Thought I'd make this thread as hadn't seen it. I'm talking about cars you probably come across every so often so not supercars etc

For example, Subaru Impreza WRX always surprise me with there speed. There usually like 5-8 years old and they have some nasty chav exhaust on them. Tempting to think they'll be a load of rubbish. They'll usually give me a good run 0-60 and if here remapped, which most seemed to be, I've got no chance.

Some of the 4x4's out there seem pretty nippy as well. Audi Q5's or BMW X5's can go quite quickly but there drivers usually dont go for anything stupid.

I find most cars in the same acceleration range like Mini Cooper S and Civic Type R's I can beat in Sport Mode with DSG simply because the person driving isn't that good with the gears.

I drive a new vRS by the way, so you what I've listed may to slow to you! I'm interested to hear other peoples' suggestions.

I'd imagine the Subaru's probably aint stock "undeclaired mods" and the AWD system is forgiving to people who don't know how to drive especialy with the state of roads in this country in giving you traction.

Then again I've beaten a couple of things off the line in a VW fox as remember the car is only as good as the muppet behind the wheel.

However in a 170 sport passat I've scare the living day lights out of a of a M3 driver when I had to perform an emerginecy stop because I'd covered half of the roundabout and he'd tried to pull out infront of me and stuffed it up leaving his M3 nicely at 90 degres to the lanes on the round about.

Old mk2 golfs!!!!! Especialy very clean well looked after standard looking ones

Is you're car Modified?

Engine is pretty much standard, only lowered and a wheel change will have the original small bumpers back on soon too, the engine ports are all blueprinted and matched to the inlet & exhaust manifolds and the fueling has been optimised so its still standard in my eyes, makes about 160 bhp and wieghs less than 1000kgs, won't set the world alight but its quick enough to shock others and make the driver smile

I've been embarrassed by a X5 before.. not racing.. I was behind and the traffic opened up so (I'm asumming, at least, I hope he did) we both floored it for fun.. he pulled away... quite quickly. I felt very small.

I know Saabs are a kind of "known" Q car... but some of them really do shift. Not always the obvious ones either as they ran out the 95 by giving them all more power (Saab offered the 95 in various states of tune with varying warranties... the more power, the shorter the warranty).. but towards the end they all had the fast switched flicked.

Theres a few nippy versions of the Vectra.

Edited 31 January, 201115 yr by Rob.

WRX isnt fast at all once rolling. theyre ace card is wet grip and traffic light gran prix. easily eclipse them in a mk2 octavia vRS. especially modified (even the WRX isnt that tunable). Now a WRX STI is a different matter. better suspension and engine

Themost frustrating car for me was a clio at the nurburgring. I left him for dead on the straights but at the corners i swear he wasnt slowing down at all. like cat and mouse all day long. Its why ive gone for a fabia vRS. weight counts for a lot and its cheap fun, especially as that octavia was pretty highly modified as well. The clio was just on toyo R888s and thats it.

Current Range Rover (not Sport, proper Full Fat one so less 'sporty') petrol is only available in supercharged and so has a 0-62 of 5.9 officially.

That's fast for 2800kg.

Takes you by surprise.

Well did me anyway in my diesel one.

Current Range Rover (not Sport, proper Full Fat one so less 'sporty') petrol is only available in supercharged and so has a 0-62 of 5.9 officially.

That's fast for 2800kg.

Takes you by surprise.

Well did me anyway in my diesel one.

I agree the Supercharged version is very quick. Given the amount of weight the engine has to lug around i was very surprised....

This was against my 3.0i Z4...Beat me comfortably..

I agree the Supercharged version is very quick. Given the amount of weight the engine has to lug around i was very surprised....

This was against my 3.0i Z4...Beat me comfortably..

Maybe you can answer me a question. I've been up against a couple of Z4s round here, and I wasn't blown into the weeds by either of them. Are they not that fast, even the 3.0i versions? Same goes for a bloke in a 3.0i 6 Series. We have the odd sparring match every now and then and the old vRS seems to fair quite well, much to his annoyance I'm sure.

All the Z4 drivers I've come across never seem to push the car. They tend to be older drivers as well, say, mid 40's. They do look quick though.

Not as earth shattering as some already mentioned, but Yaris 1.5 T-Sport

Resonable sized engine and fairly powerful in something light. Picks up off the line well.

Often it's the element of surprise, as you're not expecting it and they've got a decent run ahead by the time you do anything

Thinking about other things - RUF prepared 993 911. OK, you think it'll be 911 sort of quick, but then it sets off....

Maybe you can answer me a question. I've been up against a couple of Z4s round here, and I wasn't blown into the weeds by either of them. Are they not that fast, even the 3.0i versions? Same goes for a bloke in a 3.0i 6 Series. We have the odd sparring match every now and then and the old vRS seems to fair quite well, much to his annoyance I'm sure.

The 3.0i engine is naturally aspirated and it is a peach of an engine. However, i categorically state that BMW did not produce this engine to create fast cars. Yes my Z4 is fast. But its more for cruising. Not an out and out speed monster.

