Car performance in 2012 vs 1980s

The performance of car engine has improved tremendously since 1980s where a car that is able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8 seconds is considered very fast. The car's ability to accelerate to 100km/h is often used as a guide on the level of performance a car has. Previously one would just assume that by adding power the car would accelerate faster, which is true but now automotive engineers have also trimmed the weight to improve the acceleration time. Less weight means less work required by the engine to push the weight hence faster acceleration.
Back in the 1980s a good yard stick for performance would be the Porsche 911. This iconic car was able to accelerate to 100km/h in 7+ seconds which was considered very quick. Fast forward to 2012, a VW Golf GTi can hit 100km/h in 6.9 seconds! Things have changed so much that acceleration time of 0-100km/h of 5 seconds is considered slow by super car standards which have an average acceleration time of less than 4 seconds while powerful hot hatches or power saloons like the BMW M3 can hit a 100km/h in less than 5 seconds.
In the 1980s anything with more than 250 horsepower is considered powerful, and anything over 300 horsepower is extremely powerful and usually reserved for Ferraris and Lamborghinis. These days many cars have 250 to 300 horsepower. Modern saloons like the Mercedes E300 has over 250hp. This is not a performance car by any means.

Here is a comparison of how engine technology combined with gearbox technology has transformed vehicle performance:

Using the Porsche 911 as an example:-
- 1980s - power output hover around 250hp for entry level Carrera, acceleration time around 7 seconds
- 1990s - power output increased to 280hp for entry level Carrera, acceleration time drops to 6+ seconds
- 2000s - power output increased to 300hp for entry level Carrera, acceleration time drop to 5 seconds
- 2010 - power output increased to 350hp for entry level Carrera, acceleration time drops to 4+ seconds

As the cars got progressively more powerful the efficiency of the engine also improved. A current model 911 3.4 Carrera with a larger engine uses less fuel than the 1980s model with a 3.0 litre engine. Previously big family saloon were never thought of to be fast. Most of them were used to ferry the family in comfort and were designed to very safe. All this has changed when companies like BMW decided to spice things up with the M5 and Mercedes Benz with the AMG range. These cars average well over 400hp and can accelerate to 100km/h in 5 seconds. The word fast is no longer reserved for super cars. It is now available for all types of cars.

Diesel cars were also considered slow and dirty. A diesel car that can accelerate to 100km/h in less than 10 seconds were unheard of previously. These days turbo diesel engines are the most popular in Europe since turbo charged diesel engines were introduced. The latest diesel engine from BMW is the triple turbo (yes! 3 turbos) which punches out 375hp and 700+Nm of torque. The 5 series fitted with this engine can hit 100km/h  in less than 5 seconds! who says diesels are slow?!

The performance envelope is constantly being pushed further and further ahead. Crazy cars like the Bugatti Veyron has over 1000hp and little cars like VW Polo Gti has 170hp. I seriously wonder what kind of performance we can expect in the next 10 years.