Lamborghini was often reminiscent of the last dinosaur, desperately roaring at the electric meteorite barreling toward Earth. That is over. The Lamborghini Revuelto is a revolutionary Mad Bull. The replacement for the Aventador, the strongest beast from the Lambo stable, is now a plug-in hybrid. It has three electric motors and there is no reverse gear – it is electrically controlled.
It is also not clumsy, because its driving behavior is much more refined, just like the integration of the electricity. The gearbox no longer slams your head back and forth like a metalhead in a mosh pit. There's more space in the cabin and – hallelujah – the seats are no longer as hard and demure as a church pew, but embrace and coddle you.
The natural competition for the Revuelto
The technical approach is nothing particularly new. With an electric motor for each front wheel, plus another between the engine and gearbox, drawing power from a smallish battery placed between the seats, it has the same stuff in the same places as the Porsche 918 Spyder a decade ago. The recipe has subsequently been copied by everyone and their mother, from the Honda NSX to the Revuelto's (literally) closest rival, the Ferrari SF90.
But this one has a V12. Everyone else has downsizing applied, a turbo V6 or a V8 installed; the power was retained, but some charisma was undeniably lost. Not so with the Revuelto. Yes, you can drive it around completely electrically, but it won't last even 15 kilometers, because the tiny battery only measures 3.8 kWh. Electric is the supporting act, the V12 is the glorious, flamboyant star of the show.
The strongest engine of the Lamborghini Revuelto
The 6.5-liter, turbo-less L545 engine is the lightest and most powerful twelve-cylinder Lamborghini has ever made. It has been rotated 180 degrees, so that the gearbox is now at the back instead of in the front (because that is where the battery pack is now located). And the gearbox is no longer that terrible ISR transmission that felt old when the Aventador was introduced in 2011, but a brand new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Which of course is only connected to the rear wheels, because the front wheels are powered by electricity. And algorithms.
The warm-blooded heart of the Revuelto develops 825 hp. The electrics raise this even further to 1,015 hp, which allows it to reach 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of more than 350 km/h. It is incredibly fast, sounds phenomenal and uses its 190 electric horsepower in a subtle way. For example, to immediately generate power when exiting corners, when the petrol engine is still building it up.
The Revuelto doesn't drive like a Lamborghini
As you exit a slow corner, you can feel the electric motors working on the front wheels to eliminate understeer and keep your chosen line tight. However, they do not operate like a blunt object, but with a lot of nuance, distributing the force evenly and effectively across the wheels. Here's what's new and interesting about the Revuelto.
The Aventador did not have a lot of finesse in its chassis and the four-wheel drive system was actually quite rudimentary. But its replacement, despite the significant added complexity, is much smoother and more refined to drive. He involves you more in the process and then rewards you more. It's not all about the engine. At least, until your handlebars are straight, the speed rises above 5,000 rpm and continues to crescendo to a suitably roaring 9,500 rpm.
Indeed, there is simply no other manufacturer where this could have come from | Photo: © TopGear
The feeling in the steering is good, although almost as much information is sent to your back as to your hands. What has changed is the overall feeling of balance and pliability. With the Aventador you had your hands full at the limit, the Revuelto gives you much more control. I would even go further: this is the first Lamborghini that comes close to the dynamics that Ferrari knows how to put into a chassis. Not only does the Revuelto deliver huge amounts of drama and excitement while driving, this new level of control and integration really adds to the depth of the experience.
How did Lamborghini manage to do this?
Due to the well-known, typical wedge shape, it may not seem as if a revolution has taken place underneath, but that is certainly the case. At its heart is the 'monofuselage', essentially a carbon fiber tub that is 10 percent lighter than that of the Aventador, but 25 percent stiffer. The torsional stiffness is measured at 40,000 Nm per degree. And is also a carbon fiber front subframe that can absorb twice as much energy as that of the Aventador, while the rear frame is aluminum, but with fewer welding points.
