Need For Speed Heat best car for events and driving styles

Need For Speed Heat best cars
(Image credit: EA)

Discovering the Need For Speed Heat best car is what this racer is all about, and as you'll be spending many hours behind the wheel while you fully explore Palm City you want to be sure you're in the most suitable ride. This can actually feel like an intimidating prospect as there's a massive 120 vehicles to choose from in Need For Speed Heat, and it would take a long time to assess them all individually. Furthermore, as there are various event types to enter and different racing styles to follow, there may not be a single best car that would be most suited to every player and race.

Need For Speed Heat tips

Need For Speed Heat

(Image credit: EA Games)

10 Need For Speed Heat tips to know before hitting the streets of Palm City.

As well as your regular road races, there are off-road races where traction and suspension play a much bigger part in making your drive a success. You can also choose between driving in a race style with better grip and handling, or a drift style where you have a greater ability to slide around turns without dropping so much speed. For that reason, we've taken a trip to the dealership – your main source of new vehicles in the game – and picked out what we consider to be the Need For Speed Heat best car to match various situations and styles, so you can decide which investments will work best for you.

Need For Speed Heat Best Car Balanced - Porsche Panamera Turbo '17 (218)

Need For Speed Heat best cars - Porsche Panamera Turbo '17

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Power3.5Max Horsepower (bhp)1,017
High Speed2.80-60 MPH (s)3.60
Acceleration4.0Max Torque (ft-lb)568
Nitrous2.0Top Speed (mph)190

If you're looking for a decent all-round vehicle for all occasions, then the Porsche Panamera Turbo '17 will do the job for you. With punchy acceleration plus decent power and top speed, it will stand you in good stead across a variety of events if you don't want to specialise.

Need For Speed Heat Best Car Road Race - Koenigsegg Regera '16 (400+)

Need For Speed Heat best cars - Koenigsegg Regera '16

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Power10.0Max Horsepower (bhp)1,500
High Speed10.00-60 MPH (s)2.70
Acceleration8.0Max Torque (ft-lb)2,140
Nitrous2.0Top Speed (mph)255

There's no denying that the Koenigsegg Regera '16 is an absolute road race beast, with stats that are completely off the charts! The crazy acceleration and top speed may make cornering a delicate art that requires plenty of practice, but in a straight race there's nothing else that comes close.

Need For Speed Heat Best Car Off-Road Race - BMW X6 M '16 (188)

Need For Speed Heat best cars - BMW X6 M '16

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Power3.5Max Horsepower (bhp)1,096
High Speed2.20-60 MPH (s)4.00
Acceleration3.4Max Torque (ft-lb)553
Nitrous2.0Top Speed (mph)174

As an off-road race contender, the BMW X6 M '16 strikes the right balance between power and handling to help you achieve victory away from the streets. The top speed isn't the highest but the power and acceleration combined contribute to this being a great off-road car.

Need For Speed Heat Best Car Road Drift - SRT Viper GTS '14 (283)

Need For Speed Heat best cars - SRT Viper GTS '14

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Power4.2Max Horsepower (bhp)1,239
High Speed3.50-60 MPH (s)3.30
Acceleration5.1Max Torque (ft-lb)600
Nitrous2.0Top Speed (mph)206

If sliding around corners at high speed is your jam, then the SRT Viper GTS '14 makes a sensible choice. High power and acceleration combined with a looser vehicle set up to encourage drifting means you shouldn't have any problems throwing out the back end to make those tight turns with effortless precision.

Need For Speed Heat Best Car Off-Road Drift - Ford F-150 Raptor '17 (123)

Need For Speed Heat best cars - Ford F-150 Raptor '17

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Power2.7Max Horsepower (bhp)913
High Speed1.50-60 MPH (s)5.77
Acceleration1.6Max Torque (ft-lb)510
Nitrous2.0Top Speed (mph)144

This truck may look like a bit of a chonker, but the Ford F-150 Raptor '17 can drift surprisingly well when put through its paces off-road. What it lacks in acceleration it makes up for in power, and thanks to the traction set up you should still be able to slide it around the bends without sliding out on the rougher surfaces.

Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 600 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.