The Gallardo’s replacement is here. Can it outgun the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 650S? Over to Charlie Turner
So how does it drive?
Our first shot in the Huracan is at the Ascari track under the baking glare of the Spanish sun. I'm led out by a Lamborghini test drivers in a lime green Aventador Roadster. After a sighting lap the pace builds, and as I uncoil the Huracan, two things become immediately clear. First, that the Huracan has traded in none of the Gallardo’s trademark Lamborghini DNA. The V10 is a fabulous accompaniment to proceedings and the perfect advert for the purity of a naturally aspirated engine, snarling its way to the 8500rpm with relish.
Secondly, the Huracan has a suppleness to its suspension that distinguishes it from the opposition. As the laps accumulate and the speed builds, it’s a suppleness that inspires real confidence, helping TG to stay pinned to the back of that Aventador in all but Ascari’s longest straight. This is a seriously rapid car.
The instant response of the new gearbox is fabulous, and a quantum leap forwards from the Gallardo’s thunky transmission. As are the stability systems, which Lambo says utilise the same technology that keeps complex fighter jets aloft, a fiendish combination of three accelerometers and three gyros. Well, if it's good enough for the EuroFighter...
Confident in the fact that there's a 4WD safety net in place, it’s easy to dig into the Huracan’s chassis capabilities. Dive into a corner too deep and initially the front end will wash wide, but counter that on the throttle and the nose nips back into line as the four-wheel drive system juggles torque between front and rear, dragging you out of the bend and down to the next braking zone. The carbon ceramic brakes are fabulously strong, too, hauling the Huracan down from triple-figure speeds time and time again without fading.
The car we drove featured Lamborghini’s new active electric steering, which varies in rate depending upon ‘Anima’ setting, and can make minor adjustments to steering angle at the limit if necessary. Thankfully the active element is unobtrusive, and for 99 per cent of the time, 99 per cent of Huracan owners will merely be aware of a nicely weighted lightness to the steering in all types of driving.
After four track sessions it's clear the Huracan is a huge leap forward from its predecessor. This is a car that positively encourages you investigate the depths of its talents, and flatters you throughout the process. It's a car that knows its audience: those who want a car with huge potential, but enough of a buffer to encourage them closer to the limit.
What about on the road?
Just as impressive. The Huracan is as cheery pottering about at low revs in seventh as it is blistering down a mountain pass with a speed and surety that few can rival. It’s a car that’d destroy a trans-continental trek before eking every micron of grip from your favourite back road. It is, in other words, a supercar for the real world, if such a thing exists.
It was bone-dry during our time with the Huracan, but soon enough we'll find out how it handles a damp British B-road. I have no doubt it will shine. The pliancy of its ride, combined with the grip served through the 4WD and traction systems, could make this the supercar of choice for the UK. Time will tell. On the downside, those on-wheel indicator buttons are fiddly and annoying.
How does it compare to the Ferrari and McLaren?
According to the official numbers, the Huracan will split the 458 and 650S (on P-Zero Corsa tyres) on a 0-62mph dash, getting there a tenth of a second ahead of the Ferrari but two-tenths behind the McLaren. The Huracan’s top speed is identical to the Ferrari at 202mph, though the Lambo can’t match the McLaren’s 207mph max.
So if pub stats are all you care about, the 650S is a marginally faster braggin’ wagon. But supercars are about more than pure maths. They’re about drama, too, and Lamborghinis have been delivering high theatre since the 350GT first turned a wheel. The Huracan delivers more of the same.
Its uncluttered exterior might disappoint those who hoped the Huracan would be a production version of the Sesto Elemento. But the more time I spent with the shape, the more I loved it, and that sophisticated simplicity masks a car that oozes adrenaline from every pore.
By spurning the trend towards turbochargers, Lamborghini ran the risk of being outclassed in the performance credentials. No chance of that. The V10 is a masterpiece, not only dishing more than enough power to keep the 458 and 650S honest, but also delivering the life and soul of the Lamborghini experience. Chuck in that sublime new transmission, four-wheel drive, stability systems that can not only keep fighter jets in the air but subtly convince you of your own Driving God status, and it’s clear the Huracan is a mighty thorn in the side of the opposition.
The Gallardo was once described to me by one of Lamborghini's legendary test drivers as ‘the bull with no bulls**t’. A decade on, the Huracan more than lives up to that brief.
