10 Practical Commuter Cars With Surprisingly High Horsepower

Being a car enthusiast with a long daily commute can be a challenge. On one hand, buying a traditionally enthusiast-oriented car means that the daily drive will be more fun, but on the other hand, it often means sacrificing practicality and reliability, plus increasing running costs. However, buyers looking for a powerful, interesting commuter car have more options available to them than they might realize. Recent gas, hybrid, and EV models offer a great compromise between fun and practicality.

Commuter cars with impressive handling and horsepower can be found across a variety of price ranges, although many might look unremarkable at first glance. We've rounded up 10 top picks that offer comfort, interior space, and decent efficiency, but also pack more horsepower than most people expect. We've aimed to include cars that cater to a range of budgets and needs, from cut-price sports sedans to stealthy but powerful luxury family haulers.

Although it doesn't quite boast as many horses under the hood as the most powerful cars here, the Hyundai Elantra N still offers more power than many enthusiasts might expect given its price tag. According to the brand, its turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine churns out 276 horsepower, yet it delivers 24 mpg combined and up to 29 mpg on the highway with the manual. An automatic transmission is also available, offering a combined 23 mpg.

At a starting price of $34,350 excluding fees, the Elantra N is comfortably the cheapest model on this list, but it doesn't feel like it. We put the 2025 model through its paces in late 2024 and came away impressed with both its sharp handling when pushed hard and its ride comfort at everyday speeds.

It wasn't without its flaws, though. The lack of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is a sticking point in its usefulness as a daily driver, but a wired connection is still standard. It's also not quite as powerful as other sporty daily drivers like the Civic Type R, but the key thing is that it's nowhere near as expensive either.

In top-spec Blackwing guise, the Cadillac CT4 is a hoot to drive, but variants lower in its trim range shouldn't be dismissed either. For a starting price of $46,390 excluding fees, buyers can get a new CT4 with a twin-turbocharged 2.7L four-cylinder engine, which makes 310 horsepower. It's only available with the Premium Luxury trim, which includes rear-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic transmission as standard. An all-wheel drive system can be added for $2,000 extra.

The CT4 is a left-field alternative to leading German sports sedans from the likes of BMW and Audi, but it's just as practical as its rivals. A combined EPA rating of 25 mpg isn't stellar, but during highway driving, that rises to a more competitive 31 mpg. The CT4 offers room for up to five passengers, although in our test of the Blackwing, we found those seats to be less generous than other sports sedans.

Commuters who need to haul around a family when they're not driving to and from work might need something larger than the average sports sedan. Traditionally, three-row SUVs are far from exciting to drive, but the Mazda CX-90 is a welcome exception. A 3.3L turbocharged six-cylinder engine is offered across all trims, and in its most potent form, it produces 340 horsepower. It's no slouch in the corners either, feeling more assured than other cars its size.

The interior finish varies across trims, but the cabin of our top-spec tester felt more upscale than buyers might expect from a Mazda. Combine that with the CX-90's competitive tech stack, and the result is a car that feels unexpectedly luxurious both when hauling a family and on the daily commute. Like any car, though, it's not without its drawbacks. Buyers looking for maximum cargo capacity will want to look elsewhere, and its combined 25 mpg lags a little behind the best in class. With a starting price of $53,150 excluding fees for the most powerful variant, it's not cheap either.

Anyone who can afford to shell out a little more for a luxury commuter will find themselves with plenty of options at their disposal, but few combine family-hauling practicality with genuine sportiness quite as effectively as the Acura MDX Type S. A turbocharged 3.0L six-cylinder engine sits under its hood, offering 355 horsepower. Those horses are put to good use too, with the MDX Type S being surprisingly good fun to thrash around mountain roads. Most three-row SUVs don't encourage their drivers to hunt redlines when the situation allows, but then, the MDX Type S isn't most SUVs.

Despite its potency and impressive handling, the Acura remains a practical daily driver with generous space for cargo and passengers. It's also comfortable around town and at regular highway speeds, and thanks to its relatively understated looks, it won't draw much attention. While we thought its infotainment could be improved and its 19 mpg combined rating makes it relatively thirsty, the MDX Type S still makes a compelling choice for those who can justify shelling out the $75,000 or so it costs to buy one.

It's been around for a few years now, but Genesis still doesn't have a huge amount of brand recognition outside of its core clientele. Still, it shouldn't be overlooked, with a range spanning SUVs, crossovers, and sedans, including three electric models. An electric version of the brand's GV70 is available, but the variant that is arguably the most surprisingly powerful is the gas-powered G70 3.5T AWD. It starts from $58,800 excluding fees, with its twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine churning out 375 horsepower.

