Automotive

Test drive: Locking horns with the Lamborghini Huracán

View 62 Images
In the two hours of driving about the Bolognese countryside, the Huracán showed itself to be a worthy successor to the Gallardo (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
In the two hours of driving about the Bolognese countryside, the Huracán showed itself to be a worthy successor to the Gallardo (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Blasting about a short windy stretch outside Modena, I found myself going through the gears in the two to five range like Jack White ripping through chords (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán's display shares DNA with Audi's (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán awaits boarding next to roofed and non-roofed Aventadors (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán's 7-speed gearbox is beautifully quick thing that works seamlessly with the big V10(Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
On a particular traffic circle, the new bull showed me its true potential and how if I pushed it any harder I’d be laying face down in the Modena mud like some rookie bull rider (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán's chassis, composed of carbon fiber and hybrid aluminum, is lighter and stronger than the outgoing Gallardo (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Given the car’s top speed of 325 km/h (201 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of only 3.2 seconds one could easily find themselves harvesting Italian wheat in the fields without much difficulty (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracan's gearbox is right bloody quick regardless of modes, but especially fast when working in Corsa mode (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Inside, the Huracán is surprisingly comfortable with enough head room and leg room for my 6 foot frame and long legged proportions (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Just like the Aventador, the Huracán features the gimmicky but still very cool red metal ignition switch cover (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Even though Lamborghini now shares its bloodline with Audi, it still retains to a degree that crazy Italian hotrod ideology that Ferruccio brought to life some 51 years ago (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Despite fanboy comparisons to the Gallardo, the Huracán is designed from a clean sheet perspective and retains some of the most beautiful lines of any current day Lamborghini (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Unlike the tractors that Ferruccio Lamborghini built his success on, the Huracán is best kept between the wheat and Italian grasslands (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán grabs roundabouts and tight left-handers about the throat like a cheetah on a gazelle, and doesn’t let go, as I found out on a remote traffic circle outside Modena (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán and its fresh dynamic styling make the outgoing Gallardo look almost rudimentary and boxy in comparison, almost Lego-esque as it were (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
In comparison to its big brother - the more expensive (US$440,000), more powerful Aventador, the Huracán feels lighter and more agile (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
At the end of this remote stretch outside Modena resides a traffic circle that taught me exactly how grippy the Huracán is (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracan carries certain genetic traits from the Aventador and even the Murcielago to a degree, but it is consistent with Lamborghini's design language (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Thanks to a power curve that brings horsepower and torque online way down in the rev cycle, the Huracán pulls like a bull hit with a wet dish cloth (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Huracán's LED headlights feature similar hexagonal patterning as the Aventador (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán's face pulling ceramic brakes await installation (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Production facility showing the Huracán in various phases of completion (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The new Huracán uses a mix of carbon fiber and hybrid aluminum in its chassis (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Dyno testing and making final tuning adjustments to a Huracán before delivery (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Installing underbelly covers to help clean up the air beneath the Huracán in order to increase aerodynamic efficiency at speed (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán design features one continuous line running from nose to tail (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Production line showing clean underside of the new baby bull (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán in production (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán in production (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán in production (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Huracán's center hump hides the driveline powering the car's AWD system (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Dyno testing and making final tuning adjustments to a Huracán before delivery (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
Finished Huracán rolling off the assembly line in Sant'Agata (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)
The Egoista concept was designed as an extreme exercise to celebrate Lamborghin's 50th Anniversary last year (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Egoista concept resides next to the Lamborghini store where memorabilia is near as pricey as the full scale versions out front (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Egoista features orange canopy and single seat similar to a fighter jet (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Egoista was built on a Gallardo platform, running the former baby bull's 5.2 V10 (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Fighter jet influences evident on the Egoista concept (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The Egoista concept was designed as an extreme exercise to celebrate Lamborghin's 50th Anniversary last year (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Fighter jet influences are evident on the Egoista concept (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Lamborghini's first production car, the 350 GT lives in comfort in the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Lamborghini museum in Sant'Agata features every make and model from the marque's 51 year history (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Random crankshafts from various models on display in the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
One of Lamborghini's earlier carburated engines on display (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The rarely seen Jalpa on display at the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The rarely seen Jalpa on display at the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Sesto Elemento is almost entirely composed of carbon fiber and weighs in at a scant 2,200 lb (997 kg) (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
One can quickly see where the Huracan gets its genetic code and visual cues from throughout the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Sesto Elemento, which translates into the "Sixth Element" will set you back US$2.2 million and is not street legal (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
One can quickly see where the Huracan gets its genetic code and visual cues from throughout the museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Sesto Elemento features some unique engine cooling and aerodynamic cues (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Sesto Elemento has a horsepower to weight ratio that would put both the Huracan and Aventador to shame (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Sesto Elemento, which translates into the "Sixth Element" will set you back US$2.2 million and is not street legal (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The performance concept sedan Lamborghini should have built resides in the Sant'Agata museum (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Naked Aventador displays its carbon fiber monocoque and various race inspired suspension bits (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Aventador Roadster as wall art (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Aventador's pushrod suspension is the stuff of Formula 1 fame (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Tires on the Aventador are of a serious nature (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
The 2007 Miura concept (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Miura concept is directly based on its iconic supercar namesake from the 1960s (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
Lamborghini's venture into Formula 1 was short lived and largely unsuccessful(Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)
View gallery - 62 images

