Wheres My Car Newsletter No.4 |
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| Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 new car review |
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The Italian brand has built a super sports car you can live with.
The Italian company is world famous for making cars with dramatic styling, extreme power and outrageous names like Diablo and Countach.
In fact, the company doesn't even call its products sports cars – it refers to them as super sports cars.
The idea of using a Lamborghini as anything other than a track toy or status symbol seemed like fantasy – until Volkswagen Group took control of the storied marque in 1998, installing Audi to look after the future of the raging bull.
The combination of Lamborghini's heritage and styling combined with Audi's quality control and attention-to-detail has produced this – the new Huracan LP610-4.
The replacement for the long-serving and best-selling Gallardo, the new Huracan follows the same formula. The two-seat coupe is powered by a V10 engine, uses all-wheel drive and will share its underpinnings with the new Audi R8.
What do you get?
The days of having to option seemingly every creature comfort in your sports car are long gone. Competition has intensified at the top end of town and Lamborghini has had to keep up with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and newcomer McLaren.
At $428,000 (AUD) (plus on-road costs) the Huracan can't be called cheap but is well equipped in its class.
The biggest disappointment is the $5700 (AUD) extra it costs to get a reversing camera and parking sensors because rear visibility is extremely poor without it.
But if you want to spend more money Lamborghini can oblige. Our test car was finished in matte black paint which added $20,300 (AUD) to the price.
It is covered by a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
What's inside?
Styling has always been a Lamborghini strength and nothing has changed under Audi. The trademark angular design language carries over from the Huracan's exterior into the cabin.
It looks like the love-child of an Audi and a fighter jet, demonstrated by the starter button being located underneath a bright red guard.
The Huracan gets the same "virtual cockpit" as the Audi TT, a digital dashboard that can display the important vehicle data (speed, revs, fuel, etc) as well as the sat-nav map and the reversing camera (if you tick that option box).
You can choose from three layouts, including converting almost the entire screen into the nav or camera display.
The thick-rimmed, flat-bottomed steering wheel has two large gearshift paddles mounted behind it, and to free up more space the lights and wiper controls are now buttons on the front of the wheel.
The rest of the main controls are neatly arranged on the centre console and bear a more-than-passing resemblance to what you find in a new Audi. While that may upset Lamborghini purists the reality is it makes it easy to use.
The leather seats are heated and electrically adjustable (as standard) so finding the right driving position is easy. The seats themselves offer excellent support, necessary when you have a car capable of high cornering speeds, but are thinly padded so can become slightly uncomfortable after a few hours behind the wheel.
But the overall quality and finish of the cabin is excellent, with soft leathers and metal finishes giving it a premium feel befitting its price tag.
The only negative lies in simple practicalities such as the absence of cup holders, limited storage space behind the seats and a small front boot.
Under the bonnet
The centrepiece of any Lamborghini is the engine. Lamborghini (and Audi) resisted the modern temptation to downsize and turbocharge the engine for the Huracan, sticking instead with a big capacity naturally aspirated powerplant,
an updated version of the 5.2-litre V10 petrol unit found in the Gallardo. It has been re-tuned with power increasing from 412kW in the Gallardo to 449kW in the Huracan. Torque is also boosted, from 540Nm to 560Nm.
That grunt is channelled to all four wheels using a version of Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
It is a slick package. The engine produces its power in linear fashion that few turbocharged engines can match.
Peak power doesn't kick in until 8250rpm by which time the engine is making the most evocative mechanical scream – another Lamborghini hallmark.
Trying to transfer so much power to the road can be a challenge in a two-wheel-drive car but the all-wheel-drive Huracan has little trouble with traction. Unless you are lead-footed applying the power, the big Pirelli P Zero tyres grip the road tightly under acceleration.
The downside of a powerful, big capacity, non-turbo engine is high fuel consumption. Despite the introduction of stop-start technology the Huracan uses 12.5-litres per 100km on the combined cycle.
On the road
As the ad says "power is nothing without control" and thankfully for the very powerful Huracan it has plenty of control.
In addition to the all-wheel-drive and big Pirelli tyres the Huracan is endowed with a very well balanced chassis.
It is able to carry huge amounts of speed into the corners while staying composed and assured, giving you confidence to push it harder.
The steering is nicely weighted and provides plenty of feedback to the driver. It is direct and responsive too which allows you to place the car with confidence.
Another standard feature is the carbon ceramic brakes which provide stopping power equal to the engine. Not only do they bite hard but they also showed no signs of fading during our time in the car, despite several repeated big stops.
Like most modern sports cars the Huracan is fitted with a switch to alter the response of the engine, transmission and suspension. In the Huracan it is called ANIMA, an acronym for Adaptive Network Intelligent Management but also the Italian word for soul.
It allows you to select from Strada (road), Sport and Corsa (track) settings that also alter the exhaust note.
Even in Strada the Huracan has a sense of urgency but selecting Sport makes it sound more dramatic, with the exhaust popping and crackling when you come off the accelerator.
But the real revelation with the Huracan is how well mannered it is in Strada mode in urban surroundings.
Highly strung sports cars typically don't like sitting in traffic but the Huracan is well mannered all of the time.
Leave the transmission in automatic and the Huracan behaves like a "normal" car. The shifts are smooth, the ride is firm but well controlled and the engine is happy to cruise along at low revs.
Verdict
The fact that the Huracan is an exceptional sports car is not a surprise – it's what Lamborghini is famous for.
But what really impresses is how civilised it is at low speeds and in daily commuting. Audi's influence is obvious in this department, making the Huracan feel solid and dependable: not words that have always been associated with Italian sports cars.
Despite the German involvement the Huracan remains true to the core values of Lamborghini – stylish, theatrical and very fast.
Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 pricing and specifications
Price: $428,000 (AUD) plus on-road costs
Country of origin: Italy
Engine: 5.2-litre V10 petrol
Power: 449kW at 8250rpm
Torque: 560Nm at 6500rpm
CO2 emissions: 290g/km
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, all-wheel drive
Weight: 1422kg
Safety: Two airbags, stability control
Pros
Immense performance, refined low-speed manners, head-turning looks
Cons
Poor rear visibility, expensive options, thirsty engine
Fuel use: 12.5L/100km (10th notch, below average)
Performance: 315kW/tonne (10th notch, excellent)
Resale: 50 per cent *estimated
The Competitors
Porsche 911 Turbo S
PRICE From $444,900 plus on-road costs
ENGINE 3.8-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol; 412kW/700Nm
FUEL USE/CO2 EMISSIONS 9.7L/100km; 227g/km
SAFETY 6 airbags
PROS Ballistic performance, great handling, everyday drivability
CONS Expensive, cheaper 911 Turbo model almost as good
OUR SCORE: 4.5/5
McLaren 650S
PRICE From $459,250 (AUD) plus on-road costs
ENGINE 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol; 481kW/678Nm
FUEL USE/CO2 EMISSIONS 11.7L/100km; 275g/km
SAFETY 2 airbags
PROS Powerful engine, great ride on road, sharp on track
CONS Lacks badge heritage, hard to get in and out of
OUR SCORE: Not yet rated
Audi R8 V10 Plus
PRICE From $408,200 plus on-road costs
ENGINE 5.2-litre V10 petrol; 404kW/540Nm
FUEL USE/CO2 EMISSIONS 12.9L/100km; 299g/km
SAFETY 4 airbags
PROS Lamborghini underpinnings, easy to live with
CONS Very expensive for an Audi, new model coming in 2016
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