The rear-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 is new for 2016 and has a shared but unique architecture with the Audi R8

The 2016 Lamborghini Huracan 580-2 starts at $204,595. (Photography by Mark Maynard)

Table of Contents

Pricing
Powertrain
Ride and Handling
Interior Function
Why buy the Lamborghini Huracan?
Specifications

 BY MARK MAYNARD

The Lamborghini Huracan has a reputation as a social rave, but in truth, it is a masterpiece of engineering and a daily-driver supercar.

The Huracan is Lamborghini’s smaller sports car. The exotic two-seater replaced the Gallardo in mid-2014, and the new model is a righteous successor.

New for 2016 is the rear-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2. There’s also the all-wheel-drive Huracan LP 610-4 with about 602 horsepower.

There are coupe and convertible versions of the AWD model, but only a hardtop for the 2016 RWD model. A new setup for springs and stabilizer bars on a double-wishbone suspension improves torsional rigidity by 50 percent over its predecessor, the Gallardo LP 550-2.

With positive support from parent company Volkswagen Group, the Lamborghini Huracan is a shared architecture with the Audi R8. Comparable exotics include the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 650S. But there also are new and less expensive supercars, such as the Acura NSX, Aston Martin Vantage, and even the Corvette Z06.

The leather-lined buckets are comfortably bolstered for performance driving.

Lamborghini Huracan Pricing

The starting price of $204,595 for the Huracan LP 580-2 is a reasonable entry point for a V-10 supercar. That pricing includes the $3,495 freight charge from Modena, Italy, and the $1,300 gas-guzzler tax.

The tester was $238,795 with just two options, including the transparent engine-bay cover, $7,000. One admiring look at this car in the bright Rosso Red paint ($2,500)  and the driver is immediately guilty until proved innocent.

Despite that V-10, the Huracan’s fuel economy is not terrible. The EPA cites 17 mpg city, 21 highway and 17 mpg combined on the recommended premium fuel. On a daylong drive, I managed 19.9 mpg. But the mileage drops precipitously when the right foot goes down. The 22-gallon tank allows around 366 miles of driving with restraint.

View the current lineup of Lamborghini models here.

The seats are surprisingly comfortable for an all-day drive.

Huracan LP 580-2 Powertrain

For the starting price, the owner gets a hybrid chassis of aluminum and carbon fiber. The naturally aspirated, 572-horsepower 5.2-liter V-10 has direct injection and cylinder deactivation. And with peak torque of 398 foot-pounds at 6,500 rpm, 75 percent of the torque is available at 1,000 rpm, Lamborghini says.

The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission gives such quick shifts in Sport mode that its speed would embarrass a lightning strike. There are automatic and manual driving options and performance choices of Strada (normal), Sport, and Corsa (track).

Lamborghini cites zero to 62 mph acceleration in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph. The 14.6-foot-long, midengine car has a dry weight of 3,062 pounds. Lamborghini does not cite “wet” curb weight, such as when loaded with fuel, but figure another 122 pounds with a tankful.

The 572-hp, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10.

Huracan LP 580-2 Ride and Handling

Sport mode opens the pipes, sharpens the shift points, and gives hefty throttle blips on downshifts. In addition, the system loosens the reins of stability and traction controls for some slide through the corners.

A hard launch brings a howitzer blast of force without torque pull left or right. The experience is straight-ahead traction in a blazing chorus of cylinders.

Low profile, high grip 19-inchPirelli tires.

There is an absolute engagement of gears from the start off to flat out. Flooring the pedal at about 30 mph is a hold-on event as the Huracan lunges like a predator in pursuit.

The magnetic ride suspension shows its superiority with sensitive adjustments in milliseconds. After six hours on the road, there was no fanny fatigue or torqued necks. The steering is light, direct, and requires just minimal inputs to clip the apex.

The standard steel brakes have supercar dimensions. The ventilated and cross-drilled rotors are 14.37 inches at the front and 14 inches rear. The aluminum monoblock calipers have eight pistons at the front and four pistons rear. From 62 mph, the stopping distance takes just 104.7 feet, which is 3.6 feet shorter than the rear-drive Gallardo predecessor.

The driver’s command center.

Huracan Interior Function

Breathe deep the rich cabin aroma of leather and microsuede. The interior layout is efficient and easy to access, with some console controls by Audi. The foot-wide gauge array can be electronically changed into a full video screen with a large RPM gauge and other essentials.

The Huracan interior is cockpit-compact, but this is a wide car and there is wide shoulder room of almost 55 inches door to door. There is long legroom and headroom for a 6-foot-3 driver, and maybe even taller, which is also surprising for the car’s low 46-inch roof height. But the doors are not hugely broad (unlike a Corvette) and the tight turning circle makes maneuvering easy in close quarters.

The leather-lined buckets are bolstered for performance driving but surprisingly comfortable for an all-day drive. However, the seats are heatable there is no lumbar adjustment or seat ventilation.

The LP 580-2 has a weight distribution of 40 percent front and 60 percent rear.

Why buy the Lamborghini Huracan?

I’m not sure why this car costs nearly a quarter of a million dollars. But there will be few complaints about owning this daily-driving supercar.

Whatever the Lamborghini Huracan does not have or does not do, you do not need or will find a way to do without — and like it.

The red push-button ignition.

Huracan LP 580-2 Specifications

Body style: 2-seat, rear-wheel-drive coupe

Chassis: Hybrid aluminum and carbon fiber

Bodyshell: Aluminum and composite material outer skin

Suspension: Aluminum double-wishbone

Springs and dampers: Steel springs and hydraulic dampers. “MagneRide”
electromagnetic damper control available as an option

Engine: 572-hp, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 with direct injection and cylinder deactivation; 398 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,500 rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch

Fuel economy: 17/21/17 mpg city/highway/combined; premium required

Fuel tank: 22 gallons

BY THE NUMBERS

Top speed: 198.8 mph

0-62 mph acceleration: 3.2 seconds

0-200 kmh (124.27 mph) acceleration: 10.1 seconds

Brakes: Specially contoured steel discs ventilated and cross-drilled; 14.3-inch front rotors with 8-piston calipers; rear,14-inch rotors with 4-piston calipers

Steering: Electromechanical; optional variable-ratio LDS (Lamborghini Dynamic Steering)

Tires: Pirelli 245/35 19-inch front, 305/35 R19 rear

Wheels: 8.5J x 19-inches front, 11J x 19 inches rear

Length/wheelbase: 175.5/103. in.

Width/height: 88*/45.9 in. *including side mirrors

Dry weight: 3,062.2 lbs.

Turning circle: 37.7 ft.

PRICING

Base price: $204,595, including $3,495 freight charge and $1,300 gas-guzzler tax; price as tested $238,795

Options on test vehicle: transparent engine-bay cover $7,000; Rosso Red paint $2,500

Where assembled: Modena, Italy

Warranty: 36-months/unlimited mileage covering everything from the powertrain to the seats