Lamborghini Huracan review

Most people would agree that Lamborghini's Huracan is a fantastic-looking supercar. Its wedge shape, mid-engined proportions and generally wild appearance make its intentions clear enough. This is an exciting car that wants to thrill those to see it pass by as much as it does those aboard it. Whether it's the sharp nose, steeply raked windscreen, or wide-bore air intakes, there's no shortage of visual drama to feast your eyes on. It's Lamborghini design at its best.

Wild, thrilling and a right old riot. Lamborghini's baby supercar offers very senior characteristics despite its junior rank in the Italian company's line-up. The Huracan driving experience is, naturally, dominated by that V10 engine, which is mounted just over your shoulder, a matter of inches from your left ear. While it is separated by a pane of glass and some aluminium structure, its vocals are clear and intoxicating, with the exhaust system adding its own growl and cackle as you work the V10 and seven-speed automatic gearbox out.

There is more to the Huracan than its engine, believe it or not. The car steers as well as it goes - which is to say brilliantly - and it also isn't too bad at slowing down thanks to some enormous anchors. Lamborghini has even produced a rear-wheel drive version (the normal version is all-wheel drive) which turns the excitement - and risk factor - up. Honestly, everything about the Huracan is exciting. Yet it's also not too hard to drive around town or enjoy a cruise in, thanks to its fairly short wheelbase - although it is appropriately wide. Just watch out for speed humps, this is also a low, firm riding car...

Lamborghini's exciting design continues into the Huracan's cabin, where you'll find carbon fibre trim and a fighter jet-aping starter button to maximise the theatre of it all. You sit low, wearing the Huracan like a wedge-shaped superman costume so it feels as if it's an extension of your body. It's impossible to disconnect yourself from the V10 behind because it lives and breathes with such ferocity, and that only suits the interior's drama.

You do, of course, get mod-cons like climate control, a digital infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, as well as cruise control. But really, the Huracan interior says one thing more than anything else: let's have fun.

Okay, so the Huracan doesn't score particularly high on the practicality scale. But nobody will be surprised by that. It's low, so getting in and out will be tough for less physically able people, while the front boot is far from class-leading thanks to the nose's swooping angle. That said, the two-seat interior is spacious enough, with room for smaller bags behind the seats and a glovebox to hide items away. But in truth, if you want more practicality from a V10 supercar, you'd be better served by the Audi R8.

Compared to electrified and even turbocharged supercar alternatives, the V10-powered Huracan is relatively simple. It arguably has fewer parts to go wrong, and that shows because Lamborghini's baby supercar has an engine that's considered to be strong - even if it's routinely exercised. When it comes to running costs, however, it naturally scores a little worse. There are 10 hungry cylinders to feed, after all...

Claimed combined fuel economy is 20mpg, and most owners would probably say that's optimistic unless you spend your life cruising at 40mph without ever stopping. Find yourself in traffic or, indeed, enjoying the power delivery of that V10, and the fuel efficiency will fall fast. But nobody enters the world of V10 supercar ownership unawares of that - and it's easily justified once you fall for the sensations and sounds of that engine. Hold onto that love, because annual servicing costs exceed £1,000.

The unashamedness of it all. We love the authentically Lamborghini character of the Huracan, and the fact it uses an engine that many thought would have been succeeded by something turbocharged or electrified by now (it will do by 2025). If it's automotive excitement you want, the Huracan delivers ten times over.