The chassis supports semi-active suspension, and the brakes are carbon-ceramic units with ten-piston calipers that bite into 410-millimeter discs. And then there is also regenerative braking. Integrating friction and electric braking has caused headaches for almost every sports car manufacturer so far.
I couldn't tell where one started and the other ended. It all felt completely natural – with the small caveat that I have only driven on a circuit where you simply slam on the brakes. They may be a little too eager at first, but otherwise very reassuring, and they handle the weight, which is 200 kilos above that of the Aventador, effortlessly. The empty weight is 1,772 kilos, so with all liquids on board you will soon weigh more than 1,900 kilos.
On the road, Revuelto should also be great
The gearbox fires through the shifts without any screeching and although we have not yet driven it on public roads (where the Aventador sometimes felt wooden and hard), there is every reason to be hopeful.
It leans very little. Just a little bit, just enough to provide some cushiony support, the feeling that all the control doesn't necessarily have to be rock hard, despite the fact that it wears gigantic 355 tires at the rear that are around 22 inches, and has anti-roll bars that are now 11 percent stiffer, and even 50 percent stiffer at the rear.
There is some compliance in the handling, while unwanted noise and vibrations seem to be better filtered. This supercar, the hottest of them all, has been given some bandwidth – something reassuring, almost. Which goes hand in hand with more practical ease of use.
You can actually store stuff… in a Lamborghini!
In contrast to the SF90, the Revuelto has a real frunk, while the interior has also gained space; the cabin is 84 millimeters longer, there is 25 millimeters more headroom and you can also place your elbows noticeably better. You can now simply place a golf bag behind your shoulders, and we have even thought about the necessary usable storage space. Includes a cup holder.
It's still very much a Lamborghini, with a windshield that seems to stretch into infinity and a low roof. But the interior feels a lot lighter and visibility is much better than it was (except to the rear), as if the designers and engineers have given serious thought to the concept of ergonomics.
Even the steering wheel participates; seems full of buttons, but in fact it is logically put together. The top buttons on both sides are for the powertrain, with the driving modes on the left (City, Strada, Sport, Corsa) and the EV settings on the right (Recharge, Hybrid and Performance). Combine them and you have thirteen dynamic settings to choose from. At the bottom left are the buttons for the dampers (and to lift the nose slightly, for example at speed bumps). You can adjust the aero at the bottom right. Yep, aerodynamics.
The most important figures: 61 percent less air resistance than the Aventador and 66 percent more downforce. The first number is more important than the second. This is not so much a track tiger à la GT3 RS, but one feel good supercar with a wider base. The Aventador had quite the reputation as the ultimate show-off supercar, and people who loved pure driving often ignored it. The Revuelto will change that.
How much does the Lamborghini Revuelto cost?
Of course it's a ridiculous amount of money. The exact prices have not yet been announced; you should count on something in the neighborhood of 500,000 euros. And then the tax authorities still have to come along. So it will in any case be considerably more expensive than the SF90. If this car sells well, it fully justifies the choice to keep the V12. And I think they've done it wisely – it means the Revuelto has retained the character and charisma that makes Lamborghinis such a force of nature to drive.
The added layer of dynamism and sophistication? It is completely new and more than welcome. Lamborghinis often seem to look back, to the glory days of yesteryear. But this is one that actually looks ahead and embraces the future with joy.
Yes, it only has a small battery, its electric range is very limited and it doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before. But he is also a beacon for the Lamborghinis to come. And he proves that charisma does not have to suffer from hybridization. Well done, Lambo.
Specifications of the Lamborghini Revuelto (2024)
Engine
6.5 V12 hybrid
Drive
four wheels, 8v automatic
Assets
1,015 hp
Couple
724 Nm
Acceleration
0-100 km/h in 2.5 s
Top speed
315 km/h
Consumption, CO2 emissions
nnb
Battery, electric range
3.8 kWh, approx. 13 km
Weight
1,772 kg
Price
approx. €500,000 (estimated, excl. taxes)
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