Top 10 Slowest Cars of 2017
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Sometimes, horsepower and torque alone don’t accurately depict how fast a car accelerates.
There are several other variables in determining how fast a car goes from zero to 60 mph, including weight and even aerodynamics. This is why sometimes looking at specifications on their own isn’t enough to know whether a car is fast or not. Even worse, most automakers don’t make their zero-to-60 times official, especially if they are embarrassingly slow.
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Since it’s difficult to get official zero-to-60-mph times from various automakers, we referenced Car and Driver for its independently tested acceleration times. These are the slowest accelerating cars currently available, based on the publication’s testing.
We excluded electrified vehicles as well as large commercial vans from our list. Although the performance of electrified cars is improving, many all-electric cars and hybrids are known to be slow to accelerate in exchange for improved fuel efficiency.
9. Honda HR-V (tie)
A 2016 Honda HR-V EX-L AWD was used for Car and Driver‘s test for a 9.3-second zero-to-60 time. The Honda HR-V is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 141 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque.
9. Chevrolet Trax (tie)
The 2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD also manages to hit 60 mph from a standstill in 9.3 seconds, powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque.
6. Nissan Versa Note (tie)
Nissan‘s compact Versa Note takes 9.5 seconds to do the 60-mph sprint, which can be attributed to its 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 109 hp and 107 lb-ft of torque.
6. Toyota Corolla (tie)
Tied with the Nissan Versa Note is the 2017 Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission, featuring a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood with 132 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque.
6. Nissan Sentra (tie)
The three-way tie for sixth place is capped off by the 2016 Nissan Sentra SL, powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 130 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque.
5. Jeep Patriot
The Jeep Patriot is likely going to be discontinued after this year and the test vehicle Car and Driver used was a 2016 4×4 automatic with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 172 hp and 165 lb-ft of torque, which got the crossover to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds. The Patriot is also available with a smaller 2.0-liter engine with 158 hp, so chances are, that model is even slower.
3. Smart Fortwo (tie)
With a 0.9-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine with just 89 hp and 100 lb-ft of torque, it’s little surprise the Smart Fortwo is one of the slowest cars to 60 mph from a standstill. The publication tested it to a 10.2-second time.
3. Toyota Yaris (tie)
Another subcompact that took 10.2 seconds to hit 60 mph is the Toyota Yaris. The 2016 Yaris automatic has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood, providing 106 hp and 103 lb-ft of torque.
2. Subaru Crosstrek
Considering it has a 2.0-liter flat-four-cylinder engine under the hood with 148 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, you might be surprised to hear a 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.0i CVT took 10.3 seconds to reach 60 mph. Car and Driver says the CVT adds 168 pounds to the Crosstrek, making it a bit slower.
1. Mitsubishi Mirage G4
The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan with an automatic and a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine under the hood takes a crawling 12.8 seconds to hit 60 mph. It makes sense when you realize the powerplant only provides 78 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque. Put to put that into perspective, that’s even slower than the Toyota Prius c, which does the sprint in 10.9 seconds.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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10 seconds 0-60 is actually fast, you will leave normal traffic in the dust if you fully depress the accelerator on one of these cars, they just don't have any "extra" power on top of that.