The Karin Futo (Japanese: フト) is a two-door compact car appearing in Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto V, and Grand Theft Auto Online, and due to appear in Grand Theft Auto VI.
Description[]
Grand Theft Auto VI[]
The Futo appeared in the September 2022 GTA VI leaks, across two clips. It can most prominently be seen in one clip, driving past Lucia in red at an intersection near Cipher Mall in Rockridge, Vice City.[1] Compared to its prior iteration in Grand Theft Auto V and Online, the car’s keyholes have been moved to the door handles, and the wheels appear to be upgraded in overall model quality. It also briefly appears in another clip, parked in red at the Hank's Waffles parking lot in Port Gellhorn.[2]
The car later made an appearance in the first trailer, where it is shown stopped at an intersection in Vice City, in gray (1:06).
Influence[]
The Futo is primarily based on the 1983–1987 Toyota Corolla Levin AE86, with cues from the 1983–1985 Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Turbo for various elements, including the front, the shape, and the paintjob, as well as the Nissan Pulsar N13 for the front bumper, rear bumper, and possibly the tail lights, especially from the N13 S2 model, which were mixed with the Levin GT tail lights. The interior's dash exactly replicates the real-life AE86 dash, while the steering wheel is similar to a MOMO MOD. 07 racing steering wheel. The stock wheels closely resemble the RS Watanabe F8 wheel option (likely in reference to the popular Watanabe RS wheels for the AE86 Corolla and the Skyline DR30).
Liveries[]
- The "Karin Rally Team" and "Legendary Racer" liveries are based on Toyota yellow, orange and red racing liveries commonly used in the 70s and 80s in Autosport racing.
- The "Team Auto Exotic" livery is based on the Up Garage Trueno.
- The "Rolling Dude No.7" livery available for the Futo is a homage to the "Rolling Guy" team from the Shutokō Battle (Tokyo Xtreme Racer in North America) series.
- The "Garage Drift" livery is based on the Yukes AE86 Trueno.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Futo is depicted as a small two-door coupé with a similar design to the 3D Universe renditions of the Manana and Blista Compact, particularly the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas versions. The front bumper features a small extender around the bottom side, a central intake with three black horizontal separations and various rectangular vents around, as well as plastic details on the front quarters and a license plate on the center. The upper section of the car has a central grille with three black horizontal separations, which bears silver lettering displaying its name on the center, while the outer sides have a set of rectangular headlights with smaller ones just beside the grille. The hood compartment is relatively flat and bears the Karin logo on the driver side.
On the sides, the car makes use of flared wheel arches and skirting area, along with plastic details running across the sides and small amber marker lights on the front fenders. On the cabin area, the car uses plastic trim around the windows and square-shaped mirror wings mounted near the A-pillars, which are also finished in plastic. There is a wide inner separation between the door windows and the rear-quarter windows. The lower area of the doors have yellow markings that read "N/A Inline 20v RWD", subtitled with "Quad Throttle Body", "High Performance Injection", and "Limited Slip Differential".
The rear end of the car uses various square-shaped tail lights with plastic separations around them, which bear similarities to the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories renditions of the Police car and the Taxi. Above the tail light cluster there are badges displaying the car's name and manufacturer, along with the license plate between the tail lights, just below a black detail. The bumper is relatively simple and has a plastic detail spanning the width of the car and a moulding on the passenger side for the exhaust pipe.
The interior door panels have "FUTO" repeatedly in a pattern on the fabric, while the seat headrests have "DRIFT Sport" on them. The dashboard distinctively uses white dial markings, with the speedometer having a smaller orange scale.
The car spawns in a large variety of colors, with the primary one applied on the upper side and the secondary one on the lower side. An additional color is applied on the rims, which alternate between white (the most common color), black and gold (the rarest ones). It uses a set of eight-spoke rims wrapped in medium-profile tires. Being possibly tuned for asphalt racing and drifting, these tires are similar to those found on much higher end cars such as the Sentinel "XS" and the Super GT.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Futo returns to Grand Theft Auto V with the same design as before, although it may spawn with a black lip spoiler on the trunk. In the enhanced version, it sports a high-quality interior based on the one seen in GTA IV, clearly denoting its influence from the Corolla Levin AE86.
