Mesa Grande
The Mesa Grande is an off-road vehicle that appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The vehicle is simply referred in GTA San Andreas in short as the Mesa.
| Mesa Grande | |
|---|---|
 A Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City. | |
| Appearance(s) |
[[Appearance::GTA Vice City GTA San Andreas GTA Vice City Stories]] |
| Vehicle type | Civilian SUV |
| Body style | 2-door light SUV |
| Capacity | 2 (driver and 1 passenger) |
| ADVERTISEMENT | |
| |
Description
Design
Resembling a 1987–1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ (as evidenced by its rectangular headlights and signal lights) and differing by its horizontal slitted grille design, the Mesa Grande is evidently a compact SUV with a heightened ground clearance and large wheels to facilitate offloading. The Mesa Grande comes in three variations with regards to the occupants' compartment, including a canvas top, a rollbar or nothing at all. The San Andreas Mesa is either open top or hardtop (tan or brown) only. Both versions are always equipped with one piece solid doors with glass (no half or canvas versions). The Mesa Grande/Mesa can only seat two.
While more common in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, the Mesa is a somewhat rare vehicle in GTA San Andreas, as it only seems to spawn under certain conditions, and only has prominent appearances in missions and when wanted in the Exports and Imports side-mission. GTA San Andreas' Mesa, however, can be upgraded at TransFender (though roof color must be achieved at a Pay 'n' Spray first).
The doors of the Mesa Grande can be removed using any melee weapon, creating a more realistic convertible version.
-
A Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City
(Rear quarter view, without a top and with a rollbar). -
A "Mesa" in GTA San Andreas
(Rear quarter view, without top). -
A Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City Stories
(Rear quarter view, with top).
Performance
The Mesa Grande's performance is similar to that of the Blista Compact; due to its light weight and short wheelbase, the Mesa Grande is significantly nimble and possesses above average pickup and torque than speed. However, as a compact SUV, the Mesa Grande only has a moderate top speed. Its light weight and stiff suspension may also result in frequent rollovers on uneven terrain or in accidents.
Variants
The Mesa Grande has been adopted by the military in GTA for non-combat roles, emulating the use of the similarly designed Willys MB, Willys M38, or M151 MUTT by the US Army prior to the extensive deployment of HMMWV's (the actual design of the Mesa Grande is not based on any military jeep).
In GTA San Andreas, Mesa's are featured in "Robbing Uncle Sam", having been used by the National Guard (sometimes with a green roof), while a military variant of the Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City Stories, painted in military green, is available in the Fort Baxter Air Base. Both variants are still referred to by their respectable original names, Mesa and Mesa Grande.
-
The "military" Mesa in the mission "Robbing Uncle Sam", GTA San Andreas
(Without a top and with rollbar). -
A "military" Mesa Grande in the Fort Baxter Air Base, GTA Vice City Stories
(Rear quarter view, without top or rollbar).
Trivia
- The Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City uses a handling line named
DESPERAD, which matches an unused text entryDESPERAassociated to the text "Desperado." This implies that Desperado is probably the name used for the Mesa Grande during development of the game. - The Mesa Grande plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
- West Coast Talk Radio in GTA San Andreas.
- "Mesa Grande" is Spanish and Portuguese for "big table."
Locations
- GTA Vice City
- Commonly spawns throughout the city.
- GTA San Andreas
- Spawns while riding a Mountain Bike in Santa Maria Beach, Los Santos (Sun).
- Spawns while driving a Feltzer in El Corona, Los Santos (Wednesday).
- Spawns while driving a Perennial in Santa Maria Beach, Los Santos (Thursday).
- Spawns often while driving an Oceanic in southwest territories of Los Santos (Marina, Santa Maria Beach, Rodeo, etc.).
- Sometimes spawns while driving a ZR-350 in above mentioned territories.
- Spawns while driving a Tow Truck in Mulholland, Mulholland Intersection.
- During the mission "Robbing Uncle Sam" at the army depot in Ocean Docks, Los Santos. Occasionally features a dark green roof.
- At the base of Mount Chiliad (only when wanted for export).
- Importable from Easter Basin docks after third list completion for $20,000.
- During the mission "Misappropriation" in various spots around Aldea Malvada, Tierra Robada.
- Seen commonly in Verdant Bluffs and rarely around beach areas in Los Santos.
- Common around Missionary Hill.
- GTA Vice City Stories
- 1102 Washington Street, Washington Beach
- A military version is found in the northwest area of Fort Baxter Air Base.