It's fair to say that the Lamborghini Huracan has put the brand from Sant'Agata firmly back on the map of usable supercars. When it arrived back in 2014 it was like a breath of fresh air after the Gallardo. Sure, it kept the mid-engined V10 recipe, but it brought a more modern character, both in terms of looks, technology and day-to-day usability.
Fast forward seven years (yup, really – we feel old) and it feels as if the Huracan's reached its ultimate form, with most of the original niggles ironed out. We jumped into the latest Evo models (both rear-drive and four-wheel-drive), as well as the Very Silly range-topping STO.
Watch the video below to find out what they're like and how they compare on some of Scotland's best roads, or read on for more thoughts.
What are the differences?
There are three basic versions of the Huracan currently on sale. There's the 'regular' Huracan Evo, which comes in four-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive forms, and you can choose between convertible 'Spyder' versions and your regular hardtop coupe. Then there's the STO, or Super Trofeo Omologato – a stripped-out, rear-drive nuttermobile that has been designed to give you a proper racecar feel but with licence plates.
This is a four-wheel-drive Huracan – still looks totally new, doesn't it?
This is a four-wheel-drive Huracan – still looks totally new, doesn't it?
The least expensive version is the rear-drive car, which starts at £165,000. This is 30kg lighter than the four-wheel-drive Huracan and puts out 610hp and 510Nm of torque from the iconic 5.2-litre V10. It'll get from 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds and on to 201mph. It sits on 19″ wheels and gets a little “RWD” addition to the “Huracan Evo” plaque by the rear wheel, as well as a less aggressively styled rear diffuser and front splitter. The only other hint that it's lost the front driveshafts is the way it'll spit the rear-axle sideways in third gear when you're accelerating in anything but dry conditions.
The four-wheel-drive Huracan Evo costs a whopping £30,000 more than the RWD car, but it gets the full 640hp at 8,000rpm, 600Nm of torque at 6,500rpm and it'll crack the 62mph dash in 2.9 seconds. It'll get to 124mph in 9 seconds and on to 202mph. Remember when people used to call these 'baby' supercars? It also gets rear-wheel steer – something you won't find on the RWD Huracan. It weighs 1.4 tonnes.
The rear-drive car gets smaller wheels and a front splitter that angles the opposite way to the AWD car
The rear-drive car gets smaller wheels and a front splitter that angles the opposite way to the AWD car
Finally, the STO turns up with a stonking £260,000 list price (before options). It gets 640hp and 565Nm of torque, both sent purely to the rear wheels, which means it'll get from 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds and on to just 193mph. Piffling, huh? Its bodywork is mostly carbon fibre and looks more aggressive than a very angry nun wearing a Slayer hoodie and brandishing a Gibson Flying V. The rear wing is manually adjustable, it gets Brembo's latest carbon-ceramic brake technology and a lengthened brake pedal travel for a more consistent on-track brake feel. Put short, Lamborghini's gone through the car with a fine-toothed comb to make sure all your racecar dreams come true.
How do they drive?
Hop into the low-slung seat of the Huracan RWD and you're immediately aware you're in something very special. From the way you have to lift a flap to fire the engine into life to the freakishly loud bellow as the V10 wakes up with a start – this is a bona fide supercar in the oldest sense of the word. Except you can see out the rear window. And it doesn't feel so wide that you'll avoid town centres. And it slips between gears with oily ease when you leave it in automatic mode. It doesn't have such a firm ride that you'll need your osteopath on speed dial.
Lamborghini still caters for those who want their cars in a wilder shade than… grey
Lamborghini still caters for those who want their cars in a wilder shade than… grey
Wait for the V10 to warm up and give it the berries and you'll shunt forward on a huge hairy Italian fist of torque. It's immediate and gratifying – it makes even the sharpest turbocharged cars feel as if they're operating with severe satellite delay. You'll want to switch the Huracan's digital dash to show tyre temperatures though, simply because the RWD car will happily spin its rear tyres up in second, third and fourth if the surface isn't hot and dry. Most of the time you can drive it extremely quickly, but you'll need to be cautious with the throttle on corner exit if you don't want to feel the wrath of the stability control system (which will always allow a little bit of sidewaysness).
This is home in a regular Huracan Evo – everything works well ergonomically, except the uncomfortable seats
This is home in a regular Huracan Evo – everything works well ergonomically, except the uncomfortable seats
Switch over to the four-wheel-drive Huracan Evo and you'll discover a car that's even faster on unfamiliar roads and in imperfect conditions. With all four wheels being driven by the V10, acceleration is even more savage, and at most legal(ish) speeds the regular Huracan feels faster than the V12-powered Aventador, which revs glacially by comparison. Like the rear-drive Huracan, the four-wheel-drive car's steering weights up nicely and gives you enough confidence to hoon it with a big grin on your face, but it isn't the last word in feedback. It'll still peel a little sideways out of junctions with a heavy right foot, but you feel a lot more relaxed knowing that it'll eventually pull straight.
But what about the STO?
While the regular Huracans still feel about as sensible as boxing bees with gloves made of honey, the STO is something completely different. For a start, the cabin's been stripped of anything remotely plush. The door cards are made of carbon fibre. There aren't any carpet floor mats. Somehow, impossibly, it's even louder. God knows how it passes any form of noise test.
Hey Siri, show me heaven
Hey Siri, show me heaven
Even with the steering wheel-mounted driving mode selector set to the regular 'STO' mode, it'll fire you sideways at the merest sniff of throttle on cold tyres. This is an incredibly angry car. You feel every bump in the road and every jink of the back axle through your bum, and you subconsciously use this information to modulate your right foot. It feels as though there's an extra angriness to the chassis geometry, which is a polite way of saying the STO does tend to follow cambers in the road.
The STO's cabin isn't exactly bare-bones, but it's a lot more racecar than the regular Huracan's
The STO's cabin isn't exactly bare-bones, but it's a lot more racecar than the regular Huracan's
Driving it quickly is a sweaty-palmed, eye-widening experience, but you feel happy to enter the bullpen again and again – if only to experience the noise and ferocity of the engine and the tautness of the chassis. It's an utterly magical and beguiling experience, and it perfectly fulfils the brief of feeling as if you've driven onto the roads rather than a test session at Mugello. It's raw.
It's fair to say Lamborghini is still the master of barely silenced exhausts. God knows how the STO is road legal.
It's fair to say Lamborghini is still the master of barely silenced exhausts. God knows how the STO is road legal.
We're not sure we could feel the 30% lighter windscreen, but one thing's for sure – the STO gives a pared-back, jittery experience that leaves you hopping out with a mixture of pleasure and pain plastered on your face. It's unhinged, anti-social and feels like Lamborghini's successfully brought back its legendary crazy days.
Best Huracan on sale? Undoubtedly. Best car on sale? It might just be.
What else do I need to know?
If you're in the market for a Huracan then you don't really have a bad choice. But none of these cars is perfect. The lightweight seats somehow put all the weight of your body on the base of your spine, and we were uncomfortable after 30 minutes. The STO didn't seem to have this problem, but that was possibly because we were trying to enjoy the engine while not enjoying a trip off the side of a Scottish road.
The infotainment setup is good in all Huracans, and the 8.4-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen is easy to use. You can even use Alexa for all your voice commands. The speaker system is punchy and somehow makes itself heard above the V10 – something you wouldn't necessarily expect in a supercar.
Which Huracan would we pick? Whichever we could afford, frankly. Now click on the video below, watch the first 10 seconds and rejoice in V10 heaven.
Keyword: Driving every Lamborghini Huracan you can buy you get th