Color distribution is similar to the GTA IV iteration, where the primary one is applied on the upper side and the stitches of the steering wheel, while the secondary one is applied on the lower side. Its wheels are the same as in GTA IV, and can be also found in Los Santos Customs in the "Tuners" category, under the name "Fujiwara".
The Futo was later changed in the After Hours update, where the decals on the lower sides and the emblem on the hood were removed. This was done so the decals would not conflict with the new liveries, although the liveries are only available for GTA Online. The original decal set can be found under the Classic Decals livery in mod shops.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Futo is quite a good performer for a car of this stature, as its top speed is astonishing and acceleration is phenomenal. The chassis is rigid and taut, giving the Futo stability at high speeds. The suspension is firm but not too much, keeping the Futo flat in banked corners and stable in the S-curves, while still giving a stiff, yet enjoyable ride. Couple the excellent suspension setup with the short wheelbase and one get a fantastically chuckable little pocket rocket, capable of competing with full-on sports cars. The brakes are sensitive and effective, and front-wheel lock-up is not a big issue compared to other vehicles. Braking can be extremely dangerous in the rain. The Futo handles well off-road and can reach about 75% of its top speed on dirt roads and beaches, and grip is impressive even with rear wheel drive, while others of the same drive may fishtail easily. Crash deformation is above average, though build quality is sub-par, often leaving the Futo disabled after just a few accidents.
All in all, the Futo is great fun to drive, and makes an excellent escape or pursuit vehicle in missions. It is also an ideal car to drift since it is a lightweight, front engine, rear-wheel-drive car. The only possible disadvantages during a pursuit or escape is that the vehicle is small, lacking the power to ram or hit other vehicles out of the way, and the fact that it only has space for two occupants.
The Futo is powered by an inline-4 engine with four throttle bodies, coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a rear-wheel-drive configuration. The markings on the sides indicate it has a naturally-aspirated 20-valve (16 valves, plus the four individual throttle bodies) engine with high-performance injection, a rear-wheel-drive configuration with limited slip differential. It uses a high-revving and rather smooth sound that is also shared with the Blista Compact and the Hakumai.
GTA IV Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engines | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 87 / 140 | 5 | N/A | RWD | 1400 / 3086 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A (Naturally Aspirated) Inline 20 valves (Inline-5) (Decals) | RWD | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | 5 | FR DOHC Inline-4 w/ 4 Throttle Bodies (In-game model) | RWD | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Futo seems to be improved with higher top speed and acceleration, yet it retains most of the qualities seen in the GTA IV version. However, its improvements have not been sufficient enough to compete with most sports cars in the game, as their top speeds and accelerations have been raised further. It is utterly outclassed by supercars in terms of speed. However, the Futo is still an excellent choice to go around and as a getaway vehicle. The Futo's mass has been drastically decreased as well, giving it poor ramming power. Despite this dismal outlook for the Futo, its retained stats from GTA IV have still left it with incredible potential, and a skilled driver can make the Futo as capable as any other sports car with a higher price tag. On racetracks, it is more useful on courses with more turns than straights, as the Futo has more responsive braking compared to other sports cars, and its speed is not enough to pull itself to the lead on straights. Wet conditions, however, seem to impact the Futo heavily, as the rear end is prone to swinging outwards in such conditions. Regardless, it is still a small, potent and fun-to-drive sports car.
Again, the Futo is powered by the same 4-cylinder engine bearing four throttle bodies. The badging still indicate that it bears a 20-valve (16 valves, plus the four individual throttle bodies) Inline-4 engine with high-performance injection, with rear wheel drive and a limited slip differential. The engine sound is high-revving and rather loud, although still smoother compared to most cars of its class.
After The Diamond Casino Heist update for the enhanced version, applying each of the suspension modifications will incrementally apply small amounts of negative camber to the wheels in both GTA Online and GTA V.
