Moonbeam

File:Moonbeam (GTA3) (front).jpg
A Moonbeam in GTA III (Rear quarter view).

The Moonbeam is a large four-door minivan featured in:

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

Design

Between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, the Moonbeam is straightforwardly modeled after a 1985—1994 Chevrolet Astro, but it has tall taillights. Minor cosmetic changes have been made throughout its appearances, but the van has generally retained its bulky 1980s design, making it unattractive in all its appearances. Whilst the GTA Liberty City Stories rendition of the Moonbeam is based on that of GTA III, the GTA Vice City Stories rendition adopts the design of the GTA Liberty City Stories or GTA III rendition, instead of the usual GTA Vice City rendition.

During development of GTA III, the van was originally known as the "Aster", a clear reference to the Chevrolet Astro name. The van is depicted in the Capital Autos website.

Performance

Moonbeams between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories all possess similar handling properties. Performance is poor, due to the underpowered engines, front wheel drive layouts (with the exception of GTA San Andreas, which is rear wheel drive), heavy bodies, soft suspension, and high center of gravity (leading to a tendency to flip on rough terrains); as a result, the Moonbeam is generally unsuitable for high-speed driving and has little practical use aside its fundamental function as a mode of transport. The Moonbeam only holds a maximum of four occupants.

GTA IV

Design

In GTA IV, the Moonbeam (now with a Declasse manufacturer badge) is still based on a 1985—1994 Chevrolet Astro but the front end has been greatly altered, incorporating more realistic detailing and design cues, as well as supporting one-tone or two-tone body colors.

The Moonbeam can be found in several different configurations, with optional rear-mounted continental tire and ladder, elevated aero roof (featuring a "Super Streamline" badge), roof-mounted luggage bars, a custom billet grille that covers the headlamps, and either one of two types of side scuffs. It also can be found with blanked out rear side windows. A Super Streamline badge is featured on all Moonbeams on the driver’s door, regardless of whether it has a "Super Streamline" roof or not.

Performance

The GTA IV rendition of the Moonbeam is powered by a 3.5L engine, presumably a V6, and features a rear wheel drive layout, however its lack of power makes this characteristic negligible; the Moonbeam drives as slowly as its predecessors, and still suffers from understeer. Frustratingly, the Moonbeam fails to withstand a large amount of damage, as its large size would suggest.

Trivia

  • The Moonbeam in GTA Vice City, along with the game's Bobcat, is one of the earliest vehicles in the series to physically depict its name; sporting a "MOONBEAM" badge on its trunk lid.
  • Driving a Moonbeam into the TransFender in Las Venturas will cause the vehicle to spawn on top of the garage but underneath the roof, trapping the player and the vehicle. At this point the player can only escape by blowing themselves up, re-loading the game's save file, or re-loading the game itself.
  • After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie in GTA IV, he agrees to purchase cars from Niko Bellic, with the Moonbeam fetching $2,200.
  • In GTA IV the Moonbeam is equipped with the "door ajar" bong when the driver's door is opened.
  • The Moonbeam plays the following radio stations by default when entered:

Locations

GTA III

GTA San Andreas

GTA IV