Why 0-60mph Times Can Be Very Deceiving

Car enthusiasts are obsessed with numbers. We memorize horsepower stats, engine sizes, and the top speeds of all our favorite models and yet, there’s one figure that seems to stand above the rest most times, and that's a vehicle's 0-60 mph time. A car that is quicker to 60mph from a dead stop than its rival is simply better. Fact. At least, that's what many people seem to think and base their arguments on.

Auto manufacturers know this, and they do everything possible to eek every last tenth out of their models. But is a faster 0-60 mph time really the ultimate measure of a car's performance? We look at all the factors that surround this age-old metric to find out.

Why is the 0-60mph Time So Important?

In the past, when cars struggled to even reach 60 mph, knowing how quickly they could get there was a reliable gauge of overall performance. Aside from a few outliers, most were naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive, and had either a manual transmission or a basic automatic. In today's world, where even the most basic vehicles can easily exceed 100mph, the 0-60 mph metric has become less relevant.

Technological differences have also skewed results, so a quick 0-60 time doesn’t always translate into a faster car overall. We still want a simple way to differentiate between fast and slow cars, but modern vehicles are way too complex to be judged solely by their 0-60mph numbers.

Power Vs. Traction

Horsepower numbers can also be deceptive. A classic American muscle car may make 400 horsepower or more, but if it can’t put all that power down effectively, it's 0-60 sprint will suffer. Blame it on rudimentary suspension, skinny tires, and massive torque.

Just about every 300 horsepower modern car will leave a big-block Chevy from the '70s for dead at the lights. It comes down to traction. If there is too much power being sent to the driven wheels, it goes up in excessive tire smoke as the wheels lose traction and start spinning. A limited-slip differential can help meter out the power across the driven axle, but the best solution is to get the power/traction ratio just right.

Which Wheels Are Driven?

All-wheel-drive systems can significantly enhance a car’s ability to launch from a standstill. Consider the latest BMW 740i, available in both rear-wheel-drive and AWD configurations. With identical power outputs, the AWD version is 0.2 seconds quicker to 60mph. While this doesn’t necessarily translate into better real-world performance, it highlights the relationship between grip and power. You may find that the RWD BMW will be quicker once on the move, thanks to its lower curb weight.

All things equal, front-wheel drive cars tend to deliver the slowest 0-60 mph times due to their traction disadvantage. This is mostly noticeable on more powerful cars where the front wheels simply cannot transfer the power to the road. When you look at 600+hp supercars, AWD is practically a necessity. Aside from a handful of Ferraris and McLarens, this is the default layout for most powerful vehicles these days.

Related

Turbochargers and Superchargers

Turbochargers and superchargers can boost a car’s power output significantly by forcing more air into the engine. However, in the case of turbos, the trade-off is a slight delay in power delivery, known as turbo lag. This lag can result in slower acceleration off the line, even if the car feels like a rocket once it’s on the move. If you want to experience turbo lag, just try accelerating hard in high gear at low revs. That delay as the boost builds can be frustrating, and modern automatic transmissions mask this effect by quickly shifting into a lower gear.

Superchargers, on the other hand, are driven by a belt that connects to the engine’s crankshaft and eliminates any lag. It is, however, a less efficient solution, and not many modern cars use superchargers, but if you want the best acceleration from a dead stop, it's the way to go. Where the supercharger excels in instant torque, it falls short of top end power as compared to a proper turbo application, so there is a trade-off between both systems.

Power vs. Torque

Power and torque are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct roles. Power determines how quickly an engine can work, while torque is how much work it can do. High torque provides that solid surge you feel when accelerating. It helps a car get off the line, and, as the revs rise, the power output determines how quickly it continues accelerating. As an example, electric vehicles deliver an instant torque hit that helps them achieve impressive initial acceleration times. But most have a single-speed gearbox that sees that acceleration tapering off as speeds rise.

An older sports car like the Honda S2000 has plenty of horsepower, but torque output is low. This means you have to rev it high to get the best out of it. That makes it quick at higher speeds, but it can feel sluggish when attempting a quick launch.

Gearing Matters

Some cars are geared for fuel economy, sacrificing acceleration, while others have short gears to deliver quick sprints at the expense of comfort in day-to-day driving. This is why overall gearing plays a crucial role in acceleration. It’s a balancing act that not every manufacturer gets right.

Focusing solely on 0-60 mph figures can also be misleading. A car that’s designed to perform well in everyday driving scenarios—whether it’s quick in-gear acceleration or smooth power delivery—will be far more enjoyable than one optimized only for impressive sprints. If you spend a lot of time on highways, in-gear acceleration and high-speed responsiveness should be your focus. If you primarily drive around town, you may never even hit 60 mph, making the 0-60 figure largely irrelevant.

Transmission Types

Transmission types play a big role in acceleration as well. Automatic transmissions are so quick these days that they deliver better acceleration figures than a manual gearbox. Dual-clutch systems are even quicker, offering lightning-fast gear changes that further cut down on the 0–60 times. EVs usually have a single gear that delivers seamless acceleration and no time-wasting gear changes.

Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) use a belt pulley system that adjusts to simulate different gears. A good idea in theory, but it results in a driving experience that feels like the clutch is slipping as you accelerate. This is because the engine revs are kept at a constant level to maximize efficiency. It makes for smooth progress at low throttle inputs, but it isn’t suited for quick acceleration, although some systems are better than others.

Real-World Driving

In a real-world driving scenario, it’s rare to go from a complete standstill to 60 mph. More often, you’ll be accelerating from 0-40 mph or 10-40 mph as you negotiate through traffic. A car that’s responsive in these speed ranges is far more pleasant to drive than one that only excels at full-throttle launches. Some road tests also publish 5-60 mph times. These are a far better indicator of real-world performance as this eliminates any traction advantages or launch control systems that only matter in full-bore starts.

Measurement Methods

Even measuring a 0-60 mph time isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. In the U.S., some manufacturers use a one-foot rollout method, effectively shaving 0.3 seconds off the actual time. This is to account for the initial distance a vehicle travels on a drag strip before the timing lights are activated. European manufacturers, on the other hand, often quote 0-62 mph times (equivalent to 100km/h), adding an extra 0.3 seconds or so. Some official 0–60 times are also done on prepared surfaces which heavily favor powerful rear-wheel drive cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. These differences in testing methods and conditions can lead to significant discrepancies, sometimes by as much as a full second, making on-paper comparisons tricky.

So, How Should We Compare Performance?

While 0-60 mph results provide a basic idea of a car’s overall performance, it shouldn’t be the only metric used. The 5-60 mph time is far more relevant, as are the in-gear acceleration figures. It’s always worth checking the drivetrain layout, powertrain type (EV, gas, diesel, or hybrid), and transmission choice to get a better understanding of how a car will perform. In the end, the best way to understand a car’s abilities is to get behind the wheel and experience it for yourself.