Having seen the sumptuous collection of angles and curves that is the Lamborghini Huracán in person during its North American debut a few months back, I can attest to its visual impact, so I was just slightly pleased to learn I’d be driving the 610 hp specimen out of Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata this month.

Unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, the Huracán is faced with the formidable task of impressing owners of the outgoing Gallardo while fighting off the likes of Ferrari’s 458 and McLaren’s just announced 650S. To say a lot is riding on this supercar is a mild understatement.

Adding to global expectations, Lamborghini also makes the claim that the Huracán is its best street car to date. That's a big statement. So how did it fair under my humble tutelage?

Given the car’s top speed of 325 km/h (201 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of only 3.2 seconds one could easily find themselves harvesting Italian wheat in the fields without much difficulty (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

The test car I experimented with around the Bolognese countryside is a brilliant bit of Italian artistry finished out in its pearl orange "Arancio Borealis" paint scheme. Stylistically, the Huracan in person is molto bello, stupendo, fantastico, dinamico, or just about any other Italian superlative that Google translate can come up with ... they all apply. This curvaceous thing, with its long fluid roofline, beautifully balanced proportions, ubiquitous hexagonal forms and aggressive demeanor, not only works to validate the design vision of Lamborghini’s Head of Design, Filippo Perini, but also his team’s creative abilities.

Having visiting some of Italy’s most revered cultural and artistically important spaces prior to the test drive to calibrate my appreciation of beautiful forms, I can still say that to my eyes this is an absolutely gorgeous automobile. To be honest, the Huracán and its fresh dynamic styling almost make the outgoing Gallardo look rudimentary and boxy in comparison (I want to say Lego-esque, but I feel I may upset the Gallardo fanboys).

First off, in comparison to its big brother – the more expensive (US$440,000), more powerful (700 hp) Aventador – the Huracán feels quicker and more agile. Weighing in at 1,422 kg (3,135 lb) the Huracán is almost 153 kg (340 lb) lighter than the Aventador, which on paper doesn’t seem like much, but in reality translates into a more intuitive exotic that wants to run with you and not over you if provoked. And for nearly US$200,000 less it’s by far the better “value” of the two.

In our two hours of driving about the Italian countryside on mostly single lane roads, the Huracán showed itself to be not only a worthy successor to the Gallardo, but a solid contender to run against its aforementioned competitors from Ferrari and McLaren. While the limits of the car are clearly beyond the possibilities offered by driving on public roads (and we’re not about doing quarter mile runs here anyway), I pushed the car hard enough during those two hours around Modena and Sant’Agata to feel I had properly experienced its core competencies to a reasonable degree.

Blasting about a short windy stretch outside Modena, I found myself going through the gears in the two to five range like Jack White ripping through chords (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

The naturally aspirated, Audi-inspired 5.2 liter V10 engine throws out a healthy 610 hp to the car’s AWD system and the throttle response is, to quote Daniel Day Lewis noted in Lincoln, “Now! Now! Now!” Thanks to a power curve that brings horsepower and torque online way down low in the rev cycle, the Huracán pulls like a bull hit with a wet dish cloth. Revs build so fast and the car pulls so hard that by the time the next shift comes up for consideration you’re already mindful of the speed limit. Go power was linear across the spectrum and available on call when needed, regardless of the situation.

So back to the gearbox and engine thing. I don’t know what the nano-time between shifts was, nor do I care, all I know is that unlike the Gallardo’s gearbox of slush and rubber, the shifts in the Huracán were lightning crisp through all seven gears. The gearing provides close range shifts down low while at higher speeds the longer gears enabled the supercar car to stretch its legs without much effort. Blasting about a short windy stretch outside Modena, I found myself going through the gears in the two to four range like Jack White ripping through chords.

Unlike the tractors that Ferruccio Lamborghini built his success on, the Huracán is best kept between the wheat and Italian grasslands (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

Given the car’s top speed of 325 km/h (201 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of only 3.2 seconds, it’s fair to assume one could easily find oneself harvesting Bologna wheat in a quarter-million dollar supercar without too much difficulty. Fortunately, the Huracán is such a sticky, impressive piece of Italian/German engineering that I never had to find out how the car responded in farmer mode.

