When it comes to putting huge power to the ground, turning all four wheels is the best way to get off the line. MotorTrend has been testing vehicles for decades, and over time it’s become evident that the quickest sports cars from 0 to 60 use all-wheel drive to achieve staggering acceleration. There’s simply better traction when power is shared between four corners, and modern developments like torque vectoring and launch control further reduce acceleration times. Here are the quickest AWD sports cars from 0 to 60 mph we’ve ever tested.
Note that this list focuses only on AWD sports cars that use some form of combustion engine. We’ll save the lightning-quick AWD electric cars for a different time.
10) 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8: 3.2 seconds
We include the XE SV Project 8 here with apprehension, as astute readers will notice we’ll omit other AWD vehicles that are actually quicker to 60. It had us contemplating the essence of a sports car. Although the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid or Lamborghini Urus are without question mightily performant, they somehow don’t strike us as genuine sports cars. Fast, powerful, and capable, absolutely—but something you’d flog on track? Perhaps not. The Project 8, on the other hand, features extensive chassis modifications, aerodynamic enhancements, and carbon-fiber componentry to make it as dynamic as possible. Not to mention its 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 and all-wheel drive providing a 3.2-second 0–60 time. Thereby we include it in this list. It’s not a performance car like the others; it’s a sports car that simply happens to have four doors.
9) 2017 Acura NSX: 3.1 seconds
We still debate the new NSX’s legitimacy as a successor to the iconic original. We don’t ever debate that it’s damn quick. The Japanese hybrid AWD sports car is a spectacle of engineering, with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 and electric motors channeling 573 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque through all four wheels. This system enables a 0–60 of 3.1 seconds, eons ahead of its predecessor’s 4.8-second run. Further indicating how far it’s come is the new NSX’s Quiet mode, which allows all-electric driving at around-town speeds when you’re gentle with the loud pedal.
8) 2017 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS: 3.0 seconds
Let us know if you think of anything more enjoyable than 3.0-second 0–60 runs with the breeze in your hair. Until then, consider the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS. The 991.2 generation of the rear-engine legend controversially brought turbochargers to the signature flat-six, but seemingly everyone who drives one agrees: They simply make the 911 better. Better still is the Targa’s wide-open roof panel, which lets sounds and sunshine flow into the cabin. The “4” designation indicates an AWD 911, while GTS spec tacks on a mélange of performance goodies to make it the sharpest Carrera below capital-T Turbo models and race-bred GT cars. With its combination of performance, style, and luxury, the Targa 4 GTS is a supercar to be daily driven.
7) 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition: 2.7 seconds
Now more than a decade old, the R35 Nissan GT-R maintains its place as one of the quickest AWD sports cars to ever hit the dragstrip. Its launch control came with asterisks that might slightly mar its legacy—newer AWD sports cars have no such caveats—but it worked with incredible efficacy. Regardless, it’s more than a straight-line bruiser; Nissan has continuously evolved the R35 to enhance its track prowess and face-bending grip. Curiously, our acceleration results have fluctuated with the changes. Although the first R35 we tested, a 2009 model, did the sprint in 3.2 seconds, the quickest GT-R from 0 to 60 was a 2014 Track Edition with a 2.7-second run. Our most recent test on a 2017 GT-R NISMO produced a 2.9-second result. Must’ve been a headwind.
6) 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4: 2.7 seconds
Here we are: the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4. When it arrived in the mid-2000s, its numbers weathered the limits of imagination: 1,001 horsepower from an 8.0-liter quad-turbo W-16 engine? How could this possibly be? It seemed equal parts engineering mastery and arcane sorcery, but whatever the case, its acceleration truly redefined AWD sports car performance. Although the 0–60 sprint we measured—2.7 seconds—has now been bested by more modern machines, its 253-mph top speed keeps it the fastest AWD sports car on this list.
5) 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante: 2.6 seconds
Equipped with a fast-shifting dual-clutch transmission, the Huracán Performante gives up some drama to the Aventador SVJ—though hardly any speed. Lighter and perhaps smarter than the bigger bull, the Performante is also equipped with trick active aerodynamics to make it astoundingly capable through corners and in a straight line. Its 5.2-liter V-10 sends 630 hp and 443 lb-ft through that seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, enabling a 0–60 time of 2.6 seconds. That’s 0.2 second quicker than the standard Huracán, and as we found in our First Test, it “offers a driving experience unique even among the ranks of the world’s best super cars.”
4) 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus: 2.6 seconds
What would Audi be without its signature Quattro all-wheel-drive system? Not nearly as quick, that’s for sure. For evidence, see the R8 supercar, which deploys the 602 horsepower of its 5.2-liter V-10 through all four wheels. Sound familiar? Yes, the R8 is closely related to the Lamborghini Huracán, but slightly different dimensions and a very different tune provide a unique driving experience. In fact, our own Jonny Lieberman went so far as to make the Audiacious claim that the R8 V10 Plus is “better to drive than its Italian twin.” Opinions aside, the stopwatch proves it’s as quick as the Performante to 60, hitting that speed in 2.6 seconds.
3) 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: 2.5 seconds
Brutal. That’s the word that comes to mind when seeing a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ launch. On the line and primed to fire, its 760-hp, 531-lb-ft 6.5-liter V-12 holds at steady rpm, a coarse growl emanating from the tailpipes. The driver releases the brake, and the clutch drops, throwing the car back on its haunches. A brief chirp of the tires then a wail pours from the tailpipes as the engine spins toward its redline, interrupted by a violent crack each time the sequential-manual transmission upshifts. The 0–60 run is completed in 2.5 seconds, but the SVJ’s vicious acceleration will haunt the driver for longer than that. It’s a similar experience with the Aventador SV, which trails its Jota stablemate by 0.1 second in the sprint.
2) 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S: 2.5 seconds
Given that the Porsche 911 Turbo S is only a tenth of a second behind our all-time leader in 0–60 acceleration, its roughly $200,000 price—approximately a fifth of the cost of that car—makes it a bargain. With a 580-hp, 516-lb-ft 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six mounted in the rear (where else?), hitting a 2.5-second 0–60 is as simple as engaging launch control. Floor the throttle and drop the brake, and it rockets forward with 1.26 g of horizontal force. We’ve tested the Turbo S across generations, the first being a 1997 993, which did the sprint in an impressive 3.6 seconds. With Porsche now closing the 997 history books, we can’t wait to see what the 992 Turbo S can do.
1) 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: 2.4 seconds
In Porsche’s illustrious history of building epic performance vehicles, this hybrid hypercar reigns supreme. Doubtless the 918 Spyder’s flat-plane-crank 4.6-liter V-8 is powerful on its own—making 608 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque—but the car’s neck-snapping launch is largely thanks to the instant response of its supplemental electric motors. With those adding power to each axle, the 918 gains AWD and a power boost to a combined system output of 887 hp and 944 lb-ft. The result? The quickest AWD sports car we’ve ever tested, sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds.
Quickest AWD Sports Cars 0-60 MPH
- 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8: 3.2 seconds
- 2017 Acura NSX: 3.1 seconds
- 2017 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS: 3.0 seconds
- 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition: 2.7 seconds
- 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4: 2.7 seconds
- 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus: 2.6 seconds
- 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante: 2.6 seconds
- 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: 2.5 seconds
- 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S: 2.5 seconds
- 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: 2.4 seconds
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Source: WORLD NEWS
