Skip advert
Advertisement

New Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 2016 review

The rear-wheel drive Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 has landed on UK roads and it could be the sweetest one of the bunch

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your Lamborghini Huracan
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

A rear wheel-drive Lamborghini might not be to everyone's taste, but in reality the Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 is the sweetest Huracan of all to drive. And it’s £50k cheaper than the Spyder. Warts and all, we absolutely love it.

As a commercial prospect, the rear-drive Lamborghini Huracan – known in full as the LP 580-2 – was never likely to be much of a success. Lamborghinis, after all, are all supposed to be four wheel-drive because this, say Lamborghini’s engineers, is the optimum configuration for generating maximum performance. So the idea of a rear drive Huracan is, by admission, something of a flawed design. To a point where you wonder why they even bothered to ditch the front driveshafts and detune the V10 engine by 30bhp.

Advertisement - Article continues below

And yet, in reality the LP 580-2 could just be the sweetest Huracan of the lot. For starters it’s lighter than any other Lamborghini, and that’s always a good platform on which to build a supercar. It’s steering and suspension have also been tweaked to make the handling that little bit crisper on the move. And in the case of the test car you see here, the seats are also sportier in both feel and look compared with those of other Huracans.

Plus, the LP 580-2 is also cheaper than any other Huracan – by almost 50 grand compared with the Spyder convertible. So in more ways than one the LP 580-2 defies common logic and proves, at the same time, that if you set a mid-engined car up properly in the first place then it doesn’t really need all-wheel-drive. Witness what they do at McLaren, none of whose cars, not even the 904bhp P1 hypercar, are four wheel-drive.

Best supercars

On the move, the LP 580-2 feels alert and alive in a way that no other Huracan quite manages to replicate, without ever feeling edgy or nervous. If anything, and given how small the market is likely to be for such a car, Lamborghini could have gone a step further with the chassis and made the 580-2 even sharper, even more focused. But at £156,575 it’s still the bargain of the range and, for me, the most enjoyable of the lot from behind the wheel.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Special contributor

Steve Sutcliffe has been a car journalist for over 30 years, and is currently a contributing editor to Auto Express and its sister magazine evo. 

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,462 off RRP*Used from £11,847
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £14,575Avg. savings £1,864 off RRP*Used from £7,850
Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £19,785Avg. savings £4,614 off RRP*Used from £10,499
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,065Avg. savings £3,153 off RRP*Used from £15,600
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New ‘baby’ Range Rover electric SUV: design, technology and full details
Range Rover Velar EV - front (watermarked)

New ‘baby’ Range Rover electric SUV: design, technology and full details

JLR is getting ready to unveil a mid-size electric Range Rover to end its four-year new model drought, and our exclusive images preview how it could l…
News
10 Sep 2025
New Honda Civic facelift 2025 review: subtle tweaks boost its appeal
Honda Civic facelift - front

New Honda Civic facelift 2025 review: subtle tweaks boost its appeal

The Honda Civic was already a great car, but updates for 2025 have elevated it even higher
Road tests
11 Sep 2025
New Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2025 review: an incredibly capable hot hatch but there's a catch
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport - front tracking

New Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2025 review: an incredibly capable hot hatch but there's a catch

The hottest front-wheel-drive Golf has sharpened up its act in Mk8.5 form, but it's not as fun as we'd like it to be
Road tests
11 Sep 2025