10 Sleepers you might not knew until now – Part 3 (Vans only)

Hey guys,

it’s been a while since I’ve uploaded Part 2, but I had to study for university, so not much time for car-related researches. Anyway, here is Part 3 (Vans only). Note: I know these cars aren’t ‘that’ fast but they’re still vans. It’s not in their nature to be fast.

#10 Mercedes-Benz V 280 (W 638) (as suggested by A.Jelinak)

Engine Layout: 2.8i VR6 NA
Engine Code: VAG AAH
Power: 128 kW / 174 PS
Torque: 237 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 5 speed manual
Vmax: unknown

The W 638 V-class might be something new to you, as it wasn’t sold worldwide. So for those of you who didn’t knew this exists, just a short description. The W 638 was introduced in 1996 to compete with the different variants of the VW Bus. Two models were offered: The V-class, a more luxurious and comfort-orientated version which competed with the VW T4 Multivan & Caravelle models and the Vito, which was the workhorse model and competed with the VW T4 Transporter. Both, Benz and VW, still use these names to differ the upscale passenger variants from the downscaled vans.

However, the V 280 ended up having the same VR6-engine as its main competitor. I couldn’t find any sources that explain why Benz used the VR6, so if anyone knows more than I do, please mention it in the comments. Unfortunately, the car had lots of problems. Typical are rust and electrical failures.

Fun fact: There was also a Brabus Edition which was limited to 250 units. It came with a bicolor paintjob, front lip, lowered suspension, 18” wheels, double pipe exhaust and a refinished interior. Imo it looks a bit ricey now, but in that’s 100 % authentic 90s style.

#9 SEVEL Eurovan V6 (Citroen C8/Fiat Ulysse/Lancia Phedra/Peugeot 807) (as suggested by MrMarty77)

Engine Layout: 3.0i V6 NA
Engine Code: PSA ES9 J4S
Power: 150 kW / 204 PS
Torque: 285 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 4 speed automatic
Vmax: 205 km/h

The SEVEL Eurovan was part of a joint venture of PSA & Fiat for big minivans. SEVEL means Société Européenne de Véhicules Légers (European Light Vehicle Company), established in 1978 by PSA and Fiat for a joint venture of factories building cars for both carmakers.

The 2nd generation Eurovan was offered as Citroen C8, Fiat Ulysse, Lancia Phedra and Peugeot 807 and had a nice V6 under the hood. All motors were produced by PSA, but the V6 was discontinued with the 2006 facelift. Sadly, the rather slow automatic restrained the kinda powerful engine.

Btw. you could buy the PSA vans with an optimized 2.0 HDI Diesel until 2014.

#8 Honda Odyssey (RL5) (as suggested by DatBronyCarGuy)

Engine Layout: 3.5i V6 NA
Engine Code: Honda J35
Power: 185 kW / 251 PS
Torque: 340 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 6 speed automatic
Vmax: 185 km/h

The Honda Odyssey is one of the best-selling minivans in the USA. I chose it to represent the typical V6 minivans you can get in the states. Despite being a typical “soccer mom’s” car, it still has plenty of torque and power to get more stuff done than carrying the kids around. You might not win drag races with this car, but if driven properly, you could go from 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds and finish the quarter mile within about 16 seconds.

The generation I chose is the 4th gen which will be replaced soon. If you’re interested in this car, you should get a 2014 model or younger, because the earlier models still have a 5 speed auto (except the Touring models) and not the more advanced 6 speed one. I also would recommend buying a higher or even fully equipped model (EX-L and above) which could have features like a cool box, 12-speaker 650-watt audio system (Touring Elite), a voice-controlled satellite GPS and HDD navigation system with XM NavTraffic (Touring and above, available EX-L), an external HDMI input (Touring Elite), a larger 16.2-inch (410 mm) split-screen rear-seat DVD entertainment system (Touring Elite), HID xenon low-beam headlamps (Touring Elite), 18-inch alloy wheels (Touring and above), several assistant systems, smart entry availability and LED rear taillight bars. A built-in vacuum cleaner system is included with the Touring Elite model since the facelift.

