Image: Mike Schlee Image: Mike Schlee Last fall, I had the honor and privilege to attend a first drive event for the Lamborghini Temerario in the car's hometown of Bologna, Italy. The plug-in hybrid supercar impressed me with its style, performance, and surprising livability. But I was in the beautiful foothills surrounding the brand's head office, driving picturesque roads with countless Italian citizens cheering me on as I passed by. How could I not be dazzled and mesmerized by all this? Although plenty of owners will get to drive their Italian bulls in similar conditions, many of these near-1,000-hp exotics will live their lives in more mundane locales, crowded with people, traffic, and speed enforcement. I happen to live in one of these places, so I thought it was the perfect place to see if the 2026 Lamborghini Temerario still shines just as brightly outside of its ideal environment. Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini Quick Tag Is an Italian supercar with 907 hp worth it when living in a city where one would rarely get to unleash all those ponies? That's the question I hoped to answer during a week with Lamborghini's latest and greatest, the 2026 Temerario. Even though the car spent plenty of time utilizing a small fraction of its performance, this Lamborghini still makes the driver feel special and is surprisingly livable. Able to coast around in gridlock traffic on pure electric power is a major plus, as is the increased cabin capacity. Then, on those rare occasions when the car can finally be let loose, the Temerario reminds us just how ridiculous of a performer it truly is. What's New for 2026: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini Lamborghini isn't one to use the traditional model year distinctions mainstream manufacturers do. Although this is a 2026 model year car, the Temerario is still in its first year of existence, so technically everything is new. Even if this isn't my first time behind the wheel, the car is still rare, and plenty of folks I encountered during my time with it had yet to see one on the road. Exterior Style: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini As I stated during my first drive, it can't be easy being a Lamborghini designer tasked with making an all-new car that's different enough from previous models to catch the eye but still retain the usual brand styling characteristics and ubiquitous wedged shape. With the Temerario, the manufacturer has succeeded. The tight proportions and small overhangs give the car a wide, purposeful stance. There are interesting aerodynamic-influenced touches, like the protruding rear diffuser and exposed rear wheels. I hadn't noticed just how many little wings and vents are built into the car until this second go-around with the Temerario. The headlights have integrated spoilers and even the rear lip has some subtle vents built in. Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini My tester arrived with dark grey exterior paint that gave the car a bit of a subtle appearance, at least as subtle as a Lamborghini can be. Other than the lime green brake calipers, the car can slip by without undue attention if one is not really paying attention. If finished in bright green, orange or yellow, the car would turn heads quicker than someone shouting free beer at a football game. Still, the car garners far more than its fair share of attention. I dropped by my son's elementary school with the car, much to the chagrin of the teachers, as the children abandoned all order and bee-lined straight to check out the Temerario. It made my son the most popular kid in the school for that afternoon. On the road, I constantly got thumbs-up and hastily captured cell phone pics by passengers in other vehicles. Powertrain and Fuel Economy: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini After spending decades sourcing a V10 engine for the Gallardo and Huracan, Lamborghini went in-house for the engine on the Temerario. Measuring four liters in displacement, the new V8 is wholly Lamborghini, with it just being a coincidence that corporate sibling Audi makes a different 4.0-liter V8. The Lamborghini unit is twin-turbocharged and can reach an astonishing 10,000 rpm redline. It makes 789 hp, which is an incredibly impressive figure. But Lamborghini didn't stop there. The brand decided not one, or two, but three electric motors should also be added to the car. It all adds up to a boatload of power, officially rated at 907 horsepower total. Yes, if each motor plus the engine's power output were added together, the total figure should be much higher. But like nearly every hybrid, total system power is limited to what the various components of the car can handle, not the actual maximums of all the power units. Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini Still, 907 hp is mega, and hooked up to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), Lamborghini claims the Temerario can rocket from 0-60 mph in just over 2.5 seconds, continuing up to a quoted top speed of 213 mph (343 km/h). Although I never got within half of that top speed, I did get to experience the 0-60 mph launch at a few metered freeway on-ramps and it's downright magical. The electric motors provide instant thrust that is soon taken over by the ferocious engine as the turbos spool up. The engine makes glorious sounds above 6,000 rpm with a 9,000 rpm wail that should wake the dead. The only real negative to this power unit is the mechanical, utilitarian sound it makes at speeds below 4,000 rpm, which is where the car spent most of its time when traveling around in traffic. Handling