10 Mundane Grocery-Getter Models With Performance-Car Credentials

Performance cars are, typically, much flashier than their regular counterparts. Nowadays, when most vehicles are about the numbers and more or less identical, design departments are tasked with the uneasy task of coming up with captivating designs for their more performance-oriented models. The strife to come up with a captivating and distinctive design has led to some divisive styling decisions.

With that being said, there are still great options if you are looking to be under the radar while having a sportscar-rivalling performance. The models on this list range from bargain commuter cars to modern classics, and even new models. One thing they have in common is they all combine subtle esthetics with great performance while also being great grocery-getters.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, we gathered and compared detailed performance data on each model from specialized websites like Automobile-Catalog.com, Auto-Data.com, Zeroto60Times.com, Car & Driver, and MotorWeek.org. The used car prices were sourced from sites like Classic.com and Edmunds. Models have been arranged based on top speed, from slowest to fastest.

10 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge

Top Speed: 112 MPH

Don’t mind this low top speed of the Swedish sedan. From 2021 every Volvo model, regardless of engine output, features a 112-mph speed governor. Despite the Swedish (now Chinese-owned) carmaker being obsessed with safety, performance is still part of the menu. The current Volvo S60 features an elegant and understated design, which allows the Swede to fly under the radar. If you go for one of the more powerful engine options (most of which are hybrid), you are in for a pleasant surprise.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Auto-Data.com)

The range-topping S60 T8 Recharge packs enough performance to lay down numbers, typically expected from a serious performance car. At the same time, you can opt for the R-Design package on every engine option, which means it’s impossible to distinguish between a base S60 and the most powerful model.

9 Volkswagen Passat VR6

Top Speed: 126 MPH

Volkswagen is not the first name you associate with performance and the Passat is the epitome of a boring commuter. Despite the premium aspirations, the German sedan is, often discarded as being a bland, Germanic grocery-getter. However, one redeemable feature is the range-topping VR-6 engine.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

The company’s narrow-angle V-6 engines are legendary in Europe and capable of great performance. Sadly, the North American version packs 20 horsepower less than its Euro counterpart, but that can easily be remedied. With the VR6 engine, the VW Passat is easily among the deceptively fast cars you can still get for cheap. Used examples can be had for around $10,000.

8 Audi S4 (B8)

Top Speed: 155 MPH

To no surprise, we have an Audi S4 on the list. Out of the German premium trio, Audi’s models have been more restrained in terms of styling. While things haven’t changed much, the brand’s conservative styling was most evident around the 2000s. The Audi S4 is a perfect example of an under-the-radar sedan that packs great performance. We are specifically talking about the B8 generation, which came out in 2009, and features a supercharged TFSI V-6.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

It is a true paradox that the same carmaker that established the performance station wagon segment with the RS2 also makes one of the most boring-looking performance sedans. Unless you are well-versed in the automotive world, you would never guess this bland-looking German sedan is capable of embarrassing many of the modern performance models. And that’s before we get to modifications, which easily unlock over 100 extra horsepower. Average used car prices hover just over $20,000.

7 Volvo S80 V8

Top Speed: 155 MPH

The Volvo S80 has now been replaced by the sleeker, more modern, Volvo S90, but when it was around, it was a proper sleeper. Volvo’s design has always been more on the conservative side and the last S80 is as mundane as any other 2000s Volvo. However, between 2006 and 2009, you could get Volvo’s largest sedan with a Yamaha-built V-8 engine, which packed some serious grunt.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Auto-Data.com)

The same engine can be found in the Volvo XC90 SUV and later a twin-turbocharged variant was used in the British Noble M600. After 2009, the S80 ditched the V-8 for a turbocharged inline-six, but to this day, Volvo cars equipped with the Yamaha V-8 remain some of the most sought-after. Used car prices hover in the region of $10,000.

6 BMW M5 (E39)

Top Speed: 155 MPH

To this day, the BMW M5 remains one of the most praised performance sedans ever made. Its sublime chassis, well-built interior, and powerful S62 V-8, coupled exclusively to a manual transmission make the Bavarian sedan a desired modern classic even today. Sadly, prices reflect this as pristine examples are going for over $50,000. Despite all the heritage and great driving characteristics, the BMW M5 E39 is relatively restrained, especially when compared to the later, V-10-powered M5 E60.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

The M5 body kit is relatively restrained, and it takes a keen eye to distinguish it from the regular one. The M5 esthetics were available to the lesser models, which means the lack of quad-exhaust is the only way to distinguish a lesser model from the real deal. The E39 M5 carries an average used car price of $33,472, according to Classic.com.

