We review the Lamborghini Huracan from price to economy and all its features
IMITATING its iconic “angry bull” badge on the bonnet the unleashed Huracan charges round the Ascari circuit.
I am the Matador, stamping my feet on the pedals — the imaginary provocative flag is the red line on the revometer.
Angry bull ... beastly Lamborghini Hurucan
Every time it sees red, the Huracan kicks back and roars towards every corner, twisting and snorting at speeds well over 120mph.
The sheer force of the 5.2litre V10 pumping out 602bhp and 62mph in just three blinks of an eye at 3.2 seconds and 124mph in under 10 seconds pins you back in the raceseat all the way to 202mph if you’re brave enough.
Stunner ... sensible overtakes sensational
If this is Lamborghini gone soft you’ll next be telling me that Liam Gallagher goes on Saga holidays. No Lambo haven’t got boring, they’ve got boffins.
The heartbeat is the ANIMA switch mounted at the base of the steering wheel. ANIMA means soul in Italian but for this supercar it stands for Adaptive Network Intelligent Management and offers three driving modes — Strada, Sport and Corsa.
The soundtrack is just too invigorating to ignore
Just one click to each gives the Huracan instant schizophrenia — from serene to insane. Select Strada and the adaptive dampers soften up making the Huracan smoother and far more comfy than any Lambo that has gone before.
Flick it into Sport and your senses are heightened with sharper acceleration and more feel of the road. It also dramatically changes the soundtrack emanating from the four tailpipes.
The standard noise from the Lambo is high-pitched F1 car. Once in Sport, it’s Deep Purple doing deep burble, loud heavy metal sending a wave of goosebumps down your spine.
Step off the gas and the cracking and popping rivals dumping a load of chips into a pan of hot oil.
Giving you goosebumps ... dramatic Hurucan engine soundtrack
The final switch is Corsa. Don’t be fooled that it’s anything to do with Vauxhall’s tame supermini. This Corsa lets the Huracan off its leash with less ESP control of the car and everything becomes immediate and you feel every twitch of the road.
I stuck with Sport for the majority of the time, the lure of the soundtrack is just too invigorating to ignore.
On track and on the roads between the Ascari circuit and Marbella, driving this Huracan was pure Hollywood experience. It will actually cater for any mood you are in.
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With a heavy right foot, it simply Hoovers up the horizon. But it does have its quirks. The back-end does always threaten to let go if you really push it but I found it’s most common trait to be understeer when cornering at speed — not that it affects your driving experience.
But it does underline that this Lambo isn’t quite as focused as its stablemates or predecessors. All of the performance is wrapped in typical exterior exotica. Lamborghini doesn’t do ordinary. Yet interestingly there’s been whispers that this Huracan is not the raging bull at its most bullish in the design stakes.
Sci-fi dream ... ultra-low cockpit
Aventadors were aplenty at Ascari as pace cars and, by comparison, the Huracan looked a bit tame up against its provocative big brother which is basically a fighter jet on four wheels.
But on the public roads from Ascari to Marbella, the sharp wedge profile, like Concorde’s dipping nose, is unmistakable and mouthwatering. There’s no fat on this bone, certainly no carbs before Marbs for the Huracan.
The windscreen is so rakingly swept back aerodynamically that the designers claim even bugs won’t get splattered on it, they’ll just whistle straight over. Lambo even revealed its own hex factor.
The Huracan is made up hundreds of hexagon shapes, from the air intakes, wing mirrors right down to the mesh grille and air vents. At the ducktail rear, Lambo’s expression not mine, the slatted engine cover, four tailpipes and diffuser are straight from Cape Canaveral not roadcar.
Hex factor ... hundreds of hexagonal shapes
There are no scissor doors — that drama is only for bigger Lambos — but climb aboard and it’s pure sci-fi boyhood dreams with ultra-low cockpit and the piece de resistance a fighter-jet flip-open ignition switch cover.
Lambo say they use research by neurological scientists in Italy to study the eye movements of drivers to minimise the actions needed behind the wheel of the Huracan.
With a heavy right foot, it simply Hoovers up the horizon
The end result is a big new 12.3in display behind the wheel that shows your speed, revs, sat-nav and music information in a variety of colourful configurations.
The rest of the driving actions are all on the steering wheel — including the ANIMA settings — which means your eyes rarely have to leave the road. The quality throughout is German in functionality but undoubtedly Italian in flair.
Of course all this fantasy is well and truly for the affluent.
Stop-start and a new fuel injection system cuts fuel consumption and emissions by 11 per cent to just over 22mpg and 290g/km — just driving conservatively — and that makes it still eye-wateringly expensive to own.
Hoovering up the horizon ... Go 202mph if you're brave enough
However, in supercar terms and what this Huracan can deliver in performance, it’s actually not bad at all. The only other sticking point is finding £186,000 to own the Huracan.
Whichever way you find it by robbing a bank, selling a kidney or the easy way by winning the Lottery, this latest Lambo could well be their best yet.
It has its softer side but the raw racy personality of a Lamborghini is there, when you want it, at the touch of a button.
The raging bull has still got balls.
Key Facts
- PRICE: 186,740
- ENGINE: 5.2litre V10, 602bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.2 seconds
- TOP SPEED: 202mph
- ECONOMY: 22mpg
- EMISSIONS: 290g/km