Turn in and steering response was also nicely dialed in, regardless of the ANIMA mode (Adaptive Network Intelligent Management) setting. In cruising about the old-world town of Sant’Agata looking for photo locations, not only did the supercar draw stares, it felt completely at ease making its way about the narrow roadways. Although the car pushed or understeered a bit going into tighter turns, the AWD system helped pull the car out of corners nicely and straight-line feedback was firm and responsive, so when it came to navigating traffic circles, Fiats and scooters, the Huracán reacted brilliantly.

At the end of this remote stretch outside Modena resides a traffic circle that taught me exactly how grippy the Huracán is (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

What else can I tell you about driving the new baby bull? Well, it’s fast, so there’s that. It grabs roundabouts and tight left-handers about the throat like a cheetah on a gazelle, and doesn’t let go. I tried to break the car’s back end out on a remote traffic circle outside Modena. As a result I was made painfully aware of how grippy the Huracán is, and how my ability to withstand lateral g-forces is somewhat lacking. I consider myself to be a reasonably adept driver, but if I pushed it any harder on that traffic circle I knew I’d be laying face down in the Modena mud like some rookie Canadian bull rider. After that, we had a mutual understanding of the man v machine hierarchy. I still consider us friends, just one of us is the 600 hp alpha and the other gets the mail and does the dishes.

In Corsa mode, the most extreme of the three driving modes, the suspension tightens up significantly, the exhaust becomes more noticeable, gearbox and engine response are enhanced and the all wheel drive system reconfigures the power split between fore and aft wheels. Ask me to differentiate how the power split change in Corsa mode varies the driving dynamics from the other two and I’d tell you how good the car looks in orange, but I can say that in this mode the car’s occupants get to feel every roadway irregularity and highway seam.

The Huracán in production (Photo: Automobili Lamborghini s.p.a.)

Getting from fast to stop is handled with ease by the face-pulling force of the big ceramic brakes that were smooth and well mannered. Brake modulation and feel was also excellent across the spectrum with more than enough stopping power to handle most daily occurrences.

From the outside, one would expect space inside the baby Lambo to be constrictive and claustrophobic, but surprisingly, that's not the case. Head room and leg room easily accommodated my svelte six foot frame and wee tiny head with ease. Getting in and out of the car was much easier than the Aventador thanks to doors that swing outward and not upward. Orange and black seats, beautifully covered in Italian leathers, were firm but supportive and laterally confining when needed.

The steering wheel received big points for being of a grabby diameter with the all important paddle shifters within easy reach. Visibility out the 4 and 8 o’clock positions meant mirror usage was a must, and reversing the Huracán was something I’d prefer not to do on an ongoing basis.

The Huracán and its fresh dynamic styling make the outgoing Gallardo look almost rudimentary and boxy in comparison, almost Lego-esque as it were (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

The big LED dash configuration features Lamborghini’s sexy italicized, sans-serif typographical treatment that seemed very similar to a video game font I've seen before. The 12.3 inch TFT instrument panel can be configured in a number of different modes including a split mode where one side displays critical rev, speed and gear information and the other shows the mapping location and route details. The satnav screen can also be set to full screen to provide bigger map visuals, or you can shut the wayfinding stuff down completely and focus on key driving information.

On the down side, the excessive amount of switches and toggles are visually interesting but prove difficult to interpret at a glance. The switch set to the left of the steering column is particularly challenging, but perhaps the worst ergonomic offender is the steering spoke mounted signal switch. Placement is so counter intuitive to the tried and true signal stalk design that I was tempted to throw an arm out the window at times. Let's just say there is a reason some automotive elements haven’t changed in a millennia.

Just like the Aventador, the Huracán features the gimmicky but still very cool red metal ignition switch cover (Photo: Angus MacKenzie/Gizmag.com)

To be honest, this new Huracán thing exists on a higher plain than that afforded by my current abilities. To reach that strata of automotive enlightenment I’d need to call in a favor from both the Dali Llama and Lewis Hamilton. It's obvious that one would need to experience the Huracán on track to fully appreciate its sticky, lightning-quick potential and it's sure to attract many buyers in that set, as well as those who are purely in it for its stunning looks or for brand bragging rights. Whatever the motivation, anyone lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the Huracán will discover that it's a freaking huge blast to drive!

Lamborghini’s Huracán is available now for around the US$250,000 mark. See the gallery for more images from our Huracán drive, along with a look inside Lamborghini's museum and production facilities.

Our thanks for the outstanding efforts of Lamborghini’s finest (grazie mille Clara and Rodrigo) in helping us organize this road test.

Source: Lamborghini

View gallery - 62 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
0 comments
There are no comments. Be the first!