Summary
- Supercars are cool and impressive, but they are not practical for everyday use and come with a hefty price tag.
- There are high-end luxury performance cars that have supercar-like power but are more user-friendly and discreet in appearance.
- The article highlights several cars, such as the 2016 Lexus GS-F and the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire, that offer impressive power, performance, and speed while still offering practicality.
Supercars can run a quarter-mile in a blink of an eye and hit top speeds in excess of 300 mph. They look cooler than if a Formula 1 racer and an X-Wing fighter had a baby. They were designed to impress all five senses and draw attention where ever they go. The thing is, they cost more than houses and even mansions, plus they aren't very practical vehicles for everyday use.
Elon Musk used his McLaren F1 as a daily driver, but he's on a different level of consciousness from the rest of the world. For most people, even if they could afford it, a Hennessey Venom F5 wouldn't be the most useful ride. There's no backseat for the kids, dogs, or groceries, and according to their website, they don't even have cup holders. Sure, you can get to Starbucks in record time, but there's no place to put your Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Supercars also aren't the most comfortable things to drive, plus they are also easily foiled by speed bumps and driveway aprons. There are however cars with supercar-like power in a more user-friendly package. These aren't necessarily sleeper cars, which are unassuming vehicles that can blow doors off, but rather high-end luxury performance rides, with way too many doors, that look normal but hide a secret supercar identity.
10 2016 Lexus GS-F
Top Speed: 168 mph
If an undercover supercar is what you seek, look no further than the 2016 Lexus GS-F. The GS was a four-door mid-size performance model that wasn't particularly sporty-looking, especially the first-gen 300s. It got a little more style as it went along, but was never anything more than a pricey family sedan. Then, in 2015 Lexus gave it an "F" and a V-8.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 5.0-Liter V-8 |
| Engine Output | 467 horsepower, 389 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Eight-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 4.4 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 12.9 seconds |
| Top Speed | 168 mph |
| Price | $87,828 |
The GS-F was a single model year high-performance version of the GS. It still didn't look like a dragster or drift car, but it certainly had the power to do either of those things. A Car and Driver test drive prompted this observation: "Squeal the tires around every cloverleaf, hit 7300 rpm racing down every on-ramp, and terrorize every backwoods holler in a 100-mile radius."
9 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8
Top Speed: 170 mph
The Dodge Magnum, introduced in 2005, almost seemed like the result of a lost bet among the company's designers. It was a station wagon with a chip on its shoulder, but it's hard to be intimidating with a traditional family vehicle design. Dodge did have the good sense to pack these cars with plenty of power, including a competent standard V-6 and a Hemi V-8 option.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 6.1-Liter Hemi V-8 |
| Engine Output | 425 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Five-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 5.1 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 13.1 seconds |
| Top Speed | 170 mph |
| Price | $37,320 |
In 2006, the Magnum SRT8 came out and had a massive 6.1-liter Hemi and performance upgrades from the suspension to the brakes. Suddenly this weird wagon was transformed into a genuine five-door muscle car and street terror. Unfortunately, the street-racing soccer mom demographic was virtually nonexistent, and it wasn't a big seller for Dodge.
8 2017 Audi RS3
Top Speed: 178 mph
The Audi RS3 is another performance sedan like the Lexus GS-F that suffers from "sameness syndrome," looking very similar to a dozen other cars. While the Dodge Magnum got goofy with five doors, the 2017 RS3 went weird with five cylinders. Those five cylinders however were turbocharged and made this otherwise bland-looking compact sedan a secret supercar.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five cylinder |
| Engine Output | 400 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.5 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 11.9 seconds |
| Top Speed | 174 mph |
| Price | $55,450 |
The RS3 made muscle car quickness times but was electronically limited to a top speed of 155 mph. In easily one of the biggest rip-off options of all time, the Dynamic Plus package could be purchased for $1,450 to remove the restrictor and let the car soar to 174 mph. This is almost as bad as if they charged extra if you wanted all five cylinders to fire up.
7 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Top Speed: 191 mph
The Alfa Romeo Giulia has a little more style than the other cars on this list so far but still doesn't look like a potential land speed record breaker. It does have a front fascia that looks a bit like an angry grimace which may be a hint to the sheer aggression it can unleash. The 2023 Giulia Quadrifoglio, which means "four-leaf clover" is definitely the meanest of the bunch.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 |
| Engine Output | 500 horsepower, 443 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Eight-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.6 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 11.9 seconds |
| Top Speed | 191 mph |
| Price | $81,855 |
With a 500-horsepower twin-turbo engine and lightweight composite components, the Quadrifoglio has an amazing power-to-weight ratio, which in practical terms means it's scary fast. The 2023 Quadrifoglio is one of Car and Driver's top sports-sedan picks because of, "its blistering performance, adroit handling, and drop-dead-gorgeous styling."
