American muscle cars might have the market cornered on cheap performance, but European car companies have proven time and again that sports sedans from across the Atlantic can destroy muscle cars with relative ease. To get better performance than a modern muscle car from a European sports sedan, it's going to cost a lot more, but as long as money is no object it's a perfectly achievable goal, and frankly, there are more options than what American car companies have to offer.
These European sports sedans have faster accelerations than the Mustang GT500 at 3.3 seconds, Camaro ZL-1 1LE at 3.4 seconds, and Challenger Super Stock at 3.25 seconds.
8 BMW M5 Competition
The new BMW 5 Competition uses a 4.4-liter V8 with two turbochargers, delivering 617 horsepower to all four wheels. BMW advertised a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds, but owners are already finding their M5s completing the journey in less than three. Paying not-so-close attention to the numbers shows the M5 is already faster than all three muscle cars.
Of course, the Challenger Super Stock as the quickest of muscle cars starts at $82,270 while the BMW starts somewhere in the stratosphere at $110,000. However, that price doesn't only buy straight-line speed but a decent track machine as well.
7 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
When it comes to having a pure driving experience, a Mercedes is hard to beat, especially as an AMG. The E63 AMG is a monster. With its 4.0-liter Biturbo V8 producing 600 horsepower, it reaches 60 mph in 3.0 seconds. In proper AMG fashion, the car rides smooth as French porcelain but accelerates and responds to driver inputs with zeroing precision.
Its price tag levels off just shy of the M5, but the Mercedes clocks in quicker acceleration and more refined comfort. With any luck, this Mercedes will follow the brand's reputation of steep depreciation. Despite being also being all-wheel-drive, It's also got a drift mode which diverts all of its power to the rear wheels.
6 Jaguar XE SV Project 8
Although this car was released in 2019, it shows that Jaguar has always been capable, since its release of the XJ220 supercar, of building a fast car. Jaguar's Project 8 used a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that delivered almost 600 horsepower to all four wheels. That helped it reach 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds.
While that is barely slower than the Camaro, the Jaguar was governor limited to 200 mph. It's also built to go around a track. Most of its curb weight probably comes from its hefty price tag of $188,495.
5 Audi RS3
Volkswagen's first entry into this list comes in the form of the Audi RS3. While it's not the fastest car, it's nevertheless impressive. The RS3 uses a turbocharged inline-five, that produces about 400 horsepower to all four wheels, and can reach 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Audis have an unrefined quality about them, where a stab at the throttle unleashes a wild animal.
It's a more raw experience, but the all-wheel-drive lends itself delectable handling characteristics that make it easy to whip around a corner. The Audi is the cheapest at $58,000, and also the lightest, clocking in around 3,500 pounds.
4 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
A practical Porsche almost goes against the Stuttgart-based manufacturer's reputation, until the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is considered. It's got four doors and enough room for four people and a pot of sauerkraut, plus it makes 690 horsepower with the help of its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, paired with a permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor.
This propels the car to 60 mph in a blistering 2.6 seconds. All of this speed, however, is more than twice the price of the Challenger, at about $190,000. Base prices can get as high as $200,000 if opting for the Turbo S E-Hybrid Executive. If a cheaper option is more in line,
the base Panamera Turbo S is nothing to sneeze at.
3 BMW M3 Competition
While the M3 is one of the few cars on the market still offering a manual transmission, that is not the case with the Competition trim. It's a classic catch-22, where on the one hand there's a manual transmission, but on the other, there's quicker acceleration. The Competiton hits 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, which is possible thanks to a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six making 500 horsepower.
The Manual is a full half-second slower but is only $3,000 cheaper, where the Competition sells for about $73,800. It's a tough choice, but either way, the car is track-ready and rock-solid.
2 Porsche Taycan Turbo S
At first glance, Porsche's odd choice to make a sportier-looking four-door Panamera is enough to confuse anyone, but unraveling this mystery takes about as long as it does to read the Taycan's acceleration times. It's an all-electric sedan that uses two permanent-magnetic synchronous AC engines, one producing 255 horsepower while the other makes 449, for a combined 750 horsepower output.
With that, it hits 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, making it the fastest car on this list. Its price, however, is steep at over $200,000 in this configuration, which also makes it the most expensive.
1 Audi RS7
Reversing to old-fashioned petrol, the Audi RS7 rounds out the list with its own wave of ridiculous speed. Using a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (a popular configuration), the Audi pumps 591 horsepower to all four wheels. While it moves a hefty 6,000-pound curb weight, it's not enough to deter the car, as it can hit 60 mph in 3 seconds flat.
Apparently, Audi went a different route, trying to refine the ride a bit, but it still prices much more modestly than the Taycan at $116,000. It might be a tough pill to swallow, but the Audi can perform not only in a straight line but around corners as well.