BOLD RIDE
Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.
One of my basic tenets of reviewing cars from Nissan Versas to Bentley Mulsannes has been to experience them as a daily driver. Thus, when handed the key to a 2015 Lamborghini Huracán, I was committed to living as normally as possible for the 72 hours it would reside in my driveway.
It is both intimidating and exciting to be offered the key to a Lamborghini Huracán for the weekend. Intimidating because of the $282,125 price tag, and exciting because of the 610 horsepower pumping out from the 5.2-liter, V10 engine.
All that power is combined with a chassis mixture of carbon fiber and aluminum for a vehicle that weighs just 3,144 lbs., which means a 5 lb. weight to horsepower ratio. For comparison, the Nissan GT-R ratio is 7.2 lbs while a Ferrari 458 Italia is 5.3 lbs.
The carbon fiber/aluminum combination creates a lot of torsional stiffness for out-of-this-world handling (aided in part by the Lamborghini all-wheel-drive system). It felt as if there were no curve this car couldn’t handle, regardless of speed. The only limitation would be the driver (and those nasty laws of physics of course).
The 2015 Lamborghini Huracán comes with a three-mode system that changes the transmission, engine, torque split between the axles, steering input and damper settings. Your everyday choice is strada, which is Italian for street. It is the most benign setting and is intended for cruising the boulevard. It soaks up road imperfections pretty well but still delivers all the power you need x 10 for driving around town.
The next setting needs no translation: sport. This is the one that turns the Huracán into an amazing beast. Sure, the ride becomes rougher, but you’re flying over them that much quicker. This is the setting you turn on to get a beautiful burbling noise from the exhaust system as you slow down for traffic lights.
Finally there is corsa. That’s the race setting. Lamborghini asked that I not engage it unless I was going on a track. It shuts down all of the electronic nannies (and the Lamborghini has a few) and requires manual paddle shifting. I had neither access to a track nor the nerves to flog the Huracán in corsa setting.
One surprising element of this car is its lack of a manual transmission. Basically, Lamborghini decided it didn’t make sense because so few people bought its predecessor the Gallardo with a clutch. Only the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode is offered.
But guess what — this automatic is probably better than 99.999 percent of drivers on the road. I probably could have carried that out a couple more 9s. It’s millisecond downshifts from 5th to 3rd under hard acceleration just can’t be replicated by most humans.
At no point during three days of driving this car did I lament the absence of a manual. I was having too much damn fun stomping on the gas pedal and just going. It’s nice not missing a shift like I did once or twice with a Challenger Hellcat I had the week prior.
The Huracán comes shod with amazing tires – 245/30 at the front and 305/30 at the rear. They are from the Pirelli P Zero range and were developed specifically for the Huracán. This model featured the optional “Mimas” wheels [for $5,600] featuring a twin-spoke design and also measuring 20 inches. They are made using flow-forming technology.
Another surprising element of this Lamborghini is its fuel economy. There’s a $1,700 gas guzzler tax as might be expected from a 610-horsepower supercar. But it’s rated at 14-mpg city and 20-mpg highway for a combined 16 mpg, which doesn’t really seem all that thirsty. Did I come close to achieving those numbers? Honestly, I have no clue, but I did need to visit the gas station twice in three days if that gives you any sense of how much and how hard I drove this car.
Also impressive is how comfortable the interior of this car is. Legroom was abundant even for my 6’1” frame that has seen thinner days. The controls are well laid out and intuitive to use.
Plus, how you cannot love the jet inspired start button that sits under a flip-up switch? It just makes you want to scream out, “I’m Batman dammit” for some reason every time you engage it.
Specs:
Horsepower: 610
Engine: 5.2-liter V10
Price (as tested): $282,125
Positives:
Gorgeous design
Strong handling
Mind-blowing performance
Negatives:
Small luggage compartment
Having to turn it back in
Photo Credit: Keith Griffin for BoldRide
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