The snow-covered hills of the UK countryside herald the return of another Winter season to Forza Horizon 4, but the bitter cold won’t stop those at the festival from exploring the limits of the latest events to bag the prizes on offer.
There’s a slice of everything up for grabs in the rewards pool, and more that can be claimed from hitting both the 50% and 80% requirements in the seasonal playlist.
Breaking the Ice
The pair of cars available for completing the seasonal playlist are well suited to the snow and ice, kicking off with the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works.
Normally, the Countryman is seen as an ordinary crossover, but BMW has tried to inject some sporting zest to this family runabout. Aside from four-wheel-drive to tackle the slippery roads, the JCW receives numerous chassis tweaks to balance offroad capability with on-road performance.
That performance comes from a BMW-sourced, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, that’s been boosted to give 228hp, allowing for a very brisk all-weather SUV.
Those looking for a more hardcore offroader can look to the Land Rover Series III Forza Edition. The Series III Defender may not offer a revolution compared to its forebears, but it still remains one of the most capable offroaders ever made.
While modern SUVs feature loads of computing power, the Defender offers a more simple mechanical flavor. Although the 2.2-liter diesel engine makes just 69hp, you’ll be pretty much unstoppable on terrain that would trip up most modern SUVs. The special Forza Edition comes with more modifications as well as a Destruction skills boost.
Lamborghinis are the star of Winter’s Photo Challenge this week. #LightUpMyLambo requires you to snap any of the bulls you’re driving over at the lighthouse north of Bamburgh. Its a pick-and-mix of cars in the seasonal championships, with prizes including the Mini Countryman X-Raid and 1970 Dodge Challenger.
One standout prize is the 1970 Porsche 914/6.
Porsche’s entry level sports car was conceived in collaboration with Volkswagen to replace the Karmann Ghia. This flagship 914/6 variant would also be the last mid-engined Porsche street car until the Boxster arrived nearly 25 years later.
Underneath the unassuming styling sits a 2.0-liter flat six taken from a 911. With 125hp and weighing 2,200lb, the 914 was reasonably fast and would also go on to be successful in racing, taking a class victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
To claim the 914 for yourself, you’ll need to win the “Deutschland’s Finest” championship first.
A Showcase Remix event also returns for Winter. “Ride to Anywhere” puts you behind the wheel of Isha’s Austin taxi in a duel over the Scottish Highlands against a gigantic hovercraft.
Players looking for more events set across all the seasons can try out the newest offerings from Super7. Complete all seven cards and a Wheelspin will be your reward.
Events list for Winter can be found below:
Rally Rivals
- Series: Dirt Racing Series
- Cars: Evo vs Impreza
- Restrictions: B Class, 700 PI
- Prizes: 15,000 CR, 25,000 CR, Best Mates emote
Deutschland’s Finest
- Series: Road Racing Series
- Cars: German cars
- Restrictions: S1 Class, 900 PI
- Prizes: 15,000 CR, 25,000 CR, Porsche 914/6
Winter Wonders
- Series: Cross Country Series
- Cars: Winter Wonders
- Restrictions: A Class, 800 PI
- Prizes: 15,000 CR, 25,000 CR, Mini X-Raid John Cooper Works Buggy
The Trial: Unrelenting Force (Co-Op Championship)
- Series: Cross Country Series
- Cars: Extreme Offroad
- Restrictions: S1 Class, 900 PI
- Prizes: Mini Countryman X-Raid
Winter Games – Series 62
- Series: Playground Games
- Cars: Classic Muscle
- Restrictions: B Class, 700 PI
- Prizes: 1970 Dodge Challenger
Super7 – Winter
- Completion Prize: Wheelspin
M68 Speed Trap
- Season Objective: 270mph
The Great Ridge Danger Sign
- Season Objective: 915.4ft
Johnston Terrace Speed Zone
- Season Objective: 145mph
Forzathon Events
Stepping away from dealing with the icy conditions, Forzathon looks back at the 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Jump into the machine that General Motors labelled as the “Mako Shark” to get started.
Up next, unleash the 7.0-liter V8 and earn a total of 15 Awesome Speed Skills amidst that glorious soundtrack. Afterwards, you’ll need some tuning tweaks to bring out the gymkhana machine in the Corvette in order to earn 125,000 Skill Score.
Finally, make some noise and smoke as you slide your way to earning nine stars from Drift Zones.
Forzathon Shop
The Winter shop includes a featherweight sports car and a German attempt at a workhorse pickup truck, with the 1999 Lotus Elise leading the way.
This Sport 190 variant of the first generation Elise was a pinnacle of the Lotus philosophy about lightness. Weighing in at under 1,500lb, the Elise even forgoes a passenger seat in favour of bracing. The result is the Elise doesn’t need a lot of power to achieve performance of more powerful rivals.
While the 1.8-liter Rover K-series engine is the most powerful in the Elise range, it still makes just 190hp. Despite this, the eager chassis could prove tricky when it comes to ice in the corners.
You’ll need to part with 600 Forzathon Points to buy the Lotus, which will reward you with one of the most raw cars to drive outside of a dedicated track day machine.
Those who really want to tackle the snow seriously can look at the 2018 Mercedes X-Class.
Merc’s first attempt at a pickup truck attempts to add some premium luxury to what is normally seen as an agricultural tool. Although the X-Class has the look and feel of a Mercedes, underneath the platform comes from the very Japanese Nissan Navara.
This particular X-Class is the X250d, meaning that a 2.3-liter turbocharged diesel engine lives under the hood making 188hp. It may not be fast, but it should still be capable over rough ground.
At 300FP, the Merc is much cheaper and can offer a more livable experience in a pickup compared to more pared back rivals.
Clothing additions for this week are the Dark Crown and Ruby Crown.
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