Secretly, everybody loves a little horsepower. Even the people who buy cheap little eco boxes.
Now there's nothing wrong with a little eco box, they reliably get you from point A to point B on a budget, but why not throw in some extra HP for fun?
Automakers love supplying this demand, often producing "performance" versions of even their most basic offerings.
Here are 20 economy cars that tried to add some muscle.
1
Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Turbo
How many horespowers do you think this regular looking Lincoln sedan has? The answer is 400.
2
Nissan Juke Nismo
The Juke Nismo inexplicably makes the Juke insanely quick. Nobody asked for that.
3
Toyota Camry TRD
The TRD gets over 300 hp out of a Camry.
4
Volkswagen Golf R
With 328 horsepower this light hatch is pretty quick.
5
Chevy Nova SS
The Nova started life as the Chevy II, and finished as the Chevelle SS’s little brother.
6
Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
The standard Grand Prix was little more than a regular sedan, but the GTP bumped it up 60 hp.
7
Ford Taurus SHO
Thanks to its EcoBoost engine, the SHO makes a surprising 365 hp.
8
Hyundai Elantra N
The “N” turns the Elantra into a whole new car.
9
GMC Syclone
Based on the standard GMC Sonoma platform, the Syclone bumped everything up, making 280 hp and sporting some quick performance numbers.
10
Honda Civic Si
The not quite sportiest version of the Civic.
11
Buick Verano Turbo
The turbo made 260 hp, a lot for a car based on the Chevy Cruz platform.
12
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
This might look like a normal little hatchback, but don’t let that fool you. Thanks to electric power, the N makes 601 hp.
13
Chevrolet SS
The SS might think of itself as a proper modern muscle car, but it’s hard not to compare it to a standard Impala.
14
Toyota GR Corolla
An awesomely sporty little Corolla.
15
Honda Odyssey
The flagship Honda minivan isn’t pretending to be a muscle car, but with 280 horsepower it will go 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. That’s approaching muscle car territory.
16
Chevy Cobalt SS
What’s better than a junky Chevy Cobalt? Giving it lots of power.
17
Kia EV6 GT
Thanks to electric power, this mostly unassuming Kia SUV makes 641 hp. For around $60k, that’s some of the best hp to dollar deals out there.
18
Kia Stinger GT
Ok, the Kia Stinger is a proper muscle car. That being said, it’s still a Kia that blends in with other basic Kia models.
19
Fiat 500 Abarth
You can’t have an Italian car without letting it tap into some performance.
20
Buick Regal Grand National
The Grand National didn’t try to make the Regal a muscle car, it DID make the Regal a muscle car. Now, modern Regals still offer performance versions that are surprisingly powerful.
