The Fastest Cars for Your Money in 2016

Courtesy of Ferrari
Courtesy of Ferrari

Acceleration is a wonderful drug. There's something fantastic about the feeling of getting thrown into your seat by the thrust of your car's engine as it rockets down the road, which is why so many people are obsessed with 0-60mph times. Sure, we could list every zillion-dollar supercar out there, but unless you've got Mark Cuban sponsoring your "business plan," the only way you'll have one in your garage is in poster form. With that in mind, these are the fastest-accelerating cars you can buy in 2016, for every kind of budget.

Courtesy of Nissan

Price: $29,990
How fast is it? It'll hit 60mph in 4.9 seconds, but its real forte is its cornering abilities.

Courtesy of Hyundai

Price: $26,950
How fast is it? 5.2 seconds to 60mph isn't shabby at all, especially for a Hyundai that costs about the same as a Miata.

Courtesy of General Motors

Price: $37,295
How fast is it? If you get it with the automatic and take full advantage of the car's traction-control system, you can hit 60mph in four seconds flat. That's territory that few supercars even dreamed about until just a few years ago.

Courtesy of FCA

Price: $37,995
How fast is it? 0-60 in just 4.2 seconds. The Challenger might be pretty heavy for a performance car, but an obscenely large V8 under the hood does wonders for its acceleration.

Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

Price: $49,500
How fast is it? All-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission help the 375hp Mercedes do 4.1 seconds to 60, but the car's more about cornering prowess, with plenty of suspension goodies lifted from its AMG stablemates.

Courtesy of Audi

Price: $42,500
How fast is it? Suffice it to say that 4.4 seconds to 60mph isn't shabby for the smallest Audi, even if it is the high-performance version. In a straight line, it's right on par with the fastest BMWs under $50,000, and it'll corner admirably, too.

Courtesy of FCA

Price: $55,900
How fast is it? Technically, 60mph comes in just 4.1 seconds, but it feels quite a bit faster because of the way the engine is set up. Plus, the car's so light -- and so low -- that you feel like you're in a go kart while the world whizzes past you.

Courtesy of General Motors

Price: $55,400
How fast is it? It's no secret that the Corvette has long been a bang-for-your-buck superstar, but 3.7 seconds to 60 for the *base* model is absurd. That's going toe to toe with the world's fastest cars from 30 years ago, at a price that's well within reach of many people.

Courtesy of FCA

Price: $67,645
How fast is it? You'd expect the 707hp Hellcat to be pretty damn quick in a straight line, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Dodge claims it'll hit 60 in 2.9 seconds with special tires made just for drag racing, but in reality, it's a still-stupid-quick 3.4 seconds.

Courtesy of General Motors

Price: $62,665
How fast is it? It's almost unfair to call the ATS-V fast at 3.8 seconds to 60mph, not because that's the same time as its M4 rival, but because it misses the point of the car. The ATS-V isn't fast because of its straight-line speed, it's fast because of the amount of speed it can maintain through a corner.

Courtesy of Tesla

Price: $105,000
How fast is it? If you've got the "Ludicrous Mode" update, and you're at a red light, you'll be at highway speeds in about 2.8 seconds, but that's secondary to the eery quiet with which the car will get you there.

Courtesy of Ferrari

Price: TBA, but... a freaking lot
How fast is it? It has 769hp and can hit 60mph in less than 2.9 seconds. Top speed is a bit of an unknown, but suffice it to say that it'll laugh at the 200mph barrier. Those numbers are so far beyond what most people are used to, it's hard to even explain what hitting 60 so quickly feels like... aside from the sensation of the blood rushing out of the front of your brain.

Courtesy of Ford

Price: Probably more than your house
How fast is it? Right now there are just a handful of people on Earth who can properly answer this question. I've met them, and asked how fast it is in so many ways to try and glean an answer... If the sparkle in their eyes and the wry grin that winds up on every face is any indication, the GT will blow its share of doors off.

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Aaron Miller is the Cars editor for Thrillist, and can be found on Twitter. The fastest he's ever hit 60mph in a car is give or take 3.7 seconds. It was... not bad.