‘16 LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN SPYDER: AWESOME!

The Huracán Spyder is the only way to fly, blogs Dan Scanlan.

Nothing beats the sound of a mid-engine Supercar. So when Lamborghini introduced the V-10 Huracán, we couldn’t wait to drop its top and check it out.

The wait was worth it. We let its naturally-aspirated, 610-horsepower 5.2-liter V-10 sing and still heard the Aventador with a 740-horsepower V-12 hammering away in front of us down a sunny Florida road. Say buona giornata (good day) to the Huracán Spyder.

A Lamborghini Huracán Spyder offers a tactile driving experience, with a V-10 inches behind you and the top down. True, there’s no manual transmission offered. But a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic brings immediate power to the all-wheel-drive’s electronically managed center differential. That’s a 43-front/57-rear torque split under normal conditions unless you demand more, when it shifts rearward. And you can configure the Spyder for three drive modes: Strada, Sports and Corsa. 


“Strada” is full automatic shifting and a comfortable suspension tuning. It really is for everyday use, the suspension comfortably firm, handling bumps without any flinty compression. Lamborghini even offers cylinder deactivation for fuel savings, the 5-to-10-cylinder shift never felt. Lamborghini says the Huracán can average 19-mpg, aided by engine stop/start.


Want more? “Sport” gives quicker throttle and steering response as it quickens shift settings, with an exhaust snarl, bark and pop on overrun. “Corsa” really quickens engine and shift response as it changes throttle valves and exhaust sound flaps, plus an all-wheel drive bias toward the rear, stability control, steering and suspension.

We had minimal time to push our 260-mile-old Spyder on the quick test drive, but 60 mph showed up in the reported 3.4 seconds, and 100 mph is said to be there in just under 6. Following that Aventador roadster, we kept up when he decided to warp ahead, our Spyder easily pressing me into the quilted leather seat as we hit some higher speeds in seconds.. The engine has so much reserve power that it can easily accelerate and pass anything in sixth gear in Strada, and won’t downshift unless you really demand it.


The Spyder was designed the same time as the coupe, so there’s still a light and stiff chassis with front and rear sections, plus axle mounts made almost entirely from aluminum. Stiffness remains with carbon fiber used for part of the floor, sills, center tunnel, rear bulkhead and the B-pillars. The Spyder revealed no chassis quiver or quake over the worst bumps we could find. As for ride, there’s a forged alloy double wishbone suspension with magneto-rheological damper control system.

The ride is comfortable in Strada. Our test drive roads were mostly arrow straight, but on those few curves we found the Spyder corners very flat, yet you can coax the tail out under power in “Sport” or “Corsa” for a bit of fun.

The suspension really firms up in “Sport” or “Corsa” for very tight control as well, while the steering also gets tighter and more responsive. The electromechanical power steering system is razor sharp and very direct, with lots of feel. The sleek wedge also had a tight turning radius. And the brakes had precise feel and superb stopping power, even from stratospheric speeds, with no fade and great responsiveness. 


The best news is how great the Spyder sounds with the top down. The V-10 exudes a mechanical symphony even when driven gently, then howls with glorious engine and gear sound when pushed. It offered the most finesse of the many Lamborghinis I’ve driven, a truly comfortable supercar.

Power is nothing without the right look, and the Huracán Spyder is exactly what the doctor ordered. It is an aerodynamic sculpture that’s even sleeked and more aggressive with the top stowed. It starts with wide front intakes under a chiseled nose, and V-shaped intakes, flared lower sill lines and wide flared rear fenders. Slit-eyed headlights retain Y-shaped LED running lights and a slim center intake over a jutting lower air dam.

Unlike the coupe, the Spyder’s engine is almost hidden under the body-color rear deck’s louvered extraction slits. Its tail gets a slim black hexagonal grill with Y-shaped LED taillights. Up front, low-profile Pirelli P-Zero P245/30R20-inch tires on intricate alloy wheels showing off big cross-drilled carbon ceramic discs. In back, wider rear P305/30 R20-inch rubber peeks out of the short overhang. 
It really, really looks great when the top’s down. It gets a lower profile, the rear deck coupled with the swept-back windshield just hovering over the driver. Then the whole world can see that interior!

Slide easily under the sweeping windshield and you find red leather high-back racing seats with hip- and torso-hugging bolsters and a sweeping black leather dashtop with red stitching. A hexagonal gauge pod perches atop it with a configurable 12.3-inch TFT digital gauge display. We set it with a big central 10,000-rpm tach (8,500-rpm redline), a gear position display inset in the lower right. Trip computer and stereo info shared screen space, with fuel and temperature displays top center, plus navigation and audio information and the handy backup camera display.

Down the angular central stack, there’s Lamborghini’s Audi-like MMI master control for navigation, phone, info, media and sound. A simple audio control panel is on its right, offering powerful sound even with engine snarling. Then there’s an aircraft-style flip-up red cover over black start/stop button at the base of the center stack. It’s next to the reverse control paddle, with “Park” and “Manual” button. 


The thick leather-clad steering wheel’s flat bottom hosts the red-accented ANIMA switch – Adaptive Network Intelligent Management – for the driving modes. Two long magnesium paddle shifters are behind the wheel. The high beam and turn signal buttons are on the steering wheel’s left spoke; cruise control and windshield wipers on the right.

A Huracán Spyder starts at $262,350. Options include a transparent engine cover together with engine bay cladding in carbon fiber. It’s a drop-top Supercar you can live with.

For more information about the latest Supercars from Lamborghini, please visit http://www.lamborghini.com/en/models/