German carmakers are known for their fast, everyday vehicles, often referred to as sleepers due to their somewhat understated exterior.

In no particular order, we present a list of 13 new and old German sleepers packing a supercar-like punch. All the performance specs are from the automakers themselves.

2025 BMW M3 CS Touring — 0–62 Mph in 3.5 Seconds

Unfortunately, the BMW M3 Touring isn’t available in the States, and currently, there aren’t any plans to introduce it there. For now, Americans will have to make do with YouTube videos of smug Europeans enjoying a supercar-challenging station wagon that’s as practical as it is fast.

BMW’s M division says the new 2025 M3 Touring is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine under the hood of the M3 Competition, meaning it has a whopping 543 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. It’ll sprint to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and is electronically limited at 186 mph — fast enough to leave some serious machines in its dust.

2023 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon — 0–60 Mph in 3.0 Seconds

While the BMW M3 Touring isn’t available to Americans, they can get behind the wheel of another German superwagon — the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon. According to Car and Driver, this inconspicuous beast has a glorious 603-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. All those horses are transferred to the road via the 4Matic all-wheel drive system, resulting in a rocket-like 0 to 60 mph time of 3.0 seconds.

Its top speed is limited to 180 mph, and, let’s be realistic, there’s never a need to go that fast on public roads. If understated performance is your thing, it doesn’t get much better than this. Most people will never guess this Merc packs such a serious punch, and you can laugh maniacally as they shrink into a tiny dot in the rearview mirror

2024 Volkswagen Golf R — 0–60 Mph in 3.9 Seconds

Not all of us need a large station wagon, but we still desire a German car with some serious oomph. Well, the folks at Wolfsburg have you covered, as the 2024 Golf R has a few tricks up its sleeve. Under the hood, the Volkswagen Golf R has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder mill generating 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.

These days, when seemingly every manufacturer has a car with over 500 horses, the R sounds “underpowered,” but thanks to its AWD setup, it has tons of grip and can utilize every ounce of power to its full effect. It may look innocent, but it’ll launch to 60 mph quicker than a Ferrari F430. Still want more? You could opt for the new 2025 model with 13 additional ponies, but that means sacrificing the manual gearbox. If that’s not an option, there are plenty of performance parts available to make the 2024 model even faster.

2008 Volkswagen Passat R36 — 0–60 Mph in 5.8 Seconds

While the Volkswagen Passat R36 isn’t as quick off the line as some of the options on this list, it’s still seriously rapid for a car of its size and age. It’s also severely overlooked compared to the Golf and Jetta, so it can easily fly below the radar.

Under the hood, the Passat has a 3.6-liter VR6 mill generating 296 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque that’s sent to all four wheels. When the pedal is floored, the speedometer will snap to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds (5.8 for the wagon), but you can expect that number to drop with some modifications, as tuners have extracted 1,000 hp from this engine.

2023 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S — 0–60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds

Many performance SUVs have an exterior that matches their powerful engines, essentially looking like supercars in SUV form. The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is different, and if SUVs aren’t your thing, it can certainly catch you off guard.

The GLE 63 S is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that sends 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. Car and Driver managed to send the speedometer needle to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. It’s, quite frankly, ridiculous that a 5,500+ pound vehicle can move that swiftly.

2023 BMW i4 M50 M Performance — 0–60 Mph in 3.3 Seconds

BMW’s i4 sedan looks like the gasoline-powered 4-Series Grand Coupe, but this one has a fully electric powertrain. There are 2 electric motors, one in the front and one at the rear, generating a total of 536 hp and 586 lb-ft of instant torque. Zero to 60 mph? Car and Driver managed a best time of just 3.3 seconds.

The i4 sedan is even said to handle and drive better than the M3, which speaks volumes. We get that not everyone is a fan of EVs, but if this is what the future looks like, we don’t hate it.

2006 Audi S6 — 0–60 Mph in 4.9 Seconds

Do you dream of owning a Lamborghini, but realize you need something more practical? Audi has a solution for that. The 2006 Audi S6 is powered by a Lamborghini Gallardo-derived V10, but with a longer stroke and wider bore, making it a 5.2-liter.

With 430 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, the Audi S6 can (almost literally) fly under the radar as it scrambles off the line, reaching 60 mph a mere 4.9 seconds after you floor the throttle. If you think that’s too slow, tuners have extracted much more power from it, but just adding an aftermarket exhaust will give it a glorious soundtrack.

2023 Audi S8 — 0–60 Mph in 3.8 Seconds

Audi claimed that its 2023 S8 has an official 60 mph of 3.8 seconds, but Car & Driver did it in 3.2 seconds on their test track. Unbelievably fast for a large, comfortable, executive sedan.

To the untrained eye, the Audi S8 looks fancy but unassuming. It certainly doesn’t look supercar-fast. However, once the driver, or chauffeur, floors the throttle, bringing all 563 horses to life, people will soon realize that the S8 is extraordinary.

2024 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe — 0–60 Mph in 3.2 Seconds

True BMW connoisseurs may pick an Alpina model over a “regular” M version. For those who don’t know, Alpina specializes in turning Bimmers into something truly remarkable but with more understated looks than your average M car.

The BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is loaded with unique components, but the real jewel is found under the hood. There lies a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with 612 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough grunt to send the B8 Gran Coupe from 0 to 60 in just 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 201 mph. It’s fair to say Alpina knows hot to build ludicrously fast cars. Chris Perkins at Road and Track even called it his dream daily driver.

2004 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG — 0–60 Mph in 4.2 Seconds

For decades, AMG has transformed respectable and reliable Mercedes luxury sedans into supercar-slaying monsters. In the early 2000s, the German tuning house worked its magic on the E-Class Benz, shoehorning a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 from the SL under its hood.

While you won’t raise many eyebrows with 469 horses and 516 lb-ft of torque today, numbers like that in a family sedan were absolute lunacy in 2004. The M-B E55 AMG launched to 60 mph in just over four seconds and had a top speed limited to 155 mph. Once the limiter was removed, it became the fastest production sedan on the market, as the needle stopped at 180 mph.

2023 Audi RS6 Avant — 0–60 Mph in 3.1 Seconds

Audi is certainly no stranger to fast station wagons. The 2023 RS6 Avant is one of the fastes of them all. It uses the same turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine as the aforementioned S8, but it produces even more power under the hood of the RS6.

Thanks to Audi’s Quattro AWD system, the 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque are transferred directly to the asphalt without wheel spin, resulting in a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just a smidge over 3 seconds.

2024 BMW iX M60 — 0–60 Mph in 3.2 Seconds

Granted, the BMW iX M60 isn’t exactly the most subtle of vehicles. Nor is it what we’d call conventionally handsome, but to its credit, it does pack a punch that can leave its occupants breathless.

Underneath the questionable exterior, there are two electric motors generating 610 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque. Being an EV, every single lb-ft of that torque is available right off the bat, so it’ll launch to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds — not bad for an SUV that weighs 5,778 lbs.

2024 BMW M5 CS — 0–60 Mph in 2.8 Seconds

If the already ridiculously fast BMW M5 wasn’t enough, BMW also offered the 2024 M5 CS — an even more powerful version, taking the world’s most famous supersedan to a whole new level. Here, the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine blasts out 627 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.

During independent tests, Edmunds managed to get the M5 CS to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds with a one-foot rollout — pretty impressive for a in a 4,100 lb sedan! Proper gearheads will probably see and hear an M5 coming, but it’ll still surprise those who don’t spend all their time obsessing over specs and stats.