GTA V and Online Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
Fuel Tank Size (litres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 84 / 135 | 5 | N/A | RWD | 900 / 1984 | 65 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A (Naturally Aspirated) Inline 20 valves (Inline-5) (Decals) | RWD | N/A | N/A |
| 6.8 Seconds | 85 / 136 | 5 | FR DOHC Inline-4 w/ 4 throttle bodies (In-game model) | RWD | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Variants[]
| Image | Vehicle | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 The Futo GTX in Grand Theft Auto Online. |
Futo GTX | A hatchback variant of the Futo based on the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86. Additional visual adjustments include a smaller grille, pop-up headlights and a slanted hood area. The rear fascia is largely retained from the original model. | Added in the Los Santos Tuners update for Grand Theft Auto Online. |
 The Drift Tune Futo in Grand Theft Auto Online. |
Futo (Drift Tune) | Drift model with drift handling upgrades. Visually identical to the standard Futo. | Added in the Agents of Sabotage update for Grand Theft Auto Online. |
| Special variants | |||
  The Futo GT in Grand Theft Auto IV. |
Futo GT | A sportier variant of the standard Futo. Along with the front grille 'GT' from which the vehicle gets its name, this version features a small body kit, a rear boot lip spoiler, a carbon-fiber hood, a roll cage, a strut bar mounted over the engine, a racing seat on the driver's side, an upgraded tachometer, and an additional 'Inline 20v' badge under the right side rear light. The car also includes a larger, blue titanium exhaust tip, an offset driver's side front license plate and finally a red tow clip on the passenger side of the front bumper. It always spawns in red and black with gold rims, but can be resprayed to any color. The 'GT' Badge was retained by default on the Futo when the vehicle was brought to GTA V, but with other body kit mods added as modification options within Los Santos Customs. |
|
Modifications[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Livery modifications were added for the Futo in the After Hours update for Grand Theft Auto Online, which are not available in GTA V.
| Category | Modification | Cost (GTA V) | Cost (GTA Online) | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor | No Armor | $325 | $200 | ||
| Armor Upgrade 20% | $1,625 | $4,500 | |||
| Armor Upgrade 40% | $4,062 | $7,500 | |||
| Armor Upgrade 60% | $6,500 | $12,000 | |||
| Armor Upgrade 80% | $11,375 | $21,000 | |||
| Armor Upgrade 100% | $16,250 | $30,000 | |||
| Brakes | Stock Brakes | $325 | $200 | ||
| Street Brakes | $6,500 | $4,000 | |||
| Sport Brakes | $8,775 | $5,400 | |||
| Race Brakes | $11,375 | $7,000 | |||
| Bumpers | Stock Front Bumper | $750 | $500 |   | |
| Custom Front Splitter | $1,250 | $1,000 |   | ||
| Rally Bumper | $1,650 | $1,500 |   | ||
| Retro Racer Kit | $1,950 | $2,000 |   | ||
| Stock Rear Bumper | $750 | $500 |   | ||
| Custom Rear Bumper | $1,250 | $1,000 |   | ||
| Drift Bumper | $1,650 | $1,500 |   | ||
| Drift Bumper & Charm | $1,950 | $2,000 |   | ||
| Engine | EMS Upgrade, Level 1 | $2,925 | $1,800 | ||
| EMS Upgrade, Level 2 | $4,062 | $2,500 | |||
| EMS Upgrade, Level 3 | $5,850 | $3,600 | |||
| EMS Upgrade, Level 4 | $10,887 | $6,700 | |||
| Exhausts | Stock Exhaust | $130 | $260 |   | |
| Titanium Tuner Exhaust | $375 | $750 |   | ||
| Race Exhaust | $899 | $1,800 |   | ||
| Shakotan Exhaust | $1,499 | $3,000 |   | ||
| Explosives | Ignition Bomb | N/A | $5,000 | ||
| Remote Bomb | N/A | $7,500 | |||
| Grilles | Stock Grille | $100 | $200 |   | |
| Black Grille | $375 | $750 |   | ||
| Remove Grille | $670 | $1,340 |   | ||
| Hoods | Stock Hood | $450 | $300 |   | |
| Carbon Hood | $850 | $650 |   | ||
| Vented Carbon Hood | $1,200 | $1,500 |   | ||
