Right off the jump, let me say that you’re free to go past-tense with today’s Ask, as in “What car that never had a high-performance do you most wish had been offered as a high-performance version?” Autopian Asks is never into hard-and-fast rules for these things; I see our get-togethers here as the type of conversation you’d have at a dinner party with the guys (and/or gals, I’m hip) who are also into cars and don’t care about how work is going or how your kids are doing. Borrrrring, let’s talk about cars.
Anyway, I’ve always thought properly high-output minivans should be a thing, regardless of how well they’d actually sell. To that end, I wasted my time photochopping a hotted-up Toyota Sienna with a racing stripe for the topshot, which is sadly giving “Starsky and Hutch but they’re soccer coaches” vibes. I wish I had remembered The Bishop’s sweet Odyssey render before he dropped it into Slack:
Bish made that art for Honda Needs To Use NSX Tech To Make A Honda Odyssey Type R, which I’ve hyperlinked in case you missed it. And, I mean, look at that thing; surely any insecure guy who worries what the fellas think of his minivan when he rolls up to the gym will have no such concerns when said minivan is thusly maxxed out.
I just saw Stephen (Walter Gossin) pop up in Slack, I shall copy and paste:
I nominate the LH cars because they were designed to accept either FWD, AWD or RWD. They never got anything other than FWD. The 318 V8 wouldn’t have fit under the cab-forward hoods, but a 3.5L RWD/AWD Eagle Vision would’ve been the heat.
Indeed, such an Eagle would have flown!
Your turn:
What Car That Will Probably Never Get A High Performance Version Would You Most Like To See Get A Performance Version?
Honestly, is the answer once again Miata?
I know we got the Mazdaspeed in the past, but Mazda has been totally and very publicly unwilling to do that again.
The aftermarket turbo/supercharged Miatas are an absolute riot and I’d welcome a factory effort.
Definitely one of the first things I thought too. Particularly with the “would likely never get a performance version” constraint. I’m very certain that we’ll never see another Mazdaspeed Miata even though that’s probably the one car that nearly every Miata owner would like to see, and when they don’t, pay companies like Rocketeer boat loads of money to do.
Unimog.
Purely for the hilarity, a pre-facelift Fiat Multipla. Imagine doing 120 in a car that, to quote a review, “resembles a psychotic cartoon duck”.
I assume you mean the second gen and not the OG?
Performance is already everywhere.
And it’s so … Boring.
I’m more into cars which would have all external “performance” visual cues stripped away, leaving a powerful, high-performance luxury version.
Such as an E63 AMG Wagon with chrome trim, silver wheels, old-man bumpers & valences, a beige leather & burlwood trim interior, and a traditional grille with stand-up hood ornament.
Or an MX5/Miata that looks like a Grand Touring, with the tan leather, tan roof, silver wheels, etc – but under the hood an upgraded “Mazdaspeed” powerplant, upgraded brakes, and such.
These types of cars used to be referred to as “Q Cars” or “Sleepers”
And the world was more interesting for it.
Yeah, I miss the 80’s and 90’s BMW M cars, too.
Now you can have an “MSport” or an “AMG Appearance Package”.
All the “performance” looks but none of the “performance”, for just $3000 more to the MSRP.
The 2027 Chevy Trax. Offer 2-door and 4-door versions with 400 hp and AWD.
Call it the Trax SS.
2 door is a big ask, but a Trax RS with the 1.5T and a 2″ lower ride height should be so doable I’m surprised they haven’t done it yet.
Move the police package to it away from the Tahoe (too damn big!) to give it the volume. Give the cop version unpainted black bumpers, body color B and C pillars and naked silver (not black) steelies to make it unmistakable in traffic.
Real talk: I once used this prompt to test AI models: “I would like to track a 2015 Toyota Sienna at Buttonwillow Raceway. I have a budget of $5k for modifications. Construct a build plan that would allow the van to go as fast as possible while being reliable on track.”
Don’t leave us hanging! What did the AI overlords suggest?
