Huracan Tecnica review: A sportscar that makes you look like a superhero
With Huracán Tecnica, Italian car manufacturer Lamborghini has made a less ruthless, more practical and spacious version of the STO
The roads are fantastic, the weather perfect for a day of driving, and I have the liberty to push hard. As I stretch my right foot, the Bolognese hills come alive with music. The best kind of music—the sound of a naturally aspirated V10. I blip the throttle as I shift down to open it up again so I can lose myself in the deep growl as the needle hits the 8500 rpm limit. I can see that on the 12.3” LCD cluster before I dab at the paddle to shift up again. I am talking about the last of the naturally aspirated engines for the Lamborghini Huracán. It makes the Huracán Tecnica special, but it is not the only thing. The Tecnica is an amalgamation of the best hits of the Huracán variants over the years. Simply put, Lamborghini has made a less ruthless, more practical version of the STO.
For one, the STO’s air extractors are gone and replaced with a more usable frunk. More comfortable seats are options too, and the interior is more like the Evo RWD.
One of the body colours is a devilish purple with an unpronounceable Italian name. Still, standing against the picture-perfect backdrop of the Bolognese hills, it looks drop-dead gorgeous. The menacing W-shaped LEDs lit up, the low-slung stance and the bright colour make heads turn. The front of the car now has the large Y-shaped slots from the Terzo Millenio concept and air curtains around the flanks to reduce drag. With its gills, the carbon fibre engine cover gives you a glimpse of the engine underneath.
The larger exhausts with hexagonal surround look good and add to the dynamism and power that the car exudes. There are tweaks to the intakes, front splitter, and rear bumper to improve aero and downforce, and the numbers are impressive. There is 35% more downforce and 20% less drag than the Evo RWD. While it certainly is a head-turner, the Tecnica is all about the experience behind the wheel.
I drop down into the low-slung seats of the Tecnica, barely off the floor, select Strada and off we go through the narrow streets. I can just about see over the steering. For a couple of minutes, I am figuring out where the edges of the car are while trying to manoeuvre through the narrow, broken roads around the Lamborghini factory. The potholes and deep ruts are perfect for judging ride quality and clearance. The first thought is that one won’t have to worry about the speed breakers back home. Yes, the ride is firm, but it is no more than one expects from a car like this, and in Strada, it actually handles the bumps quite well.
The Tecnica gets a re-calibrated version of the LDVI (Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata), driving modes. It makes full use of adaptive damping, torque vectoring and traction control to change the car’s character to suit your driving style and mood.
My mood is impatient now, waiting for a clear stretch of road where I can extend my foot flat to the floor. The lead car of our convoy comes over the radio, as if reading my mind, to say the bad road is just about over, and now we are going to have fun. I turn the corner, he picks up the pace and I give myself some space and slam my foot flat. The sound, the massive shove back into my seat and the ferocity of the acceleration have me grinning from ear to ear. The convoy is now at a clip, on a fabulous winding road and I switch to Sport.
The sound gets even more guttural; the scenery is flying by and the taco needle is dancing as I shoot up the gears. While Sport heightens the experience and lets you slide around a bit, there are still enough safety nannies to ensure you don’t wind up around a tree when driving flat out. The steering is razor sharp and there is a consistency of weight, giving you an incredible feeling of control. The immense grip, as I carve my way around the hillside, also gives me lot of confidence. So much so that I amp it up and switch to Corsa mode.
At the next hairpin, the Tecnica shows me its wild side, the rear swings way out and I counter steer and let off the power. The sound in Corsa is just ethereal, but the roads are narrow and I certainly do not have ₹4.5 crore to shell out, so after that hairy moment, I switch back to Sport.
As we power through the Bolognese hills, winding our way up, the Tecnica feels taped to the road and I can enjoy the full fury of the engine. The snorting and grunting of the raging bull is just pure joy to any driving enthusiast, and this V10 is certainly special.
It’s a large part of the allure of the Huracán Tecnica, apart from its looks. It is a car that makes driving on the edge so easy. It is hardcore performance with dynamics that let you enjoy all of it and come out feeling like a superhero. It is not perfect, and practicality… well, that’s subjective. But I will say this with assurance: Test drive it and you will want to buy one. It’s a car that stays with you long after you have stopped.
Renuka Kirpalani is executive editor (video), Autocar India.
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Business NewsLoungeBusiness Of LifeHuracan Tecnica review: A sportscar that makes you look like a superhero
First Published:30 Sep 2023, 12:00 PM IST
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