2022 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica review, first drive - dramatic, fiery, and tempestuous
When Lamborghini says they've built a car that's easier on the nerves, made for newer drivers who are getting familiar with Lamborghini's, and does not have the savagery of some of their more intense models, don't trust them! The Huracan Tecnica is as intense as they come. It's dramatic, fiery, and tempestuous, it's a car that would make you fall in love with Lamborghinis all over again and I've been gobsmacked every minute I spent in it. And to think this is the penultimate Huracan with a naturally aspirated motor before hybridization takes over before one last hurrah! Is this Lamborghini's way of saying, you're going to miss pure unadulterated internal combustion, I think so!
And you are going to feel that vacuum because come the time to step on the gas, the roar from the Huracan Tecnica's V10 firing all cylinders is a rush you cannot imagine. So what is the Huracan Tecnica? This super sports car is yet another version of the Huracan, but that is putting it rather simply. It sits in between the positively bonkers STO, the full-fat track-focused Huracan, and the slightly more amiable Evo RWD. But there is hardly any area on this car that hasn't been tweaked, reengineered, and remodelled.
What you'd appreciate though is that despite all the claims of technology advancements, the Huracan Tecnica, does not seem to fall back on that technology when you're driving it. I like that the electronics work in the background, subtlety, and as the driver, you're more focused on the important things - throttle, brake and steering! And once you get into the rhythm, you can simply sit in that seat and go on for hours, banging out lap after lap. So in a sense, Lamborghini isn't straying too far from the truth, the Tecnica is every bit a Lamborghini, but built to appeal to a wider, not so hardcore audience than ever before.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Dial it back a bit and let's take a closer look at the Tecnica. Sitting in between the STO and the Evo RWD, it borrows the best from both cars. You get the same powertrain as the STO, 640PS with 565 Nm of torque, whipping up a storm as it screams to its 8500rpm redline. And all of this is delivered to the rear wheels, keeping intact its purity of purpose. It's the same height and width as the Evo but is around 6cm longer. It also sheds around 10 kilos compared to the Evo, thanks to a carbon fibre hood and engine covers. Lamborghini also says the aerodynamics have been worked on heavily, increasing downforce by some 35 per cent compared to the Evo RWD and reducing drag by 20 per cent.
Then there are the bits that shut the door on the third wheel, Audi! To get back the purity it was essential for Lamborghini to turn back a few pages, and make those changes that filtered out some of the chaff. For instance the steering. It is now a direct ratio, rather than variable. It's got the LDVI from the STO as well, the Lamborghini Dynamica Veicolo Integrata or the integrated vehicle dynamics control (traction and stability control). This uses a combination of accelerometer and gyroscopic sensors to get the balance and position through the magnetic dampers just right, whenever it is hitting the apexes, braking or accelerating. You can still get the tail to step out spectacularly but were you to choose to simply attack the circuit sans hooliganism, this is an extremely rewarding car for that perfection.
Braking has improved too, it still uses the carbon-ceramic brake system, but remodelling the front bumper has allowed for better airflow over the discs, improving cooling and thus efficiency. In fact it's a lot more dramatic that that last statement. Its astonishing to see just how well the brake system works, while you are left trying to figure out if the car is braking or not as you dive into a corner. Pedal effort is lesser, but stopping power is immense, without the seatbelts leaving burn marks on your shoulder and across your chest. I've never experienced braking this fluid before and yet instantaneous, in any car, and this only encourages you to keep pushing the car harder and harder to the limits because you know you have so much stopping power.
This time around, Lamborghini has worked with Bridgestone, not their traditional go-to Pirelli! The Potenza's Race rubber is as astonishing as they come. Grip levels are stickier and sweeter than gooey caramel. It makes the Huracan Tecnica that much more accurate, and with this new 3-way suspension, steering and the tyres relationship, the Tecnica is just sublime. You no longer just throw it into a corner, you know exactly where you want to place while keeping the speeds and the drama ridiculous. According to the race drivers who were also in the pace cars ahead of us, the Huracan Tecnica was just about a second off the pace of the STO at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. This is by the way a circuit which hosts the MotoGP and the Formula E races, and the elevation changes, the technicalities of the track demand the sharpest dynamics and quickest engines to exploit every benefit. The Huracan Tecnica almost makes it feel as easy as a hot knife through butter with huge amounts of front-end bite and steering precision coming across clearly as the hero elements.
But we didn't just drive the Huracan Tecnica on the circuit, we got ample time to spend with it on the road. On tarmac, the car isn't much different, except it's louder and sweeter as the exhaust has been retuned, the glorious sound bouncing off every note off passing objects. It looks great too, whether it's in a subtle matte grey or the shouty sunset orange and lime green paint schemes. Mitja Borkert, the principal designer, simply broadened the brush strokes, bringing in new design highlights like the Ypsilon touches you see in every facet of this car. From the headlights to the exhaust tips, the hexagonal shapes and their variations makes the Tecnica appear extremely attractive and fresh! You would love the view of the car, either in your rear view mirror or chasing one.
Then there are the driving modes and what they do to on-road dynamics. Strada dials down the intensity, not that it makes it an S-Class, but the ride gets smoother, the exhaust notes tone down and you get a car that becomes easier to drive. Sport or Corsa instantly harshens the ride, that's the first thing you observe, and even though the drama increases, its louder, the speedo facia changes, the gears drop down, the exhaust gets louder, its not something you want to hold on to for long on the street. The one concern I had with Lamborghini's claim to make this car easier for the road, is that there is simply no space inside the greenhouse to keep anything. Not even a cup holder!
Adding to the real-world feel are a host of features, that I just won't bother much about. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, enhanced dials, and a reworked HMI, though the UI needs a bit of work to make things simpler, and more intuitive. Lamborghini also adds multiple customization options to the purchase, I even drove a version with a carbon package that had more carbon fibre injected in the door panels, floorboards, the seat, and a 4-point harness, which if you ask me is inconvenient for daily driving. The car also does away with traditional door handles, opting instead for ballistic nylon-like straps. However, it is all stuff you ignore once you thumb the starter, and get the wheels spinning.
The Huracan Tecnica is epic, on so many levels. And if not for the heady driving experience, this is the one you ought to have because there soon won't be a Lamborghini with a naturally aspirated engine, even the V10. That alone makes it a worthy enough investment. It is exciting, it's dramatic, it's fast and it's a statement of all the good engineering that Santa Agata is known for, it is just how you want a Lamborghini to be! ​
Text: @bertdsouza14
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