Now, if you are a proper gear head, you have a very specific image of what a Lamborghini should be. It should have a thumping V12 engine that pumps out more horsepower than one could possibly ever need. When cornering, you should be reminded of the car’s ridiculous proportions and maybe even feel a bit scared. A Lamborghini must look menacing and aggressive yet still sophisticated enough to remind everyone that you, the driver, are a member of high society.

A proper Lamborghini then, should not be for the faint of heart. However, in more modern times, this traditional Lamborghini formula has come into question. While there are certain characteristics that define a proper Lamborghini, these same characteristics don’t necessarily create an objectively good car. The argument, however, lies in what details can be improved upon without removing the essence of a proper Lamborghini. So, I know that wasn’t the most straightforward intro to a road test, but this was the exact conundrum racing through my mind when I began to analyze the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4. 

Performance:

The owner of this particular Huracán kindly showcased the car’s true abilities for me, and in short, I did not walk away from that experience feeling underwhelmed. The LP610-4 comes with a naturally aspirated 5.2L V10 that creates 602 hp, but rather than just listing numbers, let me describe this engine. The V10 seems to have boundless reserves of power. No matter how quickly you may be moving or how much power you might already be utilizing, it feels like you could demand much more from the engine and it would oblige without protest. As you would expect from a supercar, you can also truly sense the engine testing the limits of physics as you speed along. When on a fast straight, I could feel myself being pressed into the back of the seat. Conversely, I would also have to strain my neck to deal with the brutal deceleration from the magnificent carbon ceramic brakes. Then there is the most quintessential Lamborghini characteristic of all: an engine that isn’t afraid to announce its arrival. Every shift and backfire creates a sense of occasion and reminds you of the aggressive nature of the Huracán. There were times where I genuinely thought the exhaust had broken, but it was just 602 Italian horses in the middle of some fanfare. This engine might only be a “lowly V10” but I loved every second of its characterful performance. 

The next overarching technical system that helped define the performance would be the all wheel drive (AWD) system. To me, this drivetrain layout is a bit more problematic than the sublime V10 engine. While AWD means that a car can have great traction off the line, it also means that the car is much more composed throughout the turning phase of a corner. Now I know what you’re thinking, why wouldn’t you want a car that corners properly? Well, that’s exactly where this gets a bit tricky. If we refer back to the purist formula for what a Lamborghini should be, we see that Lamborghinis must be a bit flamboyant and imposing when cornering. It should feel as if you are slingshotting a thick wedge of extravagance sideways around a corner. As Jeremy Clarkson would say, “he who is last shall be sideways and smiling.” However, rather than sticking to this convention, the Huracán’s AWD system makes the car stupidly easy to drive. It almost feels like the steering is from a go kart. You can turn in from absolutely ridiculous angles and still come out the other side without having a big crash. So really, there are two sides here: the car can handle poorly but with a lot of character, or clean up its act and lose some of its charm in the process. Which one is better? Well, that depends on who you ask.

Styling:

It’s a Lamborghini, so of course it looks great. I don’t think there is a whole lot more that I can add here, but I will mention one specific thing for this car: the eyeliner under the headlights. I don’t really like it and neither does the owner, but removing it would require removing the whole wrap. Beyond that, I do believe that the Huracán looks as good as a Lamborghini should. 

Interior:

To put it plainly, the interior looks fantastic but doesn’t work well in a functional sense. Firstly, it was designed for someone who is exactly as tall as Richard Hammond. Now I’m a bit taller than Hammond, and when I settle into the seat, all I can see is the headliner. I need to get quite low into the seat, and even then I still have some difficulty seeing stoplights when on the road. As is traditional with Lamborghinis, you also have zero rear visibility since the massive V10 engine blocks your view. This being said, one thing I absolutely love about the interior is all the fixtures. To turn on the engine you have to open a fighter pilot style switch, and thanks to that thunderous V10, this seemingly simple task can be quite entertaining. The windows also have this same style of switch, so even when you’re ordering at the drive-thru you still feel like you’re about to engage a missile. Everything considered, the interior is an entertaining place to be but has some slight faults that will occasionally annoy you. That sounds Lamborghini enough to me. 

Pricing:

The market for the Lamborghini Huracán is quite hot right now. This particular car is a used 2016 model that the owner picked up for around $150,000. The value of the car has actually appreciated since the owner bought it, so that should tell you something about the demand for a Huracán. A brand new Huracán EVO has a base MSRP of about $210,000. So as is true with most supercars, potential buyers have to search on a case by case basis to find the best deal. However, one nice thing about the Huracán in particular is that it is not too costly to maintain. It shares many components with the Audi R8, and while that may not impress your rich friends, it does mean that you can save on expenses and keep your AMEX Black card.

In Conclusion:

Is the Huracán a proper Lamborghini? To be quite honest, this is a difficult question for me to answer. I think if you consider it from a purist’s point of view it is not a proper Lamborghini, but I also think that’s besides the point. If Lamborghini still made cars exactly the way they did 70 years ago, they would no longer be in business. Sure, it might be disappointing that they can no longer strap machine guns to a gas guzzling V12 and call it their latest car, but as enthusiasts we need to be a bit more cognizant of the fact that times have changed. At the end of the day, Lamborghini needs to manufacture supercars that make sense in the modern world and the Huracán is exactly that. Don’t think I’m trying to make the Huracán sound sensible, because it is still a fire breathing beast. However, the Huracán works because it has just the right touch of Lamborghini flair without all the traditional side-effects that make a Lamborghini a pain to own. 

Citations:

“Lamborghini Huracán – Wikipedia”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Hurac%C3%A1n. Accessed 16 May 2021.

“Lamborghini Huracan Evo: Review, Trims, Specs, Price, New Interior Features, Exterior Design, And Specifications”. Carbuzz, 2021, https://carbuzz.com/cars/lamborghini/huracan-evo. Accessed 16 May 2021.