What does a
Lamborghini Gallardo have in common with a
Toyota Camry?
If you answered “wheels,” try again. We were pointing to the fact that
each car is its brand’s bestseller. Buyers wailed off in more than
14,000 Gallardos over the car’s 10-year production run, making it
Lambo’s most successful model ever. Enter the Gallardo’s replacement,
the
Huracán (
OO-rah-kahn), which Lamborghini hopes will build on the glories—sales and otherwise—of its predecessor.
The Huracán will use the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10, massaged for an
extra 49 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque, for totals of 601 and
413, respectively. The additional output comes from a new intake,
lower-friction internals, and new cylinder heads featuring both direct
and port fuel injection. And while the last Gallardo offered a manual
transmission, only 13 people bought Gallardos so equipped in its final
year. So it’s no surprise that the Huracán, named for a memorable
Spanish fighting bull from 1879, won’t offer a manual, only a
seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Power flows to all four wheels via a
new electronically managed center differential with a default torque
split of 43 percent front/57 percent rear. Those numbers match the car’s
front/rear weight distribution, though Lamborghini claims that all of
the engine’s power can be sent to the rear axle.
Cost and production volume are the reasons Lamborghini gives for the
Huracán lacking a carbon-fiber structure like the one under the
Aventador. Instead, the Huracán gets an aluminum space frame shared with
the next Audi R8.
Some fibers of carbon have found their way onto the little Lambo,
though. Fifteen percent of the body’s mass is carbon fiber, including
the fire wall and sills, and that helps cut curb weight by a claimed 200
pounds versus the Gallardo. With the standard engine stop-start system,
fuel economy is said to improve—a bit. Don’t worry, Lambo customers:
You will still be on the Saudi royal family’s Eid-ul-Fitr-card list.
As it’s lighter and more powerful, the wee Lambo’s performance is
definitely expected to improve. Lamborghini puts the sprint to 100 km/h
(62 mph) at 3.2 seconds, a half-second quicker than the Gallardo’s.
Acceleration won’t end until the Huracán arrives at 202 mph, we’re told.
Should you need to stop in a hurry from that speed, the Huracán comes
with standard carbon-ceramic brakes.
Like it or not, the Huracán continues Lambo’s path toward daily-driver
acceptability and more-approachable performance. A host of electronic
aids avoids the help-me-Jesus moments that vintage Lamborghini drivers
have been dining out on for decades. Those who favor the Huracán over
its lively competition, including the
Ferrari 458 Italia and
McLaren 12C, will be granted access this summer at a price starting around $200,000.