6 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Top Speed: 196 mph
For those who want to flirt with the sound barrier in an unassuming six-figure car, Porsche has something for you. The Panamera is the perfect ride for taking the brood out to Panera Bread for dinner and getting home in time to catch Family Feud. While it may not have supercar styling, it does have supercar-like performance, and definitely supercar pricing.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 |
| Engine Output | 620 horsepower, 604 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 2.6 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 10.8 seconds |
| Top Speed | 196 mph |
| Price | $201,200 |
There are a variety of trim and performance packages, including a hybrid, available on the 2021 Panamera, but the Turbo S is the way to go for maximum speed and a maximum price. MotorTrend tested a well-equipped one that cost $200,000. For that kind of money, you could almost buy the first four cars on this list.
5 2020 Cadillac CT6-V
Top Speed: 200 mph
The "CT" in a Cadillac CT6 stands for "Cadillac Touring" because it's a full-size luxury sedan meant for cruising in style. Because they could, the American luxury automaker added a "V" which could stand for anything from "vengeance" to "violence" and created a high-performance version that is one of the sneakiest undercover supercars ever.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 4.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 |
| Engine Output | 550 horsepower, 640 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.8 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 12.2 seconds |
| Top Speed | 200 mph |
| Price | $99,215 |
With enough room to comfortably seat five adults and the kind of style that says you appreciate the finer things in life, The Cadillac CT6-V has all the necessary power to embarrass almost everyone driving a sportscar. Car and Driver say this bad boy is governor limited to 149 mph, but MotorTrend swears it can hit a top speed of 200 mph, and who are we to question that?
4 2023 Tesla Model X Plaid
Top Speed: 200 mph
The Tesla Model X is allegedly a crossover SUV, but it's not radically different from the Model S, being slightly taller and having more doors. It's also considered a luxury vehicle, but its barren wasteland of an interior begs to differ. Even its status as being on this list as a practical car is iffy with the god-awful yoke steering and underwhelming range.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | Three electric motors |
| Engine Output | 1,020 horsepower, 1,050 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | N/A |
| 0-60 Time | 2.5 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 9.83 seconds |
| Top Speed | 200 mph (With Track Package) |
| Price | $110,130 |
The Model X Plaid however does come with Earth-shattering speed and plenty of head and legroom, so it qualifies as a supercar with a practical facade. While the rear "Falcon Wing" doors seem like something that would be on a Pagani Huayra hypercar, they serve the practical purpose of making it easier to access the back seat.
3 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody
Top Speed: 203 mph
When Dodge rebooted the Charger platform in 2006 they re-imagined the storied two-door coupe muscle car as a four-door sedan. It wasn't as lame looking as a Chrysler K Car, but definitely not as hot as a '68 Charger 500. Curious design choices aside, Dodge did have the impetus to equip these understated sedans with powerful engines.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V-8 |
| Engine Output | 797 horsepower, 707 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Eight-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.5 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 11.5 seconds |
| Top Speed | 203 mph (With Track Package) |
| Price | $84,420 |
Starting out with an optional 5.7-liter Hemi, things escalated over the years until Dodge dropped a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat under the hood. Even that wasn't good enough, so they figured out how to get even more horsepower out of the Hellcat in the 2021 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. The best thing about this stealth supercar is that all of that freakish power came at a relatively affordable price.
2 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
Top Speed: 205 mph
If the all-electric Lotus Evija or the Pininfarina Battista can be called supercars, then it's only fair that the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire gets classified as a practical ride that is secretly a supercar. On the supercar side of things, the Lucid has unimaginable power and blistering speed. On the practical side, it reportedly has 529 miles of range.
Power, Performance, and Price
| Engine | Three electric motors |
| Engine Output | 1,234 horsepower, 1,430 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | N/A |
| 0-60 Time | 1.9 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 9.0 seconds |
| Top Speed | 205 mph |
| Price | $250,500 |
While much more stylish than a Tesla, it's still basically a luxury sedan that no one is going to mistake for a Lamborghini Huracán. Some people may get the Lucid Air Sapphire's window sticker confused with that of an Italian supercar, however, because these babies ain't cheap, even by top-end EV standards.
1 2020 Bentley Flying Spur
Top Speed: 207 mph
There are lots of dangerous and insane extreme sports like BASE jumping and free-climbing, but they pale in comparison to going 207 mph in a four-door sedan. For those daring thrill-seekers looking for the ultimate rush, a 2020 Bentley Flying Spur can make that happen. The Bentley's W-12 engine is more commonly used in aircraft, but it's not called a Flying Spur for no reason.
Power, Performance, And Price
| Engine | 6.0-liter W-12 |
| Engine Output | 626 horsepower, 664 pound-feet of torque |
| Transmission | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.5 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 11.7 seconds |
| Top Speed | 207 mph |
| Price | $284,270 |
Road & Track debunked the urban myth that a guy got pulled over in a Koenigsegg CCR going 242 mph, but The Drive did document a traffic stop of a 2019 Charger going 201 mph in a 75 zone. In a Bentley Flying Spur, that record would be easy to break, and thanks to the spacious interior, there's more than enough room for all your daredevil friends.