2015 Lamborghini Huracan Delivers on the Fantasy
If you can believe it, there are people whose first reaction to gazing upon the 2015 Lamborghini Huracan is to lob complaints. My colleagues in the journalism business are a tough crew, hardened as they are by auto junkets to faraway places and invitations to test-drive the most beautiful cars in the business. When writers have the opportunity, as I do a few times a year, to get behind the wheel of a beautiful supercar they can become critical. We are discerning, exacting types, and sometimes annoying. A dozen auto journalists sitting around a dinner table can turn wine into vinegar in a matter of minutes.
Yet at no time when I lapped the new Huracan around the Ascari auto track in southern Spain did I think this new Lambo had lost its way. Yes, I’d hear the banter (“This is too much of an Audi,’’) relating to the Huracan’s next-gen Audi R8 chassis) and the comparisons to the preceding Gallardo (“It’s not as exciting anymore.’’). I disagree. I’ve driven the Gallardo and watched it behave just like the charging bull on the Lamborghini crest. On many occasions,the supercar felt as if it weren’t made for public roads.You’d never be sure when the next gear change would kick the car sideways. I’ve also driven the Nissan GT-R and McLaren MP4-12C, two of the most composed, easy-to-drive supercars ever made. They do tend to get a little boring when you’re not shooting them toward a turn at 120 mph and letting the brakes carve your eyeballs from their sockets.
But let’s get honest. This is a real Lamborghini, and there is nothing in the world quite like it.
Aluminum and carbon fiber form a heroic bond in the Huracan, lightening the load by about 10 percent (to a 3,400-pound curb weight) with a 50percent increase in rigidity. The outside skin—colored in outrageously bright greens, oranges, and yellows that are 100percent necessary in cities like Miami—has such a clean profile it resembles the first 1971 Countach prototype. The machine is zanily packed with wedges, trapezoids, and gaping air intakes, yet the overall shape is remarkably pure and free of extraneous scoops, spoilers, and other comic book nonsense from Lamborghini’s not-too-distant past. Call it beautiful, and no auto writer will argue back.
On Ascari’s bending, cambering 3.4-mile circuit, the Huracan is buttoned down but not too comfortable. The all-wheel-drive system, with torque vectoring on the rear axle, pushes the car harder into turns and lets the driver exit them with considerable speed far earlier than normally possible. Hitting the standard carbon-ceramic disc brakes on a straightaway causes the rear end to jiggle, plus the electric power steering is so fast it requires brief corrections to keep the car in line. This is still not the neutral, supremely balanced setup of an R8. A Huracan requires rapt attention.
This Lambo features the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10 with a revised intake and a new port- and direct-injection system to deliver 602 hp and 413 lb.-ft. of torque, all accessible at very high revs (peak power comes at 8,250 rpm). Car and Driver launched a Huracan to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, or exactly what a 1,200-hp Bugatti puts down for eight times the price (in case you’re checking your mutual funds, the Huracan starts at $241,945). Top speed is 202 mph.
All that means nothing on average roads, and while the mountainous region outside Marbella where I drove cannot be compared to Route 2 in North Adams, I can say the Huracan is a vastly superior car to the Gallardo. The new 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission is lurch-free and smooth, yet in Corsa mode (one of three driving modes selectable via the steering wheel), it will bang out hard, neck-snapping shifts for the hell of it. With the optional magnetic shocks (the same ones as on the Corvette), the ride is downright placating and never bouncy. The steering, too, no longer feels like a tractor-trailer at parking speeds. It is not, however, a Porsche 911. One stab of the gas and out goes that pretense.
Back to the hard-nosed critics. In many respects, they are right. The Huracan is not as edgy or as raucous to drive as its predecessor. But ask yourself this—do you enjoy looking sharp, driving fast, and living to tell that tale the next day? Lamborghini would like you to do that, too, preferably with a Huracan in your garage.
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