The Merit is a four-door sedan featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV. It is manufactured by Declasse in the HD Universe.
Design
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Merit is based on a first generation (1991-1996) Mazda "Sentia" 929 with some traits of the first generation (1992-1997) Ford Crown Victoria.
The Merit in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is depicted as a full-sized sedan with a rounded body design. It has medium-sized bumpers, a rectangular grille and wide main lights with small turning lights, in conjunction with silver trim around the windows, square-shaped mirrors and a single exhaust pipe with dual exits on the passenger side. The Merit can spawn in a variety of single colors for the bodywork.
Grand Theft Auto IV
In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Merit is redesigned with a similar look to the 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala, particularly the 2004-2005 SS package (evidenced by the fog lights, wheels and the spoiler), with the back seemingly inspired by the fifth generation 1995-1997 Honda Accord, and the tail lights being identical to the ones found on the E36 BMW 3 Series. The front bumper could be derived from a variety of cars, but the headlights and front grille are reminiscent of a fifth generation Pontiac GTO.
The Merit assumes a modernized design compared to its previous iteration, but retains the overall shape and four-door layout. The front bumper of the car is quite dominated by a rectangular mesh grille, which spans about two-third of the car's width and is partially covered by the license plate on the driver-side half. On each side of the lower grille is an unusable circular fog light, which are almost of the same distance between the upper and lower edges of the bumper, but are closer to the outer edges than to the lower grille. A black/plastic strip runs almost through the whole upper edge of the bumper, leaving a small gap near the front wheel arches. The upper section of the car houses the main grille in the center, which has a curved shape on the lower and side edges. This main grille bears three painted horizontal dividers over a mesh, and a single silver central separation, bearing the Declasse logo. Right beside the main grille are the black headlight units, each one containing dual circular main units and small turn indicators on the outer edges. The hood lid is quite basic in design, but bears two distinctive lines, one starting from each side of the main grille and running towards each edge of the windshield.
The sides of the car are relatively basic, featuring flared arches and rectangular skirting areas. Black/plastic strips can be seen running through the doors, which have the same height as the one on the front bumper, while thin accent lines are seen starting near the headlights and running towards the tail lights, passing between the black door handles and the waist lines. The greenhouse area makes use of black trim around the windows and inner separations, together with painted mirror shells on the front doors and rounded rear-quarter windows. A single aerial can be seen on the rear portion of the roof. The trunk lid mounts a small spoiler by default.
On the rear, the car makes use of a dedicated section for the license plate and a black/plastic strip above, while additional badges are seen above the aforementioned section and the lower edges of the trunk lid. On the sides of the rear end are large tail lights that are divided into four slots: the upper indicators and lower main units located on the outer edges of the car, and the upper reverse and lower brake units located within the trunk lid. The rear bumper is rather basic in design and bears a black/plastic strip located at the same height as the front and side strips, also leaving small gaps near the rear wheel arches, and a small moulding for the driver-side exhaust.
The Merit is seen in a variety of single colors applied to the body, and uses a set of five-spoke rims with thin grooves on each spoke (which seem to be based on American Racing's line of chrome IROC-Z wheel replicas). It is fitted with medium-profile tires with regular tread pattern.
The vehicle is equipped with a GPS system with a female voice, but only if the player leaves the "selected cars" (default) option in the audio menu.
Current Design Gallery
Version History Gallery
Performance
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
This rendition of the Merit is designed as a balanced out performance, having average brake response and cornering, and good acceleration and speed. Coupled with its four-seat capacity, the Merit is practically a good choice for drive-bys and police evasion, although crash deformation is not impressive. The Merit is a good starting car for new street racers, as it can compare with cars like the Euros and Alpha.
One noticeable trait is that when pushing maximum gas from a standstill, the Merit will wheelspin considerably, for almost the entirety of 1st gear. This trait makes it a reasonable car for drifting.
The car is powered by a petrol engine, coupled to a 5-speed gearbox in an FR layout. it uses a relatively smooth and mid-revving sound, similar to cars such as the Bravura, the Nebula and the ZR-350.
GTA San Andreas Overview
| Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 103 / 165 | 5 | Petrol | RWD | 1800 / 3968 |
| N/A | N/A | 5 | N/A | RWD | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto IV
The GTA IV rendition of the Merit is powered by a twin-cam Inline-4, mated to a 5-speed transmission in a RWD layout (in contrast with the real-life Chevrolet Impala, which is a FWD car). Acceleration is good, but nothing special, and in line with the Merit's vanilla, everyday sedan image. Braking is very good. The suspension is very firm, keeping the Merit flat through corners, and enabling it to corner effectively at speed. Accident deformation is acceptable, as the Merit will survive a few frontal impacts before being rendered unusable. The Merit seems suited towards any situation; it is capable of high speeds and it seems able to survive a serious car chase, making it a versatile addition to any parking space.