| Horns | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Horns | - | - | ||
| Lights | Headlights | Stock Lights | $200 | $200 | |
| Xenon Lights | $1,000 | $3,000 | |||
| Neon Kits | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Lights | - | - | ||
| Livery | None | N/A | $11,400 |   | |
| Classic Decals | N/A | $18,240 |   | ||
| Boro Futo | N/A | $19,380 |   | ||
| Drift Missile | N/A | $20,520 |   | ||
| Karin Rally Team
|
N/A | $21,660 |   | ||
| Legendary Racer
|
N/A | $22,800 |   | ||
| Scandinavian Flick
|
N/A | $23,370 |   | ||
| Team Auto Exotic
|
N/A | $23,939 |   | ||
| Rolling Dude No.7
|
N/A | $24,510 |   | ||
| Garage Drift
|
N/A | $25,080 |   | ||
| Itasha Drift | N/A | $25,650 |   | ||
| Loss/Theft Prevention | Tracker | N/A | $2,000 | ||
| Full Coverage | N/A | $1,125 | |||
| Plates | Blue on White 1 | $50 | $200 | ||
| Blue on White 2 | $50 | $200 | |||
| Blue on White 3 | $50 | $200 | |||
| Yellow on Blue | $75 | $300 | |||
| Yellow on Black | $150 | $600 | |||
| Respray | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Respray Colors | - | - | ||
| Roll Cages | No Roll Cage | $350 | $700 |   | |
| Roll Cage & Chassis Upgrade | $550 | $1,100 |   | ||
| Roofs | Stock Roof | $100 | $200 |   | |
| Roof Spoiler | $350 | $700 |   | ||
| Sell | Sell Vehicle | N/A | $900 | ||
| Skirts | Stock Skirts | $1,250 | $600 |   | |
| Custom Skirts | $1,500 | $830 |   | ||
| Spoilers | None | $500 | $300 |   | |
| Lip Spoiler | $750 | $550 |   | ||
| Ducktail Spoiler | $950 | $700 |   | ||
| GT WIng | $1,300 | $1,050 |   | ||
| Drift Wing | $1,750 | $1,500 |   | ||
| Suspension | Stock Suspension | $100 | $200 | ||
| Lowered Suspension | $500 | $1,000 | |||
| Street Suspension | $1,000 | $2,000 | |||
| Sport Suspension | $1,700 | $3,400 | |||
| Competition Suspension | $2,200 | $4,400 | |||
| Transmission | Stock Transmission | $325 | $200 | ||
| Street Transmission | $9,587 | $5,900 | |||
| Sports Transmission | $10,562 | $6,500 | |||
| Race Transmission | $13,000 | $8,000 | |||
| Turbo | None | $1,625 | $1,000 | ||
| Turbo Tuning | $8,125 | $30,000 | |||
| Wheels | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Wheels | - | - | ||
| Windows | None | $100 | $500 | ||
| Light Smoke | $200 | $1,500 | |||
| Dark Smoke | $450 | $3,500 | |||
| Limo | $700 | $5,000 | |||
Gallery[]
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- Spawns all around Bohan, especially Little Bay.
- Spawns around Chinatown, Algonquin.
- Spawns around Castle Gardens, Algonquin.
- Spawns in traffic in Multiplayer.
- Spawns more commonly when driving a Faggio.
- It can be seen driving in Acter, Alderney.
- Rarely found in Broker and Dukes.
- Futo GTs can be commonly found in Little Bay and is also rarely found in other areas of Bohan.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- During a Property Management mission, Pitchers will be robbed. The thief will be using this car to escape. The thief will also use the Futo when the Tivoli Cinema is robbed.
- When replaying the mission Paparazzo - The Sex Tape, when Beverly and Franklin are being chased by Poppy Mitchell and her security, one of the security Landstalkers will hit a Futo. After completing the mission, it should start to spawn more commonly in the suburban areas, as well as Rockford Hills.
- It also has a tendency to spawn after replaying The Jewel Store Job, so long as the player chooses Karim Denz as the driver.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Sometimes found driving in traffic around Rockford Hills.
- Sometimes found in or around Los Santos International Airport.
- Sometimes found in or around parking lots in the square part of the Port of Los Santos.
Enhanced version[]
- Can be found parked in the car meet during the Car Meet Business Battle.
- Available for purchase from Southern San Andreas Super Autos for $9,000 as part of the After Hours update continuation.
