First Drive Review
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Bug-resistant—and every bit a proper Lamborghini.
There are a lot of things you expect to happen when you drive a Lamborghini Huracán. It’s a supercar, after all, capable of 202 mph and traveling from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 2.9 seconds. It starts at more than $240,000 and it has a 602-hp 5.2-liter V-10. You expect intimidation and excitement. What you don’t expect is that this car doesn’t kill bugs. Well, it’ll kill them on the front bumper, but the windshield is so steeply raked that bugs miss the front glass entirely; it was free of viscera even after several hours of high-speed driving.
The Huracán is an entirely new Lamborghini. But it is still very much a Lamborghini, which means it looks like a shark made out of polygons. The edges and points aren’t quite as sharp as those of this car’s big brother, the Aventador, nor does it have any active aerodynamics, so the latest Lambo appears understated. Of course, this is a relative comparison—we’re pretty sure Joseph Merrick’s sister didn’t get the bulk of the attention when she went out to dinner with her brother.
More Advanced Materials and Tech
The Huracán’s body is done in aluminum and so is most of the underlying structure. Architecturally, the big leap forward is the use of carbon fiber in the rear bulkhead, the center tunnel, and for portions of the B-pillars. The composite accounts for a 54-pound weight reduction and is part of a 50-percent increase in rigidity compared to its predecessor, the Gallardo. The carbon-fiber pieces are glued, baked, and riveted into place before getting paint. Like the Gallardo, the Huracán’s structure is assembled in Neckarsulm, Germany. Bodies arrive at the Lamborghini factory fully painted and ready for final assembly.
Another part of the Huracán that arrives in Italy ready to go is the 5.2-liter V-10 engine. Built in Györ, Hungary, the ten makes 50 more horsepower than did the Gallardo LP560-4’s V-10. A new dual fuel-injection system and revised intake are largely responsible for the power increase. According to Lamborghini, the direct and indirect fuel-injection systems work to cut emissions, add power, and improve fuel economy. No EPA figures are available yet, but the company claims an 11-percent improvement over the Gallardo LP560-4’s 14 city and 20 highway mpg figures; 15 and 21 mpg are good guesses. Economy may have improved, but this engine remains as boisterous and rage-filled as always. Even when dialed back to lower speeds, the mechanical noises of the valvetrain and accessories still comes through clearly.
Unfortunately, there’s no manual option with which to lash the V-10. Too few Gallardos were sold with three pedals, so now the Huracán comes exclusively with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Paddle shifters allow the driver to select gears, or, if left in automatic mode, the transmission will try its best to keep you in the right gear without slurping down too much premium.
Down on the steering wheel, at the six-o’clock position, is the so-called Anima switch. Similar in concept to Ferrari’s steering-wheel mounted manettino or Audi’s Drive Select, the three-mode system toggles between Strada (street), Sport, and Corsa (race), and changes transmission, engine, four-wheel-drive-system, steering, and suspension settings. In Strada, the steering lightens significantly, the gearbox upshifts automatically for fuel economy, the available magnetorheological dampers go to their softest setting, stability control intervenes early, and the engine’s exhaust flap stays closed until 4000 rpm. Moving to Sport or Corsa enlivens the car by changing steering effort and response, opening the muffler valves to let the engine roar more loudly, stiffening the shocks, and holding lower gears longer. In Sport, the engine will upshift on its own at redline, but Corsa mode asks you to command your own shifts or risk banging into the rev limiter.
The new dual-clutch transmission (dubbed LDF for “Lamborghini Doppia Frizione”) is capable of launch-control starts. To the probable delight of Dirty Dancing aficionados, Lamborghini calls its launch control Thrust Mode. Disengage stability control, switch the Anima switch on the steering wheel to Corsa, push the brake with your left leg, the accelerator with your right, and the revs will climb to 4500 rpm. Lift off the brake and the Huracán will thrust you hard into your seat. Upshifts are done automatically at the 8500-rpm redline in Thrust Mode, just in case you’re preoccupied with avoiding a random stray dog instead of thinking about pulling the right paddle.
A (Relatively) Friendly Bull
For a car with more than 600 horsepower, the Huracán does a fine job of convincing you that you won’t be dying today. Near its limit, the chassis and controls lack any sort of spooky backbiting. We figure the car weighs 3450 pounds—the last Gallardo LP560-4 coupe we tested weighed 3507 pounds—and the weight reduction allows for smart responses and quick recoveries.
The Huracán’s limits are extremely high, but when the car’s Lamborghini-spec Pirelli P Zeros finally relinquish their grip, they do so with plenty of warning. The chassis is playful to a point, but the Huracán puts stability and grip first. Still, if you really go in too fast, the standard carbon-ceramic brakes provide immediate stopping power. Pedal feel is hugely improved over the Gallardo’s grabby ceramic brakes. A new electric power-steering system provides good road feel and increases in effort to communicate the duress of the front tires. Be sure to leave the chassis in Sport or Corsa mode though, as the Strada setting’s lighter steering is also less communicative and lively.
In addition to housing the Anima switch, the steering wheel also has the turn-signal switch integrated into the right spoke. Push the button left or right for a quick three-click signal, hold for 0.3 second for a longer signal. Peeking through the top of the steering wheel is the 12.3-inch TFT display that can be configured to show a tachometer, speedometer, audio info, phone functions, and navigation maps and directions. The big display handles so much that the traditional navigation screen in the center of the instrument panel has been eliminated. Controls for the various secondary functions remain on the center console, including the ignition start/stop switch and its safety cover. What we would like is a head-up display, but Lamborghini tells us it didn’t want the extra size and weight that a HUD would add, plus the windshield is at such a steep angle that the viewing surface would be compromised. There are lots of options—$5600 wheel, $14,000 matte paint, and a nose-lift system for speed bumps among them—and ticking every box on the sheet gets you within an eyelash of $300K. (For more money, Lamborghini will further customize the car to a buyer’s specifications via its Ad Personam program.)
Despite the raked glass and deep dashboard, visibility is good. But you sit closer to the front axle in a Ferrari 458 Italia and get a better view out front as well as a lower cowl. Where the Lambo clearly trumps the Ferrari, though, is in interior design, and the Huracán has a straightforward and logical instrument panel. Aside from the obviously modern electronics, the leather-wrapped interior is so simple that it’s retro. In fact, Lamborghini’s head of design, Filippo Perini admits that was a goal, and that the inspiration came from the Lamborghini Marzal, a concept car from the late ’60s.
He had no answer, however, when we asked whether he designed the Huracán to be bug-resistant.
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