VB WRX
Dodge Aries K – wagon or convertible but must have the “wood” panels, maybe a faux wood hood scoop.
What about the Spirit RT? Didn’t that get a limited run Turbo III engine that had a DOHC head, piles of turbo lag, and insane power for such small cars?
While basically the last evolution of the K, and somewhat related, I think the poster is thinking of the original boxy K.
GIVE ME THE GR PRIUS YOU COWARDS!
I’d rather have a PHEV Prius in the “GR Sport” trim, keeping the 220hp hybrid powertrain but with the wheels and front calipers of the GRC (you can’t fit an electronic parking brake in the rears).
Easy. Drop the 302hp drivetrain from the Rav4 Prime and you’ve got a winner.
Also, I’d love to see the TTV6 from the GX in the new 4Runner. Not sure that would constitute a “performance model” but it would be welcome. Or (one can dream), the hybrid TTV6 from the LX700.
that was my thinking as well. also with a battery that big in a prius you would be approaching 100-120 miles of EV range from a phev which would be nuts!
Once past the absurdity of the branding…this makes at least some sense.
-lightweight
-low drag coefficient
-low center of mass with the battery on the rear axle pulling that center to the middle of the car.
Hot hatch!
This is the way.
I dream of a 2CV. A Sahara twin engined one.
But the engines are two of the flat fours from the GSA.
Or two of the Wankels from the GS Bi-Rotor.
To this day I miss my 1986 Caprice. I always dreamed of a 454, bucket seats, floor console and shifter. Tighten down the suspension of course. Keep the solid rear axle with a Watts link and I’d be happy.
On a more contemporary note, a 2026 Camry V6. So easy.
I think the Dodge Dart would have been nice if they actually made it with the high end performance version they kept promising.
I bought one in 2013 because I really thought it looked cool and we needed a practical commuter car. The fact that it had a cool sounding 1.4 liter turbo charged motor from Italy while getting high-30s mpg and having a comfortable interior was a huge bonus at the time. However, early advertising indicated it was going to get more power and a true sport model. The car always had the opportunity for more since it had a platform shared with the Chrysler 200, which was AWD and had a nearly 300 hp V6. It could have been properly exciting for the era. Alas, the most motor it got was the 2.4L Tigershart, which had more HP than the turbo MultiAir I had, but less torque. Hardly a “sportier” model!
Prowler Scat Pack
Or the Crossfire.
Wartburg. Ha ha
Rally minivan please.
I think we can expect a Honda Odyssey Trailsport soon.
Subaru needs to get back into making vans. The Domingo is a wild mountain goat.
ooo yeah a GR Sienna would be awesome!
The 2GR V6 that Toyota used in everything was available with an Edelbrock supercharger in the Lotus Evora.Toyota could’ve installed that TRD supercharger on their own cars, including the Sienna.
GR Camry
GR Highlander
GR Crown
GR Avalon
ES-F
RX-F
Chevy Orlando SS (2.0T)
Chevy Cruze SS (2.0T)
Chevy Sonic SS (2.0T)
Chevy Spark SS (1.4T)
Ford Transit Connect ST (same shit as the Focus ST)
Mitsubishi Mirage VR-4 (turbo AWD I3)
GM could easily bring back the Syclone and Typhoon by turbo or supercharging their V6, or perhaps by using a V8.
They’re still too stupid to bring the international Trailblazer at all, but that with a V8 would be an awesome Typhoon. And of course, a V8 Canyon would be good Syclone.
Honda should’ve installed the 250 hp 2.0T from the previous gen Accord into the Civic Si or at least the base Integra by now.
A Hyundai Staria N would be fun too!
“The 2GR V6 that Toyota used in everything (…)”
Used? That engine is still very much alive and kicking, the latest version being the plug-in hybrid 2GR-FXS with more than 400hp used in the Lexus TX 550h+.
ohhhhhhhhhhhh cool
I thought they were phasing it out in favor of their dynamic force series
I don’t think anyone wants the international TrailBlazer. It’s a 16 year old product with nothing but a couple facelifts in a desperate attempt to keep it current.