HOWEVER.......If i feel the urge. It can more than hold its own and beat a fair few cars...

Its a weird one mate. But it has a torrid time staying up with my remapped VRS sometimes too...

Love the engine though....buts its going this year and making way for a 911 C4S or Turbo..

yeh, most scoobies arent actually that quick, they dont handle as well as people make out either. They are just easy to to drive quick (ive seen guys going mental in them and the car takes it all safely)

Things that suprised me were a Rover 220 turbo (mine as it happened, but my dad got the first drive) I followed in a 180bhp V6 and when he booted the Gti it just effed off into the distance and I was sat thinking my accelerator cable had broke. For something so normal looking, and 15years ago, it was pretty impressive (they are still quicker than most modern hot hatches)

An Audi 80 that pulled away from a 250bhp Rover I was driving like Id grabbed nuetral. Im guessing he dropped a tweaked, blown 5pot in it. I thought id walk past him. It was so fast i couldnt stop laughing.

I also found the BMW 540 and 535D are pretty quick in gear.

On the track ive seen a few suprises, One that may not seem a suprise, but it did me is Evo Lancers. Everywhere i go they are there and so bloody quick. Not that fast at higher speeds, but on a track they are a lethal foe and in a different league to imprezas. They have small car agility and almost always have >400bhp.

Have a mate with a stripped out Vectra V6 and its as quick as my 300bhp St on a track. Ok, he's probably about 250kg lighter, but its still very impressive.

A road legal-track spec 306Gti, sounded second only to a ferrari 430 and was very quick. Probably the single best handling fwd car ive followed

Martin hadlands escort cossie, a bit silly yes and out of context with the op but ive seen it goto sixty in 2.whatever, then take a chicane with the throttle still planted. My jaw has never fitted back properly.

J

Edited 1 February, 201115 yr by r200ti

One that surprised me a while ago with it's speed and just the way it disappeared off the line was an RX7 Twin-Turbo. Looked great in yellow and, from a standing start was awsome with no fuss whatsoever... I've always thought they were a great car and quick but was still really surprised at just HOW quick - 0-60 in about 5.1s...

Pug 205 GTis (the 1.9 version) - they're quite nippy. A mate's Polo G40 blew my old Primera GT into the weeds - that really did surprise me!

jag s type r... mid range supercharged power....

x5 4.6's and the newer 4.0d r quick too...

volvo s60r v70r

that transit van on top gear

I use to traffic light race anything in my old westfield, it had a 1200 suzuki bandit bike engine that was slightly tweeked. I had a lovely 1.2 badge on the back so they all got a good look, but in 2 years nothing beat it to 90 after that it had the aerodynamics of a wardrobe so I use to brake so they knew I'd given up and it was a win for me

It beat subaru's,M3's,z4's,porsche's even a ferrari 550 although that was very close and his did sound very cool! Only problem was it was running really fat semi slick tyres that only lasted 3000miles max, but that probably wasn't helped by side stepping the clutch at 6000rpm regularly

I would like to hear about the experiences of others with 182 bhp or thereabouts on a track like Croft, Cadwell, Castle Combe or whatever. I always drive a little too fast. I was a bit manic as a kid and a 11 sec sprinter 100 metres. Obsessed about A to B. The only place to find out if these cars are any good would be to take it to a track. My old Rallye was brilliant and bought by a semi collector and this vehicle won a shoot out. Would like to think these cars are not bad. Seem bloody good in 4th gear at 45mph pushing on.

This might be a bit of an unlikely answer but I'm always weirdly impressed at all the 107/Aygo/C1's buzzing along in the outside lane. No 1 litre city car has any right to look so composed amongst the rep-mobiles.

BMW 123 diesel's dont half shift as standard! 6.7 seconds to 60 and lots of midrange torque makes for quite a car.....stiil..... the stigma of thatt badge though!

Edited 3 February, 201115 yr by The Skud

All the BMW 1 series I see are the horrible 116d or 118d which have no poke, miserable standard equipment and are like 22k new! :wonder:

I do laugh at them when I see them.

On a different note, cars I'd expect to be faster than they look: Mitsubishi Sportbacks and Audi TT's.

as laughable as this is my old 1.3spi Polo coupe used to surprise people off the lights, well up to about 40mph and then everything went sailing past nippy and torque little engine plus weighs not alot.

as laughable as this is my old 1.3spi Polo coupe used to surprise people off the lights, well up to about 40mph and then everything went sailing past nippy and torque little engine plus weighs not alot.

My dad used to swear that our Citroen 2CV would nail anything off the lights for about 5-10 metres. It makes sense full revs, drop clutch not enough power to waste on spinning the big wheels for a fairly brisk low geared acceleration. Of course it would be eaten alive after about 10mph...

In it's time, the MG Maestro 2.0 EFI. My dad surprised a number of drivers with it, especially with his sticky, Colway tyres on.

The Maestro Turbo was even quicker. According to Austin Rover's, it was even faster than a Ferrari Mondiall. The MG Maestro Turbo could reach 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds whereas the entry level Ferrari Mondial only had a 0-60mph time of 7 seconds.