and Drivability: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini My first outing during my city-bound week with the Lamborghini Temerario was a slog across one of the largest cities in North America, and easily top 3 in terms of traffic chaos. The Lambo proved to be wholly capable of this 2-hour journey, lacking any sort of temperamental mentality one might associate with supercars. I was able to cruise at times on all-electric power, which may only be rated for 5 miles (8 km), but I was able to constantly recharge it when traffic did briefly move. Later in the week, on open stretches of roads, I got to hustle the Temerario with more authority. Even with a 3,726 pounds (1,690 kg) curb weight, the car is light on its feet, willing to change directions in a hurry. Since the car does not have a traditional all-wheel drive system, try as the front motors may, they can't always provide enough thrust to the front wheels under aggressive driving. It's quite easy to overwhelm the rear tires with that turbocharged V8, causing the Temerario to start stepping out into a bit of drift. The good news, in conjunction with the drive computers, these mild slides are wholly controllable. 2026 Lexus ES First Drive Review: All the Details Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini One interesting trait, because the front tires are so wide and grippy, at very low speed maneuvers they tend to slightly hop and slip in small increments while doing maximum lock turns. Sort of like a four-wheel drive truck, just far less exaggerated. Competitors: Ferrari 296 GTB McLaren 750S Porsche 911 Turbo S Ride Quality and Comfort: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini Part of the mission when designing the Temerario was to increase cabin space and comfort levels. At six feet tall, I fit in the Huracan but had issues seeing around the headliner at things like traffic lights. As well, if I were to take that car to a local track event, fitting a helmet on my head would have been a potential issue. With the Temerario, that is not the case. Lamborghini states the interior was designed to accommodate professional athletes, as they are a large demographic for the company. So, NBA, NFL, and pro-footballers (soccer) players all needed to fit. The increased space is instantly noticeable, as is a much easier ingress and egress from the vehicle. Despite the enlarged cabin, the car does not look any higher off the ground or ungainly proportioned. Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini The ride quality also feels noticeably improved. Previous V10-powered Lamborghinis were on the stiff side, and the Temerario isn't exactly a squishy family SUV wafting down the road. But in more sedate drive modes like Hybrid, the car absorbs bumps better than any 900+ hp supercar has any business doing so. Interior Style and Quality: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini As I stated in my first drive, the interior of the Temerario is instantly recognizable to anyone who has been in a mid-engine Lamborghini within the past 5-10 years. The vertical center touchscreen controls many of the car's settings and comfort features, while the multifunction steering wheel includes buttons for turn signals, wipers, and of course the various drive settings. The rest of the interior is finished in high quality materials that feel appropriate for the car's price tag, without there being too much weight-adding frivolous extras added on. Functional without being bare bones is the theme here. Value Dollars and Sense: Image: Lamborghini Image: Lamborghini The 2026 Lamborghini Temerario I had in for evaluation came with an as-tested price of $382,654 before applicable fees. That's a good chunk of change that can be viewed in two ways. Compared to the 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S, that's quite a price gap for similar levels of performance. But, compared to the Ferrari 296 GTB, pricing is right on point for a vehicle with similar Italian prestige, and the Temerario is a bargain compared to Lamborghini's own Revuelto. In Canada, the car I had in my possession has an as-tested price of $432,490. Final Thoughts: Image: Mike Schlee Image: Mike Schlee Even when not ripping around the foothills of Italy, the 2026 Lamborghini Temerario always makes the driver feel special. Whether it's 5 mph bumper-to-bumper traffic, a short trip to the local coffee shop, or the rare occasion when the roads are empty and traffic is light, city living with this supercar is still fantastic. To fully enjoy the Temerario, though, I'd suggest owners within a few hours of a local track attend open lapping days, as it's incredible what this car is capable of. But even on the street, the presence, sound, and feel of the Temerario is exquisite, with a price tag to match. Category 2026 Lamborghini Temerario Powertrain 10 / 10 Efficiency 6 / 10 Handling and Drivability 10 / 10 Passenger Comfort 7.5 / 10 Ride Quality 3.5 / 5 Exterior Style 4.5 / 5 Interior Style and Quality 8 / 10 Infotainment 7.5 / 10 Cargo Capacity and Towing 2.5 / 5 Safety 4 / 5 Value 6.5 / 10 Emotional Appeal 10 / 10 TOTAL 80 / 100 PROS CONS Performance Low rpm engine sound High rpm engine sound Price tag Style and presence No mechanical all-wheel drive system Liveable cabin Specifications Engine/Motor 4.0-liter turbo V8 + plug-in hybrid Output: 907 hp (system total) Drivetrain: AWD Transmission: 8DCT 0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds Top Speed: 213 mph (343 km/h) As Tested Price USA $382,654 As Tested Price Canada $432,490 2026 New York International Auto Gallery: The Cars You Shouldn't Miss
