from http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/ ... ng_gt.html
for the 2007 Ford Mustang GT, "0-60 mph 5.2 seconds"
from http://cars.about.com/od/chevrolet/fr/ch_05cobaltss.htm
for the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged, "I didn't get a chance to test Chevy's boast of a 145 mph (235km/h) top speed, but I did find the SS mighty quick in the 0-60 mph and 40-80 mph speed ranges. GM claims 0–60mph times in the sub-6 second range and I have no reason to doubt that number."
Yet, some on here would have me believe that something like the Chevy Cobalt is vastly underpowered. If they are correct, why are the Ford Mustang and Chevy Cobalt so similar by this metric? It seems that, as I suggested earlier, if a sufficiently powerful engine/motor is used in an "underpowered" car, such as a Chevy Cobalt or Pontiac G6, performance comparable to a "muscle car" can be achieved. My theory is that the "underpowered" cars have inherently superior aerodynamics, and that the "performance" of "muscle cars" comes mainly from having an engine which could drive a brick as easily as it could drive a Mustang.
The Tesla is another example; its motor is only 185 kW (247 HP), half the power of the new Ford Mustang GT500KR 550 HP motor, yet it can go 0-60 faster than a Ford Mustang GT500KR. That is because the Tesla is built from the ground up for superior performance, as opposed to taking a box and putting an excessively powerful engine in it, and claiming that one has made a spycar.
So, I question the argument of the Tim Taylor types that somehow a Chevy Cobalt can't be a spycar, despite its spycar looks -- in my opinion of course -- because it doesn't have a V8. Clearly, cars with far less than V8 power can perform similarly or better than those with V8s.
Tesla Motors shows this image on their site, talking about the performance of their car
I believe a V8 has 8 cylinders, not 4, so the graph would look different for a V8, but you see the point.
That's why the new KITT is described as having a "hybrid engine", that is to say, an electric motor with an engine merely providing the source of electricity. Because an electric motor is superior to an internal combustion engine, and, of course, because hybrid powerplants are "cool" right now.
that's from http://www.teslamotors.com/performance/ ... torque.php
More importantly...why do I not look up things like this more often, when it seems so easy to disprove claims made by some?
Are you REALLY going to make me go back and explain that the design aesthetics of sport compacts are completely different than that of sports cars? It's all about image, my "cool car-blind" friend. Not performance.... image. An image that most sports compacts, ESPECIALLY the GM Delta cars, don't have. Apples and oranges. 
Gee... why didn't Ford push the new Focus coupe? Oh yes... BECAUSE IT WOULD BE AN AWFUL CHOICE. 
