New Lamborghini Revuelto 2024 review: a sensational hybrid supercar

Verdict

Lamborghini has nailed its first hybrid-assisted series-production supercar. The new Lamborghini Revuelto is faster, more usable and more efficient than any V12 Lambo before, yet the real party trick is that it’s also more exciting than ever. This is a captivating supercar, and while the Revuelto’s cost and rarity will ensure it remains only for the few, it’s still more than worthy of being a dream car for the many. 

The Revuelto is the next chapter in Lamborghini’s V12 supercar story, joining a venerable lineage that includes names like Countach, Diablo, Murcielago and Aventador. 

Over the decades, each has shared a longitudinal mid-engined layout and a set of dramatic scissor doors – and the new Revuelto continues in fine form. But this latest-generation car signals something different for the Italian supercar brand. 

On the back of phenomenal success across the business, Lamborghini has been on a path of rapid development, largely adhering to the requirement to clean up its high-performance engines using tools like electrification. So while the new Revuelto might retain a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine, it now works in conjunction with three electric motors, powered from a small lithium ion battery pack. That’s right, Lambo’s signature V12 supercar has gone hybrid. 

The numbers are quite something, as the V12 engine itself is rated at 813bhp, with the three motors then adding 147bhp each. Due to various complexities around the battery and inverter, all three motors are not able to produce their maximum output at once, but the official peak system power of 1,001bhp is still remarkable. Their layout is also new for Lamborghini, with one of those e-motors mounted between the V12 and its eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, with the remaining two directly driving the front wheels.

All of this hardware does have an effect on weight, as the Revuelto is around 200kg heavier than the previous Aventador at 1,775kg dry. Yet this doesn’t seem to dent performance, with Lamborghini quoting a 2.5-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of over 217mph. 

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The powertrain is configurable via various modes, each of which give the Revuelto a distinct character. But it’s ‘Citta’ (or City) mode that we use to start our drive through central Paris. Lifting the scissor door is always an intimidating experience when entering in a Lamborghini, but our inner-city route made this especially so. The Revuelto is a fascinating car to look at – extreme and technical – but it’s only accentuated by its sheer size, which feels nothing less than daunting on the road.

In Citta the Revuelto’s powertrain defaults to e-mode, keeping the V12 dormant while still making fairly good progress solely on the electric motors. Its EV range is no more than six or seven miles, but creates a calm and satisfying way of slinking through built up areas largely unnoticed. This is in complete contrast to the Aventador, which was at its least comfortable at low speeds due to the single-clutch automated manual transmission. 

The ability to run on e-power is a brilliant party trick, one we used extensively while dipping in and out of towns and villages on our route. But it also revealed an unexpected new trait which quickly turned into one of the Revuelto’s defining characteristics. When coming out of a built up area, switching the powertrain from Citta into one of the other drive modes wakes the V12, barking into life in just the same way as Lamborghini’s new Le Mans racer does at the pit exit during a race weekend. It’s hugely exciting, and helped confirm that despite some initial reservation, the Revuelto is just as intense, thrilling and downright captivating as any Lambo that went before it. 

It’s now that the V12 is back at the heart of the action. With an unsubtle thunk the engine connects itself to the eight-speed transmission, which is now just as responsive at low speeds as the brilliant dual-clutch found in the Huracan. The V12 is still the star, though. Its straight-line performance is simply staggering, as the traditionally linear build up to its peak figures at revs beyond 8,000rpm is subtly bolstered by the electric motors. This car does not feel like a hybrid in the slightest, but a traditional V12-powered Lambo with a supernatural amount of mid-range grunt.

There’s still plenty of reason to rev it right through to its 9,350rpm redline, though, and when in its most aggressive Corsa mode there’s still a jolt as the next gear is engaged. An added bonus is the slightly shorter gearing thanks to its eighth ratio, so accessing the upper reaches of the rev-band aren’t quite as licence-worrying as they used to be. And while not as three-dimensional in its soundtrack – that’s modern EU noise regulations for you – it’s still a stunning thing to listen to.

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An added benefit of that hybrid powertrain comes in the form of efficiency. This isn’t an economical engine – far from it – but we managed a not bad 19mpg over the course of a day’s driving between Paris and Spa Francorchamps. The old car wouldn’t have come close.

But the biggest surprise is how well the Revuelto drives on fast sweeping roads. There’s a wonderful fluidity to the suspension at high speeds, and under load the predictably stiff ride softens as the suspension uses its full travel. All cars feature adaptive dampers, which you can uncouple from the drive modes, too, allowing you to combine more aggressive powertrain modes with a softer damper setting. This is especially important in the Revuelto, as the ride quality in Corsa mode takes a considerable step up in firmness – something that’s no doubt great on the track, but can be limiting on anything but ultra smooth roads. 

If this all sounds a little less hard-edged and accessible than before, though, you’d be mistaken. Like most V12-engined Lamborghinis, there’s a constant sense that the centre of mass is somewhere behind you. You have to stay on guard and make sure to manage where the weight is during fast corners and direction changes. This adds to the fact that unlike previous Aventador models, you need to drive this as if it were a rear-wheel drive car, as such a high proportion of the 1,001bhp only drives the back end. 

Treat the front motors as a way of stabilising the rear and you’re more on the money, but a full-bore upshift under hard acceleration can elicit that heart-stopping moment when the rear tyres jink sideways and break traction. 

There’s still a little bit of work to be done to the brake pedal feel, which can lack a bit of consistency as application of the regen and carbon ceramic discs flow in and out. The interior is also still a bit of a nightmare in terms of ergonomics, but there is at least now somewhere to store your phone. 

Build quality and materials are still absolutely top notch, but as per pretty much all mid-engined Lamborghinis the stereo is largely useless on account of the high levels of road and tyre noise. These ‘real-world’ compromises don’t tarnish the experience, though, as the Revuelto’s charisma easily outshines any and all of these eccentricities.