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A sleeper (American English) or Q-car (British English) is a car that boasts high performance while having an unassuming exterior. [1][2][3] Sleepers are usually developed on the platform of a non-athletic class of vehicle, most often that of an economy car.
- Chevrolet SS
- Ford Taurus Sho
- Buick Regal GS
- Dodge Omni Ghls
- Volvo 850 R
- Mercury Marauder
- Chevrolet Impala SS
- Saab 9-2X Aero
- Subaru Forester Xt
- Dodge Caliber Srt4
We can now safely say that the SS had found itself out of favor in the contemporary Chevrolet lineup the moment it arrived to the U.S. Available between 2013 and 2017, it was basically a rebadged Holden Commodore (VF) that’s still available in its home Australian market. The U.S. Chevy SS version was powered by a 6.2L LS3 V8 engine taken from the C...
Throughout its years, the Ford Taurus mostly had a reputation as a rental-lot special. It’s always had a fairly thrifty engine, enough room for the family, and a price that was friendly to rental companies. However, the Taurus had a split personality, as Ford periodically offered a performance-oriented SHO model. In its earlier generations (1989 th...
Those who say Buick kissed performance goodbye with the demise of the legendary Grand National and T-Type haven’t driven the 1997-2004 Regal GS. Honestly, that’s not necessarily a big deal, because the GS is something of a softy in the ride and handling department. That’s fine if you’re traveling down the East Coast for work, but it does nothing to...
And now to get really silly, we hark back to our favorite decade of ridiculousness to see the hot hatchback which arguably set the standard for the turbocharged pocket rockets of today. The Dodge Omni and its badge-engineered Plymouth Horizon sibling were, for lack of a better word, crap cars. They were born out of Chrysler’s firstbankruptcy, as ev...
It was a good day when Swedes decided to spice things up (which they should be doing more often if you ask me) after their limited 1995 850 T-5R achieved unexpected success. Unlike the 243-horsepower T-5R which was jointly built with Porsche, the 850 R delivered 240 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque with an automatic or 250 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque with...
It took the FoMoCo a while before they finally gave the long-retired Mercury Marauder renewed life and some much-needed bite but it’s better late than never. Sadly, the most powerful post-muscle car era Marauder (actually, the only one since the nameplate was brought back for the first time after 1970) didn’t survive for long. It was discontinued i...
1994-1996 Chevy Impala wasn’t the first to receive the bow-tie brand’s iconic SS badge, but it sure was the sleepiest, if I may say that. Although it was discontinued before managing to make a more meaningful impact on the market (alongside the entire B-body fleet), the Impala SS has secured its legacy as one of the best sleeper cars of the 90s reg...
What do you get when you cross a Japanese upstart performer with a Swedish sedan that epitomizes middle-class all over the world? You obviously get a great car and a sleeper at that. The Saab 9-2X Aero combined all the best from both automakers in a package that ultimately flew under the radar. Available only during 2005 and 2006, the rebadged seco...
As a whole, the Forester is pretty much an uninspiring crossover that simply gets the job done for families. However, there is one version of the Forester that stands out from the crowd in terms of performance. I am talking about the XT trim level. This potent crossover was launched in 2004 as the Forester 2.5 XT, and it made use of a 2.5-liter tur...
The Dodge Caliber – the replacement for the popular Neon – was not a very popular car, mostly due to its funky design and iffy performance. In an attempt to boost interest, in 2006 Dodge released the SRT4 version of the funky hatchback that used a turbocharged 2.4L four-cylinder. This four-pot cranked out 285 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque...
- Volkswagen Golf R (2012) It’s easy to argue that the R version of the seventh-generation Golf isn’t a sleeper simply because it has quad exhaust pipes.
- Audi S6 V10 (2008) Whoever thought that putting a V10 engine into an unobtrusive executive saloon was a rational thing to do? Well Audi did exactly that.
- Mazda 6 MPS (2006) We know Mazda can make sporty cars – the MX-5, RX-7 and RX-8 leave that in no doubt. But the firm’s more practical hatchbacks, SUVs and saloons tend to be resolutely sensible, and often bring relatively sedate performance.
- BMW 330d (2005) Fast diesel cars are well established today, but back in the 2000s such models weren’t so common. It’s no surprise the E90-generation BMW 330d was favoured by the boys in blue, because that car in the rear-view mirror could easily be a 316i.
Jan 13, 2022 · A sleeper car is best defined as “an ordinary-looking production car fitted with a race-derived engine”. It’s a car that looks slow until you race it. Here’s an extreme example of what the exact opposite of a sleeper car might look like.
Jan 6, 2021 · What's a sleeper? In the world of cars, it's a vehicle that looks fairly standard from the outside, hiding its true capabilities underneath.
Dec 4, 2020 · A sleeper car is a master of understatement in the automotive world. It's a car that offers considerable performance yet is bereft of indecent bodywork, garish paint, oversized aerodynamic elements, or anything else that might invite unwanted attention.
Jan 13, 2017 · A sleeper car, also known as a Q-car in Britain, is basically a car which has what would be considered sporty power and performance figures, but the exterior styling is unassuming.
