Ever since Burnout 3: Takedown, the Burnout series has encouraged players to race aggressively in order to win by "taking down" their opponents, to the point where the term "takedown" is now synonymous with the series. Burnout Paradise keeps up this tradition by dedicating an entire class to the aggression playstyle.

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The aggression cars are not necessarily as agile as the stunt cars and they may not win any races, but what they do have in their favour is strength - and lots of it. They aren't designed to avoid being hit, they're designed to deal out the biggest hits whilst shrugging off the smaller ones.

10 Reliable Special

Reliable Special in the junkyard

Racing games nowadays tend to start you off with some decent early game vehicles (thank you Forza Horizon 5), and the Reliable Special is a great aggression starter. It has good boost power so it's effective for getting takedowns, and it actually has a proper paint job instead of rust.

Despite being a small flatbed truck, the Special has somewhat decent handling as well, so you should be able to aim at your targets well enough before giving them a good shunt into a wall.

9 Grand Sicilian

Grand Sicilian in the junkyard

Whoever previously owned the Grand Sicilian either didn't take good care of it, or they did and the bullet holes tell what happened to them. Thankfully, none of the bullets managed to hit anything important, so the car still works.

In fact, it's somehow got more boost than the Grand Marias, which makes it very useful for battering your opponents out of the way as you clear a path through them. You'll also need the boost to even move because the Sicilian's speed is rather lacking.

8 Annihilator Phoenix

Annihilator Phoenix in the junkyard

To be frank, this muscle car looks intimidating even without the huge engine poking out of the front. Not to mention it has one of the best paint jobs in the whole game thanks to its flame aesthetic.

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Despite its build, the Phoenix is actually pretty manoeuvrable but more importantly, it has the speed and boost required to keep up with the pack. This makes it very useful in Marked Man events because you'll want to be more focused on driving fast than taking down the enemies.

7 Civilian

Civilian in the junkyard

The Civilian serves as the counterpart to the Citizen, trading the police livery for a more traditional paint job and swapping out some toughness for better handling, more boost, and faster acceleration.

The decrease in armour doesn't make it any less deadly because the newfound speed makes it harder for enemies to get away. In fact, the Civilian is so good at what it does that it's actually the vehicle used by the in-game AI during Marked Man events. Besides, sometimes it's better fun to be the bad guy.

6 Carbon Ikusa GT

Carbon Ikusa GT in the junkyard

This version of the Ikusa GT is awarded for beating all of the Time Road Rules in Burnout Paradise, and unlike its brethren, uses an aggression boost system instead of a stunt one. Since it tends to be unlocked later in the game, it's also more powerful than the other Ikusas.

In terms of handling, this car is less likely to drift around corners and more likely to simply turn, and any drifts that do happen are short. This allows for more accuracy when trying to take down an opponent.

5 Takedown Dirt Racer

Takedown Dirt Racer in the junkyard

This enormous 4x4 pickup truck is a foreboding sight to behold in any Road Rage event, and there's something about riding high above your opponents that gives a real feeling of power. It may not be quite as intimidating as driving a proper truck, but only by a slight margin.

The one downside to the Dirt Racer is that it has pretty poor handling, so it's pretty easy to wind up scraping against a wall on a shallow corner, unless you use an opponent to "cushion" your impact.

4 BRT Oval Champ

BRT Oval Champ in the junkyard

This NASCAR themed stock car seems like it would be more suited to racing than Road Rage events, but it's surprisingly durable. Combine that with its very high speed, and you've got a bullet that's capable of taking out all but the toughest targets.

The Oval Champ has good handling unlike most other aggression vehicles, although it's still not on par with the best speed cars. Then again, if you do use it in a race, your opponents will certainly have a hard time taking you down.

3 Thunder Shadow

Thunder Shadow in the junkyard

This fierce-looking muscle car looks mean and has the boosting power to be even meaner. In fact, the Shadow is the fastest aggression car in the whole game, and its handling is decent enough that it can be used in races as well as Road Rage and Marked Man events.

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The biggest advantage the Shadow has over other aggression cars is its weight, which means it can be pretty difficult for an opponent to force you into a direction you don't want to go.

2 Manhattan Spirit

Manhattan Spirit in the junkyard

The Ghostbusters have appeared in quite a few video games, but Burnout Paradise gives more focus to their iconic vehicle. This version of the Manhattan ditches the stunt boost for an aggression boost and is also designed to look like Ecto-1, all the way from the extended rear lights to the many flashing lights that adorn the roof.

In terms of performance, the Spirit is pretty fast but is more impressive in terms of boost and toughness, and the handling isn't terrible either given its size.

1 Inferno BRT Van

Inferno BRT Van in the junkyard

What's tougher than a car? A van of course. And when that van also has increased boost and speed compared to its predecessor, then you've got the ultimate weapon of mass destruction at your fingertips.

The Inferno BRT Van is also fairly decent at handling given its weight, and all that armour means that it's the most likely vehicle to drive away from all but the most serious of collisions. Even the legendarily strong GT Nightmare can't survive a head-on collision with this behemoth.

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