5 Audi S6 (C7)

Top Speed: 155 MPH

Despite dropping the V-10 from the (C6) generation, Audi’s mid-size sedan continues to be an understated Autobahn missile. While the latest S6 and RS6 models score a noticeably more aggressive styling than their predecessors, the C7 S6 produced between 2012 and 2018, still features Audi’s more restrained exterior styling. The facelift model from 2014 brings a slight bump in power for the V-8 engine and a few subtle exterior changes. Don’t let the lack of the previous generation’s Lamborghini V-10 engine dissuade you. The Audi S6 C7 packs more performance than its forebearer.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Auto-Data.com)

If you spec a base model A6 with the S-Line package, it is virtually indistinguishable from the S6, unless you look at the badging. This means that when you see one of these on the road, you can’t be sure whether it has a turbo-four or a twin-turbo V-8 under the hood. According to classic.com, the average used car price for the (C7) Audi S6 is $26,878.

4 BMW 340i (G20)

Top Speed: 155 MPH

In recent times, BMW’s styling has been under scrutiny by many enthusiasts. The simple yet elegant forms of Elden Beemers are long forgotten and dearly missed, but luckily, not all models of the Bavarian carmaker are butchered. The BMW G20 3 Series still looks relatively tame, especially compared to the M3/M4 models with their “pig nose” front end.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Auto-Data.com)

As with other European models, the car looks the same whether you go for the 320i or the mighty 340i model, which shares an engine with the Toyota GR Supra. BMW has always had a distinctive design, mostly due to the kidney grille, which in the G20 is of normal size. In Europe, you can get the G20 3 Series with a 150-horsepower diesel, which looks exactly the same as the 340i.

3 Ford Fusion Sport

Top Speed: 165 MPH

The Fusion is a shining example of the boring grocery-getter and this fully applies to its base version. In standard form, the Fusion packs 175 horsepower and sends power to the front wheels only. However, the Fusion Sport hides a secret under its hood. The turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 makes this fastback-styled, Aston Martin-looking grocery-getter an unassuming threat to performance cars.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com and MotorWeek.org)

The engine is reportedly underrated from the factory, but even the factory-claimed numbers are no joke. Its 13.6-second quarter-mile time is on par with many sports coupes and modern hot hatchbacks. At the same time, the engine responds well to basic mods, easily unlocking extra performance. According to Edmunds, used examples can be had in the ball-park of $18,000.

2 Ford Taurus SHO (Gen-6)

Top Speed: 167 MPH

The blue oval pony car may be one of its most popular global models, but when it comes to under-the-radar grocery getters that pack performance, three letters come to mind – SHO. It’s no wonder many states adopted the Taurus SHO as the police interceptor of choice. Blow past one of these boring sedans, and it will quickly SHOw you what it’s capable of. Ford has always tried being in tune with the modern times, which is why, unlike its American competitors, the Taurus SHO relies, not on a pushrod V-8, but a turbocharged EcoBoost V-6.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com and Zeroto60Times.com)

With a curb weight of over 4,200 pounds (1,905 kg), the SHO cannot be added to the list of American cars with great power-to-weight ratio. Despite that, the SHO is still able to eat the quarter-mile in a not-too-shabby, 14.2 seconds. As testified by the many police interceptors still in service, these engines are robust, and extra performance is easy to unlock. 2013 model year examples carry an average price of just under $15,000 according to Classic.com.

1 Chevrolet SS

Top Speed: 175 MPH

An American sedan with Australian roots that may have been a bit too under the radar. On paper, the Chevrolet SS had everything – the LS3 V-8 engine from the Corvette, power going to the rear, and even the option of a six-speed manual. All that was coupled with a sleek, understated exterior and four-door practicality.

Performance Specifications

(Data sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

Unfortunately for the SS, the spotlight was stolen by the C6 Corvette and the neo-retro-styled Camaro. The Chevrolet SS was, technically, a rebadged Holden Commodore, and underneath it was GM’s Zeta platform, also featured in the fifth-generation Camaro. The Chevy SS is a true sleeper and, given its proven mechanicals, it’s no wonder it’s one of the fastest American sedans ever produced. It carries an average price of $41,303 in the used car market according to Classic.com.