10 Turbocharged Four-Cylinder Cars That Punch Way Above Their Weight

Ever since models such as the Saab 99 Turbo hit the scene in the late ’70s, the world of performance cars has never been the same. Before turbocharging went mainstream, manufacturers relied on either big power from big engines, or light weight (or both), with tuning a fairly complicated affair. Turbocharged production cars, which have actually been around for 100 years, combine power and economy, with extra horsepower available with a quick tweak of the boost.

These days, turbocharging has come so far that few cars do without it. There are very few naturally aspirated performance cars left in 2025, with these models tending to be specialist machinery with a long history of doing without forced induction. Many high-performance cars, including exotic sports cars, can make do with a humble four-pot engine and a turbocharger to give the kind of acceleration that would have put the frighteners on supercar owners not long ago.

HotCars decided to find new turbocharged four-cylinder cars with performance comparable to their six- or even eight-cylinder counterparts. We looked for cars that can reach 60 mph in five seconds or less and offer at least 200 horsepower. We have ranked the cars with the lowest horsepower first.

10

Hyundai Elantra N – 276 HP

Hyundai Elantra N Specs

Source: Hyundai

The hot Elantra N is an interesting take on a sports sedan. Unlike the more subdued German models in this category, the Elantra, with its flashes of red and bolted on aero, has more of a backstreet racer look to it. Luckily, the powerplant backs up the racy looks. Under the hood is a turbocharged inline-4 capable of a healthy 276 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque. The sprint to 60 mph takes just five seconds, which is a shade quicker than, say, a six-cylinder E46 M3.

9

Porsche 718 Cayman (982) – 300 HP

Porsche 718 Cayman Specs

Source: Porsche

The Porsche Cayman is a car that has always been many enthusiasts’ choice over a Boxster. With a coupe hard-top and mid-mounted engine, it is very much a starter supercar with plenty of potential. When Porsche introduced a turbocharged flat-four as the base engine, it seemed to raise a few eyebrows, with fans no doubt missing the sonorous flat-sixes of the past. However, although the entry-level 2.0-liter flat-four may not be the most exciting-sounding engine around, with 300 horsepower, it certainly packs a punch, giving the 718 Cayman more power than the entry six-cylinder engines of a decade ago.

8

2025 BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe – 312 HP

BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe Specs

Source: BMW

The BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe packs a 312-horsepower, 2.0-liter BMW M TwinPower Turbo inline 4-cylinder engine. BMW has fitted an M exhaust system with quad pipes at the back to make the most of the four-pot’s soundtrack, and the rest of the car has subtle performance add-ons, such as an M rear spoiler, to give it added presence. Adaptive M suspension automatically adapts to the road and your driving style too. The BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe will hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds.

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7

2025 Honda Civic Type-R – 315 HP

Honda Civic Type-R Specs

Source: Honda

The Civic Type R has the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood as the previous car, with power rated to 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The Type-R is quick – but you probably already guessed that. Not only will the Type-R destroy the Nürburgring, the Honda has eye-watering performance in a straight line. The Type-R will accelerate to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.

6

2025 Ford Mustang EcoBoost – 315 HP

2025 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Specs

Source: Ford

The Ford Mustang EcoBoost has half the cylinders you might expect from a pony car. The engine is a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost unit, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. This doesn’t mean that the Mustang is a sports car with an engine suited to a boring hatchback hidden within. The four-pot is rated at 315 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, meaning the ‘Stang can hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which isn’t that far behind the V8-powered GT, which reaches the same speed in 4.2 seconds.

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5

Acura Integra Type S – 320 HP

Acura Integra Type S Specs

Source: Acura

The Acura Integra Type S is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that will rev to 7,000 rpm. Power is channeled through a six-speed manual transmission connected to the front wheels, with a limited-slip differential. The car’s sprint to 60 mph has been measured at 5.0 seconds and its top speed is a heady 167 mph.

4

2025 Volkswagen Golf R – 328 HP

Volkswagen Golf R Specs

Source: Volkswagen

In a world of quick EVs, the Golf R suddenly feels like a bit of a dinosaur. This capable hot hatch would once have been the staple of useable performance for anyone who didn’t want to buy a sports car and a family car, but now it feels like a dying breed. At the heart of the Golf R is an actual engine (remember those?) and what an engine it is.

The 2.0-liter four-cylinder mill pumps out 328 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, combined with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and a standard 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. Performance would have been considered outrageous for a hatchback Volkswagen a few years ago – the Golf R will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, which is way quicker than its 3.2-liter VR6-engined cousin, the R32.

3

2025 Audi S3 – 328 HP

Audi S3 Specs

Source: Audi

The Audi S3 often sits in the shadow of its wild RS3 sibling, which packs a powerful five-cylinder engine, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a formidable performance car in its own right. The S3’s 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four engine pumps out 328 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, linked to a seven-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The official time to 60 mph is 4.4 seconds, although some well-known car mags have gone even quicker than that.

2

Lotus Emira – 400 HP

Lotus Emira Specs

Source: Lotus

The Lotus Emira is every inch the mini supercar, and just like the Esprits of the past, it makes do with a more modest four-cylinder engine in place of an exotic V8. That doesn’t mean the Emira is slow, however. There are two powerplants to choose from: a V6 or an AMG-sourced turbocharged four-pot. Interestingly, both have the same 400 horsepower output, and the four has even more torque: 354 lb-ft compared to 310 lb-ft. The result is breathtaking performance for a four-cylinder car. The Emira will hit 60mph in 3.8 seconds and keep going to 182 mph. That’s faster than the V6, which arrives at 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

1

2025 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Coupe – 416 HP

AMG CLA 45 S Coupe Specs

Source: Mercedes-AMG

If you want a small, semi-sleeper car from Mercedes-Benz, then the AMG CLA 45 S Coupe is worth a look. This svelte, small four-door coupe flies under the radar, but it really flies. The car has poise and grip from the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system and plenty of power from its handcrafted 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.

Remember the Mitsubishi Evo FQ-400? It is the ultra-specialist 404-horsepower sedan that Top Gear once raced against a Fiat Stilo station wagon (the Evo lost, up until a point) to show the epic turbo lag. Things have changed a lot since that Evo, and the CLA 45S is proof of that. This Merc gets a usable 416 horsepower out of the 2.0-liter four, and this coupe-sedan will be just as happy getting groceries as it will lapping the Nürburgring.