You see them all around you. These are cars you often pass by. So common that you might not give them a second glance, but did you know that same car, once in a while, is hiding a really powerful engine? Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, these cars are platforms that support much more performance. And occasionally, manufacturers do exactly that: pack insanely powerful engines under their hoods.

For car enthusiasts, these are excitable sightings amidst a sea of mundane vehicles, some of them their lookalikes. Having a big engine doesn’t eat into their usability, however, as many of these cars prove. Carmakers fit some cars with big engines to boost their demand and desirability. It does not always work out, but it does leave the world a better place!

There is an undeniable appeal in a sleeper car. Putting down awe-inspiring performance but totally hiding under a design shared with base trims, the cars on this list tick the “sleeper” box right from the factory.

10 2008 Audi Q7

The biggest Audi SUV had a tough time cracking the North American market. In a continent ruled by pickups and SUVs, the German luxury barge had little takers. Audi decided to inject some flair into its flagship SUV and brought the Q7 V12 TDI to our shores. It pushed close to 500 hp and made 737 lb-ft, which meant you could push past 60 mph in 5.5 seconds!

In typical Audi fashion, the top speed was locked at 155 mph, although you could pay to remove the electronic limiter, unlocking the entire range of performance the V12 is capable of. It did not work entirely as well as Audi would have liked, but that still means that there could be a bunch of the Q7 V12 TDI you can pick up on the used car market!

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Related: Here's What The 2010 Audi Q7 Is Worth Today

9 2008 Volkswagen Touareg

Volkswagen has a knack for designing enduring, endearing cars. None of the cars will jump out at you from the lineup unless you are a VAG enthusiast, except maybe the prolific Golf. The Touareg, even less so. It wears a subtle, almost unassuming design. And yet, the top-spec Touareg packs a monstrous twin-turbocharged V10 motor good for 309 hp and 553 lb-ft.

Sadly, the Touareg V10 was a victim of shifting emissions norms. Volkswagen first brought it to the USA in 2004 but had to remove it from the American portfolio for emissions compliance updates. They tried it again in 2006, and one last time in 2008, before pulling the plug. What the North American market ended up missing was a V10-powered SUV boasting of high-quality build, 4Motion AWD system, and an impressive tow rating of 7,700 lbs. The 2024 VW Touareg is coming though, stay tuned!

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8 2013 Volvo V60

Volvo might be famous for the safest, most durable cars and the most beautiful wagons, but the Swedish carmaker also knows how to produce fast cars with powerful engines. Case in point, the Volvo V60: it was arguably the most proportionate, elegant wagon to ever make it to production. Volvo further increased its appeal by teaming up with Polestar and souping up the wagon.

The V60 Polestar was in many ways a spiritual successor of the 740 and 850 wagons with their supercar-rivaling performance. Except for the Polestar Blue colorway, there wasn’t much to tell one apart from the regular V60. The go-fast wagon managed to gather appeal for the V60 badge, eventually allowing Volvo to bring their entire wagon lineup to the US – like the much bigger V90, along with the new-gen V60.

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7 2010 BMW 5 Series

More than 1.3 million of the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series were sold in the US and Canada. Marking the second giant step in design and technology within its lineage, the E60 5 Series gave birth to the wildest super saloon ever: the E60 M5.

It’s not so much the performance it made that mattered as much as the fact that a production saloon ran a gigantic V10 under the hood. It was only the E60 that received this honor, with previous and further M5 generations never going big on cylinders. BMW made North American buyers happier when they announced the option of equipping their cars with manual transmissions instead of the standard seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Rare occasions and rare cars like these deserve to be cherished.

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Related: Here's Why The 2008 BMW 5 Series Is Still A Good Luxury Car

6 2015 Dodge Charger

With close to 100,000 of these moving out of the dealerships every year for the past two decades, it’s easy to miss the faster versions on the road. The Dodge Charger is an everyday car in the US, but only if you leave out the SRT Hellcat RedEye.

The same saloon that uses a V6 to move around is also capable of accommodating the monstrous Hellcat motor to become one of the most fearsome super saloons on the planet. At about 797 hp and 707 lb-ft, the HEMI engine is the absolute king of the hill, fitted to a car that is known more for its frugal V6 trim.

