McLaren MP4-31 (performance)

The McLaren MP4-31 excels in top speed, handling, acceleration, and drifting. However, it has a poor nitro efficiency of 8/14/18, although it partially negates this with a higher raw top speed compared to its closest rivals. The MP4-31 skids frequently and can often spin uncontrollably when going off ramps, making it a "high risk + high reward" vehicle. The MP4-31's high instability is due to its extremely sensitive handling statistic of 1.400 Gs, which allows it to take many corners without drifting (much like the Mercedes-Benz Biome).

The MP4-31 is the highest-ranked vehicle in the entire game with Elite Tuning not considered; this gives it a significant advantage over its main rivals (the lowest-ranked high-tier competitor is the McLaren Mercedes MP4-25, with a rank of only A1766). With Elite Tuning considered, the MP4-31 is the 3rd-highest-ranked vehicle in the entire game, after the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Special Edition and Devel Sixteen Prototype.

The MP4-31 has an unfair statistical advantage over its rivals. Despite having a Tuning Kit bonus below 30 points (making the MP4-31 only viable for Multiplayer at full PRO), the MP4-31 somehow manages to rank as the 13th-fastest vehicle in the entire game while still maintaining an acceleration statistic that places it as the 3rd-fastest-accelerating vehicle at high ranks (behind the MP4-25 and the TRION NEMESIS). The MP4-31's high total top speed is largely due to its high raw top speed (which makes it faster). In most situations where a vehicle has a higher raw top speed than its rivals (seen with the HTT Pléthore LC 750, Renault Sport R.S. 01, Devel Sixteen, and Arash AF10), the acceleration statistic is worsened (because of the weaker nitro). However, because the MP4-31 is a Formula One car, it has an artificially buffed acceleration statistic compared to its rivals, which actually negates its weak nitro enough to boost its acceleration above even the Aston Martin Vulcan and Arrinera Hussarya GT. The MP4-31 accelerates in roughly 2.8 seconds (level-3), which is approximately half-a-second faster than the Vulcan and Hussarya GT, which both accelerate in roughly 3.3 seconds (level-3).

With the MP4-31 ranking as the 13th-fastest vehicles in the game, with the 3rd-fastest acceleration among vehicles travelling over 300 mph (483 km/h), it ranks as one of the top three vehicles (alongside the Vulcan and Hussarya GT) in the entire game on nearly every track. On longer tracks (specifically Tokyo), the MP4-31 is slightly inferior to vehicles like the Devel Sixteen, SLK SE, Chevrolet Corvette GS, and the Lamborghini Aventador SV (all of which perform best on long/simple tracks). On medium-length tracks, the MP4-31 is second only to the Vulcan (by only ~0.2 seconds, generally). Technically, the MP4-31 is also superior to the Hussarya GT (which is usually inferior to the Vulcan by ~0.5 seconds) on ~70% of the tracks in the game, although it is usually only superior by ~0.3 seconds (rarely, it can be superior by up to ~0.7 seconds), which often cannot compensate for the frequent skids and terrible nitro efficiency (especially in a Multiplayer scenario). On short/medium-length and twisty tracks (like Dragon Tree, Tenerife), the MP4-31 is actually the fastest vehicle in the entire game, even defeating the Vulcan itself (by up to ~0.2 seconds), which is often regarded as the "king" of the game. However, to achieve such lap-times requires extreme skill; the over-sensitive handling must be utilised to its fullest ability, and the nitro must be managed exceptionally well.

Note: The lap-times described above apply mainly to 1-lap races. With 2-laps or more, the MP4-31 is at a slight disadvantage. In such a scenario, such as a 3-lap race on Patagonia, the MP4-31 can be defeated by the Corvette GS, which is arguably the best vehicle in the game for medium-length tracks with more than 1-lap, defeating even the Vulcan with skillful driving.