Sultan

Grand Theft Auto VI’s first trailer shows a green Sultan at 0:45, parked in a Crosstown intersection during a street takeover in Vice City. Its passenger door is open, and other performance-oriented cars surround it. At 1:03, a blue Sultan is seen from the rear as it passes an overturned SUV on a Vice City highway.

A red example also appears at Vice Beach in a screenshot published on the game’s promotional website. The trailer version has a revised appearance relative to the GTA V-era car: it shows different proportions, new factory wheels and a replaced interior with tan upholstery. Material from the September 2022 leaks showed the older model instead, visually matching prior appearances.

The GTA IV Sultan’s principal basis is the first-generation Lexus IS, sold in Japan as the Toyota Altezza. Its angular treatment departs from that starting point: the front bumper and raised section of the bonnet take cues from the 2004 Subaru Impreza GD, while the rear lamps resemble those of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V.

The Korean Mob version in GTA IV added details associated with the Lancer Evolution VII, particularly its bonnet and rear wing. Chinatown Wars took the shape in a different direction, with a closer resemblance to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. The redesigned GTA VI interior is described as likely drawing from the Sultan’s main real-world inspiration.

The Sultan appeared in Grand Theft Auto IV before returning in Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online. Chinatown Wars retained the GTA IV spoiler but fitted two large bonnet scoops. GTA V kept most of the GTA IV body design, although the secondary paint extended over the bonnet, roof and boot, with slim side stripes added to the scheme.

GTA V also gave the cabin colour-matched stitching on the seats and steering wheel, while black rims became standard. In GTA IV, the body used a main colour with a contrasting lower-side treatment, usually black but sometimes grey or light grey. That game also offered an unusually broad range of paint and wheel finishes, including white and gold five-spoke wheels, plus blue-tinted exhaust tips. Its GPS voice was available only when the audio setting remained on “selected cars.”

GTA IV’s Korean Mob Sultan TT used blue paint, gold wheels, a large angular wing, carbon-fibre front and side add-ons, dual bonnet vents and one of two bonnet designs. The car could be repainted, but doing so removed its special wheel colour. Drug Wars in The Ballad of Gay Tony used further Korean Sultan variations, with special paint and wheel combinations, optional rear wings and either standard bonnet style.

In GTA V and Online, the Sultan could be altered to resemble the Sultan RS while retaining four doors and lacking the RS side-skirt exhaust. After the January 2016 update, it could instead be converted into the actual Sultan RS. Available styling parts included the Custom Front Splitter, Titanium Tuner Exhaust, Double Vented Hood, Custom Skirts and High Level Spoiler; these also allowed a Korean Mob-style recreation. On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, fitting the carbon scooped bonnet prevented hood-view camera use.

In the enhanced edition of GTA Online, it could be bought through Benny’s Original Motor Works for $12,000 and sold at Los Santos Customs for $1,200. After all 30 of Stevie’s requested vehicles were collected in GTA IV, he paid $3,500 for a Sultan.

These performance descriptions apply to earlier games, not the GTA VI car. In GTA IV, the Sultan used all-wheel drive with a 40/60 front-to-rear torque split. It was quick, grippy and able to corner rapidly or slide under power, though soft suspension made rollovers easier and understeer remained a concern. Its engine was not especially durable, while crash deformation was average.

GTA V and Online retained all-wheel drive and gave it above-average speed, acceleration, traction and handling among four-door cars. It could outpace many off-road vehicles when upgraded, but high-speed cornering brought some understeer; braking distance and braking while turning were weak points. It was a close rival to the Kuruma in races, although both sat well behind the wider Sports field. The engine model is a twin-cam inline-six, with two turbochargers added by the Roll Cage and Chassis Upgrade.