The 5 Best Super Saloons On Sale In 2024

There are not many cooler ways to go fast than in a super saloon, perhaps only bested by fast estates.

Although the age of the big-engined saloon is coming to an end, largely because of EVs and the rise of performance SUVs, there are still some pretty monstrous options on sale in the UK right now. Oh, and a particularly exciting electric one too.

5. Audi S8

Ever since Ronin hit cinemas in 1998, the Audi S8 has long held a place as one of the coolest Q-cars out there. Sure, the A8 isn’t exactly a subtle thing given its size but the average onlooker wouldn’t be able to separate the fire-breathing S8 from a sedate diesel on looks alone.

Equipped with the EA825 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, the current S8 offers up 564bhp and 590lb ft of torque, taking it from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. It’s far from the most dynamic car, but for sheer sort-of-sleeper performance, it’s hard to beat.

4. Porsche Taycan Turbo GT

The Porsche Taycan has so far been the closest thing to a proper electric super saloon. Sure, the Tesla Model S Plaid has a billionty horsepower and will beat a fighter jet on a ¼ mile run but there’s very little about it that excites us otherwise. The Taycan, meanwhile, has given a glimpse of hope for engaging saloons.

With the new Turbo GT soon landing in showrooms, it’s looking to be the ultimate form of the Taycan. It can now rival the Plaid with 1019bhp and 988lb ft of torque, yet has had serious hardware changes to make it capable on track too. The start of a new EV golden age?

3. Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S

Mercedes-AMG’s big saloons are in a strange place right now. The C63 with its complex four-pot hybrid proved underwhelming, and it’s unclear if the E63 will ever exist and in what form. The E53 is coming so we’ll wait and see how that performs, but again, that’s a hybrid.

It leaves the smallest of the AMG saloons as not all that inarguably the sweetest. The CLA45 S lives on with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder with a relatively monstrous 415bhp and 369lb ft of torque on offer. Its impressive 4Matic all-wheel-drive system harnesses that power marvellously as well, resulting in one of the best all-round performance cars on sale today.

2. BMW M3

It feels strange to suggest the G80 BMW M3 is getting on a bit, but it has been on sale for four years now. In that time, though, it’s remained as probably the most sensible recommendation for a super saloon – if you can call a 503bhp saloon sensible, anyway.

There’s an updated version imminent which should only add to the package. It’s getting an extra 20bhp and some refreshed looks, although will now only be available with xDrive. No bad thing, as the all-wheel-drive system is magnificent plus if you truly must have it RWD, you can set it to send all of the power to the rear.

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

While the BMW M3 is a car you can buy with your head, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is one that’ll be with your heart. Sure, the interior is still crap, it’s a bit too lairy for its own good and there’s the ever-constant fear of fast Alfa Romeo reliability but none of that matters when you’re on the right stretch of road.

That 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 is a magnificent beast, matched by a superb chassis and feelsome steering. It’s even better now thanks to a proper mechanical LSD replacing the electronic one on early cars. It’s probably not long for this world, even with the recent update, so grab one while you can.

What about the others?

You’re probably screaming at us asking why there’s no Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-AMG GT Four-door or Audi RS7 here. We’re being pedantic and labelling those as fastbacks, and there’s just not enough of those on sale for a list of their own. Obviously, there’s no RS6 saloon either, so we can’t put the estate on here.

The new BMW M5 is coming later this year, which we’d expect to land a place on this list, but you can’t currently buy one so that’s out for the time being. Keep your eyes peeled for that one.