Car Review: Lamborghini Huracan

The latest iteration of the Lamborghini Huracan is a supercar in "beast mode"

There are supercars. and there are Lamborghinis. These Italian exotics pose as the ultimate clickbait for smartphone users and DSLR-wielding hobbyists around the globe. Even the Huracán coupe - the tamest of Lamborghinis - is a beauty in isolation, a scorcher on the road and will draw attention like a bee to a hive.
But that was 2014. And as time passes, Lamborghini - like all manufacturers - introduces a quota of special variants to keep it financially afloat. For 2018, we have the Huracán Performante. Question is: is this new Lamborghini just a model with a body kit and namesake power upgrade. or does it justify its Performante label? We take this bull by its horns.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The 2014 Huracán met all the prerequisites, in that it had a low-slung body that barely hovered off the tarmac, a pointy nose sharp enough to cut through 200mph winds and an outrageous choice of exterior colours (like bright orange or lime green). But it wasn't Lambo enough; call it "#basic". Neither did it come with those famous scissor doors, or a big rear wing.
Things are looking up with the Performante; the upward sliding doors didn't make it, but the big wing did and that's part of the magic. Distinguishing it from its base model, the body-coloured front apron has slimmer dividers and it gets a "Performante" signature on the doors, underlined by the "tricolore" of the Italian flag. A glass window at the rear shows off the mechanical jewels as before, but this time the V10 has a bronze manifold cover. Also, there are two large high-mounted horizontal chimneys between the giant wing and diffuser instead of quad exhaust pipes. A lot of these parts, front splitter and wing included, have this exquisite marbled finish created by bonding chopped carbon-fibre trimmings using a resin. This composite material makes things lighter, and is also very original and beautiful. The striking bronze finish on the Narvi 20-inch forged wheels are the perfect match for that dagger-like racecar body. The Performante is the definitive representation of speed and perhaps the way the 2014 Huracán was supposed to look in the first place. It may inspire some and frighten others - and that's exactly why it's a true Lambo.
There are inconveniences though. Park it too close to a wheel stopper and you can hear that irksome sound of parts crushing. Getting in and out is at the risk of splitting seams or exposing body parts. But after inserting yourself into that jet fighter-like cockpit, you'll know how Iron Man feels in his suit. Things are snug and high-tech, filled with very hard and metallic touch points. You have this looming notion that something might detonate if you press it. The interior is extremely posh, thanks to the alcantara-upholstered surfaces on the dashboard, steering wheel and roof liner. Even the highly-bolstered carbon-fibre shell seats have them. Also, these one-size-fits-all chairs have laser-etched miniature motifs like a three-pointed star in whatever colour the exterior paint is.
The flat-bottomed steering wheel is more a support to hold than to steer, thanks to its exceptional performance. Helping you pluck the carbon composite paddle shifters at the right rpm is an oversized digital tachometer on the 12.3-inch instrument cluster. The centre stack is like an artist's impression of a mainframe computer with an overkill of controls: HVAC buttons, fighter plane-like toggle switches for power windows, start/stop functions etc. Below the Audi-esque controls are the red flip ignition switch and pullback lever for the reverse.
As with the luggage, I suggest leaving your spouse at home. After the enthrallment of the first drive wears off they won't find it comfortable and you won't agree with an earful when you're travelling a gazillion miles an hour.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
On 5 October, 2016, the Huracán Performante set a new production car lap record of 6:52.01 minutes at Nürburgring, beating the million-dollar hybrid hypercar Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, Dodge Viper ZCR and more. until the 911 GTS RS came along. The borrowed 5.2-litre V10 gets upgraded power, thanks to optimised fluid dynamics for both intake and exhaust, implementation of titanium valves for higher valve lifts and an exhaust system with less back pressure and a lot more noise. Working together, they churn out 631 horsepower and 600Nm of torque - 30 more horses and 40 more Nm than the Coupe.
The cold start experience is visceral. The engine roars to life, like a beast awoken from slumber, and the boom leaves your eardrums rattling. Roll it out of your garage gently because 70 per cent of the torque is available at just 1,000rpm - and that weapon of acceleration is not one you want to wield in city limits. But when you do jump on the gas, what follows is brutal acceleration that will throw you back on your seat and make you want to scream!
The assault on your organs is especially strong with launch control, which takes you from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, with the needle racing toward the redline and the exhaust screaming its loudest. Keep the pedal buried and the paddle shifters clicking and you're at 200 km/h in another seven seconds. eventually topping out at 325 km/h or so.
