Sleeper Showdown: 5 Stealthy Cars With Crazy Performance in 2022
Nobody can deny that car shopping is a stressful situation. When you’re making a big investment, it’s never easy to decide. With so many options from fuel-efficient to fast and wild, it’s hard to pick what car to buy. However, if you’re a fan of sleeper cars and want something that will be fast, fun, and quiet about it, we’ve got you covered. Here are five brand-new factory sleepers you can buy in 2022.
BMW M550i xDrive
The M550i xDrive bares the legendary M badge without being a true member of the M family. Think of it as being a diet M5, essentially.
However, just because it’s not a full-blown M5 doesn’t mean that it’s not potent. Carbuzz states that under the hood is a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. It comes with plenty of punch, making 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. It handles the zero to 60 mile per hour sprint in just 3.6-seconds.
Despite all these performance figures, though, the M550i doesn’t stand out all that much. It doesn’t have the loud and proud aero that the M5 or especially the M5 CS has. It still carries a bit of “fast car” presence just for being a BMW. However, it certainly comes with a bunch more power than the lower-tier 5 Series models you’d have a hard time distinguishing it from. That is a textbook sleeper!
Tesla Model S Plaid
The Model S Plaid is perhaps the most sleeper of any sleeper. It is a bit wider than the standard Model S. However, even a long glance at the Model S Plaid from afar won’t give it away to most. Until folks are close enough to see the steering yoke, the Plaid is pretty stealthy compared to a standard Model S. Yet; it still manages a zero to 60 run a full second faster than a standard Model S.
The Model S Plaid Tri-Motor makes an astonishing 1,020 peak horsepower. With its zero to 60 sprint in just two seconds, the Model S Plaid is the quickest-accelerating sedan in the world. Bone stock, it will run an eight-second quarter-mile and has a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Additionally, it holds the record for the fastest EV lap of the Nurburgring.
Those performance figures are pretty bonkers for something you’d walk past in a grocery store parking lot.
Polestar 2 Dual Motor
Many folks are unfamiliar with the Swedish brand Polestar, which is known for its performance work on Volvos. This makes it a great candidate for being a sleeper. All it needs to qualify is a little speed. Luckily, the engineers behind some of the fastest Volvos ever didn’t fall short of that goal.
The unsuspecting little Polestar is a fully electric sedan that produces 408 horsepower. Like the Model S Plaid, it’s an all-wheel drive full EV with some punch. Though it isn’t nearly as ferocious as the Plaid, it still manages an impressive zero to 60 time of 4.5 seconds. That seems like a decent number, considering it’s about $90,000 cheaper than the Tesla.
Audi S6
For the most part, throughout the past handful of decades, the majority of people couldn’t tell Audi’s performance models from their base models. This, too, makes the perfect foundation for a sleeper. Even some car enthusiasts that aren’t well-versed in the Audi world wouldn’t know what hit them when a tame-looking luxury sedan took off on them.
Upholding this tradition is the 2022 Audi S6. Under the hood, it has a 2.9-liter turbocharged V6. Don’t let the small displacement fool you, though. It comes loaded with 444 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. The power combined with Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system nets a zero to 60 sprint in around 4.5 seconds.
Volvo S60 Recharge Polestar Engineered
It’s virtually impossible to have a list of sleeper cars and not include a Volvo! This is especially true in the case of Polestar’s involvement.
The 2022 S60 Recharge Polestar Engineered has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. This may not sound too intimidating, but there’s more. This mighty little brute features both a turbocharger and a supercharger. The drivetrain finishes off with the aid of an electric rear motor setup for a combined total of 415 horsepower.
With the classy-yet-stealthy looks of modern Volvos, nobody driving beside you will realize you’re in a car that can sprint from zero to 60 miles per hour in just four seconds. Best of all, it has an EPA fuel economy rating of up to 69 MPGe with a battery-only range of about 22 miles.
Sleeper cars are a fun experience and often accompany luxurious qualities.
Overall, buying any of these sleeper car beauties is a great way to get yourself to work without a hassle and ensure you get there in a very timely manner. Additionally, you’ll likely have a smile on your face to boot.
Furthermore, going the electric or plug-in hybrid gives you the best of both worlds for sleeper fun and fuel efficiency. Additionally, the sleeper genre often comes in the form of luxury brands, as can be seen above. So, you get fast, comfy, and efficient all at once in some cases! What could be better?
