R&T Ridiculous List of “Sleepers”

[Booster]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g13100206/best-sleeper-cars/

Most of these made me laugh, especially the first 5 off the top. Any modern luxury car with an M, AMG or V badge is putting down some serious scoot. Unless you know dick about cars you can guess it’s packing a turbo six if not a turbo or s/c V8. Why would people be paying $60-100k if they had no power/prestige??!! I like the SHO, Volvo V60, and MS3 being included.

When I had an Accord I ran with some guys building custom 3.5-3.7L j-series connected to the LSD 6-speed. That was a sleeper sedan! A FiST making over 270whp, a Fit with a K20, an LS swapped Miata, anything that looks like a sedate choice, or is not known for power, but secretly melts faces is my idea of a sleeper. I know my definition is more “tuner” mindset, but I just refuse to accept an M550i is a sleeper just because there will be an M5 with 50 more hp. /rant

 

[green_henry]

The Accord 2.0 Turbo is what the Acura TSX should have been. If they'd resurrect the TSX with the Type R motor, I'd definitely be interested. My '05 TSX with Hondata flash and various mods was my favorite car before switching to the FiST -- not as fun as the FiST, but I really miss that sound system (among other things).

 

[Booster]

The Accord 2.0 Turbo is what the Acura TSX should have been. If they'd resurrect the TSX with the Type R motor, I'd definitely be interested. My '05 TSX with Hondata flash and various mods was my favorite car before switching to the FiST -- not as fun as the FiST, but I really miss that sound system (among other things).

Oh yeah I’m feeling the new Accord 2.0T and I like it on the list. One put the hurt on the FiST a while back. I comforted myself with the fact that it costs about twice what I spent and likely couldn’t hang in the turns. Hondata is offering tunes and the Type R LSD is compatible with the trans.

 

[Erick_V]

Those Accord 2.0's are quick. Drove one and was pleasantly surprised with everything it had to offer. Would make a really good DD. But I agree with you, the price of the FiST and the tossability of it make the Fiesta the winner in my book. Half of those cars don't pass as "sleepers", granted most of us on this forum know what they're capable of. Had a Gen 2 Mazdaspeed3 and can confirm it's a sleeper. The only people that would try to race me drove modified cars. Looked pretty unassuming in a parking lot, if it didn't have the hood scoop you wouldn't know the difference

 

[PhoenixM3]

My wife had an E90 M3 and it was a riot. I agree that half of those cars look aggressive and hardly qualify as a sleeper. The Fusion Sport should’ve made this list.

 

[AZSP33D]

Nice list... I have a 2007 E60 M5 with a V10, ESS Supercharger, and manual 6 speed transmission. It's very much a sleeper, except when you listen to it rev to 8,600 RPM of course.

 

[KnockOff]

Nice list... I have a 2007 E60 M5 with a V10, ESS Supercharger, and manual 6 speed transmission. It's very much a sleeper, except when you listen to it rev to 8,600 RPM of course.

Post video of said 8,600 rpm or this is all teasing trickery.

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[AZSP33D]

Redline stock is 8,400 and tuned most people raise it to 8,600 so nothing too unusual.

 

[KnockOff]

I just really want to hear it honestly lol.

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[Capri to ST]

I had an E90 M3 before this car, and that V8 had an 8400 RPM redline. It was a beast of a car, and a magnificent motor, which was built in the same shop as their Formula 1 motors.
However, I like everything else about this car better, the steering, the handling, transmission and clutch feel. The best way I can explain it is that you feel like you sit in the Fiesta ST, as opposed to the M3 which was so big that you felt like you were sitting on it. If I lived near an Autobahn with no speed limits, I probably would have gone out everyday and driven it at top speed and bankrupted myself buying gas. For a daily driver that I can use and enjoy in real conditions here in the US, the Fiesta ST works much better for me

 

[AZSP33D]

I just really want to hear it honestly lol.

I don't have any video clips of driving anything, and inside the car it's very calm... but there are plenty on the internet just have to sort out the ones that rev a little higher than stock perhaps. Here's one "sleeper" naturally aspirated:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nqPxvj8dKc#action=share

 

[Intuit]

An older

............... I like the SHO, Volvo V60, and MS3 being included. ...............

An older model SHO let me keep up with it for a little bit last week. I was behind him at a traffic light with a semi-long empty stretch of 40MPH uphill divided roadway ahead. Sometimes you can get through the following traffic light if you're on the accelerator for the middle section. (just slow down before you get near the light itself) When right lane traffic fell back I proceeded to lane-change and gingerly add a little accelerator which is enough to mildly pass most. He matches so I give it a little more. He matches so he gives it a little more and I match. Eventually he starts pulling away. I just go ahead and drop a gear + floor it but needless to say, it doesn't have a top-end pull. I just threw the thumbs-up at'em at the light, he honked. We just have'n a little harmless fun.

Stock FiST of course isn't a straight-liner; it wasn't designed to be. It'd be nice if it had stock top-end without sacrificing low-end responsiveness, but it's good as is too! It's fit & fun... a fully functional vehicle with (relatively speaking) little to no fat. The SHO eats the FiST, the SHO wouldn't even sniff the motorcycle.

 

[our guile]

Their list is just as bad as the "sleeper" cars in Netflix's Fastest Car series.

 

[gtx3076]

Gen1 MS3 and Cobalt SS turbos without the wing are great sleepers. Even now I have to look close at older mazda 3s, the 2.3s have a badge, but their exhaust is smaller and their front grill is less aggressive. From far away hard to tell.

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[Scotman2]

The Accord 2.0 Turbo is what the Acura TSX should have been. If they'd resurrect the TSX with the Type R motor, I'd definitely be interested. My '05 TSX with Hondata flash and various mods was my favorite car before switching to the FiST -- not as fun as the FiST, but I really miss that sound system (among other things).

I drove a 2.0 Accord with the manual transmission. Add a nice Hondata tune, maybe the Civic R intake, that would be a great sleeper. And roomy with cup holders!

 

[Cdnmr2v6]

I had a Mazdaspeed6 a few years back and nobody ever saw that coming. Sure, it's not the fastest car around, but with a few mods and the AWD, it could take a lot of unsuspecting cars off the line, and further down the road too.