The Chevrolet Corvette, despite its long-standing lineage, remains the benchmark for a high-value, high-performance sports car. There is only one problem: it doesn’t have four doors. While the performance of the Corvette is indisputable, nobody would call its razor-sharp functionality practical. Yet, what if you want the best of both worlds, a high-performance sports car that is both pragmatic and versatile?
Well, it is for that reason that we have constructed a list of the ten sleeper sedans that can keep pace with a Chevy Corvette. While outright performance capability will always lean in the Corvette’s favor, there are a handful of sedans that can give this American sports car an honest challenge. While you will have to spend a pretty penny to outrun a Corvette, we have kept our list as diverse (in cost and performance) as possible. Join us as we break down each of these capable four-door alternatives.
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2017 Chevrolet SS
0-To-60 MPH Time: 4.5 Seconds
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The 2017 Chevrolet SS is as close as you can get to a literal Chevy Corvette with four doors. The RWD naturally-aspirated V-8-powered American sedan is a rare breed in the modern landscape, and the Chevy SS is one of the greatest iterations of this long-gone formula.
With Chevy’s iconic LS3 V-8 at the helm, standard MagnaRide suspension, and the optional six-speed manual, the 2017 Chevy SS is the complete enthusiast package with four doors. Although this American sleeper did not sell well in its short-lived production (its peak was 4,055 units sold in 2017), you will find that these high-powered and comfortable four-door sedans are plentiful in used online marketplaces.
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2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400
0-To-60 MPH Time: 4.5 Seconds
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With its mature and unassuming looks, the 2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 is the perfect sedan to give an unsuspecting Corvette owner a fun surprise. This Japanese sports sedan is plenty capable with its 400-horsepower output, and it doesn’t sacrifice any of its practicality in doing so. Although you won’t find a manual transmission or amazing steering feedback in the Infiniti Q50, this luxury Nissan product makes up for that with its highly tunable engine that it shares with the Nissan Z. No one would assume that the 2021 Infiniti Q50 is as fast as it is by its looks alone, and that is part of its charm.
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2019 Lexus GS F
0-To-60 MPH Time: 4.5 Seconds
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Spending full price on a 2019 Lexus GS F was not a good value proposition when new because, at its eye-watering $90,000 price point, there were certainly better and faster options. Yet, nowadays, the Lexus GS F is an absolute steal on the used market, providing a near-ideal blend of Japanese performance and luxury.
If you want to experience the sheer comfort of a Lexus sedan but also need a little spice in life now and then, the Lexus GS F is an ideal candidate. While unlikely to beat a Corvette in any head-to-head performance battle, the GS F is just as much fun on the street, where its naughty V-8-induced proclivities become apparent.
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Sleeper cars are a lesson in confidence and non-conformity. These cars blend into traffic, cruise through suburbia, and sit quietly in parking lots.
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2022 Genesis G70 3.3T
0-To-60 MPH Time: 4.5 Seconds
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Although it may not look as fast as its European rivals on paper, the 2022 Genesis G70, when equipped with the optional 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V-6, has all the ideal qualities of a great sport sedan. Better yet is that no Corvette owner would ever suspect this Korean luxury sedan could hang, but it can.
Although the Genesis G70 sedan touts refined looks and an executive guise, this Korean four-door has an underlying characteristic of well-tuned driving enjoyment. While not faster than a Corvette in any performance metrics, the Genesis G70 is more fun on the street and offers impressive quality and comfort for a reasonable price.
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2018 Volvo S60 Polestar
0-To-60 MPH Time: 4.5 Seconds
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If German sport sedans bore you and seem too passé, the 2018 Volvo S60 Polestar is a cultured Swedish alternative with a unique flavor. Its twin-charged inline-four provides serious performance output, and in “Rebel Blue” paint, this understated sedan looks just a bit less sleeper than you’d initially think.
Sure, you wouldn’t want to challenge a Corvette to an 80 roll on the freeway in the S60 Polestar, but if it was snowing, the S60 quickly becomes one of the most capable vehicles on the road. With a comfortable interior and well-bolstered, yet supple seats, the Volvo S60 Polestar always puts its best foot forward to make every drive enjoyable.
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2023 BMW M340i xDrive
0-To-60 MPH Time: 3.7 Seconds
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With its sub-four 60 MPH sprint time, the 2023 BMW M340i xDrive Sedan is one of the fastest four-door vehicles you can buy. With the standstill grip of AWD, the BMW M340i xDrive Sedan is more than capable of giving any RWD Corvette a run for its money. A common mistake is also underestimating the M340i’s top-end potential, which can be downright terrifying with the help of a little aftermarket tuning.
No matter how you look at it, an inline-six-powered 3 Series will always be a top dog in the sports sedan department with the capability of challenging almost any modern sports car.
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2023 BMW M550i xDrive
0-To-60 MPH Time: 3.5 Seconds
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Is there a reason any family sedan should have a 523-horsepower twin-turbo V-8 ready to sprint off the line to 60 MPH in less than four seconds? No, there isn’t, but the 2023 BMW M550i xDrive Sedan is not built for reasonable people. Rather, the BMW M550i is exactly designed to provide the type of thrills you normally would behind the wheel of a Chevy Corvette, but with the body and looks of an executive sedan.
With outrageous performance capabilities and enough space for the whole family, the BMW M550i xDrive is a well-refined tool that can do it all (and look good at it).
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2015 Mercedes-AMG E63 Sedan
0-To-60 MPH Time: 3.5 Seconds
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If you remove its rear badges, the 2015 Mercedes-AMG E63 Sedan is one of the undercover performance cars ever created. With its insane 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 and standard 4Matic AWD, you understand how this heavy executive sedan reaches a sub-four-second 60 MPH sprint time with relative ease.
Find an unsuspecting Corvette owner at a stoplight and, when the light turns green, let them have it all 500+ horsepower off the line. You might think that this boosted V-8 will let up once the speeds start to climb, but it doesn’t. This Autobahn destroyer is made to treat 120 MPH as an easy-going cruising speed.
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2024 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe
0-to-60 MPH Time: 3.3 Seconds
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While it may look more executive than the more performance-focused BMW M8 Competition, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe offers more torque and similar power output. With the capability of reaching speeds of over 200 MPH thanks to over 600 horsepower, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is sure to give any Corvette a solid wake-up call in a straight line.
Very few of these high-dollar and high-powered German sedans will ever be built, and that exclusivity is part of the appeal. Buying one new means you have more money than you know what to do with, but in due time, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe will be an amazing deal for the right buyer looking for a top-quality experience behind the wheel.
10 Sedans That Can Outrun The C8 Corvette Any Day
The C8 Corvette is fast, and while it generally competes with supercars, there are a lot of hardcore sedans that can leave it in the dust.
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2024 Audi RS6 Avant
0-To-60 MPH Time: 3.1 Seconds
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“If you know, you know” is the perfect way to describe the enigma that is the C8 generation Audi RS6 Avant. Not really a sedan, but station wagons fit the sleeper ethos quite well. To the casual onlooker, the RS6 Avant is just some oversized Audi A4 allroad, yet the cultured enthusiast knows that this exotic German wagon is one of the fastest and coolest cars ever made. If you had the infinite money glitch, the Audi RS6 Avant is one of the first cars you should click “buy” on.
We may never get an RS Avant model of any kind stateside ever again, so this top-tier Audi wagon will be certain to keep its value in the long term. While a Chevy Corvette is a better value proposition, the American sports car pales in comparison to the sheer awesomeness that is the Audi RS6 Avant.
