The List: 5 Shocking Sleepers

kplacer: excuse me? The Accord, Malibu. Regal, Chrysler 200, Avenger, Fusion, Altima, Passat, Legacy and Mazda6 all offer 6-cylinder engines, with no plans to change. The only mid-sized cars in this class that have abandoned the V6 are the Sonata and Optima. Only 2 out of 12 cars is hardly "the rest of the industry".

6 cylinder motors are here to stay. It's a nice boost in power over a 4banger, with the added smoothness when climbing up those darn hills.

I don't know if I'd include the Cadillac in this list. Cadillacs are historically perceived as as large as they are powerful. A Cadillac without a V8 is almost heresy. So the presumption is that a large luxurious vehicle such as a Caddy will have an appropriately large and powerful motor.

I might include the V6 Mazda6 instead. Until recently, it had a relatively underpowered V6 option (220-ish hp?) and now it matches the V6 Camry's 0-60 time with a 270-ish hp V6. And the car may look sleek, but it doesn't strike me as particularly fast-looking.

Next you should do The List: 5 Pitiful Posers. All show and no go. I'd like to nominate the Eclipse and the CR-Z, and maybe the Mini Cooper.

pushrod - you are entirely correct.

"The Accord, Malibu. Regal, Chrysler 200, Avenger, Fusion, Altima, Passat, Legacy and Mazda6 all offer 6-cylinder engines, with no plans to change."

Next generation Malibu is going to have 4 cylinder offerings only. And ALL Regal models including the GS are 4 cylinders.

I think I'd put the Rav4 V6 on there before the Camry. Sure, it isn't quite as quick, but no one expects a cute ute to pull like that.

And if I were able to nominate recently deceased models, the last Cobalt SS turbo was stupid fast and if you didn't order it with the rear wing, looked just like a rental car.

Toyota Avalon over the Camry. More geriatric, just as quick. The Rav4 is a sleeper with the V6, too.
Before the hood scoop and huge, stupid grin, the Mazdaspeed3 was super sleeper.
Honestly, no one expects the MX5 Miata to be as quick as it is; everyone thinks their hairdresser cars and doesn't know they're actually we'll sorted sports cars.
Ford Flex/lLincoln MKX Ecoboost? Kia/Hyundai turbo twin sedans? X6/X5 with the turbo v8?

Add my 283hp Avenger to the list as well.

Jaeger and pushrod +1000

Good calls on the Rav 4 and the Ecoboost Flex.

This: http://velocityresource.com/images/t5r.jpg

Flying brick pwns all.
(I know, I know, it's not made anymore, but the V60 T6 isn't sold here, so this is the next best option).

That poor camry would be left in the dust by my S4 twin turbo, looks stock packing 500hp.

"kplacer says:

05:56 AM, 08/28/11

Toyota seems out of step with the rest of the industry with the new Camry by continuing to offer a V6 when the rest of the world is moving to 4-cylinder engines exclusively in this class of vehicle. Like the styling, will they be totally off the page in a few years time?"

I'm going to agree with Pushrod on kplacer's facts fail. Try picking up a car mag instead of People next time you hit the Supercuts.

I'm also going to add the #1 deceased "sleeper". The ol' Neon "Hi" SRT4. Yes, it had the big silly wing, raked stance, and hood intake, but so do 99.99999% of all the cars rolling in the San Fernando Valley.
But try hanging with one of those in a straight-line, especially if they spent the extra fiddy-bucks on the Mopar chip, and you'll need to be in a substantially more expensive sports car to have a chance.

Subaru Legacy 2.5GT 0-60 is 5.9

My vote goes to the 2003/2004 Cobra Terminators for best bang for the buck,

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I have to agree chrisnick04 on the 1st Generation MS3. I can't tell you how many rednecks, ricers, and mullet heads have thought that my 2007 would be easy pickings...

An Impala SS with a 5.3. I know someone with one and it looks like a rental car like every other Impala.

Moves good though.

No Accord V6 6 speed? That car runs in the 13.90 range and traps atound 102mph.

I think that Camry should be taken off and any V6 family sedan put in its place. Altima, Accord, Camry from last generation all had a similar performance level. granted it's older but an SRT-4, MazdaSpeed 3 and 6, and such are better reserved for this list.

BMW X3 with the turbo straight 6.
Fastest midsize SUV in the class... by a country mile.

Best sleeper car out there is the 04 thru 07 Subaru Forester XT. Fast as a WRX but looks as unassuming as the Little SUV that it is.

I don't think the Caddy belongs here, the huge wheels and tires, the exhaust, the grill, they all scream hotrod. It's wicked fast to be sure, but not plain enough to qualify as a sleeper.

greenpony says: "Cadillacs are historically perceived as as large as they are powerful."

I see your point. However, a Ferrari F360 driver would hardly expect to see the tail lights of a Cadillac wagon in a stop light race. And yet, that is what would happen :)

done37: yeah the last gen forester Xt's were sleepers... they were way quicker than their 224 hp ratings would suggest. I would say the RAV4 is probably the biggest sleeper out there. Something the class of the CR-V, if I didn't know better, should never be that quick.