Out on the road, only a giant hood scoop, flared arches, and bigger wheels mark the Hellcat Charger out from its regular SXT and SRT trims. But once you identify what you are looking at, you might just get goosebumps! Sadly, the Dodge Charger and Challenger will be going off the roster and returning as EVs, so you don't have much time if you want one of these.

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5 2020 Lexus GS

Lexus makes luxury cars for a certain type of buyer. Apart from the spindle grille up front, which really divides opinions, Lexus cars are understated, even if they have serious performance. Enter the Lexus GS. A car with such a non-threatening design that were it not for its size, you would quickly dismiss it as just another saloon. But its success story spans 30 years and four generations, making it one of the most common cars around. Lexus decided to make a final go-fast version of the sedan before striking it off the roster for good. It’s called the Lexus GS F and is easily one of the most reliable super sedans you can pick up today. All without the show.

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Related: This Is Why The Lexus GS F Is One Of The Most Reliable Sports Sedans On The Market

4 2011 Hyundai Genesis

A series of spy shots in 2007 got the car community all excited about the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe always sparks interest, no matter the manufacturer. Upon launch, the car offered a lot of creature comforts and modern conveniences like keyless entry, steering wheel audio controls, hands-free Bluetooth, tire pressure monitoring system, cruise control, USB/iPod + Aux input, and electronics such as ESC, ABS, and EBD. Effectively, it balanced performance with practicality.

However, it was the choice of engines that made The Hyundai Genesis Coupe a borderline sleeper. Although the entry-level trim packed a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, you could spec your Genesis Coupe with a bigger 3.8-liter Lambda II RS V6 making 300 hp and 266 lb-ft.

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3 2021 Mercedes-Benz A-Class

There are hatchbacks more popular, and more commonplace than the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, but this little German car trumps them all when you up the performance ante. You see, the most extreme version of a Mercedes-Benz is an AMG, and the AMG A45 S is based on the car in question.

What makes the A45 singularly impressive is the fact that it uses the world’s most powerful production four-cylinder car engine. The turbocharged 2.0-liter under the Mercedes-AMG A45’s hood makes 415 hp and 368 lb-ft, enough to propel the hot hatchback to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. Of course, you can tell the AMG apart from the regular A-Class, but that goes to show how brilliantly the base trim serves as a platform for mind-bending performance.

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2 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Grand Cherokee is one of America’s favorite SUVs. Being a part of the Stellantis Group meant Jeep could call upon sister brands for more performance-oriented versions of the big three-row SUV. One thing led to another, and Jeep found themselves pushing the legendary Hellcat engine under the Grand Cherokee’s hood. This gave birth to the fearsome Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk.

It could leave sports cars in the dust thanks to the supercharged V8 producing 707 hp and 645 lb-ft, while also making family road trips a faster, more thrilling affair. Since it’s an SUV, Jeep could not just slap on an aero kit or make wider bodywork. Instead, the company stanced it lower to the ground, gave it fatter wheels, and pared back the chrome for something more subtle. The end result is a car you could hardly tell apart from a regular Grand Cherokee. It was only until it left you coughing in a cloud of tire smoke that you would realize the fast-departing SUV wasn’t a regular Jeep after all.

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1 2007 Pontiac G8

Many of America’s most glorious vehicles in the past century have come from the house of Pontiac. The G8 represents a company's final attempt before going under. Sad as that may sound, Pontiac did stop operations in 2010, but not before shipping a bit under 31,000 of these. In base trim, the Pontiac G8 packed a 3.6-liter V6 pushing 256 hp and 248 lb-ft – healthy numbers for a sedan.

It was the Pontiac G8 GXP, of which less than 1,900 were made, that caught the fancy of those who knew what was under its hood: a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 producing 402 hp and 401 lb-ft. Pontiac also gave it upgraded suspension tuned at the Nurburgring and subtly differentiated the GXP from the regular G8 using a unique bumper cover and a (non-functional) diffuser. It remained alive in other markets as the Holden Commodore, but sadly never quite took off in the States.

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