2022 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica Review

Could the new Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica model be the best yet? We get behind the wheel to find out…

The Lamborghini Huracan was a smash-hit sales success from the moment it launched, and was only usurped as Sant’Agata Bolognese’s most popular vehicle when the Urus super-SUV came along in 2018. Its critical reception, however, was more lukewarm from launch. To some, it was just a little too civilised and restrained for a mid-engined Lamborghini. Where was the company’s trademark flamboyance that gave us the likes of the Countach and Diablo?

It turns out the potential was there all along, just waiting to be unlocked. It didn’t take Lamborghini too long to bring out a rear-wheel-drive version with added flair. And then came the Performante variant – the genesis of the brilliant Evo and STO models we know today.

The STO is the most extreme Huracan yet, but for some, it may be a little too hard for the road. That’s where this new Huracan Tecnica model comes in, plugging the gap between the Evo RWD and STO with a less extreme aero package and a recalibrated version of the brand’s LDVI (Lamborghini Integrated Vehicle Dynamics) system.

Best thought of as the car’s handling brain, the LDVI looks after the adaptive dampers, the traction and stability control systems, and the rear-wheel steering system, adjusting them all seamlessly to suit the road ahead. In the Tecnica, these parameters are supposed to operate in a less extreme way than on the STO, while lively enough to give a clear gap from the Evo.

It’s still rear-wheel drive, an arrangement that saves some 43kg thanks to the missing front driveshafts, prop and centre differential. It’s a little heavier than the STO, however, as you don’t get the carbon composite body panels, but it’s still 10kg lighter than a regular Huracan RWD.

As with any other Huracan, nothing is quite where you expect it to be. There are no stalks for the indicators or windscreen wipers – you’ll find switches for these on the steering wheel. The electric windows are operated via toggle switches on the centre console rather than the door, and waking up the angry V10 requires you to flip up a red flap which has the feeling of a missile launch button. The cabin couldn’t be more different from the Audi R8 the Huracan is related to – but in the best possible way.

Giving that aforementioned starter button a prod fires up the same 5.2-litre engine first found in the Performante and now used for both the Huracan Evo and the STO. Going back to the R8, it’s worth noting Lamborghini has used a clever mixture of direct and port injection to avoid having to use the kind of noise-sapping petrol particulate filters found on the Audi.

As a result, the Huracan Tecnica sounds awfully rude at idle, and borderline anti-social at full chat as the rev counter sweeps up to the 8500rpm redline. It’s fabulous. Except, on the road, that’s not the first thing you notice. Instead, it’s the ride, which instantly makes itself known as being particularly firm regardless of which of the three modes – Strada, Sport and Race – you’re in. Much like an STO.

The same goes for the way the Tecnica handles corners, whether you’re on the road or on the track. There’s that same aggressively pointy front-end, aided by the rear-wheel steering system, and the appearance of the flickering ESC icon on the dashboard with similar frequency. On that subject, the electronic aids do a great job of keeping on top of things without taking away too much of the V10’s might. In both Sport and Corsa modes, a playful amount of rear-axle movement is allowed before the systems step in to save you from yourself.

The steering, meanwhile, is nicely weighted and more than fast enough to keep up with the Tecnica’s darty front end. While it’s reasonably communicative, if you’re expecting the kind of feedback delivered by a Porsche 911 GT product, you might come away disappointed. The initial feel of the brake pedal is another area where the Tecnica trails the best of Porsche’s team in Weissach – it’s almost savagely sharp, which works fine on track, but if you’re braking more gently on the road, the pedal can feel quite abrupt.

But if you are on a track, the Tecnica’s ingredients come together to make something spectacular. With this car, you get out what you put in – exploiting a decent chunk of its capability takes some working up to. But learn how to do this, and how to avoid making it bite back – which the Tecnica can do if you’re not careful – this Huracan makes for a fast, thrilling and rewarding way to get around a circuit.

Lateral grip is supplied in abundance. The engine with its ferocious response, the way it smacks into its hard rev limiter in Corsa and its brutally effective seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox take centre stage, but unlike those early Huracans, the rest of the driving experience is just as successful.

This, of course, can be said about the STO – as you might have gathered thus far, the Tecnica doesn’t feel far off as hardcore. Chatting to the Tecnica’s product manager Filippo Moretti about this car’s positioning, we discovered the car isn’t actually intended to sit slap bang in the middle of the gap between the Evo RWD and the STO. It’s a lot closer to the latter than the former – the stiffness of the adaptive dampers, for instance, has only been slackened off slightly.

You can bring the Tecnica closer still through optional extras, including the same seats and carbon fibre interior door panels as the STO. Most buyers are expected to do this, but the softer standard seats and door trim are more in line with what this car is about.

Gone is the STO’s huge rear wing, roof scoop and other aerodynamic appendages, making for a much more restrained-looking car that still has no problem turning heads. It still looks distinct from the Evo, thanks in large part to a new front bumper inspired by the Terzo Millennio concept. At the rear meanwhile is a new bumper and diffuser set-up taking elements from the Super Trofeo Evo 2 racer. You still get a rear wing, which is tiny compared to the STO’s, but big enough to contribute to a 35 per cent increase in downforce relative to the Evo.

Perhaps, then, the Tecnica is best viewed as Lamborghini’s equivalent of the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. A more subtle exterior treatment with (near enough) the same kind of driving experience. The difference is the savings to be had here are massive – while the STO is $596,000, the Tecnica is $444,900. In relative terms, that’s a bargain – most of what you’re doing without is the aero, which isn’t of much use on road. And arguably, the Huracan looks better without it. As such. this might just be the best Huracan yet.

The new Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica certainly sits closer to the white-knuckle Huracan STO than the Evo model where the firm’s supercar line-up now starts. But as it is, it’s a compelling alternative to Lambo’s hardest Huracan, which is very nearly as exciting to drive, better to look at and a little easier to live with.

Matt Robinson

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