The international Trailblazer is just a Colorado wagon, so yes, people do want it. RWD truck based SUV’s are still popular here.
The Explorer switched back to RWD, and the 4runner is still around, and Ford also has the Bronco now.
Pao-R
You’re on the right track with your first photo . . . Mazda5.
A Mazdaspeed 5 would be fucking awesome 😀
Car and Driver made one themselves:
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15391593/return-of-the-boss-wagon-mazdaspeed-5/
but that’s a Sienna you know
Minivan
1966 Lincoln Continental 2 door hardtop, but make it a safari version.
Scion XB GR.
I was just thinking the same thing, but that little toaster would need a whole bunch of bracing. Webasto offered a canvas roof for them, sold through the dealers and I think Toyota had to buy them all back because the cars kind of folded.
😮
I never heard this before! I really didn’t know the XB was available with a canvas sunroof! That would’ve been sooooooooooooooooo awesome!!!!
Cars newer and far inferior to the XB have been offered with canvas sunroofs in the US market, including the Fiat 500X
It’s true. I assume the size of the roof may have made a difference.
I was disappointed because I bought an xB in ’05 and was intrigued by the canvas roof option. I think it may have already been unavailable by then. They were still shown, but you couldn’t order one.
It looked like this: https://www.sunroofsource.com/2000-2007-scion-xb-bb-40×70-sliding-ragtop-sunroof/
(I have no experience dealing with that website.)
Mirage, I think it would be hilariously fun with a turbo and some stiffer suspension.
Your wishes were Mitsubishis commands.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/1989-mitsubishi-mirage-turbo-104-69a5bfdf26e0d.jpg
(35 years ago)
Suzuki sort of did that back in the day. The Suzuki Cultus was brought to America as the Suzuki Swift and Chevy Metro. It had a 1L 3 cylinder. In 1987, they had an optional turbo that took the 49 hp engine and made it 80 ish.
Then the second generation one came out in 1987. Every Chevy/ Geo Sprint I saw had the 49 hp 3 cylinder, but the Suzuki Swift almost always came with a 1.3L 4 cylinder with DOHC that was about 100 hp.
They were never fast cars, but they were fun as hell, since the 3 door weighed less than 1500 lbs. With a stick, even the 1L could put a grin on your face.
The 1.3L installed on most US-market Swifts was SOHC and only made 70 hp. Later ones made 79 hp because they have 4 valves/cylinder instead of 2.
Only the Swift GT(i) got the 100 hp DOHC.
The Swift Gti was kind of cool.
I remember those GTis, they were fairly popular here at a time when Japanese imports started becoming common and Carlos Sainz (with his Toyota success) popularised them.
I forgot about the SOHC versions, I remember several GT (i)s. I also remember that every turbo I saw was a convertible, which weighed more and had an automatic, so it wasn’t that special, but I guess they had it with the 3 door and a 5 speed too.
I remember seeing the later Swifts in the UK in the early 2000s. I wished that car had been available in the US.
Yugo GV in Group B spec. Thinking something along the lines of the MG Metro 6R4. Probably not too competitive, but what a hoot to see at full chat.
For reference:
1985 MG Metro 6R4 Group B Rally Car – Classic Car Performance
Far too late now, but I desperately wanted (and still do) a Honda Fit Si.
A Fit Si would have been a dream come true for a lot of people.
Now I’m thinking of an Element Si though and I like it.
I was going to post this. A Fit Si with the 1.5 Turbo from the Civic would have been a lot of fun if the engineers found a way to stuff it all into the engine bay and keep it cool.
Pacifica Hellcat.
Stellantis US seemed cool putting it in plenty of vehicles, so why not the Pacifica?!
Probably not much more work than fitting the Hemi in the current charger.
100% agree. It would be the most ridiculous, beautiful thing
Well the easiest is the Prius, but many of those have been outfitted with big engines already…so instead the other one…the Honda Insight.