Its EPA-estimated combined rating of 20 mpg is far from exceptional, although on the highway that figure should increase to 24 mpg. The car also boasts a suite of standard safety tech that includes lane keeping assist, a driver attention warning, and blind spot assist — all for added peace of mind on daily commutes. An eight-speed automatic transmission is fitted to all variants, and electronically-adjustable suspension aims to ensure that even commutes on broken roads remain as comfortable as possible.

Advancements in turbocharging mean that a wide range of gas-powered cars now offer higher horsepower outputs than many people would expect, but for maximum under-the-radar power, EVs rule the roost. Most buyers are already well aware of the potency of top-spec Teslas, but other manufacturers have now caught up and offer powerful, comfortable, and efficient EVs. BMW, for example, sells a 536-horsepower M-badged version of its i4 sedan, but arguably the most unexpectedly potent i4 variant is the i4 xDrive40. It looks more understated than the top-spec variant, but it still offers 396 horsepower and a sub-five-second 0-60 mph time.

Sure, it won't beat the top-spec i4 M50 off the line, but it's still more power than most drivers will ever need. Plus, the i4 xDrive40 boasts a higher range, offering up to 287 miles between charges, and it's practical too. We found the i4 to be surprisingly roomy inside and were impressed by how easy it was to load and unload cargo from the wide trunk. The i4 xDrive40's starting price of $62,300 is no bargain, but those who can justify the outlay are unlikely to be disappointed.

Refreshed for the 2025 model year, the Ford Explorer debuts with some new tech and a revised trim range. At the top of that range is the Explorer ST, which starts from $54,260 excluding fees. It offers new suspension and 21-inch wheels, but the headline feature is its 3.0L EcoBoost V6 engine, which produces 400 horsepower. That's an unusually high amount for any three-row family SUV, never mind one with no electrification.

While some buyers will undoubtedly see that lack of electrification as a good thing, it does mean that the Explorer ST isn't going to be the most frugal or the quickest off the line. Still, other areas of the car, such as the available BlueCruise hands-free driving system, do feel more forward-looking than its powertrain. However, the Explorer ST's price puts it among plenty of fierce SUV competition, and so if horsepower figures aren't your only consideration, then better value can probably be found elsewhere.

In general, most buyers don't associate the Volvo brand with speed, but some of its models are surprisingly rapid. The S90 Plug-In Hybrid gets a healthy boost from its electrification and produces a combined 455 horsepower, enabling it to hit 60 mph from a standstill in 4.6 seconds. When its all-electric range is taken into account, Volvo claims a combined efficiency of 66 MPGe, but even without its battery power, the car still offers a reasonable 29 mpg combined.

An all-wheel drive system comes equipped as standard, with a choice of 19-inch or 20-inch wheels available. Without options, the S90 Plug-In Hybrid starts from $66,845 excluding fees, but opt for the Ultra trim and that price jumps to $72,395 excluding fees. That premium will get buyers a Harman Kardon audio system, ventilated front seats, and a head-up display, but the car's power figures remain unchanged.

The 2 was the first standalone model from EV brand Polestar, initially launched in 2019. Since then, it has been continuously tweaked by the brand, and the latest version now delivers up to 476 horsepower. To access all of those horses, buyers will need the Performance Pack, which brings the 2 up to a starting price of $64,800 excluding fees.

When SlashGear reviewed the Polestar 2 back in 2023, the car peaked at 455 horsepower, which was still more than fast enough. The added power of the Performance Pack also necessitates harsher suspension, which could make commutes on broken roads less comfortable than other, slower EV rivals.

Long-distance commuters might want to give the 2 a miss, since its 254-mile EPA-estimated range is a fair way behind what the best in its class can offer. Still, its understated looks and impressive peak power earn it a spot here, even if it's not the most well-rounded commuter car on the market.

It's safe to say that no one needs an EV that makes more than 500 horsepower — or really anything approaching that figure. However, for those that are prepared to pay for such bragging rights, an increasing range of EVs offer outputs of 500 horsepower or more, including some from manufacturers you wouldn't expect. Few buyers, for example, would expect such a high horsepower output from a Kia, yet the EV6 GT comes with 576 horses on tap.

The cost is a significant one, with the EV6 GT starting at $61,600 excluding fees, while the base-spec EV6 costs almost $20,000 less. Its range is also far from exemplary, with just 218 miles available between charges according to the EPA. Still, for commuters that need a car that will zip through city streets and accelerate from stoplights fast enough to scare any unsuspecting passengers, Kia's fastest EV might be just the ticket.