To me, it seemed that the Golf and Lancer were the best cars in their respective classes. The latter is peculiar since McRae was driving a Subaru last season and that car is splashed all over the box graphics. Incidentally, a new version of this game is scheduled for release in the very near future that was probably hastened by McRae's switch to Ford this season. Mechanical settings for the cars can be adjusted from stage to stage and repairs made. Adjustments include tires, suspension, brakes, steering and gear ratio.
Damage can occur to electrical, handling, brakes, engine and gearbox.
But the cars seem immune to impact damage. I smashed into trees at ridiculous speeds and went on with no apparent effect. In one particularly notorious case, I ramped up an embankment in Greece and managed to strike a tree a glancing blow that set the car spinning like a top through the air. When I returned to earth, I slid sideways for quite some distance without slowing down at all and just continued as if nothing had happened. As in Rally Championship, there are voice and visual indicators of upcoming turns, the difference being that in this game, no distance is given to the turn, which is valuable information to know.