Dilettante

File:Dilettante (front).jpg
Front quarter view of a Dilettante.

The Karin Dilettante is a hybrid vehicle created as kind of a joke for Grand Theft Auto IV.

Description

The Dilettante is depicted as a compact four-door hatchback based on a 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, with headlights from a Citroën C4. According to an radio advertisement in the game, the Dilettante is worth $39,999 brand new, at least $20,000 more than the real life Prius is worth.

The word dilettante means a dabbler in fine arts, or a connoisseur. It can also mean amateurish or superficial. It has later been suspected that Rockstar named the car (and company) after a video game violence researcher, Karen Dill [1], but it hasn't been confirmed.

Performance

The Dilettante, powered by a small (<2L) petrol engine along with an electric motor, is coupled to a 5 speed gearbox in FWD configuration. Acceleration, as expected is well below average; taking the Dilettante upwards of 10 seconds to reach it's top speed, which for an electric/gas hybrid is rather brisk. Handling can be described as fair, though understeer is very noticeable. The suspension is firm enough to cope with high speed cornering, while soft enough to tackle Liberty City's rough streets. Braking is very good, and ABS is standard across the line. Crash deformation is acceptable, though engine build quality is below average, making the Dilettante more of an "in-joke" car than something suited for high performance applications, such as police chases or ramming other vehicles, although the real-life Prius has been used by the NYPD for some of their police vehicles.

Locations

Gallery

External link