CarX Street: Every Starter Car, Ranked

Key Takeaways

The NX5 is slow but customizable, unsuitable for drifting, lacks speed, and requires upgrades for better performance.
The HC6 is grippy, bad at drifting, and only performs well in sprint events, putting players at a disadvantage in drift events.
The DTS balances speed and drifting well, is best for drift events, accelerates quickly, lacks customization options, and is good for new players. (121 characters)

As a seasoned racer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I can confidently say that CarX Street has caught my attention with its unique arcade drifting physics system and open-world environment. However, when it comes to choosing the best starter car, the DTS is undoubtedly the one to pick.

For quite some time, the car racing enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating the PC launch of CarX Street. Previously available on Android and iOS platforms, it officially hit Steam on August 29, 2024. Now, players can delve into what the developers at CarX Technologies have been crafting. Although the game is still under development, it shows great potential. One standout feature is its distinctive arcade drifting physics engine, which sets it apart from many other popular arcade racing games that currently dominate the market.

Upon starting the game, players initially receive a vehicle from a more premium class, which they can drive temporarily. Later on, the game reclaims this car and offers three different beginner models for selection. These vehicles aren’t identical in terms of quality. So, which one should players pick for optimal performance?

3 NX5

Too Slow For Drift And Races Alike

The NX5, which is a rebranding of the Mazda MX5, best fits the description of “jack of all trades, master of none.” Unlike the RC6, the NX5 can drift well and is a good car to take into drift events. However, the one major drawback of the NX5 is its slow speed, which makes it a pain to travel from one place to another in the game’s open world. Granted, a car’s speed and acceleration can be upgraded later down the road, but when comparing the out-of-the-box performance of the NX5, it falls short of the other two starters.

Those choosing the NX5 model in the races ought to prepare for positions just shy of the podium finishes. It may take longer to complete laps with this vehicle, but there’s an unexpected issue that racers need to watch out for – its subpar drifting ability. Although it handles drifts better than the HC6, after a drift with the NX5, players frequently lose so much speed that combining drifts becomes nearly impossible due to its slow acceleration. Unless players are willing to invest in upgrades right from the start, they should brace themselves for disappointment with the stock performance of the NX5.

The only redeeming factor this car has is its appearance. The Miata has always been a looker, and the game developers are well aware of that. That’s why the NX5 is the most customizable starter car in CarX Street.

2 HC6

Not Good For Drift Events

In the bustling world of CarX Street, I found myself behind the wheel of an ‘HC6’, a game doppelganger of the iconic 1994 Honda Civic. Kicking off my racing career with this FWD vehicle wasn’t so bad. However, it’s not the best choice for drift events due to its front-wheel drive setup.

However, this doesn’t mean that the HC6 can’t drift at all. At low speeds, players can put on the e-brakes and drift around a corner, something that would never be possible in a real racing sim, but is allowed in CarX Street due to its arcade physics. However, the car is terrible at maintaining a drift and chaining two drifts together, requiring constant feathering of the e-brake. Only the players who really know how to tame an unruly vehicle will be able to drift with this car.

Since half of all the events players can do at the start are drift events, the HC6 puts players at a serious disadvantage. Even though it’s great at performing in the sprint events, which consist of the remaining half of the events available at the beginning, it’s not enough to compensate for its terrible drift performance. In terms of speed, the HC6 falls slightly short of the DTS but is considerably better than the NX5. It’s not a bad looker either. With a good body kit and a custom paint job, players can easily stand out among the crowd, even with a common starter car.

1 DTS

Hits The Perfect Balance Between Speed And Drifting

This truck is a modern adaptation, known by another name, of the 1973 Datsun 620 model. In racing games, it’s surprising when a pickup truck outperforms other vehicles, but this one does just that. The DTS is an exceptionally agile vehicle that excels in drift competitions. It can seamlessly link drifts together and maintain a single drift for enough time to accumulate drift points. However, it tends to hold drifts too persistently at times, which might cause the car to spin. To handle this, players must remember the classic rule of “turn right to go left” with this vehicle, unlike the HC6.

Among the three starting vehicles, the other two have notable flaws. In contrast, the DTS lacks any significant disadvantage and boasts two key advantages instead. Notably, it offers the most potent engine among the trio. Although this doesn’t translate to insanely high top speeds, the DTS can accelerate quicker than its counterparts. This speed advantage is crucial for drift events as lower speeds make it challenging for players to maintain drifts for extended periods or link them together effectively.

If there is a disadvantage to the DTS, it’s how mediocre it looks. The fact that there are only a few body kit options available doesn’t help its case either. Players who like to customize their cars should steer clear of the DTS. Still, some car enthusiasts might be able to create a sleeper build out of the DTS which might look very low-key on the surface but packs a punch in a race. For new players, the DTS is a much more versatile option since it’s fast in sprint events and is a good drifter as well. If they can stomach a somewhat ugly-looking car, the DTS will serve new players better in the long run.

2024-09-07 15:33