What's the strategy for Twisted Metal 2?

After using passwords to brute force my way past the Moscow bowl (2nd stage) I'm pretty fed up with how it's a 5-on-1 or a 6-on-1 where they can shoot in any direction and turn in place faster than you can.
I've been hiding in weird areas and waiting for cars to come by and get stuck in the walls and shit so they spam their Specials at a wall hitbox while i slowly whittle them down.

pic unrelated, I'm playing as Grasshopper since her bio says she's Calypso's daughter.