Horsepower is cheap these days, so you'll never know what grocery-getter is about to smoke you at the lights. Here are the ten sleepers Jalopnik readers call the most underestimated cars on the road.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: Black Smoke Racing
10.) Toyota RAV4
Suggested By: C³ - Cool Cadillac Cat
Why it flies below the radar: It's at this point where we would normally stereotype and then mock the usual drivers of this particular make and model and then move on with our lives, but RAV4s are so anonymous, we can't even remember knowing anyone who owns one, or really even remember seeing one on the road. It's like we got memory wiped by beige.
How fast from 0-60? 6.7s, though it's not hard to find owners who clam to drive a bit faster. Here's a RAV4 hitting sixty in 5.4!
Says who?: Consmer Guide Automotive
Photo Credit: Ben Byrne
9.) Subaru Forester 2.5XT
Suggested By: Stevie Welles
Why it flies below the radar: This is a bona fide mommy mobile. From an objective point of view, they're like SUVs but more efficient. From a social point of view, they are the automotive equivalent of pleated slacks, of plain oatmeal, of soft rock country ballads.
How fast from 0-60? 6.6s, but if you have a 2003-08 model XT, you have some serious performance potential with a WRX turbo and plenty of parts interchangeability with an STi motor. Just don't paint the rims gold and give it a big scoop, because everyone will know what's coming.
Says who?: Motor Trend
Photo Credit: Subaru
8.) 2009 Impala SS
Suggested By: Stapleface
Why it flies below the radar: Impalas aren't exactly the newest cars on the block, but they're regular sights on the roads and good luck spotting an SS model that pulls up next to you. All you expect is a limp-wristed V6, but what you get is a wild, self-destructive 5.3l V8. It still looks like a ride straight out of the fleet services backlot behind where your work.
How fast from 0-60? 6.4s
Says who?: Edmunds
Photo Credit: Chevrolet
7.) Chevrolet HHR SS
Suggested By: Ash78, now officially A BOSS
Why it flies below the radar: It looks like a company car for your local florist, interior decorator, or whatever. It's just hard to imagine that living, breathing human beings drive these things.
How fast from 0-60? 6.3s, though its hot Norschleife cred shouldn't be ignored either.
Says who?: We do.
Photo Credit: Bill Kwok
6.) Hyundai Sonata Turbo
Suggested By: SennaMP4
Why it flies below the radar: People are starting to expect more out of Hyundai when it comes to comfort, reliability, and image, but in terms of performance, a plain-Jane Sedan is not about to turn any heads. Your souped-up ‘90s Audi should be wary of these turbos, so keep an eye out for that 2.0T badge.
How fast from 0-60? 6.2s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Hyundai
5.) Ford F-150 Ecoboost
Suggested By: Stapleface
Why it flies below the radar: It's a truck. It's even the most common truck around, so you don't expect much from it but steady highway cruising. F-150s exist so that there's something to fill up the space between all the other cars in parking lots. You don't think that a V6 pickup will take you at the lights, but it will.
How fast from 0-60? 6.1s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Ford
4.) Ford Flex Ecoboost
Suggested By: jnewman1991
Why it flies below the radar: Much as the F150 doesn't turn heads on the freeway, the Flex won't stir up may questioning looks, as it's just a big, uncommon station wagon. Some find them stylish, but few think of them as fast, but Ford's corporate policy of dropping a big turbo six into everything with four wheels can make it a real performer.
How fast from 0-60? 6.0s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images
3.) Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Suggested By: MorelOrelHershiser
Why it flies below the radar: Cobalts don't come new from the factory anymore, but they're still common all over the country as basic cars for the masses. You expect them to be the four-wheeled conveyances of this nation's endless stream of disinterested, distracted drivers. You don't expect that four-door compact sedan to blow past your cherished BMW.
How fast from 0-60? 5.5s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Jalopnik
2.) Mazdaspeed 6
Suggested By: Kiwi_Commander
Why it flies below the radar: We get why people buy Mazda 6s. They're fun-to-drive CamCord alternatives, but the average person doesn't expect to see much from them when things go high-speed. The 2005-2007 Mazdaspeed 6 isn't looks even more mundane than the sport-trimmed non-Mazdaspeed version... just before it races off into the distance.
How fast from 0-60? 5.4s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Mazda
1.) Ford Taurus SHO
Suggested By: DarkGemini, 3% Commando
Why it flies below the radar: There's little to distinguish the SHO from the mundane Taurus, which makes its crazy all-wheel-drive launches all the more mind-boggling in person. Some might criticize the new SHO for being a poor successor to the more focused, hard-edged Yamaha-powered sedans of the past, but there's no denying the outright pace of this factory sleeper. It just looks like a big, bland sedan.
How fast from 0-60? 5.2s
Says who?: Car and Driver
Photo Credit: Ford