Lamborghini Huracan coupe 2014 review

Never before have I looked at a Lamborghini as a passenger.

Incredibly low, overly wide, poor rear visibility and a stiff drivetrain: it was made solely for maximum performance on unrestricted roads. And here is Huracan. The first of the Lamborghini Gallardo's successors arrived in Australia and Carsguide spent the day in its leather interior, on the open road and in the mall parking lot.

Design

It's prettier in metal than the angular Gallardo, its lines are fluid, and it's returning to Lamborghini's preferred 2:1 width-to-height ratio (the manufacturer abandoned that formula for the Gallardo). But it's definitely a Lamborghini - the shark-nosed hood, signature hexagonal shapes and upper and lower air intakes on the sides.

And the Huracan name, which continues the Lamborghini theme by naming its cars after fighting bulls. The stunningly beautiful silhouette of the Huracan and its amazing ease of handling will further confirm that the Lamborghini is an exotic choice for single women. Surprisingly, Lamborghini has a higher percentage of female ownership - and mostly single women - than Ferrari.

DRIVING

The Huracan is opened for movement by first extending the door handle handle. It's a regular door, not the scissor design of the Aventador, and although it's low, getting in isn't difficult.

Keyless start: Flip open the starter button cover, depress while holding the brake pedal, then pull the right stalk and release the electric parking brake to roll forward.

Reverse gear is engaged with the lift lever.

Keep it in "strada" mode - for the street and the less dangerous of the three driving modes - and the Huracan is assembled and as civilized and quiet as a car from parent company Audi.

Even when the road gets a little bumpy, the ride is tight, supple and soundproof. The leather seats are very comfortable and adjustable. The digital instrument panel changes its display depending on the selected driving mode.

It never intimidates - certainly not in the same way as the Aventador - until the road opens and the sport mode is turned on. Lamborghini landed the first Huracan in Perth with a $428,000 price tag, an academic 325 km/h top speed and an incredible 0 second 100-3.2 km/h time – 0.3 seconds slower than the $761,500 Aventador.

This is more about the image, not its speed. Forget about this detail. It dominates the road, brash and noisy with an exhaust that bites your ear. You can't help but turn to the sound of the Huracan exhaust.

Strada mode is tamed, but Sport sharpens the action by opening up exhaust vents, reducing stability control interference, raising the shift points of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, stiffening damper settings and adding weight. smart steering with variable gear ratio and electric power steering.

Choose Corsa for even tighter settings and less electronic interference. The engine puts out its full 449kW (or 610hp, hence the name of the variant) at an astounding 8250rpm, just below the 8500rpm threshold.

It seems like a ridiculously high RPM for a road car, but the fact is that 10 pistons are incredibly fast. Torque distribution and predictable steering make it easy to get into tight corners. Excellent feedback complements its flat stance and adhesive grip. Stability is helped by three gyroscopes.