Huracán: a raging but civilised bull

Published Dec 12, 2014

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By: Denis Droppa

Johannesburg - It’s nine o’ clock and William Nicol Drive is choc-a-bloc. As usual.

But today the drudgery of sitting in slow-moving morning traffic is tempered by the prospect of the Lamborghini Huracán I’m about to drive. Sant’ Agata’s newest bull is waiting for me at the Imperial Collection dealership in Bryanston – SA’s Lamborghini importer – dressed up in matte-black and looking like the car that Neo from the Matrix movies would drive if he ever lost the ability to fly.

It’s a dramatic-looking thing. Blending aerodynamic curves with edgy geometrics reminiscent of the most dramatic Lamborghini of them all – the Countach – the Huracán is all menace as it crouches like a black panther.

The matte paint job is optional but the sense of occasion comes standard.

Launched at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the Huracán LP 610-4 is per Lamborghini convention named after a famous fighting bull. The LP stands for longitudinal posteriore in Italian and refers to the north-south mid-engined layout, first used in the LP400 Countach, the Miura having had a transversely (east-west) mounted V12. The 610 refers to output in horsepower and the 4 is a nod to the all-wheel drive.

The wide sill and low cockpit call for a little dexterity to enter the car gracefully but it’s not too bad; you can do it without thumping into the driver’s seat like a sack of potatoes.

“FIGHTER JET” CABIN

Once inside the surprisingly roomy two-seater cockpit you’re confronted by an all-digital instrument panel and an array of fighter plane-style toggle switches, including a flip-up cover for the start-stop button. Jab that button and a 5.2-litre V10 barks into life behind your back before settling into a quiet but ominous murmur.

This normally-aspirated engine’s mounted amidships just as in its Gallardo predecessor, but output’s now been hiked to 449kW and 560Nm and it’s fed to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.

More traffic, bleh. But as I crawl through the suburbs in search of an open road this Lambo reveals its civilised side. In contrast to the jerky robotised-manual gearbox of the Gallardo, the Huracán’s new dual-clutch effort is the picture of smooth-shifting grace. This R4.7-million indulgence is something you could realistically drive to work and back every day, and even the suspension, firm as it may be, moves the car over real-world roads with real-world useability.

It’s a low car though, and its ability to raise its ground clearance at the push of a button comes in handy when tackling speedhumps and driveway entrances.

But enough with muddling through the suburbs. Finally there’s a clear road ahead; I pull the trigger and the Lambo turns into the horizon-chasing savage it’s designed to be. It’s pure adrenalin-stirring purpose as it blasts off with a symphonic 10 cylinder howl that could scare the quills off a porcupine.

HIGH-REVVING V10

The factory says the Huracán’s good for a top speed of 325km/h and a 0-100km/h sea level sprint in just 3.2 seconds. Lamborghini wouldn’t give us permission to connect our test equipment and independently verify this, so we can’t tell you how the normally-aspirated Huracán compares at altitude against the likes of a turbocharged McLaren 650S or a Porsche 911 Turbo (McLaren and Porsche do allow us to performance-test their cars).

What we can tell you is that by the seat-of-the-pants meter this Lambo is rampant in a staight line, and that high-revving V10 (it redlines at 8500rpm) flexes audible muscles in a very emotional way. It’s an entertaining cacophony even when you lift off the throttle, which elicits an agreeable exhaust crackle.

If the Huracán’s civility in regular driving suggests a watered-down sports car, that’s not the case. Modern electronics ensure that cars can assume entirely different personalities at the press of a button, and this bipolar Lambo goes from benign to ballistic to completely bonkers when you respectively switch from Strada (street), to Sport, to Corsa (race) modes.

It affects the responses of the throttle, steering, all-wheel drive system and the stiffness of the magnetorheological dampers, while the exhaust roar also changes from rottweiler to tyrannosaurus rex.

TRACK-TAMING POTENTIAL

Lamborghini’s insistence that we stay far away from any test circuit meant we couldn’t evaluate the Huracán’s handling nuances, but even on normal roads the car’s surgically sharp steering and hunkered-down handling became apparent, and implied there’s plenty of track-taming potential in this car.

The aluminium and carbonfibre body construction, paired with aluminium double wishbone suspension, makes for a lightweight and pointy car. Part of our test-drive was in rainy weather and the all-wheel drive kept those Pirellis (245/30 20” up front and 305/30 20” rear) clinging to the tar purposefully.

A few playful bursts of throttle also revealed that this is no understeery all-wheel drive system, and that a playful tail awaits Huracán customers who take to a racetrack.

It was a brief encounter, but enough to see that this Audi-owned brand has infused its new bull with an alluring blend of German efficiency and an Italian soul.

Star Motoring

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