Analysing The New Cars That The Challenger Pack DLC Added To ACC

The Challenger Pack DLC for Assetto Corsa Competizione is now officially out and playable. We’ve spent a good while playing it since launch, and in this guide, I’ll bring you our collective thoughts on the new cars that have been included in the Challenger Pack DLC.

What cars have been added to ACC in the Challenger Pack DLC?

The latest DLC for Assetto Corsa Competizione adds five brand new cars in total. This is the first time since the 2020 GT World Challenge Pack DLC was released back in November 2020 that new cars have been added to ACC in a DLC pack. Yes, I know the 2022 BMW M4 GT3 was released for free recently!

So, adding 5 new cars in one go is pretty huge for Assetto Corsa Competizione fans! The cars that have been added and that are playable now are;

• Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)
• Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2
• Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II
• BMW M2 CS Racing
• Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo

Before you go any further, if you’re not racing ACC with a racing wheel, check out our ultimate guide on the best racing wheels for Assetto Corsa Competizione in 2022.

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How much is the Challenger Pack DLC?

Before I take a detailed look at each car that has been added to ACC in this new DLC pack, let’s answer the question of how much it’ll cost you. The new Challenger Pack DLC is available to buy now on Steam for £9.99/€10.99.

This is right about where I’d expect it to cost. It’s cheaper than some DLC that has offered new tracks which is great. And this new content drop will certainly keep things fresh in ACC for a little while!

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Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2

Now that I’ve covered the cost and how to buy the Challenger Pack DLC, let’s jump in and look at the cars on offer. And I’ll start with my favourite car in this new DLC pack, the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2.

The new 2022 Huracán ST Evo2 races in the same class in-game as the older Huracán ST. The main thing you’ll notice with this 2022 Huracán is the pretty radical facelift/redesign.

Both the front and rear ends look much sharper than the older Huracán and the matte camo green paintwork looks absolutely gorgeous. Under the hood (or should I say under the rear louvres) you’ll find a 5.2 litre V10 powerplant capable of creating over 600bhp and 570Nm of torque.

The thunderous sound from the racing exhaust will most likely be the second thing you notice after the new exterior design. It does sound incredible in Assetto Corsa Competizione.

Much like the previous Huracán, the new 2022 model features great top speed thanks to that roaring V10 engine.

Being mid-rear engined it can punish you with some instability at high speeds. It certainly doesn’t give you the confidence that says the Ferrari or McLaren do and instead it feels much closer to the Porsche 911 in its lift-off characteristics.

It also doesn’t ride kerbs overly well, again much like the McLaren or Ferrari. Certainly not as well as the heavier front-engined cars like the Mercedes and BMW M6. It doesn’t feel quite as stiff as the older Huracán does which is a relief, allowing you to be a little more aggressive.

Where the Huracán does excel is in its mid-corner speed, where you can maintain a high minimum speed. It also has the ability to carry speed into a corner well, despite being a little understeer-happy.

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Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II

Next up we have what has become the cover boy of the new Challenger Pack DLC for ACC. Dressed in Valentino Rossi’s 2022 GT3 livery, the R8 Evo II was the first car I jumped into.

Being the second evolution of the Audi R8 that is already in-game, this new car behaves in a very similar manner. That’s great if you enjoy the R8, but not so great if you don’t.

In many respects, the R8 Evo II behaves similarly to the Huracán, which isn’t to be unexpected beings they share a lot of technology. However, the R8 Evo II feels like a toned-down Huracán. And that isn’t a bad thing at all!

Where the Huracán has the tendency to oversteer a little on corner entry, before delivering supreme traction on the exit. The R8 Evo II doesn’t tend to oversteer to quite the same level, and you will instantly notice it doesn’t understeer as much mid-corner. It is ever so slightly more responsive, and a little easier to control than the Huracán.

The R8 Evo II still has the same issues over kerbs, as it will throw you off line in a heartbeat if you try to ride the kerbs like you would in the Mercedes AMG. But this new version of the car delivers slightly better performance all around, while carrying a lot of the same tendencies.

In fact, the main reason I wanted to jump into this car was due to the fantastic Rossi 46 livery!

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Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)

The second car which I jumped into was probably the most hyped. The Porsche 911’s have always been either loved or loathed by sim racers in ACC. They can be incredibly rewarding to drive, and extremely quick, but the rear-engined nature of the 911 can send you into a wall the moment you aren’t concentrating.

That second point is always a concern in this new GT3 cup variant of the 911, thanks in part to its lack of traction control. Yes, much like the GT4 Maserati GranTurismo, this Porsche 911 doesn’t have traction control at all.

Despite this, you’ll instantly feel that this 911 has fantastic traction naturally out of corners. But you do need to treat it a little more carefully than some of the other GT3 cars in ACC.

I would have to agree that this new 911 still has the same unstable characteristics that you’ll find in all other 911s in ACC. But in the right hands, with the right car setup, this car is mighty. Top drivers will be able to control the rear rotation on turn-in and use it to their advantage, making this one of the quickest cars into corners.

Unfortunately, this 911 doesn’t carry the best top speed among other cars, so you’ll have to make up time on corner entry, and by maintaining a high minimum speed mid-corner. Thanks to the removed traction control I had an absolute blast racing this 911 against a whole field of other 911 GT3s.

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Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo

The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo has to be the best looking car that has been added to ACC in this DLC pack. It looks amazing, as do most Ferrari race cars, and this is a car that has the power to back up its beauty.

This new 488 is the most powerful car in-game with a whopping 670bhp. And this makes it an absolute monster around any track. Like the current 488, this new model is one of the most nimble cars around a race track thanks to its mid-engine layout.

There are no real negative characteristics that will catch out a new driver, other than its lack of ability to ride kerbs. Much like the R8 above, this mid-engined racer isn’t the best at riding over kerbs, thanks in part to its stiff suspension setup.

The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo can dance around corners with ease and is relatively easy to pick up and drive. You need to ensure you keep the car stable and planted for the fastest lap times, but if you do. This powerful Ferrari has all the potential to put you towards the front of the grid.

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BMW M2 CS Racing

The last car I took out on track is possibly the most different from the rest. The BMW M2 CS Racing is much lower powered than the other cars that have been added in this DLC pack and sits in its own class in-game. You can use this BMW in multi-class races allowing it to share the track with other cars in this DLC.

With just 350bhp, this M2 seems slow when you first jump into it, but like many BMWs, it can be a blast to drive. It is very easy to feel right at home when you first step behind the wheel. And the lower power output allows you to hoon it through corners, something you can’t do in many of the other cars in ACC.

When you aren’t power sliding around a track, this M2 does have the tendency to feel slow and sluggish.

Other than the newly added BMW M4, BMWs do have a tendency to feel rather heavy in-game, and that’s probably because they are. The much more powerful BMW M6 always feels heavy allowing it to ride kerbs well and dominate down the straights. And this M2 isn’t much different.

Overall, this M2 CS will allow you to have some slower-paced spec races but that doesn’t make it any less fun than the other cars that have been added. Throw them into a multi-class race and you can have a wail of a time if you fancy a break from GT3 racing.

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