Here at CAR magazine, we take every new vehicle we feature to our test strip to gather data for our in-depth road tests. Sometimes, we see some pretty underwhelming results. Below we have listed the worst 0-100 km/h times we’ve collected over the past 12 months. Yes, these are the slowest-accelerating cars from the pool of 60 vehicles we tested in 2020…
5. Volkswagen Caddy 1,0 TSI Trendline – 14,16 seconds
While we maintain the addition of the 75 kW 1,0-litre turbo-triple to Volkswagen’s Caddy range was a sensible decision, the MPV is by no means sprightly, based on our test figures. Additionally, it’s available only with a five-speed manual gearbox, which means it’s even slower to three figures than a DSG-equipped version would likely be.
4. Hyundai Atos 1,1 Motion – 14,50 seconds
Using a naturally aspirated 1,1-litre three-cylinder petro; engine good for 50 kW, the new Atos certainly isn’t the nippiest budget hatchback around. However, it entered the market at a competitive price with a decent array of features which saw it grab the budget award at our Top 12 Best Buys of 2020 event.
3. Mahindra Pik Up DC S11 Karoo 4×4 AT – 15,66 seconds
Now available with an automatic transmission, the S11 trim of the Mahindra Pik Up offers improved versatility and comfort but its basic turbodiesel 2,2-litre four-pot with 103 kW remains on the sluggish side. While it’s not exactly fast to 100 km/h, it loses even more puff at higher revs; we achieved a 120 to 140 km/h in-gear acceleration time of 16,53 seconds, which is quite a bit slower than the manual S10 variant with the same engine.
2. Peugeot 108 1,0 Active – 16,41 seconds
The latest Peugeot 108 may boast trendy design cues but the 53 kW naturally aspirated 1,0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine is by no means sporty. Regardless of its lack of urgency in a straight line, the 108 offers a generous list of safety features, an absorbent ride and a best-in-class standard service plan.
1. Renault Triber 1,0 Prestige – 16,68 seconds
The Triber employs the same 52 kW naturally aspirated 1,0-litre three-cylinder as the Kwid, feeding power to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. This configuration makes the budget MPV the slowest car we tested in 2020. Regardless, the Triber offers a commendable list of features with impressive versatility at a competitive price.
