The widespread acceleration test from 0 to 60 mph has become a standardized benchmark of a vehicle’s performance capabilities among experts in the industry and enthusiasts at car meets, but that single measurement doesn’t fully represent a car’s overall character. On the road and even on the race track, it is more likely that a car’s 5-to-60 mph results, or rolling start results, provide a better indication of a car’s real-world performance. In a recent research study, Car and Driver compared the 0-to-60 mph times and 5-to-60 mph times of vehicles to determine which cars had the least difference between the two results, indicating the most responsive powertrains, and vice versa.
Despite being known as the slowest new car currently available for sale, the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 actually completed the 5-to-60 mph test a tenth of a second faster than it completed the 0-to-60 mph run. The 2018 Honda Odyssey matched the Mirage’s difference, making them the two most responsive powertrains that Car and Driver has tested. The actual time each car took to reach 60 mph varied greatly, with the Mirage posting a 0-to-60 time of 12.8 seconds and a 5-to-60 time of 12.7 seconds, while the Odyssey posted a 0-to-60 time of 6.7 seconds and a 5-to-60 time of 6.6 seconds.
The vehicles with the least responsive powertrains may not be the suspects you anticipate. The vehicle with the least responsive powertrain is the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman T with a two-second difference between its 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds and its 5-to-60 time of 6.4 seconds. Following that is the 2020 BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe with a 1.8-second difference between its 0-to-60 time of 4.2 seconds and its 5-to-60 time of 6 seconds. Car and Driver said,
It’s not surprising that the least responsive powertrains are all turbocharged. The poorest performer was the Porsche 718 Cayman T, which is equipped with a high-boost turbo 2.0-liter flat-four engine. The 2020 manual model we tested achieved the 60-mph launch in 4.4 seconds but lagged behind by a full two seconds on the 5-to-60-mph run. Other delayed engines included a 2020 BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe and a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar P250 SE, both with a 1.8-second difference between the 60- and 5-to-60-mph times.
A slow response is not exclusive to sluggish vehicles. A four-door 2021 Ford Bronco Outer Banks took 8.2 seconds to reach from 5-to-60 mph, 1.7 seconds slower than its 60-mph time. However, a 2024 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT experienced the same difference, requiring 4.5 seconds in the 5-to-60-mph test compared to its rapid 2.8-second sprint to 60 mph.
Not all turbocharged cars performed inadequately in the rolling start runs. There were 10 turbocharged models with a difference of less than three tenths of a second between the two test results. Nevertheless, all the vehicles with minimal difference between the tests were naturally aspirated, leading Car and Driver to conclude that modern turbocharged engines still do not offer the same smooth power delivery as their naturally aspirated counterparts.
While recognizing that the emphasis placed on 0-to-60 times only addresses one aspect of a car’s performance capabilities, the 5-to-60 rolling start results also highlight a single metric, without providing a complete picture. Comparing both measurements reveals an interesting observation, but these results do not reveal much about the tested vehicles besides their performance in these two tests. With that said, the significant disparity between the Porsche 718 and the Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT is surprising. The 718 is approximately 45 percent slower in the rolling test than in the 0-to-60 run, and the Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT is over 60 percent slower in the rolling race. Despite Porsche’s legacy and reputation, such substantial performance gaps were unexpected, emphasizing that Porsches have always been more than just straight-line speed.