- Temporarily delisted; removed from the website as part of the San Andreas Mercenaries update.
- Reinstated for purchase as part of the Agents of Sabotage update, during Drift Racing Week.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Auto Shop Service – This vehicle may be randomly selected to be serviced and returned to a customer.
- Tow Truck Service – This vehicle may be randomly selected to be stolen and delivered to the player's Salvage Yard to be disassembled for parts.
- Vehicle Cargo – Several modified Futos are seen within the car meet and are also used as "gang" cars to chase the player during the Steal Vehicle Cargo - Car Meet. The two chase Futos feature Engine and Transmission upgrades to allow them to keep up with the player.
| File | Color Set | Window Tint? | Livery? | Mod Kit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Limo | N/A |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| File | Color Set | Window Tint? | Livery? | Mod Kit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Limo | N/A |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable Owners[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- The Online Mechanic owns a silver Futo with the Karin Rally Team livery. It can be seen in the LS Car Meet introduction cutscene.
Rewards[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie, he agrees to purchase the cars from Niko, with the Futo fetching $1,400.
Rockstar Games Social Club[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Oversights[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- Due to a texture glitch, if the front windshield is damaged (usually after the car has rolled over multiple times), the windshield may suddenly turn white and lack texture, and the player cannot see through it. This glitch is also present in the Willard.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- The car's exhaust does not have a proper hole, instead the exhaust hole is grey instead of further in to be black.
- The driver foot-well has a rectangular hole leading into the engine bay.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- In the Content Creator, the Futo is listed under the Sedans category.
Radio Stations[]
- In Grand Theft Auto IV, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Futo uses the "1970's Dance, Disco and Funk" group which can play:
- In Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Futo uses the "1970's Dance, Disco and Funk" group which plays K109 The Studio.
- In Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Futo uses the "1970's Dance, Disco and Funk" group which can play:
- In Grand Theft Auto V, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Futo uses the "Dance" group which can play:
- In Grand Theft Auto Online, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Futo uses the "Dance" group which can play:
- FlyLo FM
- Soulwax FM
- Los Santos Underground Radio (Enhanced Editions only. May not play due to a three station limit within the group)
- Music Locker Radio (Enhanced Editions only)
- Media Player (Enhanced Editions only. May not play due to a three station limit within the group)
Trivia[]
General[]
- Futo (ふと) literally translates to "inadvertently" in Japanese.
- The name "Futo" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation for the word drift, dorifuto (ドリフト), probably referring the car's real-life counterpart as a popular drifting car. This is further referenced in the "Drift Missile" livery for its GTX variant in Grand Theft Auto Online, where the white "DORI-" word is scribbled on the left of the "Futo" badge, making it say "Dori-Futo".
- "Futo" is also an anagram of tofu, possibly referencing the Toyota AE86 featured in the Initial D series, where the Toyota AE86 was used both for drifting and tofu delivery by the protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara. This is referenced in the "Delivery Boy" livery for its GTX variant, which is based on the livery from the aforesaid AE86, and the "Futo" badge will change to say "Tofu" instead if applied.
- Interestingly, "Fujiwara", the surname of the protagonist from the Initial D series, is also the name of the custom tuner rims found in mod shops, which are identical to the Futo's stock wheels.
- The 20-valve, 4 cylinder engine with 4 throttle bodies is a clear reference to the 16v-to-20v 4A-GE swap which is commonly swap into the Toyota AE86 from the Japanese-market only AE101 (Silvertop) and AE111 (Blacktop).
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- The Futo can be modded at Los Santos Customs to resemble the GT variant in GTA IV. However, the only different variants that the player can find on the streets are versions with and without the small lip spoiler on the rear.
- If the "Custom Skirts" option is applied to the car, the "INLINE 20v" marking will appear on the rear portion.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- The presence of the number “86” on the "Karin Rally Team" livery is a clear reference to the real life counterpart, the Toyota AE86 Corolla.
See Also[]
- Futo GTX – Hatchback variant of the Futo, appearing in Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Los Santos Tuners update.
- Blista Compact – Another Japanese-inspired two-door compact car in the Grand Theft Auto series.