Sleepers are the coolest thing ever.
No, really; at first sight, you wouldn’t bet a penny on a sleeper. Most of the time, the majority of these cars are some rundown-looking beaters, seemingly incapable of ascending a slope. Of course, not all of them are neglected-looking “beasts”, but all of them have an unassuming exterior and deliver unexpected performance.
Take for instance this B2 Passat; even if it resembles something destined for the scrapyard, its 1.9-litre twin-trubochargerd diesel engine disagrees. Moreover, when pitted against a 458 Italia, the old family estate humiliates the Italian beast.
Well, judging by its smokey, undramatic launch, the Passat clearly had an AWD advantage – which says one or two things about the amount of customization and engineering that went into it. Still, what kind of “firepower” could it house in order to keep a 4.5-litre, 562 Hp Ferrari at a distance?
Granted, the 458 owner didn’t use the launch control function and maybe he held back with the acceleration, but these aren’t excuses for loosing to a 30-year old diesel Passat.