedition, particularly the Expedition EL/Max (the extended-wheelbase version), considering its overall length and the shape of its rear doors. The headlights resemble those of the 2006-present Range Rover, and the taillights resemble those of the Range Rover Sport.

A special black variant of the Landstalker can be seen driving around North Holland by North Holland Hustlers and Firefly Projects by M.O.B.. This variant features chrome side scuff bars, no luggage rails, and TVs installed in the back of the front seats' headrests.

Performance

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

The Landstalker was originally introduced with a light weight (1380 kg), a short wheelbase, high ground clearance, full time 4WD, poor grip, stiff suspension, a high center of gravity and unstable weight distribution. As a result, it is highly susceptible to rollovers while simply turning or traversing off-road, if the player doesn't drive carefully or make use of the handbrake. These attributes made the vehicle vastly inferior as an off-road vehicle when compared to the Patriot, Rancher, Sandking and Huntley. Although its handling is poor, the Landstalker has all-round moderate-to-good acceleration and top speed due to its weight.

The Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories rendition is noticeably more stable—its redesigned body features a lowered ground clearance (resulting in a slight redistribution of weight to the bottom) and a longer, heavier body (1880 kg), reducing the likelihood of rollovers.

GTA IV

The GTA IV rendition of the Landstalker is quite heavy, resulting in poor acceleration and a top speed of 180km/h (110mph), and compared to other SUVs; braking is also adversely affected by the weight. Like the Cavalcade, ABS is only available on some models.. The engine itself sounds as if it is a mid-sized V6, paired to a 4 speed gearbox in a 50% Front, 50% Rear 4WD layout. The suspension is moderately firm, but still far too soft to corner at speed effectively. The body flops about in the turns, often causing the rear end to kick out and fishtail rather than simply overturn as in previous games. On the road, the Landstalker is nowhere near as competent as its closest competitors (the Cavalcade and Huntley Sport), but off-road the Landstalker begins to show its usefulness. The engine has enough torque to allow scaling of medium-grade hills, and the suspension evens out most of the natural bumps; unfortunately, the long rear overhang means the Landstalker can beach itself on rocks. Overall, its off-road performance is inferior to that of the Cavalcade, however it fares better than the Huntley Sport.

Deformation in frontal accidents is acceptable, though rear accidents cause quite a bit of visible damage. The engine itself is sturdy in accidents, allowing the Landstalker to take multiple direct hits at full speed before failing. Overall, this vehicle is better suited for short drives and off-road expeditions than high-speed pursuits.

Modifications (GTA San Andreas)

In TransFender:

  • Color
  • Exhaust (three varieties)
  • Fog Lights (two varieties)
  • Nitro (three varieties)
  • Wheels (ten varieties)
  • Bass Boost
  • Hydraulics

Notable owners

Trivia

  • After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie in GTA IV, a Landstalker may be sold at his garage for $3,000.
  • The Landstalker plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
  • When in reverse in the Landstalker the front badge glows as a reverse light.
  • The name could be a reference to the GTA 2 vehicle, the Land Roamer. Roaming and stalking are considered to have similar meanings
  • The name could also be a reference to its massive size compared to other vehicles in its class, it even outsizes the Cavalcade and Cavalcade FXT

Locations

GTA III

GTA Vice City

GTA San Andreas

GTA Liberty City Stories

GTA Vice City Stories

GTA IV