The 20.8-km Nürburgring circuit is full of curves - 73 in total - and the Performante wouldn't have made the record-breaking run if it didn't fare well on those bendy stretches. On the roads of Dubai, we found the chassis balanced and the grip tenacious. There is nothing to decipher, everything is so direct: you steer and it turns. Every infinitesimal angle applied to the wheel is defined in the path it takes. All this man-machine connectivity dialled into the chassis can be attributed to the 10 per cent increase in vertical stiffness and 15 per cent increase in roll stiffness it has over the coupé. and, of course, you've got to credit the rear-biased all-wheel drive system too.
The Performante brings new meaning to the idiom "stops on a dime". With fade-free carbon ceramic discs of 380mm dia. upfront and 356mm dia. at the rear, and 6-pistons and 4-pistons clamping on them, braking force is instantly multiplied. Stopping from a 100 km/h to 0 shouldn't take less than 100 feet. Thanks partly to the double wishbone setup and magneto rheological damper working in synchrony, the Performante delivers a tolerable ride quality - better than the original Aventador.
Take official sources suggesting you can achieve a 600 range from the 83-litre tank with a pinch of salt. As much as you credit Lambo with things like cylinder deactivation, this is no environment-saving hybrid. You'd rather add some colour to the exhaust and watch lines of cloud form as you rip past.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Stowage wise, there's only a shelf behind the seats with an elasticised net. The 100-litre front trunk or 'frunk' isn't much either. But you can get some Lambo luggage specially designed for the Huracán. You can't drink and drive in this car - and, by drinks, I mean coffee. I didn't see a cup holder anywhere.
On the tech front, Apple CarPlay is offered, but the menu keeps popping up every time a route guidance instruction comes on - a software bug that can hopefully be fixed. Android Auto is not an option. The infotainment system has a telemetry system, which allows the driver to record, replay and study his own performance. How cool is that? And you can sing along to the optional factory-built 10-speaker 390-watt system. Airbags, side protection, ESC, rear camera and sensors are available. You can also raise the nose, avoiding leaving your signature scrapes on road humps.
VERDICT
The 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante is one of the greatest demonstrations of speed ever. Its power is so intense it can be measured on a Richter scale. Its braking is nothing short of hitting a wall and its chassis has the balance and control of a ballet dancer. Its naturally aspirated soundtrack is raw and visceral. There is no denying this is a superlative supercar!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com

There are supercars. and there are Lamborghinis. These Italian exotics pose as the ultimate clickbait for smartphone users and DSLR-wielding hobbyists around the globe. Even the Huracán coupe - the tamest of Lamborghinis - is a beauty in isolation, a scorcher on the road and will draw attention like a bee to a hive.
But that was 2014. And as time passes, Lamborghini - like all manufacturers - introduces a quota of special variants to keep it financially afloat. For 2018, we have the Huracán Performante. Question is: is this new Lamborghini just a model with a body kit and namesake power upgrade. or does it justify its Performante label? We take this bull by its horns.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The 2014 Huracán met all the prerequisites, in that it had a low-slung body that barely hovered off the tarmac, a pointy nose sharp enough to cut through 200mph winds and an outrageous choice of exterior colours (like bright orange or lime green). But it wasn't Lambo enough; call it "#basic". Neither did it come with those famous scissor doors, or a big rear wing.
Things are looking up with the Performante; the upward sliding doors didn't make it, but the big wing did and that's part of the magic. Distinguishing it from its base model, the body-coloured front apron has slimmer dividers and it gets a "Performante" signature on the doors, underlined by the "tricolore" of the Italian flag. A glass window at the rear shows off the mechanical jewels as before, but this time the V10 has a bronze manifold cover. Also, there are two large high-mounted horizontal chimneys between the giant wing and diffuser instead of quad exhaust pipes. A lot of these parts, front splitter and wing included, have this exquisite marbled finish created by bonding chopped carbon-fibre trimmings using a resin. This composite material makes things lighter, and is also very original and beautiful. The striking bronze finish on the Narvi 20-inch forged wheels are the perfect match for that dagger-like racecar body. The Performante is the definitive representation of speed and perhaps the way the 2014 Huracán was supposed to look in the first place. It may inspire some and frighten others - and that's exactly why it's a true Lambo.
There are inconveniences though. Park it too close to a wheel stopper and you can hear that irksome sound of parts crushing. Getting in and out is at the risk of splitting seams or exposing body parts. But after inserting yourself into that jet fighter-like cockpit, you'll know how Iron Man feels in his suit. Things are snug and high-tech, filled with very hard and metallic touch points. You have this looming notion that something might detonate if you press it. The interior is extremely posh, thanks to the alcantara-upholstered surfaces on the dashboard, steering wheel and roof liner. Even the highly-bolstered carbon-fibre shell seats have them. Also, these one-size-fits-all chairs have laser-etched miniature motifs like a three-pointed star in whatever colour the exterior paint is.
