A new Raging Bull takes centre-stage

Heading out on a bright Sunday afternoon in Bangalore, we were being put through the experience that’s part of everyday life for celebrities hounded by the paparazzi. Only in our case, they turned out to be mobile phone wielding youngsters trying to take selfies on the road. Cutting into your lane can be so annoying and worse, unsafe if, like us, you were at the wheel of the new Lamborghini Huracán.

We were trying to drive out of town in search of empty tarmac to test the new baby Lambo. Thankfully, we were cosseted nicely in the luxurious cabin of the Huracán and it seemed to be taking the unruly traffic and bad roads equally in its stride. Then the road opened up, I floor the throttle and leave the ‘snaparazzi’ behind.

After driving the Gallardo 560-4 extensively, we were just about starting to whet our curiosity about the new Huracán. So, how does it compare?

For Lamborghini, the Huracán is a big deal, because it is the model that plugs the gap left by the Gallardo. You can imagine the importance, given the Gallardo was the largest selling model for the company, clocking more than half the total number of cars that have ever been sold by Lamborghini in its 50 years of existence.

Getting the Huracán to exceed the benchmark set by the Gallardo wasn’t going to be easy, but that was the plan. Before the Gallardo and before the 560-4 (all-wheel drive), Lambos were more for purists, who loved them for their driving pleasure and didn’t quite bemoan the lower (than competition) quality of interior trim or other driver assistance features. But, the times changed, new markets opened up and newer entrants to the supercar club meant that the Gallardo had to slowly become friendlier.

The Huracán manages to reset the predecessor’s benchmark by focusing on three parameters – more power, more luxury and more user-friendliness.

The Huracán’s design is restrained for a Lamborghini. Compared to the kind of over-the-top limited editions and concepts like the Veneno, Sesto Elemento and the Estoque, which engineers at Sant’ Agata Bolognese tempt us with, the Huracán seems a bit coy. Even the Aventador’s design has an extra helping of Lamborghini’s penchant for the outlandish. These designs, however brash they are, are ironically still so desirable.

But that is not to say that the Huracán is lacking in flair. It has got the perfect proportions and it has Lambo’s trademark creases and planar surfaces woven into its compact design. The brand’s hexagonal design theme runs across all the elements, including those pop-open door handles. And the classic wedge shape of the Huracán makes it look like its cutting through the wind even when it is standing still.

An intimidating front with fender skirt extensions that look like Predator’s mouth and Lambo’s signature Y-shaped LEDs in the headlamps announces the Huracán’s arrival in the rear view mirrors of other vehicles. At the rear, the quad tail-lamps and the steeply sloping roof with the louvered engine cover give the Huracán more supercar flourishes.

Every bit of the Huracán’s design, however, also seem like they have been chiselled and created for a purpose – the vents, the door mirrors, the grilles – all of which come together to reduce drag, increase downforce, feed more air to the engine and improve aerodynamic efficiency.

Talking of efficiencies, Lamborghini engineers have managed to achieve a lower weight for the Huracán by choosing a kind of hybrid, bonded aluminium and carbon fibre architecture. Much of the rear bulkhead, the B-pillar and the centre transmission tunnel are all made out of carbon-fibre. The body panels and the A-pillar, and a few other parts are aluminium. The new architecture has supposedly made the Huracán ten per cent lighter than its predecessor, while its rigidity is nearly up 50 per cent.

In their quest for a new benchmark, while Lambo engineers have completely revised the chassis, the suspension and the steering, thankfully they have stuck to keeping the engine still a naturally-aspirated unit. Forced induction (turbo) is still a no-no in Sant’ Agata unlike in other towns (well, brands). In fact, the Huracán’s is essentially the same 5.2-litre V10 engine from the Gallardo, but with extensive changes mostly on the intake side enabling it to deliver even more power. At a humungous 610HP, it is actually about 50 horses more than the Gallardo’s and its power to weight ratio is better than the Ferrari 458. Incidentally, its rated power is the reason for the car’s name – Huracán LP 610-4.

There is also 560Nm of torque to propel the car and though the peak kicks in at 6,500rpm, almost 75 per cent of it is said to be available from a low 1,000 rpm. A Lamborghini is never complete without its share of drama and theatrics whether the car is on the move or is parked. So, after we are done gaping at the car’s design and have stepped gingerly into the low cabin, we get to fire up the engine by thumbing the start button after flipping up what literally looks like a red missile launch switch.

The V10 engine wakes up with a growl and a crackle and pop note that will put a smile on every driver’s face. Positioned right behind the seat and with the louvered engine cover blocking pretty much all visibility at the rear, it feels like you sitting in a small aircraft and the revving engine is the muffled whine of the turbines. We start by warming up the engine, taking in the car and its drama in the first few laps at the desolate stretch of a blocked-off road that we found finally.

If the changes to the engine have made it so much more loaded, the new 7-speed dual clutch gearbox has really managed to help the Huracán beat its predecessor at its game. Called the ‘Lamborghini Doppia Frizione’ (yes, try it with that Italian accent, it sounds better), the new transmission is a gem, shifting within fractions of seconds and really managing to extract the best out of the engine. The ‘4’ in the moniker represents all-wheel drive and the system in the Huracán features a new hydraulic multi-plate clutch that can distribute torque over a range of ratios – 50:50 or even 0:100 to the rear axle.

On the road, the Huracán’s straight line acceleration is unrelenting. It literally leaps off the block and leaves your face pasted on the headrest. 0-100 kmph comes up in just 3.2 seconds, but thanks to the carbon-ceramic brakes, stopping power is equally massive – 100kmph to standstill takes just 31.9 metres.

Manual selection and shifting up and down the gearbox is easy with the massive paddles behind the steering wheel. An addition on the steering wheel is the new ‘Anima’ button that is similar to the Ferrari Manettino and allows you to chose between three settings – Strada (or Street), Sports and Corsa (or racetrack). Changes to the settings adjust the powertrain’s performance, suspension, ESC (electronic stability) and other dynamic systems.

The Huracán’s speed-sensitive electromechanical steering may put off purists, but it is super precise and importantly, super light to use in city driving conditions. This is the kind of usability that new buyers to the brand are going to appreciate.

The purists may call it ‘idiot-proofing’ the car, but we’ll prefer to call it forgiveness, when the car’s systems provide for and counter bad driving.

That is the story of the Huracán for Indian buyers. Its suspension is firm, yet pliant and if the ground clearance was a worry, the car can be raised by 40mm at slow speeds. During our test drive we managed to sail over speed breakers and a lot of patched up roadwork.

So, at ₹3.43 crore, is it the best supercar that your money can buy? We’d say that it is. Temptations from the competition don’t belong in the same category at this price range. And then again Lamborghini is better represented here than any other brand.

COMMENT NOW