Why This Number Is Still Important Is Beyond Me

Why zero to 60 mph performance is overrated

In the real world, those times don't apply

In the real world, acceleration is usually done when merging onto a highway or passing someone in the next lane. Neither situation has anything to do with how quickly a car will move from a complete stop. Another part of the problem with 0-60 times is the inconsistencies and inaccuracies that come with manufacturer claims. Tesla, when announcing its Model S P100D, claimed to make the quickest production car on the planet. That led to a debate about what defines a production vehicle. The Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 both put down equal 0-60 times, but Tesla claims they don't count because they're low-volume specialty vehicles. Does Tesla have a point? Maybe. Does it really matter? No.

Manufacturer claims can be all over the place. Some are conservative while others flat out lie. Companies will make up all sorts of rules and pseudo-comparisons in order to look good. And they often game the test conditions to pad the stats. This is why independent testing and reporting, like that done by magazines and websites, is so important.

But even then, there are discrepancies. Ever wondered why the 0-60 mph time from publication A is lower than the one from publication B? It's generally not because one has better drivers than the other, especially in today's world of launch control and automatic transmissions. Nor is it due to equipment accuracy, as everyone uses Racelogic VBOX data loggers. The time difference is usually due to the liberal use of a correction factor and the needless application of rollout.  

(AutoBlog.com)