The Merit uses a mid-revving engine sound also present on its service variants, as well as the Buccaneer and the Virgo.
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 | 1750 / 3858 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | 5 | FR DOHC Inline-4 (In-game model) | RWD | Cannot be observed |
Modifications
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Merit can be upgraded at TransFender.
| Type | Upgrade | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Car Color 1 (64 different colors) | $ 150 |
| Hood | Fury Scoop | $ 150 |
| Exhausts | Large Exhaust | $ 250 |
| Medium Exhaust | $ 200 | |
| Twin Exhaust | $ 300 | |
| Upswept Exhaust | $ 400 | |
| Nitro | 2x Nitrous | $ 200 |
| 5x Nitrous | $ 500 | |
| 10x Nitrous | $ 1000 | |
| Roof | Roof Scoop | $ 80 |
| Spoilers | Drag | $ 200 |
| Fury | $ 350 | |
| Worx | $ 200 | |
| Alpha | $ 250 | |
| Wheels | Import | $ 820 |
| Atomic | $ 770 | |
| Ahab | $ 1000 | |
| Virtual | $ 620 | |
| Access | $ 1140 | |
| Off Road Wheel | $ 1000 | |
| Mega | $ 1030 | |
| Grove | $ 1230 | |
| Twist | $ 1200 | |
| Wires | $ 1560 | |
| Car Stereo | Bass Boost | $ 100 |
| Hydraulics | Hydraulics | $ 1500 |
Image Gallery
Variants
Taxi (Declasse)Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned & The Ballad of Gay Tony |
 (Rear quarter view) |
The Merit-based Taxi is the public service variant of the Merit, having the typical taxi yellow color, taxi sign and pushbars on both ends of the vehicle. It is operated by the L.C.C. Taxis. |
Police PatrolGrand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned & The Ballad of Gay Tony |
 (Rear quarter view) |
The Police Patrol is the police version of the Merit, having the same accesories as the Vapid Police Cruiser, such as emergency lights, sirens and a front pushbar. It is operated by the LCPD. |
Prominent Appearances in Missions
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- 555 We Tip - The District Attorney in the mission drives this car. He leaves the Police Headquarters and heads to Vank Hoff Hotel, where you have to steal his car and fill the trunk with drugs.
Grand Theft Auto IV
- First Date - The Merit is the main vehicle for the mission, as it belongs to Michelle.
Notable owners
- ASan Fierro District Attorney owned a blue Merit, which Carl Johnson planted with drugs on the orders of Frank Tenpenny.
- Michelle owns a silver Merit.
Locations
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Very common in San Fierro.
- Often spawns in Downtown San Fierro.
- Common in East Beach, Los Santos.
- Common in Las Venturas, in districts like Pilgrim, Roca Escalante and along Julius Thruway and Harry Gold Parkway.
- Usually seen in some places in Tierra Robada, such as Bayside and Robada Intersection.
- Can be found with full immune in the mission 555 We Tip.
Grand Theft Auto IV + Episodes from Liberty City
- Michelle's silver Merit only appears in the mission First Date, and can be kept by the player after the mission.
- Often seen driving in East Hook, BOABO and possibly Outlook.
- It is also seen near Playboy X's Penthouse.
- It can be seen driving in Industrial.
- It is seen driving around Purgatory, Star Junction, Westminster and Middle Park West, Algonquin.
Rewards
Grand Theft Auto IV
- After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie, he agrees to purchase cars from Niko Bellic, with the Merit fetching $1,800.
Trivia
General
- The Merit plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
- GTA San Andreas: West Coast Talk Radio
- GTA IV: The Beat 102.7 or The Classics 104.1.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- The D.A.'s Merit in 555 We Tip plays the SF-UR radio by default.
Grand Theft Auto IV
- The beta version of the Merit had different grille and rims, as seen in the first trailer.
- The car unusually features a metal partition between the front and rear occupant compartments, similar to the Taxi and Police Patrol, despite being a private vehicle and thus, having no need for it.
- There is a wrecked version of the Merit, which appears to have similar details to the beta version. It also appears in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, but with better textures.
