Why 5-60 Is Usually A Superior Performance Metric Than 0-60

Ah, the vaunted 0-to-60-mph test. We all know and love (or loathe) this car acceleration test metric -– even non-gearheads get the gist of why it exists. The prevailing wisdom is pretty straightforward: does a car leap off of the line quickly from a stop? Look up the 0-to-60 time, and you (kind of) have your answer. The test has been used for decades by automakers, journalists, and consumers alike as a de facto standard by which a vehicle's go-power is measured in a practical setting with slick, round numbers.

But is this really the best way to test a car's get-up-and-go capabilities? The consensus among enthusiasts and critics is pretty mixed in terms of when, where, or even why the 0-to-60 test is still used as a prominent performance benchmark by the auto industry and beyond. Here's where the 5-to-60 test comes into play.

The 5-to-60 — or rolling start – test measures acceleration like the 0-60 test, but the results often better reflect how a car acts in real-world driving situations, like pulling away from a stop in first gear. The 5-to-60 run can also be a better way to measure general low to midrange power, which can give you a better idea of a car's passing-and-merging abilities in addition to how quickly it can zoom away from a halt. So while the 5-to-60-mph metric likely won't replace the 0-to-60 run outright, it certainly has its place at the test track.

So how did we get here? It all started when Tom McCahill, a NYC-based car journalist, is credited with coining the term "zero to 60" in his review of a new Ford in the February 1946 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, as shared by MotorTrend. McCahill's phrase and test method caught on, and to this day, the 0-to-60 test remains a popular way to gauge a car's speed from a halt. But it ain't perfect.

To start, 0-to-60 tests almost always utilize a test driver's technical skills to produce the fastest time possible. While professional testers can leverage things like torque braking to optimize a 0-60-mph run, the average motorist mashing the gas pedal at a green light probably can't replicate these test conditions.

The 5-to-60-mph metric pays a bit less heed to the skill- and condition-based variables that are baked into 0-to-60 runs and often yield faster times. Instead, the 5-to-60-mph test not only more closely approximates how an average driver actually accelerates, but it also helps suss out a car's post-launch characteristics like power bands, midrange torque output, and turbo lag. 

In short, the 5-to-60 test can be used as a more practical, accurate examination of how quickly a vehicle actually accelerates. Not only can the results from this test better reflect what the average Joe or Jane will experience when smashing the gas until the speedo hits 60, but it also holistically factors in other aspects of the powertrain that contribute to how quickly the car makes it to the 60-mph mark.

Is the 5-to-60 mph test truly superior to the widely recognized 0-to-60 run? Perhaps, but if you aren't at least convinced of its importance, it's time to serve up some receipts. Car and Driver — the outlet that came up with the 5-60 test itself – provides a test case. Per the outlet, the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman T goes from nought to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Nice! Its 5-to-60 time? A more leisurely 6.4 seconds. Meh.

The reason for that more-sluggish 5-to-60 run? Turbo lag. Just like the variables we mentioned earlier — drive test conditions, traction, and driver skill level — things like turbochargers can help produce nice-looking 0-to-60 mph times, but also reveal that the 0-to-60 test is something of an unreliable narrator when it comes to acceleration abilities. In other words, the 0-60 provides some truth, but not the whole of it, so the 5-to-60 metric helps to fill in plenty of gaps and serve as a counterweight to the 0-to-60 standard.

For now, at least, don't expect to see 5-to-60-mph times in automaker ad copy, or prominently placed in social media thumbnails. But take a beat to consider the humble, overlooked 5-to-60-mph metric -– and with due props to Mr. McCahill, why this test (perhaps along with the quarter-mile run) is tops when it comes to measuring acceleration in a more realistic big-picture manner.