A sleeper is a vehicle that looks similar to other “normal” vehicles but with some upgrades to give it better performance than a regular car or truck.
A good example would be to buy a new Honda Civic, take the factory engine out, and replace it with a corvette engine – though its size would make that difficult – without changing any exterior details about the Civic.
What you would have is a sleeper Civic: A fairly normal vehicle that doesn’t look any different than all the other Civics on the road, but one that also has close to 500 horsepower.
For years, manufacturers have made sleeper vehicles from the factory that anybody could find at car lots. You can actually find some of our favorite sleeper vehicles by clicking HERE.
So, instead of giving you another list of great sleeper vehicles, we are going to tell you how to distinguish a manufacturer’s regular models from the ones that have the performance without all the exterior styling to show it off.
Just to clarify, we are keeping the sleeper conversation in check by only including stock vehicle pieces and parts. Additionally, we are going to only include components that provide subtle or unseen changes to a vehicle rather than transformative ones. That means a larger than normal engine counts, you won’t see that difference just by looking at the outside of a vehicle.
A good example of a transformative change is the Ford Raptor or Ford Focus RS. There is a clear difference between the F-150 and regular Focus over their Raptor and RS performance-oriented siblings. Both combine aggressive interior and exterior differences for functional and dramatic performance increases.
Without any further ado, let’s get to our list:
The Engine:
The most integral part of what makes a sleeper vehicle a sleeper is its engine.
Of course, you won’t be able to see the actual engine of any vehicle without opening its hood, but that’s the point. Even if a factory sleeper has the same engine as all the other trim levels available, the engine output will most likely be upgraded from all the other trim levels.
Additionally, whenever a larger or more powerful engine is fitted to any vehicle, other modifications like exhaust systems, intake manifolds, and other drive components may need to be added or upgraded to handle the extra power.
For the sake of this list, we are going to assume that those things come with the engine upgrade by default.
A good example of a sleeper engine upgrade is the first generation Mazda 6. The regular version could be had with a 3.0 liter V6 engine making 215 horsepower. The MazdaSpeed 6 came with a 2.3 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder engine which made 274 horsepower.
Larger Wheels and Tires:
One subtle but noticeable difference that often accompanies a sleeper vehicle is larger wheels, larger tires, or both.
It is common for even small vehicles today to have 17, 18, or even 19 inch wheels, especially when buyers choose non-base trim levels. Sleepers often have larger and stronger wheels fitted to give them a subtle advantage over their other vehicles in styling.
Fatter tires are also commonly fitted to allow for the additional engine power to be transferred to the pavement.
Wheel and tire upgrades are some of the most common sleeper giveaways and are almost universally used to handle any factory power upgrades.
The Mercury Marauder featured 8 inch wide tires and was fitted with 18 inch wheels with an even larger staggered rear tire width. The Grand Marquis in the same year only featured 7 inch wide tires and 17 inch wheels on all four corners.
Larger, Blacked-Out Grilles:
Large grilles are all the rage today – for some reason. So, it isn’t that uncommon to see vehicles with gaping mouths which look ready to eat other vehicles in front of them.
Sleeper vehicles often have slightly different front grilles. Most are black rather than chrome, some are slightly larger than the rest of the trim levels in the lineup, and some just have a different design.
The current base Hyundai Veloster and Hyundai Veloster Turbo both have the same size and color grille, but the base Veloster has horizontal grille openings while the Turbo has a diamond plate grille design. The Mercury Marauder is another good example of a black grille versus a chrome grill on the regular Grand Marquis.
Lip Spoilers:
A lip spoiler is essentially just an additional piece of body work that spans the length of the trunk of a vehicle. They can be made from a variety of materials such as carbon fiber, but many are simply colored to match the vehicle.
Many normal vehicles like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata are available from the factory with a lip spoiler option, but the presence of a lip spoiler could signify much more than just a person wanting a little more pizzazz out of their daily commuter.
