It’s easy to step out of a brand-new supercar, after hammering around one of the world’s greatest and most challenging race circuits for hours on end, to think it’s the best thing you’ve ever driven. Ever. Adrenaline coursing through your system, your heart rate off the charts, your knees knocking and hands trembling, the experiences you’ve just been treated to can verge on euphoria. And then, when that’s all done, you have lunch before heading back to your hotel, along roads most people can only dream about driving on.
But in the cold light of day, when you drive the same model in your normal life, the reality of a supercar’s limitations can quickly come crashing down upon you. And that’s before you’ve attempted to negotiate the ramp that leads into your underground car park. At this point, when the car is threatening to beach itself on some haphazard concrete disaster zone, you might just think it’s the worst thing you’ve ever driven. Reality bites.
Having been privileged to drive the Lamborghini Huracán on the stunning Ascari circuit in Spain when the initial media launch was in full swing, and then on some spectacular, empty and perfectly surfaced roads straight afterwards, I came away ecstatic. I was convinced this was 2014’s most exciting new car and, staring at the press demonstrator after I’ve collected it from its Dubai custodian, I’m slightly concerned that the experience of driving it in the UAE – using it for the commute, trying to get it into my car park and all the rest – will remove my rose-tinted spectacles and grind them into fine powder. Will the reality demolish the fantasy? I’m really – really – hoping that’s not the case with this incredible automobile.
It’s dramatic to look at, inside and out, which causes its own set of problems, because even in the UAE, where supercars are ten-a-penny, the Huracán proves to be an irresistible magnetic force to the eyes of pedestrians and other road users alike. There’s just no way you can make subtle progress in public spaces when you’re in one of these things – you need to keep your wits about you at all times if you’re to avoid inevitable collisions and the filling in of police paperwork.
You’re aware of your vulnerability in this Italian as lorries and SUVs tower above you to either side in urban traffic. Can they see you as they’re swapping lanes? Would they even notice if they crashed into you? They can certainly hear you, at the very least. The V10 engine sitting behind your head is a modern-day masterpiece and produces an unmistakable, nape-tingling soundtrack, regardless of what speed you’re doing.
No matter what the road conditions are, though, this Lamborghini takes it all in its stride. The advancements that the company has brought to the fore in this car are vast in number, and it’s easier than any before it when it comes to the daily grind. Unlike its Gallardo ancestor, the Huracán has a modern, brilliant DSG transmission that takes the clunky, nasty knocks and noises of yore and throws them in the bin. Every shift is perfect, smooth and stupendously quick and, even if there were no other improvements over the Gallardo, this would probably be enough.
It’s completely unfair to judge the merits or otherwise of any car when all you’re doing is trundling around Deira, so in the interests of research, you need to get onto the open road, where you’re more able to see how a performance car does what it’s designed to do. And once Dubai has disappeared into a small dot in my rear-view mirror and the roads start to twist and turn as they carve through the UAE’s stunning mountain ranges, this car makes perfect sense.
Anyone who complains that cars such as this have no place in modern society has obviously never experienced them on the right roads in the right conditions. The Huracán feels compliant, safe, composed and in control at all times, provided you don’t do anything completely stupid with your inputs. Yet it remains viscerally exciting and seemingly connected to your brain via some supernatural connection. You point, you squirt, the Lamborghini moves – it’s that simple.
Other journalists have been quick to complain about the levels of understeer that come to the fore when approaching the car’s limits of adhesion. While they do have a point when it comes to closed-track driving, in public, this is a trait that will keep mere mortals alive and well. For a model that Lamborghini intends to be its best-ever seller, occupant safety has to be paramount.
After my brief reacquaintance, has this beautiful piece of machinery stayed true to my initial impressions? It has – a triumph of style, engineering and raw excitement. Is it the most exciting new car of 2015? I’m afraid that crown was pinched by Ferrari’s epic 458 Speciale, but this Lamborghini doesn’t disgrace itself in the real world. Far from it. Then again, I’ve yet to try getting it into my car park.
motoring@thenational.ae
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