Most gearheads dream of owning ultra-fast supercars one day – the likes of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren Speedtail, and Ferrari La Ferrari, to name a few. These supercars have exquisite designs that attract attention everywhere they go and some of the most advanced technologies to allow them to achieve incredible levels of performance.
However, there's a special breed of gearhead that prefers something that provides supercar-rivaling performance without attracting too much attention. Thanks to these types of gearheads, we have what's popularly referred to as sleeper cars – cars that blend in easily with normal traffic but are insanely fast once the roads open up. Let's explore ten fantastic modern sleepers gearheads should consider buying.
10 2007 Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG
The Mercedes-AMG badge usually appears on ultrafast sedans and sports cars from the famous German marque. However, in 2006, the Mercedes-AMG badge was used on the unlikeliest vehicle – a large minivan known as the R63 AMG.
Equipped with a hand-built 6.2-liter V8 engine producing just under 500 hp, the R63 had a 0-60 of just 4.6 seconds, which is insane for a minivan. Definitely, one of the coolest minivans you can buy. However, with only 200 examples ever made, there's a good chance you'll never see one of these.
9 2022 BMW M3 Touring
The M3 is BMW's pride and joy, having been among the automaker's most popular models of all time. This is why every gearhead was excited when BMW unveiled the first-ever wagon version of the popular M3.
Dubbed the M3 Touring, this superb wagon has killer looks and a masterpiece of an engine under its hood – BMW's superb twin-turbocharged straight-six engine with an exciting 510 hp on tap. With the ability to hit 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, the M3 Touring is one of the best wagons ever.
8 2017 Chevrolet SS
GM has owned many foreign car companies over the years. Sometimes GM likes to sell rebadged versions of some of the cool cars its foreign subsidiaries have built in the US market, which is exactly what happened with the 2017 Chevrolet SS sedan.
The 2017 Chevy SS was a rebadged Holden Commodore SS V, and it was pretty awesome. Despite its sedate styling, the Chevy SS had a 6.2-liter V8 engine producing over 400 hp, giving it superb performance.
7 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon
The Golf nameplate is as iconic as it gets. For decades, the Golf has been among the best-selling vehicles in the world and is still going strong to date. There are many versions of the Golf, and the Golf R SportWagen is one of the most underrated.
This incredible wagon is based on the Golf R and comes with the same awesome engine – a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit belting out 315 hp. Since this power is sent to all wheels, the Golf R SportWagen is super quick.
6 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
The Grand Cherokee is widely considered to be among the best American SUVs, which is why it has been in production for so long. With the competition in the SUV market heating up, Jeep needed to find a way to make the Grand Cherokee stand out – this is how the Trackhawk came to be.
The Trackhawk is like a Grand Cherokee on steroids. It's equipped with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making over 700 hp, allowing it to hunt down supercars on the highways.
5 Tesla Model S Plaid
In 2021, Tesla set the EV world on fire when it introduced the biggest update to the popular Model S since its introduction in 2012 – the Plaid version. The Model S Plaid had an all-new design, an updated interior featuring a controversial Yoke wheel, and a huge bump in the performance department.
Unlike other Model S built before it, the Model S Plaid had three electric motors making a massive 1,020 hp collectively. This allows it to blast past 60 mph in under 2 seconds, which is incredible for a four-door sedan.
4 Genesis G70 3.3T
When Hyundai established its luxury brand Genesis, its main goal was to produce fantastic vehicles that could rival anything from Mercedes-Benz or BMW when it comes to design, technology, and even power. The G70 3.3T shows that Hyundai's goal was achieved.
This compact luxury sedan has killer looks, an upscale interior, and some of the most advanced technologies. It may not look fast, but it has just under 400 ponies to play with.
3 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
When the CTS' production run ended in 2019, there was a huge gap in the market for an affordable luxury sedan. Thankfully, Cadillac replaced it with a worthy successor – the CT5.
The CT5 was a huge hit as it had an updated design and a more refined feel than its predecessor. It's also a joy to drive, particularly the high-performance CT5-V Blackwing version. The CT5-V Blackwing comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 producing 668 hp, giving it a top speed of 209 mph.
2 Toyota Camry TRD
The Camry is a staple of the American auto industry. The Camry's combination of practicality, reliability, and affordability has kept it on top of sales charts for decades, which is why you see one almost every day.
The Camry may be popular, but it's not known to be fast. Toyota's TRD department didn't like that, so it built a high-performance version of the Camry known as the Camry TRD. The Camry TRD has superb driving dynamics, as it's powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine tuned to produce over 300 ponies.
1 2019 Ford Taurus SHO
The Taurus isn't the first car that comes to mind when Ford is mentioned, but it was a very important model for the Blue Oval brand. It was the Taurus that saved Ford from bankruptcy in the '80s when it sold millions of units.
We particularly love the top-of-the-range Taurus SHO version. The Taurus SHO was first produced in the '90s before taking a decade-long hiatus and coming back in 2010. The last Taurus SHO generation, which ran from 2010 to 2019, was a large sedan that easily blended in with the Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas on the freeway. However, since it had a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 sending 365 hp to all four wheels, few cars could keep up with it.