Rivals, traffic & vehicle roles
Burnout 3 has no named drivers: its cast is the garage of car classes, the rival racers and the traffic you weave through.
Original 2004 PlayStation 2 and Xbox release of Burnout 3: Takedown.
8 car classes · one picture per entry · open a picture for full size.
Race car classes
Compact
Small, nimble cars that are easy to control but lose out in takedown battles with heavier rivals.
Muscle
Heavier American-style cars with strength for takedowns at the cost of handling.
Coupe
Balanced cars that suit learning the faster events.
Sports
Quicker cars for later events, where traffic arrives faster.
Super
Top-speed cars for the hardest races; small mistakes cost the most here.
Unlockables
Special vehicles
Unique cars such as racers and customs, won by completing specific events.
Crash-mode heavyweights
Buses, trucks and fire engines built for causing pile-ups in Crash events.
On the road
Traffic
Everyday traffic is both obstacle and weapon: check a rival into it for a takedown.
Quick notes
- The cars are the cast. Burnout 3 builds its identity around fictional vehicles, rival racers and traffic rather than named playable drivers.
- Rivals and traffic serve different purposes. Rival cars contest the event with you, while ordinary traffic makes the road a moving hazard.
- Separate the garage from Crash mode. The large Heavyweight vehicles are associated with Crash mode, where the event focuses on creating a collision rather than driving a normal race route to the finish.
- Build a route-specific approach. The 18 named tracks cover the USA, Europe and Far East, with circuits, point-to-point routes and marathons.
Use the game-specific references alongside these role notes.