#7 Renault Espace IV V6 (Type JK)

Engine Layout: 3.5i V6 NA
Engine Code: Renault V4Y 711/715 (a.k.a. Nissan VQ35DE)
Power: 177 kW / 241 PS
Torque: 330 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 5 speed automatic
Vmax: 225 km/h

The original Espace was introduced in the early 80s which means it’s one of the first minivans ever
(I think the Chrysler Voyager/Town & Country has almost the same age). The first 3 generations had only one task: transport families and stuff. But with the 4th gen Espace the fun kicked in when Renault decided to use a down tuned variant of the Nissan VQ35DE as high-end-motor. Yep, this big family hauler came with the heart of the 350Z and Skyline/Infiniti G35 if you wanted.

From the original 280 PS, Renault cut off 39 horses and voilà the Espace had now 241 PS and 330 Nm of pure happiness. This led to a Vmax of 225 km/h and 0 to 60 in roughly 8 seconds which could have been higher, I guess, if Renault had offered a 6 speed manual tranny. But they didn’t so all Espaces came with a 5 speed auto. Another bonus point for this car is that it was always well equipped. because the V6 was only offered in the best trims. Sadly, the V6 was discontinued after the 2nd facelift in 2010 and the current gen Espace has only 1.6l 4 pots.

If you’re interested in buying this great sleeper, keep in mind that it’s a heavy drinker and might surprise you with some electric failures. Oh and don’t consider the V6 dCi. It’s the same Isuzu engine that was used in the Opel Vectra and Saab 9-5 and is known as one of the most unreliable Diesels off all-time.

#6 Toyota Estima/Previa V6 (XR30/XR40)

Engine Layout: 3.0i V6 NA
Engine Code: Toyota 1MZ-FE
Power: 162 kW / 220 PS
Torque: 304 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 4 speed automatic
Vmax: 180 km/h

The Estima/Previa is a van based on the Camry and it was sold worldwide (correct me if I’m wrong). It was introduced in 2000 and remained until 2006, when it was replaced by the 3rd gen. Compared to the 2nd gen, the 3rd gen is only sold in Asia and Oceania. According to Wikipedia, the main reason for this lack of export is that especially in Europe, all other full-size (mini)vans have decreased in their list prices, so Toyota thought that the car wouldn’t be profitable.

Anyway, back to the Previa V6. The engine is the Toyota 1MZ-FE which packs a total of 220 PS and 304 Nm of torque. 15 years ago, these figures were standard for a natural aspirated V6 motor and having such horsepower in a van was and still is kinda impressive. Unfortunately, the car didn’t come with AWD and manual 5 speed transmission like its slower 4 pot brother. I guess, the reason is that the V6 was aimed to the more comfort-orientated driver.

If you’re interested in this car and don’t want to buy a used one, no problem: It’s still produced in China.

#5 Opel Zafira OPC / Vauxhall Zafira GSi (as suggested by Jordan Bell)

Engine Layout: 2.0i I4 Turbo
Engine Code: Opel Z20LET
Power: 147 kW / 200 PS
Torque: 250 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 5 speed manual
Vmax: 220 km/h

The Zafira is one of the most popular vans in Europe. Even my dad had one in the early 2000s. It was a company car and had to do lots of Autobahn miles within 2 or 3 years. Well, after 50,000 km the turbo blew up while my dad was on the way to a customer in Southern Germany (rural area with lots of hills). This POS had also many other failures and was almost monthly in the workshop. I think my dad is still pissed about this car :D

Ok back to topic then. Most Zafiras are just used boring and slow family haulers, but Opel decided to go crazy and produced a sports model of this rather dull car. The result was the OPC (Opel Performance Center) which had a nice 2.0i I4 Turbo with 200 PS and 250 Nm of torque under the hood. Enough power for a Vmax of 220 km/h which could easily be achieved on the Autobahn. As Opels are still totally underestimated in Germany, not many people would think that a Zafira can be fast. However, the OPC was kinda successful and Opel continued production with the 2nd gen Zafira. The 2nd gen Zafira got a power increase of 40 PS and 70 Nm. But Opel went completely nuts and even offered an OPC version of grandpa’s darling the Meriva (That’s almost as crazy as an Abarth Multipla). Of course, this car flopped, but it’s still adorable. The Meriva OPC had a 1.6i I4 Turbo with 180 PS.

