Gran Turismo 7’s March update adds three new cars and Sophy 2.1

Following yesterday’s traditional car silhouette teaser from Kazunori Yamauchi, Polyphony has unveiled what we can expect in Gran Turismo 7’s March update.

Set to launch tomorrow (27^th March), update 1.57 adds three new cars to Gran Turismo 7’s ever-expanding roster, plus a new version of the Sophy racing AI system, new World Circuits events and new GT Café Menu Books to complete.

Three new cars

As we predicted last week, Gran Turismo 7’s March update includes three new cars:

• Aston Martin Vantage 2018
• Mazda CX-30 X Smart Edition 2021
• Renault Kangoo 1.4 2001

Sporting an athletic design, the Aston Martin Vantage is powered by a Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, sending 503 horsepower to the rear wheels. Its timing is unfortunate, however, since it was recently replaced by the 2024 model, featuring a reworked front fascia and more powerful V8. 

Meanwhile, the Mazda CX-30 is the crossover sibling for the Mazda CX-3, which is already included in the game. GT7’s CX-30 is based on the top-of-the-range Smart Edition, which has a 2.5-litre e-SkyActiv X engine delivering 188hp to the front wheels.

Last but not least is the Renault Kangoo. No, we weren’t expecting to see a domestic French van in Gran Turismo 7 either.

Based on the first-generation model produced between 1997 and 2018, the French van uses a 1.4 petrol engine producing 75hp. Don’t underestimate its appeal, though. In Japan, the compact van has gained a cult following, so it will surely be popular with modders in Gran Turismo 7.   

The Aston Martin Vantage and Mazda CX-30 can be bought in their respective Brand Dealerships, while the Kangoo can be found in the Used Car Dealership.

GT Sophy 2.1 available in custom races

Alongside the new cars, update 1.57’s headline addition is a new 2.1 version of the sophsticated GT Sophy AI agent.

While we’ll have to wait until the patch notes arrive to discover the AI’s advancements, GT Sophy can now be selected as rival cars in custom races on PS5. Previously, Sophy was limited to specific events. However, custom Sophy races are not available on PS4 and appear to still be limited to Sophy-supported tracks.   

New World Circuit races and Menu Books

As always, Gran Turismo 7’s latest update includes a selection of new Menu Books and World Circuit races to complete.

Restricted to Collector Level 35 and above, Extra Menu No. 45 focuses on Suzuki, requiring you to obtain the Jimny Sierra, Vision GT and the extreme Escudo Pikes Peak racecar.

There are also three new World Circuit races:

Sunday Cup

• Brands Hatch Indy Circuit

European Clubman Cup 600

• Deep Forest Raceway Reverse

Japanese FF Challenge 450

• Tokyo Expressway – Central Counterclockwise

Faroe Islands Scape location

Finally, the March update adds a new Scape location for Gran Turismo photographers: the rocky Faroe Islands set on the archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Norway.

Overall, it’s a standard Gran Turismo 7 update. While the free cars and improved Sophy AI are, we were hoping for a more special update to commemorate the game’s third anniversary this month. That said, it makes sense for Polyphony to prioritise developing Gran Turismo 8, which has yet to be formally announced.   

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.57 release date

Gran Turismo 7’s March update will be available tod ownload on Thursday, 27th March at 10:00pm PT / March 27 at 5:00am GMT / 2:00pm JST. Any other surprise changes, improvements or new features will be detailed in the patch notes tomorrow.

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.57 patch notes

Update 1.57 also includes some welcome quality-of-life improvements, including the ability to sort cars in the valuation service by the number owned and support for the Thrustmaster T598. The full patch notes can be found below.

Main Features Implemented

1. Cars
　- The following three cars have been added:
　　・Aston Martin Vantage ’18 (Sold in ‘Brand Central’)
　　・Mazda CX-30 X Smart Edition ’21 (Sold in ‘Brand Central’)
　　・Renault Kangoo 1.4 ’01 (Sold in ‘Brand Central’ and at the ‘Used Cars’ dealership)

2. Gran Turismo Sophy　- The next-generation racing AI agent ‘Gran Turismo Sophy’ has evolved into ‘GT Sophy 2.1’ and is available in ‘Custom Races’ for supported tracks and layouts.

Please note that the ‘Gran Turismo Sophy’ mode is only available on the PlayStation®5 version of Gran Turismo 7.

3. World Circuits
　- The following new events have been added to ‘World Circuits’:
　　・Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
　　　- Sunday Cup
　　・Deep Forest Raceway Reverse
　　　- European Clubman Cup 600
　　・Tokyo Expressway – Central Counterclockwise
　　　- Japanese FF Challenge 450

4. Café
　- The following Extra Menu has been added:
　　・Extra Menu No.45: ‘Collection: Suzuki’ (Collector Level 35)

5. GT Auto
　- Car Maintenance & Service
　　Engine Swaps are now available for the following cars (unlocked at Collector Level 50):
　　・BMW M2 Competition ’18
　　・BMW Z4 3.0i ’03
　　・Ford GT ’06
　　・Ford GT ’17
　　・Subaru BRZ S ’15

6. Scapes
– ‘Faroe Islands’ has been added as a featured Curation in Scapes.

Other Improvements and Adjustments

1. Cars
　- Fixed some exterior and interior details of the following car:
　　・BMW M3 ’97
　- Fixed the vehicle height adjustment range of suspension parts for the following car:
　　・Mercedes-Benz Unimog Type 411 ’62
　
2. Users Cars
　- Added a new sorting criteria ‘By Number of Cars Owned’ to the Car Valuation Service;

The ‘Car Valuation Service’ will appear after clearing Menu Book No.39 (‘Championship: World GT Series’) and watching the ending.

3. GT Auto
　- Wheel Shop
　　Updated it so that rim diameter, rim width, and offset settings are preserved when the currently installed wheels are selected.

4. Sport
　- Updated the Race Entry screen to include all times up to midday of the following day.

5. Controllers
　- Added support for the THRUSTMASTER® T598.
　
6. Brand Central
　- Updated the list of Official Partners. Accordingly, the tyres installed on cars are now original Gran Turismo tyres (excluding certain cars.)

7. Localisation
　- Fixed various text localisation issues.

8. Others
　- Various other issues have been addressed.

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.57 at a glance

• Three new cars: Aston Martin Vantage 2018, Mazda CX-30 X Smart Edition 2021, Renault Kangoo 1.4 2001
• Sophy AI 2.1, AI agent now selectable in custom races for the PS5 version only
• One new GT Cafe Menu Book: Extra Menu No. 45 – Suzuki
• Three new World Circuit races
• Release date: 26th March