3 GTA Online vehicles that need nerfing & 2 that need buffs

The GTA and Red Dead Online community updates teased by Rockstar Games on July 7 promise a lot of things. The updates will provide quite a few changes to GTA Online, including rebalancing and reworking multiple facets of the game. The community is pretty happy to see the developers finally listening to them.

Speaking of changes, GTA Online definitely requires some. This article talks about a few overpowered vehicles that need nerfs and also a few underwhelming ones that can use buffs.

Note: This article solely reflects the author's personal opinions.

GTA Online vehicles that need adjustments

NERFS

3) Hydra

The Hydra is a fixed-wing aircraft in GTA Online, and players love to dogfight in it. As veterans may recognize, this plane has been part of the franchise since San Andreas. An experienced pilot can become a nightmare for the lobby if they are in a bad mood.

This military asset requires a nerf owing to the following reasons:

The dual explosive canons mounted up front can demolish any armored target. They have a very high rate of fire and even tanks do not stand a chance against them.
From a defensive perspective, the Hydra is one of the most manuverable aircrafts in the game. Its advanced mauverability combined with the VTOL ability enable players to easily land and take off from anywhere.

Nerfing the Hydra will enhance the competitiveness of the meta.

2) Pegassi Toreador

The Toreador was incorporated into GTA Online in the Cayo Perico Heist DLC. The amphibious sports car boasts great offensive and defensive assets to outplay the opponent. Once the Toreador was released, the Stromberg became completely useless, as the former beats the latter in every aspect.

The Toreador has become an overpowered beast due to the following reasons:

The boost on the Toreador works like KERS on the Open Wheel cars and refills over time. However, the major differences lie in the effectiveness of the boost and the refill time. The propulsion the car gets once the boost is activated is too overpowering. Furthermore, its refill time is nearly instantaneous.
The Toreador is quite the beast underwater because the jet can be used in water. Combined with the ability to shoot torpedoes, it can render the car nearly unbeatable.

In addition, the Toreador costs almost the same as the Stromberg, making the latter quite useless.

1) Bukingham Akula

The Buckingham Akula is a stealth helicopter that is frequently abused by griefers. The aircraft is equipped with almost every weapon possible and also has other tricks up its rotors.

Considering the overpowering nature of the Akula, a few nerfs are a necessity.

The stealth mode on the Akula enables players to go completely off-radar and become invisible on other players' maps. This mechanic grants the user an undue advantage.
The Akula is also a sturdy beast capable of withstanding hits. It can withstand about five explosive rounds, 18 heavy sniper shots, and four homing missiles.

Although the Akula is unable to use weapons when it goes into stealth mode, the agility and maneuverability of this helicopter remain unmatched.

Buffs

2) HVY Chernobog

The HVY Chernobog is an anti-aircraft or military artillery vehicle in GTA Online. Its massive stature and the missile pod on its back make it stand out. It is often the vehicle of choice to counter Oppressors and jet griefers.

However, there are a few things in the Chernobog that deserve a buff to make it a more viable option in PvP.

The fact that the Chernobog needs to be stationary while shooting the missiles makes it an easy target. As the vehicle is operated by a single player, staying motionless while firing is the only option. However, if the vehicle can be manned by two players, driving and shooting simultaneously will become a possibility. Yes, this is not how real mobile artillery works, but the real world does not have flying bikes either.
The Chernobog has one of the worst handlings in the game. Additionally, all the vehicles it rams into, explode on impact, which also damages the Chernobog.
The Chernobog takes a few seconds to lock on to targets.
Being such a massive military truck, one would imagine the Chernobog to have a substantial armor plating; however, that is not the case. It only takes one homing missile to destroy this behemoth. For context, an RC Bandito can endure three RPGs before blowing up.

This vehicle can be brought back into the meta with some minor buffs.

1) Volatol jet

The Delta-wing strategic bomber, Volatol, was added to GTA Online in the Doomsday Heist update. This unique-looking aircraft is used by players during missions pertaining to Doomsday Heist. However, its use has been limited to that.

Some minor upgrades can make the Volatol relevant in GTA Online once again.

The machine guns mounted above the cockpit of the Volatol are not explosive. Even aircrafts like the rogue have explosive canons.
Another deadly flaw in the Volatol is its inability to detect missile lock-ons like all other vehicles in the game. There is no beeping sound to alert the pilot of the incoming projectile.

Both these shortcomings have kept the Volatol away from the meta. Being a modern-day machine, it should have these capabilities.