Forza Horizon 5 Starter Cars: Predictions, wish list, release date & more

Forza Horizon 5 has finally been announced.

Now that the news has had some time to sink in for all of us, our minds immediately went to what car we will be jumping straight into when the game does arrive.

In Forza Horizon 4 players had the choice between the Ford Focus RS, Audi TTS Coupe and Dodge Charger R/T. But what could we get this time?

Pontiac Firebird

Given the setting of Forza Horizon 5 you need some American muscle as an option. While others may be partial to a Dodge or Caddy, we are big fans of the Pontiacs and can thing of little better than going exploring the Mexico landscape in a classic Firebird.

The 1987 Trans Am GTA and 1977 Trans Am were both in Forza Horizon 4, so there is a good chance of them making a reappearance in FH5.

Mini Cooper S

Forget the modern Mini, we want the classic, tiny one that you can truly throw around a mountain road!!

A barn find car in Forza Horizon 4, the Mini is a true icon of the motoring world. Since you won't be winning any drag races in it, the Mini Cooper S won't be a particularly OP starter car, encouraging the progression through the classes. However, it is one that we'll all keep coming back to time and time again to drive.

VW Golf R

While the first two are perhaps fanciful, this one could certainly be a part of the options. The VW Golf has an incredible legacy, and while a Mk II might be more iconic, the R would certainly be racier!

This would fit in with the hot hatch style for starter cars in a lot of games and give players a chance to create a tune that they could stick with for a while too.

Honda Civic Type R

In the same vein as the Golf R is the Civic Type R.

This beaut is another car that players could use quite deep into their Forza journey and still love it.

Mazda MX-5

Be it an original MX-5 or the newer version, we'd love to start with this car.

One of the reasons we've picked it is that FH5 will have active roofs for convertable cars, and what better way to show that off than giving players a great little drop-top that can drift around the desert and fly through the towns?

Forza Horizon 5 release date

Forza Horizon 5 has an official release date of 9 November.

However, players can dive into the game earlier than that. The Premium Edition will come with four days early access, letting players start their Mexican adventure on 5 November.

The game will also be a day 1 title on Xbox Game Pass, meaning that subscribers will be able to play straight away for no extra charge.