The 10 best turbocharged cars

C6 Audi RS6 V10

The C6 Audi RS6 V10 is the archetypal sleeper. To anyone not in the know, it looks like a sensible family car, though admittedly a huge one with a premium feel. But few people would guess a twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V10 lurks under the bonnet for 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed that reportedly cracked 200mph with the speed limiter removed. With the engine hanging ahead of the front axle and four-wheel drive that values grip over fun, the RS6 is more of an A road stormer than a B road blaster.

But powerslides and lift-off oversteer aren't what you want in a family car. What the RS6 does have – a huge cabin, beautiful build quality and equipment that still feels modern – will be far more relevant to family car buyers looking for something more interesting than the ubiquitous Volkswagen Tiguan. 

Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire

We couldn't have a guide to the best-turbocharged cars without mentioning where the wonders of the exhaust driving turbine all began – the Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire. Turbochargers were not a new idea; they'd already been fitted to planes and diesel locomotives, but fitting one to a car hadn't been done before when Garrett AiResearch was tasked with designing one for the Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire. 

The turbocharger increased power by 40 per cent – getting the Jetfire from 0-62mph in nine seconds dead – but the technology was so new it was necessary to inject a water-alcohol mixture into the cylinders, called Turbo Rocket Fluid to prevent early detonation. 

Vauxhall VX220 Turbo

The Vauxhall VX220 came about after a marriage of convenience between Lotus and GM – Lotus had the expertise to build a small, lightweight sports car. In contrast, GM (specifically, Vauxhall) had the money to fund it. 

The standard VX220 was a great car, a slightly more grown-up version of a very un-grown-up sub-1-ton open-top, but the VX220 fully hit its stride when the Turbo model launched. Its lazy power and torque set it apart from the frenetic Lotus Elises that were Vauxhall's only real rival. Its turbocharged 2.0-litre produced 200PS (147kW) for 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and a 151mph top speed.

Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTI

The MK5 Volkswagen Golf GTI lets us fall back in love with the GTI after being majorly turned off by its underpowered and inert MK4 predecessor. The new GTI gave the Golf the shove it had always craved with a playful rasping exhaust note that hinted at the car's fun side.

The MK5 GTI played to the model's best strengths. It felt pinned in corners and had all the performance you needed, but it was decent on fuel and comfortable to travel distances in. Shouty body kits were off the menu, but the GTI's grille and body kit, and retro touches like its tartan seats and golf ball gear shifter clearly marked it out from mainstream models.

Porsche 930 Turbo

The Porsche 911 is often revered as a thing of purity, a champion of measured performance over excess. Unless you’re talking about the Turbo. In every way the Turbo was in your face; the wave of boost as broad as its hips, the on-limit attitude as aggressive as its whale-tail. Unrefined and rough around the edges the original Turbos may be, but so defined by their engine’s character that it’s just as well it got the Turbo name.

Saab 900 Turbo

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Germans essentially co-opted the art of turbocharging, but we mustn’t forget the boost-happy Swedes. Saab, with its jet aircraft links, was an all-out champion of turbocharging, advancing the technology in leaps and bounds over the course of the 1980s and 1990s. In the 99 Turbo, Saab effectively brought turbocharging to the masses. In the 900 Turbo, for the day, it damn near perfected it. 

Ferrari F40

The F40 goes without saying, we reckon. The first road car to get beyond 200mph had a Ferrari badge, but not a screaming V12. Instead, a fire-spitting twin-turbocharged V8 that was given far less credit than it deserved on spec sheets. A stated 470PS (345kW) was closer to 500PS (367kW) with most cars on most dynos. Hearing the way these things boost and how laggy they are, you wouldn’t be surprised.

It’s all induction, wastegate, spit and crackle, with bit of V8 howl to boot. The F40 is quite unlike its F50, Enzo and LaFerrari successors in this respect but near-unique in Ferrari’s history as a result.

Lotus Carlton

The Lotus Carlton was a car so fast that its legality was debated in Parliament. Small wonder. With 382PS (281kW) from its twin-turbocharged straight-six and a claimed top speed of 180mph, it was near enough the fastest car on the road this side of a McLaren F1 or Ferrari F40 in the early 1990s.

Another lesson in the truly devastating performance that could be generated with turbocharging and likely a solid motivator behind the UK police force’s purchase of a batch of hopped-up five-pot turbo Volvo T5 wagons a few years down the line.

Subaru Impreza WRX STi

The Subaru Impreza WRX STi is as iconic as it was successful, with rallying pedigree thanks to Messrs McRae and Burns. It sported the mind-bending handling wizardry with which to deploy its turbo power. Then there’s the engine.

One of the all-time most distinctive sounds in rallying is the chirping, puffing, warbling Subaru boxer. Yes, they’re a nightmare to service and have an appetite for head gaskets but our rally stage wouldn’t be complete without that sound. 

Bugatti Veyron

But it was after the Veyron that things would never be the same. Yes, the EB110 had four turbos in the 1990s. But the Veyron brought the numbers, with 16 cylinders, over 1,000PS, was capable of over 250mph and was the first car from 0-60 in under three seconds. Final proof of the inevitability of turbocharging.