1) How much wear and tear was imposed on the car/tires to get that time?

2) What would the 0-60 time be if you drove the car like you owned it (and not like you stole it)? This could be the same as 5-60 time.

3) How many shifts were required? Does the car test especially fast because it’s geared to get to 60 just before the shift to 3rd?

4) 0-30 time vs 30-60 time? Does it punch you in the chest and then let off (muscle car), or does it really pick up once the revs are up (Honda VTEC)?

And, btw, I think you’d be hard-pressed to buy a new car that truly has trouble merging onto the freeway.

this tells me what the car is actually capable of

0-60 tells me what Billy can do when he takes his mom’s car out to cruise stoplight to stoplight.

I agree everyone’s priorities are different. But, R&D is influenced by market(ing)demand. In Europe, you just cannot e.g. sell a new hot-hatch without 0-60 in the sub-8 second area. It is a selling point – even if it means compromising the rest of the gearing.

Another point: With most modern diesel cars you can drive around town all day with 3rd gear engaged with all that torque. What metric to use for that? I know, you are right, it is (0-60) the established standard and almost impossible to change. It is just so limited. And depending on so many factors: Try to “confirm” the official figure for a Honda S2000 with worn out tires.

Sixty mph can be accomplished by holding 2nd gear until 7100rpm in a 1.8L Corolla XRS. It sure looks like the 2nd gear of 1.88 with 4.7 final was chosen to meet this benchmark.

The average buyer is probably satisfied with a 0 to sixty time of 8 seconds which at a linear accel rate covers 352 feet.
However the performance driver will want to see a little more power, speed and some clutch action factored in. For that there’s the 1/4 mile.

The 1/4 mile of 1320 feet should predict a terminal speed for the XRS around 120mph with the same acceleration but for the torque dilution of 3rd and 4th gear even with 164Hp under the hood. This of course is where the really powerful cars can differentiate themselves with the 1/4 mile metric since they will probably be able to top out in third gear.

However I’d rather focus on reality when looking at benchmarks during a period when I’m looking to buy. Almost all the time, that involves the feel, abilities and satisfaction provided by the car I’m driving. And 0-60 covers off the acceleration “feel” part much better than those others, because I’m living in that range +/- 20. Oh there could be variants too, like 5-60, 20-75 or whatever.

Its hard after so many years with an established standard of measurement to create a new one. Mind you, everyone’s priorities are different so nobody is going to influence anyone. If driving satisfaction comes from less capable but more fuel efficient gearboxes, then enjoy.

I think anyone who has driven in Germany will have noticed that the vehicles going flat-out are usually Audis, BMW and Mercedes with a TDI, d or CDI badge. The 50-100 figure in a 335d for example, is in supercar territory mainly because of the 428 pound feet of torque. The 6 seconds for 0-60 is so relative: It takes a 911 to keep up with the 335d on the motorway.

Even a Golf GTD will cruise happily at +110 mph while the 0-60 is a mediocre 10 seconds. The 0-60 is indicating pretty much… nothing.

First, you get the 50 MPH start, which ensures that there’s next to no added stress on anything.

Second, you get the 100 MPH finish, which will show up power or aerodynamic deficiencies.

Third, it takes a relatively long time (5-30 seconds) and allows cars of broadly similar performance to be separated.

Fourth, it allows you to see the differences between cars in the range where power is most important in street use . Most cars are traction-limited until 30 now.

Finally, it’s not something that can be tricked easily – you don’t get to fiddle with staging or timing gear, and applying full power at 50 MPH doesn’t break traction on anything that doesn’t need a measure of straight-line performance that includes speeds over 130 MPH…

When shopping for cars, I use 0-60 comparison sites to eliminate inadequate cars when narrowing down the list to look at.

If you’re catering to eggheads and stylists, those who think cars are something more than mere transportation, you’ll need a lot more space than you’ve been allotted. Stick with something that’s been around for at least six decades, or plan on losing the larger part of your audience. Its that simple. Your choice, of course.

Good review.

0-100-0 needs to make a comeback!

Dave Coleman, formerly of Sport Compact Car, wrote an editorial about 0-60 times a while back. He used a speed/acceleration graph, which dip during gear changes, and observed they all hit 62 (100kph) at the top of 2nd gear, since a shift takes away from 0-60 times.

Granted, they were all budget sport compacts, I like to see more cars with proper gearing as opposed to cars with a super-short first gear and a long 2nd gear designed to reach 62 without shifting.

And 0-60 for performance cars doesn’t tell you much. You’re barely in 2nd gear for most cars. Still in first for some.

Trap speed is an indicator of the car’s capabilties. Why have 500 HP if you’re just going to go to 60?

Just sounds like you have a bias against drag racing. The 1/4 is useful.

Dyno is useful, but doesn’t include gearing.

1/4 with trap speed and time tells you a lot about a car’s performance.

What does it tell you about the driving experience?? Anyone can go in a straight line “really fast” and the trap speed (power – not torque) is meaningless in most countries other than Germany.

Americans are (were?) obsessed with the quarter.

I’d rather have dyno sheet.

And why is that? It tells you more about a performance car’s capabilites than 0-60.

1/4 with trap speed and time tells you a lot about a car’s performance. The WRX may have a low trap time(mid 13’s), but if the MPH are low too(which is usually is comparatively) than you can tell it’s zippy off the line, but slows down at higher speeds.

1/4 mile time tells me more than 0-60.

I’m far more interested in a dyno chart of rpm vs torque and horsepower than a 0 to whatever time. Oh, and 1/4 mile time vs speed would be interesting too. I’ve never seen that before.

Lap times are not very meaningful because each track is different.