#4 Mercedes-Benz R 500 / 550 4MATIC (as suggested by Tom Kranich)

Engine Layout: 5.5i V8 NA
Engine Code: Mercedes-Benz M 273 KE 55
Power: 285 kW / 388 PS
Torque: 530 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: AWD, 7G-TRONIC
Vmax: 250 km/h (limited)

Do you still remember the R-class? If you do, congrats. Not many remember this attempt of creating a niche car between a van and a SUV. Or how Mercedes-Benz descripted it: The Grand Sports Tourer (since 2007: The SUV-Tourer). The main target market was the US-market, but well, offering a mixture of the classes mentioned above, was not a big hitter. Anyway, Mr. President would like this car, because it was and still is produced in the USA. Wait? It is still in production? Correct. Despite being a flop almost worldwide, the Chinese still want this car, so after the other sales were discontinued in 2012, the stretched R-class is still produced exclusively for China. Since 2015, the capacities were moved from Tuscaloosa to AM General’s plant.

However, the pre-facelift models had the most engines to choose from. You could get everything from the R 280 up to the R 63 AMG. But imo the AMG is too obvious for being a proper sleeper. So I decided to feature the R 500/550 models. Packing a mighty 5.5i V8 with initially 306 PS and 460 Nm, this car was able to sprint from 0 to 60 in 7 seconds and got a top speed of 245 km/h. With the small facelift in 2007, these figures were increased to 388 PS and 530 Nm, respectively roughly 6 seconds from 0 to 60 and a limited Vmax of 250 km/h.

If you’re interested in buying this car new, you should call your favorite Chinese dealership.

#3 GMC Vandura / Chevrolet G30 7.4 V8 (as suggested by Jan Berens)

Engine Layout: 7.4l V8 NA
Engine Code: GM V8 (Didn’t found an official code)
Power: 190 kW / 258 PS
Torque: 522 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: RWD, 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic
Vmax: n/a

Everyone knows this van. It’s the legendary A-team van, but did you know it could keep up with the one or another muscle car, too? Well, if you ordered the biggest V8 available, you could have lots of fun., especially if you combined it with the 4 speed manual and the LSD. Unfortunately, Wikipedia couldn’t give much more information than this, so that’s all I can tell you about this legendary van.

#2 Ford S-Max 2.0 EcoBoost (as suggested by p1eased0nteatme)

Engine Layout: 2.0i I4 Turbo
Engine Code: Ford EcoBoost
Power: 177 kW / 240 PS
Torque: 345 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: FWD, 6 speed automatic
Vmax: 226 km/h

The Ford S-MAX was introduced in 2006 and became one of the most popular Ford vans in Europe. You could even order the amazing Volvo I5 Turbo from the Focus ST. But I want to focus on the current generation, because the big EcoBoost is better in all power aspects than the 5 pot. It only lacks the glorious 5-cylinder sound.

The 2.0 EcoBoost packs a nice 240 PS and 345 Nm of torque and can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8.4 seconds. This results in a Vmax of 226 km/h which is nice to have. This is the biggest engine available for the 2nd gen Ford S-MAX. Since this car was introduced in 2015, the first lease returns will be available on the market.

#1 Porsche B32

Engine Layout: 3.2i B6 NA
Engine Code: Porsche Boxer (air-cooled)
Power: 170 kW / 231 PS
Torque: 284 Nm
Drivetrain Layout: RWD, 5 speed manual
Vmax: 220 km/h

You might think: “Wait? Isn’t this a Porsche-Boxer-swapped VW T3 Bus?” Nope, it isn’t. This car was officially built by Porsche. It has a Porsche name, a Porsche serial number and a Porsche price tag. You never heard of this car before? No problem. I will introduce it to you.

Around 35 years ago, the Porsche’s head of the R&D department, Mr. Helmuth Bott, decided to develop a special version of VW’s T3 Bus after his department swapped successfully the engine of a 911 SC into a stock Bus. The reason for this swap was as simple as genius: The R&D Department in Weissach needed a VW Bus which could keep up with their 911 prototypes and transport their spare parts and measurement devices. So they did the above mentioned swap and it convinced Mr. Bott, so they started thinking about a small production series, called the B 32. In the end the car costed almost twice as much as a stock Porsche 911 Carrera (65k DM to 145k DM). Which is also the reason why the car wasn’t produced for public sales. All cars, were part of the R&D department and were sold after their job was done. It’s unclear how many B 32s were produced, but rumors say that around 15 cars (+-5) were built.

Fun fact: Porsche R&D even thought about taking a syncro Bus (AWD) and swap the complete 959 powertrains in it. Unfortunately, it was never realized.

Have fun :D
P.S. Part 4 will be a 90s special. I need some suggestions. Until now I’ve got Audi S2, MB 500 SL 6.0 AMG & Ford Fiesta RS Turbo