All you saying that the other v6 sedans deserve the spot over the camry are forgetting the one thing that makes something a sleeper. People don't expect a camry to be fast. The Mazda6 and Altima have sporting intentions and anybody that follows cars at all probably know they are of the quicker bunch.

Modern Minivan's could be considered sleepers in a way... All the current minivan's have so much power and it was just a few years ago that most minivan's were quick to hit 60 in under 10 seconds. Now with many of them doing 8 or less to 60 and most people don't expect them to move out like they do. I've suprised a couple of jerks on the freeway that don't want to let me merge over and speed up when I flick my blinker on, only to mash the pedal in our unassuming mini-van to take the spot easily anyway.

this morning I saw a "get in/sit down/hold on/shut up" bumper sticker on a Corolla LE

maybe he thinks he's driving a Camry

@exnevadan,

Are you sure it wasn't a Corolla S?

"BMW X3 with the turbo straight 6.

Fastest midsize SUV in the class... by a country mile."

I don't think "BMW" and "Sleeper" generally go together. People expect Bimmers to be quick, and they usually are (forget the 2.5L X3 of the mid 2000s, though).

Also, I wouldn't call the X3 "midsize." It seemed MUCH smaller than the CR-V/RAV4 to me, which are in the "cute ute" class.

A sleeper is a car you wouldn't expect is quick. I have to assume that a Ferrari driver would know that a CTS-V with it's huge grill, huge exhast, and brembo brakes would give it away.

The Volvo is also a premium car and is expected to be quick. 5.9 isn't quick enough when you consider the BMW 335 can sometimes be in the high 4s.

I'd also nominate the RAV4. With the V6 and AWD my friend embarrassed me in my 2010 GTI. His RAV4 hooked up and I was left spinning tires. Once underway I didn't have the power to close. In fact, any Toyota with that V6 seems to be a monster. Even the huge Highlander will do the deed in 7 seconds with that motor.

The Avenger or the Sebring with the new Pentastar V6 is also pretty quick. It still looks rental car until it smokes you.

I second the motion to do a 5 pitiful posers list. I nominate the Lexus CX hybrid. At first glance the LED running lights, low slung body, and general good looks make it look like a fast hatch, but the thing can barely get out of it's own way.

"The Avenger or the Sebring with the new Pentastar V6 is also pretty quick."

It is?

@autoboy

The 2GR-FE engine from Toyota is one heckuva powerplant. I'm not a Toyota fan in any way, shape, or form, but you have to give them tremendous credit for that engine. It tends to return excellent fuel economy, is smooth and refined and tends to punch above its power ratings in terms of acceleration.

It has no problem running with the more powerfully rated engines from Honda, Nissan, etc. of the same size. I don't think anyone is playing games with the power ratings, I just think from personal experience that the 2GR has a superior torque curve from off idle to about 4000 rpm which really helps it move out.

And of course, since they use a version of this engine in just about everything they make, the cost to produce is probably pretty low. I know I've heard of some issues on early versions, but overall it seems pretty reliable too.

@bimmerjay

maybe he removed the S badge and put the LE badge in its place - ultimate sleeper

"I see your point. However, a Ferrari F360 driver would hardly expect to see the tail lights of a Cadillac wagon in a stop light race. And yet, that is what would happen :)"

So... A sleeper relative to a Ferrari? I guess. So maybe a base Impreza is a sleeper relative to a Fortwo.

I think this post was about vehicles that break popular opinions and, I may be wrong here, but I believe the popular opinion is that Cadillacs are straight-line capable.

I think people like us are at a disadvantage though. We already know what all these cars are capable of, so we wouldn't be surprised that a V6 Camry would be a stoplight race winner.

"I think people like us are at a disadvantage though. We already know what all these cars are capable of, so we wouldn't be surprised that a V6 Camry would be a stoplight race winner.
"

Very true.....but I think that many on here HATE the fact that a Camry would beat anything. I find it rather poetic at times.

Go for a ride in a Cobra Terminator, first lightly modded 0-160+,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmk3TFtZZ_c
then go for an in car street ride in another,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlvnbipfXM0

sohcammer I like the first vid...he short shifted 1,2 I noticed but I dont like vids of people driving fast on the the street....thanks though.

Sleepers are only so if you don't know your cars really.

As for the comment about the mazdaspeed 3 most people don't notice because the only big difference is the scoop in the hood. From the back and side most people don't know the difference. After all from the back there are only 4 hints most people don't notice as to what's up front: Spoiler that has a open slot between it and the roof plus no "horns on the ends, the mazdaspeed 3 badge, the soot on the exhaust and LED tail lights. From the side you have the 18 inch wheels and slightly different profile due to the fenders and the bump in the hood. And at night (for the stock 2010 Canadian models or the any car with the tech package) the HID lights moves with the steering as they are adaptive. To us car people all those things are huge giveaways but for most people it's like "what?". The only hint I think most people might think there's something difference is the resonating exhaust note due to the car using resonators instead of regular mufflers. People overstate the front hood scoop and what it means. Get a black one like I did and most likely no one even notices from the front.