Best dirt and rally cars in Forza Horizon 6

If you want a car that just works on Japan's gravel trails and open cross country routes without a fight, start with all wheel drive. AWD traction is the single biggest advantage off road in Forza Horizon 6, and these are the early favourites for dirt and cross country racing, plus a loose-surface setup you can copy straight into your own builds.

This video walks through current dirt and cross country picks alongside road cars, so you can see the handling before you buy.

What makes a great dirt car

Off road, composure beats raw top speed. You are looking for:

• All wheel drive, so power reaches the ground out of slow, loose corners instead of lighting up the rears.
• Enough suspension travel to soak up ruts and landings without unsettling the car.
• A short to medium wheelbase that changes direction quickly on tight trails.
• Balanced, usable power you can feed in early rather than a peaky engine that snaps.

A planted, predictable car you can lean on lap after lap will beat a faster, twitchier one on dirt almost every time.

Strong picks

These cars cover the common dirt and cross country classes. In-game class and PI are our estimates, so treat the class notes as a guide rather than a rule. For ranked picks with build PI targets and honorable mentions, see the Best Dirt B tier list and the Best Cross Country A tier list; this guide covers the wider field and the setup that makes them work.

• 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, the rally icon for good reason, with planted AWD and a chassis that loves loose surfaces. The 1995 Impreza WRX STI and rally-bred 1998 Impreza 22B STI carry the same DNA in different classes.
• 2021 Toyota GR Yaris, a compact AWD rocket that fires off corners and shrugs off bumps.
• 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR, reliable AWD grip, with the 2015 Evolution X Final Edition as a higher-class stablemate.
• 2017 Ford Focus RS, planted and fast on the rough stuff with a playful rear.
• 1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four and 1983 Audi Sport Quattro, classic Group A flavour that still holds up on gravel.
• 1992 Lancia Delta HF Integrale and 1974 Lancia Stratos HF, rally heritage that rewards a smooth, committed line.

For wide-open cross country with jumps and uneven ground, the taller 2020 Land Rover Defender 90, 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor trade cornering speed for stability over the rough.

Set it up for the dirt

A loose-surface build is mostly about traction and travel. As a starting point you can refine later:

• Fit rally or off road tyres, then drop tyre pressure a touch so the contact patch can deform over loose ground.
• Raise ride height for clearance and to keep the car from bottoming out on landings.
• Soften springs and dampers so the wheels follow the surface instead of skipping over it. Go a little softer still for cross country.
• Balance the differential for stability rather than aggression, biasing toward putting power down cleanly out of corners.
• Lower aero, since downforce does little on slow, bumpy trails and you would rather keep the weight and drag down.

Tune toward a car that stays settled over bumps and drives off corners without scrabbling. The tuning calculator has a dirt-oriented starting point, and the tuning guide explains what each adjustment actually changes so you can dial it to your driving.

Next step

Pick one AWD car from the list above, fit rally tyres and raise the ride height, then run a quick dirt event before you fine tune. From there, compare it against a rival with the car comparison tool, and if you also race on tarmac, our best cars by class guide rounds out the rest of your garage.