Sleepers like the Chevy SS, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevy Malibu SS, Buick Grand National, and the Dodge Charger Hellcat feature lip spoilers.
Some other sleepers feature slightly larger spoilers without overdoing it too much. The Ford Fusion Sport, Ford Taurus SHO, and Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 are some notable examples.
Badging:
Most manufacturers want you to know what vehicle you and others are driving. Because of that, most use badging to advertise it.
Sometimes identifying a sleeper is as easy as looking at what it says on the back, or front, of a vehicle.
The Chevy SS has SS badges all over the exterior and interior. Most average people probably won’t understand what that really means, but having the name of your vehicle imprinted into the front grille, seating, and interior, in addition to the back, isn’t normal.
AMG vehicles and some BMW M models are also distinguishable based on their badging.
Larger Exhaust Tips:
Fake exhaust tips are quickly becoming a trend in the automotive industry. This is making real ones kind of special.
Most manufacturers aren’t that concerned with most normal vehicles having the nicest looking exhaust tips as the exhaust system should be purely functional. Mazda, Dodge, and some Hyundai and Kia products still haven’t gotten that memo, and they make the exhaust part of the overall vehicle design while maintaining the exhaust’s functionality.
Sleepers often have increased capacity exhaust systems to accommodate any power increase the engine provides. This makes it easier to justify a complete exhaust system that looks good and is completely functional. Again, the Mercury Marauder and MazdaSpeed 6 are great examples of this.
The Sound:
Sound is indicative of the type of engine that is equipped to any vehicle along with its exhaust system. Most normal vehicles are designed to be quiet for a comfortable and pleasant ride. It might be a giveaway if you see someone get into an ordinary sedan, see them start it up, and everybody in the parking lot can hear it.
That doesn’t mean that every sleeper sounds like a Corvette with a muffler delete, but regardless of how a vehicle looks, the sound is a good indication of some kind of performance upgrade.
Hood or Fender Vents:
The Dodge Charger Hellcat gives itself away just a little too much in this category. It has a large hood scoop which is completely functional. Other vehicles just have small vents around the fenders or on the hood to show signs of a monster lurking underneath.
Even though the Mustang GT isn’t a sleeper vehicle, the GT models have two hood vents to distinguish it from the EcoBoost models. The Chevy SS has similar vents, but they are far from noticeable to the average person.
And, while we are on the subject of fender vents, wider than usual fender flares are also common in sleeper vehicles.
Unique Exterior Trim and Styling:
Even though many new cars are available with some sort of styling package, some sleepers have their own separate styling elements. For many, that simply means replacing the chrome trim that would normally come as standard with black trim.
In some extreme cases, slight styling differences can be found between normal vehicles and their sleeper counterparts. The Ford Taurus SHO is a great example of this.
If you place a Ford Taurus and the Police Interceptor side by side, you would be able to see that the regular Taurus has a slightly more rounded, less aggressive look than the Police Interceptor. The Taurus SHO is styled similarly to the Police Interceptor, even though the SHO is actually a Taurus.
The differences are very minute, and most people probably wouldn’t be able to pick them out unless the two were placed directly beside each other.
The things that delineate a sleeper versus a purpose-built, factory performance vehicle are definitely not as clear cut as it may seem.
A vehicle like the Mustang GT is easily distinguishable as a performance car because it looks like a sports car with its two doors and clear performance elements. The Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, and even the Cadillac CTS-V, to some extent, make it clear from the start that performance is a top priority.
Cars like these generally have a greater number of the aforementioned elements than sleepers do. At the very least, if a true sleeper does have many of these distinguishing factors, they will be toned down compared to other performance vehicles. To the average person, some of these elements will not stand out, which is exactly the point of a sleeper. The more reserved a performance vehicle is, the better its sleeper status will be. But, take a closer look, and you will find that your favorite sleeper really isn’t too hard to spot – most of the time.
