Lamborghini Aventador Driven

First thing first, the Aventador is as explosively fast, loud and jaw-dropping to look at as we’d all hoped. In other words it has all the bedroom poster appeal of its predecessors. But while the mid-mounted V12 and four-wheel drive formula is tried and tested this car is right at the pinnacle of supercar technology. Masses of carbon-fibre and aluminium make it lighter than its rivals, while F1 push rod suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes and the lighting fast ISR gearbox make it hugely capable at high speeds. Interestingly though, in its softest setting it’s a much less intimidating machine than the Murcielago and could therefore be driven more often, which for a car as thrilling as this, is good news.

The Aventador is ready to charge! Auto Express was first to grab the bull by the horns and see whether Lamborghini’s new V12 flagship can live up to the firm’s reputation for insanity.

On paper the signs are ominous. The Aventador is first production Lamborghini to be built around a carbon-fibre monocoque, it contains a brand-new 691bhp V12 engine, F1-style push rod suspension and a robotised manual gearbox capable of swapping cogs in just 50ms.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_narrow","fid":"69320","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image"}}]]

The long, low and wide styling looks poised and ready to charge, even parked up. Some elements, like the compulsory scissor doors, Reventon-inspired front end and overall proportions will be familiar, but up close the detailing is superb - none more so than the fighter-jet style start button under a flip-up red cover.

In the cabin every button has an edge to it, continuing the sharp exterior theme. The digital LED instrument panel can be modified ad infinitum, but the two chief choices are whether to have the centre dial as a speedometer or a rev counter. The seating position is excellent, especially compared to other V12 Lambos from the past, but rear visibility is predictably limited. And don’t plan too many long getaways - total baggage space is a mere 110-litres, half that of a Smart fortwo.
 
Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of acceleration on full throttle. With all four tyres digging into the Tarmac, there’s an urgency to the speed it’s hard to quantify, while the huge exhaust accompanies it with a suitably deafening shriek. Lamborghini’s engineers were stubborn from the outset that the new 6.5-litre engine had to use twelve cylinders and be naturally aspirated to make the Aventador a true Lamborghini – and it’s this that helps to make the throttle response so crisp and the soundtrack so loud.

The incredible performance in partly down to the engine, but also thanks to extensive weight saving. The LP700-4 is 90 kg lighter than the Murcielago at 1,575 kg, and a large chunk of that is due to the one-piece carbon monocoque which weighs just 147.5kg. Extensive use of aluminium elsewhere, drags the kerbweight down too and the result is sharper handling and a 20 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the Murcielago, despite power creeping up by eight per cent.

Show it a corner and the latest-generation Haldex all-wheel drive does a fantastic job of hiding the car’s gargantuan footprint on the road. The grip is endless and the big V12 stays almost as level in tight curves as the featherweight MP4-12C. This is helped by the engine sitting 7.4cm lower in the chassis, and also the onboard F1-style pushrod suspension.

Three dynamic modes, each of which adjusts the throttle response, shift times, steering feel, and stability control, can be selected. Strada is the softest – offering the closest thing to everyday usability, while the most extreme Corsa  mode is best saved for track use. the Sport setting is ideal for putting the car through its paces on fast sweeping roads.

While we were disallowed from testing the car with the ESP totally off, the Corsa mode allows a sufficiently rear-biased power delivery and wide enough electronic nets to allow the tail to slide wide. To test the Launch Control in a straight line though, we were allowed to disengage the ESP and enjoy the Aventador fully off the leash. Wind the revs up to 4,200rpm, slip your left foot off the brake and away you go. With the all-wheel traction there is definitely less drama than with something like the Ferrari 599 GTO, but the pick-up in speed is sensational.

A surprise to some might be Lamborghini’s decision to shun a double-clutch gearbox in favour of an automated manual, but the ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) transmission makes a strong case for itself. Not only is it smaller and lighter than a double-clutch ‘box, but it can swap cogs in as little as 50ms – by comparison F1 cars take just 10ms less.

In Strada and Sport settings, the gear changes up or down are smooth enough, but in Corsa we’d recommend only shifting at extremely high revs. Anything below 6,000rpm  while accelerating feels like someone punching the back of the carbon-fibre shell seat – fast but by no means subtle.