Simply Abu Dhabi XXII

2 9 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I With sharpened steering brought on not by any major steering changes but because of the lighter nose, combined with less weight over the front, a revised aero kit and an improved ECU that allows for a little more slip ‘n slide when in sport mode, the LP580-2 is possibly the most enjoyable Lamborghini I’ve driven since the original Gallardo Superleggera. An inherent problem with all-wheel drive cars, even if they are Lamborghinis, is that they understeer, and that’s been a mild issue for the more hardcore owners for a long time. And as this is viewed as a proper driver’s car, it was time to address this and make the Huracan decidedly more tail-happy. The seven-speed, paddle shift-operated box does the job well and is standard now on all Lamborghinis as, sadly, the days of manual gearboxes are over. Perhaps that’s my only gripe, as the enthusiast in me would love to use the old-style, gated, H-pattern box even if it is a bit slower. It gives the driver a mechanical connection to the car – and this car is all about the feel between driver and machine. If you only buy cars based on the numbers in the sales brochures, then it could be argued that this one’s not for you because, in all the vital stats, the existing AWD Huracan LP610-4 has the advantage everywhere over this 2WD model. But the truth is, it’s not as much fun. I never once stopped the car and wished for those missing 30bhp, because when has 572bhp been not enough? Being the most affordable model in the Lamborghini range, undercutting the LP610-4 by nearly AED164,000 certainly helps. It’s also partly for this reason that the company expects the LP580-2 to be a strong seller, making up nearly half of all Huracan sales globally. Yet, climbing in behind the wheel, the sensation is the same, sitting lowwith legs stretched out and, like the LP610-4, this Huracan doesn’t have the trademark scissor doors that most associate with Lamborghini. That’s something they reserve to distinguish the company’s V12- powered cars; currently the only one is the Aventador. The cockpit is part car, part jet fighter, part game console with a big, novelty, red lever covering the start button that you have to move up to ‘arm’ the car before pressing start. I wasn’t sure if I was more Maverick or Ice Man when I hit the ‘go’ button to fire the V10 into life but it’s very much a “Top Gun” moment every time you start the car. Immediately in front, at the base of the steeringwheel, is the selector switch for the three driving modes: Strada, (street) Sport and Corsa (track). You can guess what they all do, but for this car there’s a small secret that I can share with you. Unlike most supercars that have this function, with this car, it’s the second setting – Sport, and not Corsa – that will give you the most fun and will allow you the most control over the car. It’s this setting that cuts out more of the traction devices than the track-only Corsa mode.