Volvo planned to build about 1,000 copies of the Volvo 850 T-5R, a boxy family car painted bright yellow. Instead, the factory built 6,954 of the turbocharged sedans and wagons, and the car became a favorite example of speed in sensible clothes.
That is the appeal of a sleeper. It looks like transport, but it drives like something far more expensive. These seven are our picks for the sleepers that, in our view, earn a second look from anyone who knows what the badges mean.
The verdicts are ours. However, every horsepower figure, price and build count comes from road tests, auction research and specialist outlets.
1. 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R
The car first appeared at the Geneva show in March 1994 under the name “T plus 5.” According to the T-5R owners’ history site, production began in the 40th week of 1994 at Volvo’s plant in Gent, Belgium. For most markets, that meant a 2.3-liter turbo five-cylinder.
Still, its output was modest on paper. As TimesLIVE’s 30th-anniversary feature reports, it made 165 kW, about 221 hp, with an overboost that briefly lifted that to 177 kW. Porsche lent some tuning help. In addition, the manual car hit 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and topped out at 245 km/h. Our take: a yellow Volvo 850 T-5R wagon turns heads precisely because nobody expects it to be quick.
2. 1995 Audi RS2 Avant
The RS2 was really a joint project. Porsche co-developed the wagon and assembled it at its Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart. Then Porsche added its own parts: red four-piston front calipers with Porsche lettering, 332 mm discs from the 993 Turbo and 17-inch wheels from the 964.
Meanwhile, under the hood sat a 2.2-liter five-cylinder turbo rated at 315 hp and 410 Nm. According to Secret Classics’ 25th-anniversary history, it ran 0 to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds and reached 162 mph. Audi had planned about 2,200, but 2,891 were built by 1996, including four sedans for customers in the UAE. In our view, the Porsche-sourced mirrors and wheels are the main giveaways.
3. 1992 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi
The SSEi put a supercharger on a full-size family sedan. For 1992, Pontiac fitted the 3.8-liter V6 with an Eaton blower. As SlashGear’s look at the SSEi engine explains, that first version made 205 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.
As a result, those numbers pushed the big Pontiac to about 131 mph flat out. It reached 60 mph in just under nine seconds. Two years later, the 1994 update raised output to 225 hp and 275 lb-ft. From the outside, though, it looked like a car for a regional sales manager. We’d argue that is exactly why it belongs here.
4. 2003 Mercury Marauder
Mercury took its Grand Marquis, painted it black and swapped in a 4.6-liter DOHC V8 with 32 valves. According to Mac’s Motor City Garage, that engine made 302 hp at 5,750 rpm and 318 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm. It drove the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic.
Also, the sedan weighed about 4,200 pounds and rode on a body-on-frame chassis. Top speed was electronically capped at 117 mph. Inside, however, a 7,000-rpm tachometer hinted at its purpose. Mercury hoped to sell 18,000 a year, yet only 7,838 went out in 2003 and 3,214 in 2004. To us, that rarity makes a clean one a better sight than most new sports cars.
5. 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8
Dodge revealed the SRT8 version of its Magnum wagon in Los Angeles in January 2005. As Auto123 reported at the reveal, it used a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 with 425 hp at 6,000 rpm. A five-speed automatic with AutoStick manual shifting handled the gears.
Then Dodge quoted a 0-to-100 km/h time just over five seconds and a quarter mile under 14 seconds. At the same time, the wagon offered 2,027 liters of cargo space. In our opinion, the chopped roofline makes it look tough. Even so, few drivers at a stoplight guess there’s a Hemi with more than 400 horsepower under the hood.
6. 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8
Volkswagen built the Passat W8 around an unusual 4.0-liter engine. In effect, it joined two narrow V4s on one crankshaft. According to Auto123’s 2003 road test, it made 270 hp and sent it to all four wheels through 4Motion. The base price was $53,400.
On the outside, though, the car gave little away. As The Truth About Cars noted in 2003, the only clues were quad exhaust tips, W8 badges and 14-spoke alloys, with no flared arches. It also weighed 1,902 kg. We think that is the right recipe for a sleeper: eight cylinders hidden in a commuter’s sedan.
7. 1999 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
AMG fitted the W210 E-Class with its 5.4-liter M113 V8. According to Supercars.net’s 1999 E55 AMG profile, the engine made 354 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 391 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm. A five-speed automatic drove the rear wheels.
As a result, that combination took the sedan to 60 mph in about 5.6 seconds. Top speed was limited to 250 km/h, roughly 155 mph. The price was about $70,000. Yet in our view, it looked much like any other E-Class at the curb, and that is the charm.
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