FH5, American Automotive Car Pack

And the new sprint races.

Yes, of course I bought the new car pack.

We start with the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado (tuning 1/9; no surprise). As my test, I took it up the volcano, but as I guessed, I needed to crab it to get it to the top. I upgraded it to S1 class and took it out in the Titan, but in spite of a solid win, I’d say it was probably better to have taken it to the top of A class. In truth, this doesn’t seem to offer anything that the plethora of overweight, American agricultural barges don’t already offer.

I was expecting the Czinger C21 (tuning 8/9; but not gears) to be overpowered and underhandling (neologism © Me, 2023), but it was overpowered and grippier than a limpet. As a test, I took it down the motorway towards the start of Descansar Dorado, which is preceded by a corner where cars are prone to understeer at speed. I took the turn in the stock Czinger without even lifting off. I got 366kmh down the motorway. HW Goliath 14:58. I think I’ve done that race in under 15 minutes, but very, very rarely.

The stock Deberti Ford Econoline “Shop Rod” (tuning 5/9; unexpected) felt like a jelly car and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’d fall over from hitting a kerb. It has the dirt-racing perk (warum?), but I specced it up for road racing, deciding – because handling upgrades sent it into S1 class – to add aero before attempting Descansar Dorado. Ugh. The handling was terrible, and I switched to an AWD which made it marginally better. I don’t know how wide the rear tyres are, but you can’t upgrade them. I must try it in a dirt race, but I have low expectations for it.

The 2017 Saleen S7 LM (tuning 6/9; could do better) hit 389kmh on the motorway. Prone to understeer, and this remained the case after I did a few upgrades and took it round the HW Goliath. Floaty front end, too. Might be a bit more planted AWD.

Is this car pack worth a modest outlay? It is for the Czinger alone, but the S7 is also a reasonable inducement. The Silverado is just another outsized American pickup truck beside the endless lineup of F-150s and their ilk, and the Econoline merely makes the Lucid Air Sapphire look good.

I’ve tried the new sprint races a couple of times, but really need to do them a lot more to assess them. Línea Costera ends up merging with the course of Descansar Dorado where the player suddenly starts passing the drivatars (after the sharp right-hand turn) before the route diverges. Vista del Mar feels a bit like a short version of the Colossus in FH4, having a zigzag configuration. As I said, I need more practice doing these courses.

The other news is that I’ve finally reached prestige six, a feat which I’ve achieved twice in FH4 (consequence of the Great Reset). Either it takes more effort to attain this level in FH5 or it’s a reflection of my comparative indifference to the game.