Test Drive: Lamborghini Revuelto
The Italian brand’s highly engineered plug-in hybrid is unquestionably its most complete supercar to date
If Lamborghini had drunk the electric car Kool-aid as the other brands under Volkswagen Auto Group’s umbrella did, its new flagship supercar would’ve been some lightning quick, but ultimately charmless, performance EV. As history has shown, it’s better when the Italians do not do as the Germans do. In a world where a full size electric SUV can rip 0 to 60 times under 3 seconds, power becomes irrelevant and emotion takes center stage. Instead of going fully electric, Lamborghini has delivered a compelling combination of raw performance and usability in the form of the Revuelto. It is only appropriate that the brand’s first series production plug-in-hybrid is a naturally aspirated V12 supercar that puts to rest any notion that the Italian brand is moving on from internal combustion.
The Revuelto may be more complex and technologically dense than any Lamborghini before it, but it’s also unquestionably the most complete supercar to ever emerge from Sant’Agata. The brand has managed to deftly thread the needle between electrification and visceral engagement. A howling V12 is a defining characteristic of Lamborghini’s flagship supercars—it’s what the people want. However, augmenting it with instant electric thrust, as well as the ability to depart and arrive in silence, is a most welcome bonus that adds an air of sophistication to the whole affair.
This brings us to the fundamental proposition of this machine: the Lamborghini hyper-exotic, elevated. A naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 producing 825 horsepower on its own is no longer enough. In addition to offering an unforgettable experience when in attack mode, the modern exotic must be refined when the driver requires it to act as mere transportation. This is where those three electric motors—two at the front axle, one integrated with the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission at the rear—really make their presence felt.
To operate a silent exotic car is an unusual feeling, to do so in a Lamborghini requires a very open mind. Happily, it works. The build quality of the Revuelto is a big leap beyond that of the Aventador, with nary a creak or groan audible while driving around town. Add in the most comfortable seats Lamborghini has put in one of their cars and a legitimately great stereo system from Sonus Faber, you’ve got a quality daily driver that also happens to be the center of attention everywhere it goes. Appropriately so, given the combined output of 1,001 horsepower on tap under the fighter jet-sport bike-UFO bodywork.
The transmission deserves particular attention. The eight-speed dual-clutch unit, developed specifically for this hybrid architecture, shifts with a violence that borders on brutal in Corsa mode, yet possesses the refinement for seamless electric launches in Città. The integration of the rear electric motor within the transmission housing, a packaging exercise that required completely rethinking the drivetrain architecture, means instantaneous torque fill during shifts. The barely perceptible pauses of past vehicles have been eliminated. What remains is one of the most aggressive traditional dual-clutch systems we’ve experienced. Drivers of the Revuelto had better come prepared.
By combining this powertrain with Lamborghini’s first-ever active aerodynamics (capable of generating up to 66 percent more downforce than the Aventador), torque vectoring that seamlessly distributes power with micro precision and perhaps most crucially, rear-axle steering that shrinks the Revuelto’s footprint by over three feet at low speeds, this flagship has become more compelling than ever. The carbon fiber monocoque, a complete departure from the Aventador’s architecture, weighs a mere 335 pounds yet provides torsional rigidity that exceeds its predecessor by 25 percent. Such numbers matter less in isolation than in aggregate, where they combine to create a machine that feels simultaneously substantial and nimble. Contradictions are often effectively resolved through engineering excellence and Lamborghini has leapt to the front of the pack here.
With the driving mode selector dialed to Città and Recharge engaged to prioritize battery replenishment, you won’t forget you’re piloting a plug-in hybrid, so much as you don’t care about the philosophical implications. Even after a few days of repeatedly escaping the clogged surface streets of Los Angeles to get to the open roads of the mountains, we weren’t fatigued by the Revuelto. There’s plenty to be impressed by when it comes to the car, but its ability to compress distance without compounding fatigue is the most important attribute. A good exotic car demands your absolute attention, a great one provides the comfort to sustain that attention across long distances for multiple days in a row. Something as seemingly mundane as visibility, long a trade-off for driving a Lamborghini, has been meaningfully improved through slimmer A-pillars and a repositioned driver’s seat that places the driver forty millimeters higher than in the Aventador. The suspension, even in its most aggressive settings, manages to distinguish between surface irregularities that should be absorbed and feedback that needs transmission to the driver’s hands. This is new territory for the brand.
And, with all due respect to the wildly capable grand tourers that still prioritize comfort over dynamics, their vehicles don’t transform from docile urban transport to mind-bending apex predator as seamlessly as the Revuelto does. The thirteen distinct combinations possible through the Città, Strada, Sport and Corsa drive modes and Recharge, Hybrid and Performance hybrid modes (each offering sub-modes for powertrain, chassis, and steering calibration) mean you can tailor the experience with near-obsessive precision. We made constant use of Città mode when departing from our hotel early in the morning, but couldn’t wait to dial the powertrain to Corsa once we’d arrived at the roads that allow for more spirited driving.
Crucially, it’s also a more visually coherent machine inside and out than its predecessor. The exterior design represents Lamborghini’s commitment to evolutionary drama rather than revolutionary change. Where the Aventador occasionally appeared heavy-handed in its aggression, all sharp angles and visual violence, the Revuelto achieves something more sophisticated. The active aerodynamic elements integrate seamlessly into surfaces that flow with purpose rather than shock value. The front fascia borrows hexagonal geometry from some of Lamborghini’s “few off” line of cars, while the rear diffuser and exhaust positioning ground the visual weight. The brand’s flagship signature scissor doors remain, because, quite frankly, they must. After all, Lamborghini can only be so rational.
Taking stock of its place in the current marketplace, we think it represents a singular proposition. There exists no new direct competitor and compared to a secondhand Porsche 918 Spyder, the Revuelto is a bargain. Ferrari prioritizes different virtues and McLaren approaches hybridization with an alternative philosophy. The Revuelto stands alone as the plug-in hybrid hyper-exotic anchored by a naturally aspirated V12. For those who appreciate engineering that solves problems through innovation rather than abandonment of core principles, the Revuelto is the obvious choice. Yes, there are faster vehicles in specific metrics. However, for those who understand that great vehicles transcend spec sheets and true achievement lies in the synthesis of seemingly incompatible attributes, the Revuelto is the one. Besides, the Revuelto represents a much better everyday proposition than any V12 Lamborghini before it. Not only is it transcendent when driven hard, it’s remarkably civilized in the “in-between” moments that comprise most ownership experiences.
What are your thoughts?