Futo

Vehicle
Futo
A Futo in GTA IV.
A Futo in GTA IV.
(Rear quarter view)
A Futo in GTA IV.
Appearance(s) GTA IV
GTA V
Vehicle type Civilian car
Body style 2-door coupe
Capacity 2 (driver and passenger)
Manufacturer Karin
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The Karin Futo is a compact two-door vehicle in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V.

Description

Design

The Futo is based on the 1984-1987 AE86 Toyota Corolla Levin GT-Apex AE86 Coupe, with the tail lights bearing striking resemblance to a Volkswagen Corrado. The badging on the side ("N/A Inline 20v RWD", subtitled with "Quad Throttle Body", "High Performance Injection", and "Limited Slip Differential") indicates that it is equipped with a 20-valve engine, akin to Toyota's 4A-GE 1.6L Black or Silvertop engine (this engine did not actually appear until 1991; however, it was a popular modification for the AE86), and is configured with a rear wheel drive with a limited slip differential (possibly contributing to the car's excellent handling). It is much more powerful than the normal 16 valve 4A-GE equipped in the AE86 during it's production.

The car is very well detailed, from the interior to the individual throttle bodies and the RS Watanabe F8 wheel option (likely in reference to the popular Watanabe RS wheels for the AE86 Corolla).

A Futo is featured in the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V, appearing mostly identical to the GTA IV rendition.

Performance

The Futo is powered by what appears to be a 1.6L high revving I4, paired with a five-speed gearbox in a rear-wheel drive configuration. Acceleration is above average, and its top speed of 290 km/h (180 mph) is staggeringly quick. The chassis is firm and taut, giving the Futo stability at high speeds, and the ability to be thrown around for a bit of flair. Its suspension is firm, keeping the Futo flat in banked corners and stable in the S-curves. Braking is acceptable, and front-wheel lock-up is not a big issue compared to other vehicles; however, ABS is not available. The Futo handles well off-road and can reach about 75% of its top speed on dirt roads and beaches. Crash deformation is also acceptable, though build quality is sub-par, often leaving the Futo disabled after just a few accidents.

All in all the Futo is great fun to drive, and makes an excellent escape or pursuit vehicle in missions. It is also an ideal car to drift since it is a light weight, front engine rear wheel drive car. The only possible disadvantages during a pursuit or escape is that the vehicle is small, lacking the power to move other vehicles, and only has two doors, rather than four.

Variant

The GT variant of the Futo driven by the Albanian Mob (Rear quarter view).

A modified variant of the Futo is occasionally driven by the Albanian Mob, and, as a result, can be commonly found in Little Bay.

The so-called "GT" variant (referred as such from the "GT" badge on the front grill) features a small body kit, a rear boot lip spoiler, a carbon-fiber hood, a roll cage, a strut bar mounted over the engine, a racing seat on the driver's side, an upgraded speed/torque gauge, and an additional "Inline 20v" badge under the right side rear light. The game still refers to the car simply as the Futo when the player enters it, and its performance is identical to the stock car's. The Futo GT is only seen in red and black, but can be resprayed any color. This may be because the car that the Futo is based on, (Toyota AE86 Levin), has also a GT model as well as an SR model.

Although these Futos are distinct from typical models, all Futos have "Futo GT" written on the interior of the doors, presumably to save texture memory.

Trivia

A bumper of a Futo in Max Payne 3.
  • The car is a creation of Mike Bush, an American vehicle designer for Rockstar UK, and an AE86 enthusiast.
  • The "Futo" name is a diminutive of the working file name during production, "Dorifuto" (ドリフト), a Japanese loanword for car drifting; the name also happens to rhyme with "Puto", a Spanish swear word.
  • The Futo in GTA IV shares its color scheme, engine sound, and drive layout with Blista Compact and Hakumai.
  • An undamaged Futo can be sold at S&M Auto Sales for $1,400 in GTA IV after completing Stevie's Car Thefts.
  • The two default radio stations for the Futo are IF99 and K109 The Studio.
  • Futos are used in the Gang Wars in The Lost and Damned, but these come with different modifications.
  • The front bumper of a Futo with additional foglight housings can be found on cabinets in a chop shop during the forth chapter of Max Payne 3.
  • All Futos in GTA V bear the "GT" badge on the grille.

Locations

GTA IV
GTA V
Note: There currently appears to be a bug for the PS3 version which makes the Futo far rarer than on the Xbox 360 version. Doing the mission Paparazzo - The Sex Tape for Beverly may fix this.