Thanks to their instant torque, electric cars are constantly setting new performance benchmarks and are effectively making 0-60 mph times redundant. Utilizing three electric motors, the redesigned Tesla Model S Plaid+, for example, will accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 1.99 seconds and do the quarter-mile in under nine seconds. Likewise, electric supercars like the Rimac C_Two and Pininfarina Battista can set 0-60 mph sprint times of under two seconds.

These astonishing acceleration times have caused supercar and hypercar manufacturers to re-evaluate how performance in cars is measured. Speaking with Car Advice during the launch of the new Huracan STO, Lamborghini's Asia Pacific boss, Francesco Scardaoni, thinks that a car's handling is now the most important performance benchmark, not acceleration or top speed.

"If you go back to 10 years ago, probably when we were asked the parameters to measure a car with we would say top speed, acceleration and [then] handling," said Scardaoni. "Then top speed became a secondary measure, acceleration the first one. Scardaoni goes on to explain why handling is arguably a more important factor than acceleration when measuring a car's performance. After all, it's easy for car manufacturers to brag about how fast a car can accelerate from 0-60 mph in a straight line, but it still needs to be enjoyable to drive at high speed.

"What is really now making the difference is the drivability of the car, the handling," he said. "Because when you have good acceleration but the car is heavy to steer, heavy to handle, you cannot have that pleasure of driving in a really fast way."

"For sure now, handling in our opinion is one of the top priorities for a manufacturer, especially a manufacturer like Lamborghini. And for Lamborghini handling is crucial, a key parameter - handling is top number one priority."

Replacing the Huracan Performante, the Huracan STO is essentially a road-legal version of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo race car. Power is provided by a 5.2-liter V10 producing 630 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque, enabling it to accelerate from 0-62 mph in three seconds, while the car's extreme motorsport-derived aerodynamics, extensive use of lightweight materials, and sharper, more responsive steering make it drive like a dream.