Yahoo Autos The Lamborghini Huracan Is a Shockingly Approachable Track Car
For obvious reasons, we suggest first-time track drivers use cheap, low-powered cars. A Lamborghini Huracan is neither of those things.
The cheapest Huracan starts at a rounding error under $200,000 and sends 572 horsepower to its two rear wheels. You'd be forgiven for being a bit nervous if you find yourself at a racetrack behind the wheel of one such Lambo. Especially when you imagine yourself as more of a Pastor Maldonado than a Lewis Hamilton.
That's the exact situation I found myself in at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR), but here's the thing–the Lambo's got your back, even if you're a complete newbie.
I was at PBIR to sample Lamborghini's Esperienza program–an invite-only high-performance driving experience that gets potential customer behind the wheel of a Huracan. The day is split up into three sessions. There's a cornering exercise to help you learn to brake in a straight line and use the best line through a series of turns, a slalom, and hot laps.
Launching the rear-wheel-drive Huracan for the first time forced me to recalibrate my sense of speed. I've driven some high-horsepower cars before, but nothing with the relentless thrust of this Huracan. It's not the initial 0-60 mph acceleration that gets you–it's how ferociously the car pulls from 60-100 mph that astounds. That and the traction. You'd think indiscriminately stomping on a rear-drive Huracan's throttle pedal would result in uncontrollable wheel spin, but nope. It just hunkers down and lunges forward.
The Huracan's dual-clutch transmission–or, Lamborghini Doppia Frizione in Lamborghini's in-case-you-forgot-we're-Italian speak–is also a big help to the novice. In automatic mode, the gearbox will do you no wrong. It'll go all the way to redline for upshifts, hold onto gears in corners, and downshift aggressively under braking. You can certainly use the Huracan's column-mounted paddles, but don't be surprised if you're bouncing off the rev limiter often. Redline might be a heady 8500, but the V10 revs very quickly. On track, the Huracan's gearbox is slick so you don't have to be. It's video game good, and that's a compliment.
Where the Huracan actually shines in the hands of a novice is handling. It's easy to forget that even the heavier all-wheel-drive Huracan is relatively light at around 3400 lbs. The steering on the all-wheel-drive model is light, and the car is quick to change directions. That driven front axle also helps the Huracan pull out of corners authoritatively. It doesn't take long to get up to a comfortable speed with the all-wheel-drive model.
That said, the rear-wheel-drive Huracan is better. It's down on power–602 vs. 572 hp–and, of course, traction compared with its all-wheel-drive sibling, but it more than makes up for it in fun. The rear-drive car feels even more nimble, with lighter steering and impressive levels of grip. Where the all-wheel-drive Huracan felt like a crazy fast car, the rear-drive model felt like a real sports car.
With the rear-drive Huracan, I immediately had a greater sense of confidence in what both the front and rear ends are doing, even if the steering is a little light on feedback. This car isn't as communicative as, say, a 718 Cayman, but getting rid of the front-axle driveshaft makes the Huracan's chassis come alive. It darts for apexes more quickly, but it doesn't give up much in terms of stability. That's probably owed to a traction control system that felt totally seamless in my-admittedly inexperienced-hands. If you're a little throttle happy, the rear-drive Huracan's computers will keep you in line (literally), without shaming you in the process.
Both cars are shockingly easy to drive should you find yourself on a racetrack behind the wheel, but does that take away from their supercar aura? Perhaps a bit, but these are more super sports cars than full-on supercars. If you want something more intimidating, Lamborghini will gladly sell you an Aventador S.
So, if you get a chance to do Lamborghini's Esperienza program, don't be intimidated. You'll have a blast, and, you might even learn a thing or two about track driving. And, if you're buying a new Lamborghini, remember, the cheapest model is the best.
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