A sleeper car is a somewhat ordinary-looking car that is capable of going much faster than its appearance would have you believe. If we look back at history, there is one vehicle in particular that sparked the craze in the auto community, and that's the Ford Taurus SHO. From there on out, carmakers have been building fast understated vehicles ever since.
The sleepers we'll be talking about today all originate from Europe and since all of them adopt a sense of practicality, they make for excellent daily drivers. But more importantly; they have 0-60 times superior to some modern supercars like the Porsche Carrera GT. Without further ado, let's have a look at some inconspicuous powerhouses.
10 Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer Sedan
The AMG Hammer is one of the most important cars Mercedes-Benz has ever built. Although many people know of its coupe variant, the sedan counterpart flies under everyone's radar for the most part.
On the outside, it looks like any other classic black E-Class, but underneath its hood lives a massive 6.0-liter V8 engine that produces 380 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 mph takes place in just over 5 seconds, and it can go from 60 mph to 120 mph quicker than a Lamborghini Countach.
9 Lotus Carlton
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The Lotus Carlton was one of the very cars the British government feared since their vehicles couldn't keep up with it in high-speed pursuits. Why you might ask? Well, the Carlton had a top speed of 177 mph – do keep in mind, this was between the years 1990 and 1992 when even cars like the Honda NSX could only do 168 mph.
The Carlton was actually built by Vauxhall, but Lotus morphed it into a supercar slayer by retuning it from top to bottom. Of course, this included the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter straight six to have its power output increased to 377 hp.
8 Audi RS2
Fast station wagons are the epitome of what a sleeper car can be, and the Audi RS2 proves that. It might have Audi badges on its front grille and rear bumper, but behind the scenes, they received some help from another German car company – Porsche.
Porsche did not just assist with the RS2's powertrain, but they also fitted it with a revised suspension setup, Brembo brakes, and 17-inch Porsche wheels too. However, its 2.2-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine was the star of the show. With Porsche's assistance, it managed to produce 311 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque. Subsequently, the all-wheel-drive RS2 could achieve a 0-60 time of as little as 4.4 seconds, which is on par with modern sports cars like the Toyota GR Supra.
7 Audi RS6 Avant
From one fast Audi estate, we move on to the next. The Audi RS6 is arguably the most versatile daily driver alongside the BMW M5. Not only is it large enough to fit 5 adults and their luggage, and comfortable enough to take you on long journeys, but it can also decimate supercars from a standstill.
The C8 Audi RS6 can reach 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.1 seconds, and it's all thanks to the relationship between its Quattro all-wheel-drive system and the twin-turbo V8 that powers it. The V8 has a displacement of exactly 4.0-liter and puts out 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque from the factory.
6 Volvo S60 Recharge Polestar Engineered
The Swedish carmaker, Volvo, is arguably the most underrated car brand that exists today, just look at their latest XC40 for example. Their sole focus is not just on SUVs however, they also specialize in utilizing their engineering marvels when it comes to their sedans. The Recharge Polestar Engineered S60 is the perfect example hereof. It's also worth mentioning that the S60 Recharge comes with adaptive Öhlins dampers, Brembo brakes, and a powertrain like nothing we've ever seen before.
The S60 has the best of the three worlds. What do mean by that? Well, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that powers the S60 receives assistance from a turbocharger, a supercharger, as well as an electric motor. In total, the over-engineered four-banger sends 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. With a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds, it's definitely on the heels of the new BMW M340i, but it comes in a much more sedated package.
5 Audi S8
The S8 is Audi's flagship luxury sedan, but don't let its size fool you into thinking it's sluggish... lurking underneath its hood is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. This powerplant emits 563 hp and 590 lb-ft to the front and rear wheels. As a result, this gargantuan limo can propel itself from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
Sure, one of these engineering marvels will put at least a $118,000-sized dent in your wallet, but on the used market older ones are an absolute steal.
4 Mercedes-AMG E63 S Estate
The E63 S Estate sits right up there next to the Audi RS6 when it comes down to being a fun daily driver, but this Merc is a tad more track-oriented than the Audi, believe it or not. It used to be the second-fastest station wagon to ever lap the 'Ring... we'll mention the new king shortly.
This AMG wagon's engine is hand-built like all other AMGs, but it's also one of the most powerful ones to exist. The V8 that lives underneath the E63 S' hood is twin-turbocharged and puts out a total of 612 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Before we forget, it can achieve a 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds, and cover the entire quarter-mile in under 11 seconds – equal to that of a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.
3 Jaguar F-Pace SVR
We only have two SUVs on our list today, and while both are fast, only the Jaguar looks and sounds appealing... The Jaguar F-Pace SVR receives its go from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine also found in the F-Type, only now it produces 550 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.
Being a practical SUV, all the power gets divided between the four wheels. So, no wonder the F-Pace SVR can attain a 3.8-second 0-60 time despite its 4,500-lb curb weight.
2 BMW M3 Touring
This newly-unveiled BMW M3 Touring is the best estate car any gearhead could ever dream of. Not only does it look more appetizing than the current M3 Competition Sedan, but it has the relatively same driving experience and performance figures.
Therefore, it embodies it same 500-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six found in its sedan counterpart. With the assistance of launch control and BMW's xDrive system, this wagon can reach 60 mph from a dead stop in just 3.6 seconds too. Did we mention it's the new fastest wagon around the Nurburgring too?
1 BMW iX M60
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And we've reached the final entry on our list today, arguably the baddest wolf you'll find dressed in sheep's clothing, the BMW iX M60. Yes, it's an electric SUV. Yes, it's rather ugly. And yes, it has almost as much power as the most powerful BMW for sale currently – the BMW M5 CS.
Despite its curb weight of 5,650 lbs, the iX M60 can reach 60 mph from stationary in just 3.6 seconds. All of this is possible thanks to the two electric motors powering this EV giant that develop 610 hp and an even more impressive 809 lb-ft of torque. Absolutely mental.