CT may be bursting at the seams with time bending supercars, but we’re also massive fans of ultra-discreet motors which can annihilate hot hatches and devour Autobahnen without breaking into a sweat. Here are 10 of the Q-iest motors money can buy...
10: Mazda 6 MPS
This mundane Mazda gets full marks for speed thanks to a boosted motor which packs 256bhp and fires the 6 to 62mph in just over six seconds (thank you winter-proof all-wheel drive. Look a bit closer though, and you can tell this Mazda’s been on the ‘roids, thanks to a bulging bonnet, oversized alloys and pimping, shiny twin pipes poking out of its derriere. In this lineup, the 6 is just a little bit too obvious despite its surprisingly brutish speed. But even Jezza likes it…
Average cost = £5500
9: Audi Allroad 2.7T
There’s no way to look more Q than to dress up as a frumpy suburban mum carting Charles and Tabitha to prep school. And what more of a convincing outfit could you wear than the Allroad? Yes the plastic bits look more Tonka than Prada, but they deflect attention from the fact that this inflated A6 is fitted with a turbo’ed 2.7-litre powerhouse which catapults it to 62mph in just 7.2 seconds. That’s some grade A Q right there.
Average cost = £5000
8: Rover 75 V8
Okay, I’ll fess up; the 75 V8 is rarer than 1970s kids who weren’t acquainted with flares. But with dowdy Rover looks and a 4.6-litre Mustang motor crammed under the bonnet plus rear wheel drive, it’s worth searching for one – this 75 will surprise Impreza drivers should you feel like a traffic light grand prix. And with a V8 engine to play with, it’d be rude not to…Check out its MG brother being abused on track by Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell:
Average cost = £6000
7: Citroen Xsara VTS
The Peugeot 306 GTi-6 is a legend. The Xsara VTS, however is not. Which is strange considering the fact that the two share the same DNA. As a result though, the Xsara VTS gets maximum Q points as it’ll sprint to 62mph in eight seconds and will outhandle much more exotic machinery while looking as tame as SuBo - yummy! It also starred in some rather tasty ads courtesy of Claudia Schiffer. That's more like it.
Average cost = £1000
6: Volvo V40 T4
Plummeting way below the radar is this this speedy Swede, which packs 200 enthusiastic horses and scampers all the way to 146mph passing 62mph in a mere 7.3 seconds – in the dry, that is. In the wet the beefy motor will provoke so much wheelspin it’ll probably take you closer to 7.3 minutes. Nevertheless, the T4 is a hell of a bargain with prices starting at less than £500.
Average cost = £900
5: Ford S-Max 2.5 Titanium
Should you have Catholic views on contraception plus ultra-productive loins and if you've got a penchant for a Focus ST, fear not. With the Focus ST’s sexy sounding five cylinder motor under the hood, agile handling and seven seats, the S-Max will keep you smiling. It’s also cheap to run as the fuzz will never spot you in a lineup and will slap that speeding fine on the 5 Series driver instead. Sweet.
Average cost = £7500
4: Toyota Corolla T Sport
Sharing a bonkers high revving engine with the Toyota Celica 190, but cloaked in a blink-and-you’ve-forgotten-what-it-looks-like body, the Corolla is good for one thing; Q. The manic 1.8-litre engine spins up to 8000rpm and will slingshot you to 140mph if you’ve taken your brave pills and if you use every single one of those revs.
Average cost = £2000
3: Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
The Galant looks like any other 90’s Japanese saloon but unlike most of those snoremobiles, this one has been on the protein shakes with a banzai twin turbo 2.5-litre V6 crammed under its pointy nose. Flatten the loud pedal and this invisible Q express will flash pass 60 in less than six seconds and hit 150mph. We like. Very much.
Average cost = £4000
2: Maserati Quattroporte
In a shock moment of Italian modesty, the old Quattroporte beats pretty much anything on the more-bite-less-bark scale. With a ferocious 3.2-litre V8 pumping out 335 angry Italian horsepower, a top speed of nearly 170mph and styling so subtle it could be an old Fiat, this Quattroporte is the master of Q. Nearly.
Average cost = £5000
1: VW Passat 3.2 4MOTION
And the king of Q? Of course a German would beat an Italian in the discretion stakes, and this Passat offers the lethal Q combination of a muscular engine, all-wheel drive and zero styling mods (apart from weeny twin tailpipes). If you see one of these rearing up in your rear view we suggest you pull out of the way. And salute the driver as they shoot past in an anonymous blur.
Average cost = £5000
Got any other suggestions you want to bring to the table? Hit us up.