The flat-bottomed steering wheel is more a support to hold than to steer, thanks to its exceptional performance. Helping you pluck the carbon composite paddle shifters at the right rpm is an oversized digital tachometer on the 12.3-inch instrument cluster. The centre stack is like an artist's impression of a mainframe computer with an overkill of controls: HVAC buttons, fighter plane-like toggle switches for power windows, start/stop functions etc. Below the Audi-esque controls are the red flip ignition switch and pullback lever for the reverse.
As with the luggage, I suggest leaving your spouse at home. After the enthrallment of the first drive wears off they won't find it comfortable and you won't agree with an earful when you're travelling a gazillion miles an hour.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
On 5 October, 2016, the Huracán Performante set a new production car lap record of 6:52.01 minutes at Nürburgring, beating the million-dollar hybrid hypercar Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, Dodge Viper ZCR and more. until the 911 GTS RS came along. The borrowed 5.2-litre V10 gets upgraded power, thanks to optimised fluid dynamics for both intake and exhaust, implementation of titanium valves for higher valve lifts and an exhaust system with less back pressure and a lot more noise. Working together, they churn out 631 horsepower and 600Nm of torque - 30 more horses and 40 more Nm than the Coupe.
The cold start experience is visceral. The engine roars to life, like a beast awoken from slumber, and the boom leaves your eardrums rattling. Roll it out of your garage gently because 70 per cent of the torque is available at just 1,000rpm - and that weapon of acceleration is not one you want to wield in city limits. But when you do jump on the gas, what follows is brutal acceleration that will throw you back on your seat and make you want to scream!
The assault on your organs is especially strong with launch control, which takes you from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, with the needle racing toward the redline and the exhaust screaming its loudest. Keep the pedal buried and the paddle shifters clicking and you're at 200 km/h in another seven seconds. eventually topping out at 325 km/h or so.
The 20.8-km Nürburgring circuit is full of curves - 73 in total - and the Performante wouldn't have made the record-breaking run if it didn't fare well on those bendy stretches. On the roads of Dubai, we found the chassis balanced and the grip tenacious. There is nothing to decipher, everything is so direct: you steer and it turns. Every infinitesimal angle applied to the wheel is defined in the path it takes. All this man-machine connectivity dialled into the chassis can be attributed to the 10 per cent increase in vertical stiffness and 15 per cent increase in roll stiffness it has over the coupé. and, of course, you've got to credit the rear-biased all-wheel drive system too.
The Performante brings new meaning to the idiom "stops on a dime". With fade-free carbon ceramic discs of 380mm dia. upfront and 356mm dia. at the rear, and 6-pistons and 4-pistons clamping on them, braking force is instantly multiplied. Stopping from a 100 km/h to 0 shouldn't take less than 100 feet. Thanks partly to the double wishbone setup and magneto rheological damper working in synchrony, the Performante delivers a tolerable ride quality - better than the original Aventador.
Take official sources suggesting you can achieve a 600 range from the 83-litre tank with a pinch of salt. As much as you credit Lambo with things like cylinder deactivation, this is no environment-saving hybrid. You'd rather add some colour to the exhaust and watch lines of cloud form as you rip past.
FEATURES & FUNCTION-ALITY
Stowage wise, there's only a shelf behind the seats with an elasticised net. The 100-litre front trunk or 'frunk' isn't much either. But you can get some Lambo luggage specially designed for the Huracán. You can't drink and drive in this car - and, by drinks, I mean coffee. I didn't see a cup holder anywhere.
On the tech front, Apple CarPlay is offered, but the menu keeps popping up every time a route guidance instruction comes on - a software bug that can hopefully be fixed. Android Auto is not an option. The infotainment system has a telemetry system, which allows the driver to record, replay and study his own performance. How cool is that? And you can sing along to the optional factory-built 10-speaker 390-watt system. Airbags, side protection, ESC, rear camera and sensors are available. You can also raise the nose, avoiding leaving your signature scrapes on road humps.
VERDICT
The 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante is one of the greatest demonstrations of speed ever. Its power is so intense it can be measured on a Richter scale. Its braking is nothing short of hitting a wall and its chassis has the balance and control of a ballet dancer. Its naturally aspirated soundtrack is raw and visceral. There is no denying this is a superlative supercar!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com

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