2023 Lamborghini Revuelto new car review
This new potent supercar is one of the fastest machines on four wheels and it is unlike any other car from the famed Italian maker.
Luxury
Don't miss out on the headlines from Luxury. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The new Revuelto is something unexpected from Lamborghini … a truly great supercar. It takes only a couple of laps of the Autodromo Vallelunga to understand that here, at long last, is a car from Sant’Agata Bolognese with talent to match its looks.
This wasn’t the case with its predecessor. The Aventador, with its edgy-wedge profile and scissor-opening doors, delivered the visual drama expected from every V12 Lamborghini sports car since the Countach almost 50 years ago.
And the Aventador was loud and fast. But it also had a crude and clunky seven-speed transmission, rock-hard suspension and a cramped interior. It wasn’t fun to drive.
All these problems are banished in the Revuelto, which is also more powerful, fuel-
efficient and faster.
Lamborghini believes the Revuelto will get the attention of its near neighbours and arch rivals in northern Italy’s famed Motor Valley.
“I think it’s the best car in the segment,” says Lamborghini sales and marketing boss Federico Foschini.
“I’m not comparing it with anyone,” he quickly adds.
But there is only one other car in the plug-in hybrid, mid-engine, Italian-made supercar category … the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
The Revuelto, like the SF90 Stradale, uses plug-in hybrid tech to maximise performance rather than efficiency.
Lamborghini updated the Aventador’s 6.5-litre V12 for the Revuelto. Changes to its cylinder heads, exhaust system and compression ratio up its rev limit and power output – 607kW at 9250rpm.
It also has three 110kW electric motors, one for each of the front wheels, another connected to the Revuelto’s all-new eight-speed double-clutch gearbox. Power for the trio of motors is supplied by a long, slim battery pack in the tunnel between the Lamborghini’s two firmly contoured sports seats. The 3.8kWh pack’s maximum output is 140kW.
Unusually, the Lamborghini’s transmission is mounted crossways. It’s connected to the rear of the Revuelto’s lengthways V12 by bevel gears. This arrangement is more compact and creates space for the car’s rear diffuser.
Lamborghini design chief Mitja Borkert says the rear view of the Revuelto, with its high-mounted exhaust pipes and aerodynamic features, is his favourite. The angular exterior aims for a spaceship vibe, he says. Inside, there’s an “alien face” look to the instrument panel.
The Revuelto’s cabin is reasonably spacious by supercar standards. The design of its new carbon-fibre central body structure and scissor doors makes getting in easier, too. Up to date connectivity tech – on-board SIM with lifetime data access, customisable centre screen, Alexa-powered digital assistant, and more – is another big improvement.
Thumbing the starter button, after flipping up the red, military jet style cover, is when the real excitement starts. The big V12 burst into life with a raspy bark. Tap the right shift paddle to select first, and it’s time for takeoff.
Especially in optimised-for-the-track Corsa mode, the Revuelto is awesomely, breathtakingly, neck-strainingly quick. But there’s finesse to go with the ferocity.
With the Revuelto’s electric motors delivering boost, acceleration out of Vallelunga’s slow corners is brutal, while the soaring V12 makes the straights seem short. The massive brakes inside the Lamborghini’s 21-inch front and 22-inch rear wheels are even more savage in their effectiveness. Yet the Revuelto’s steering is delicately precise and its traction and chassis control systems are superbly subtle.
Sport mode allows the Lamborghini to slide a little more and offers the option of auto
shifting that isn’t available in deadly serious Corsa. In Strada, designed for day-to-day driving, gearshifting is calm and refined. The Revuelto’s adaptive dampers are softened in this mode, though the difference was difficult to detect on the racetrack.
The car’s full-electric mode is labelled Citta. It’s good for 10 to 12km in normal driving, or a little more than one lap of the 4km Vallelunga circuit doing the car’s 140km/h electric top speed whenever possible.
It’s possible to recharge the Revuelto’s battery but the charging port is in the side of
the cargo compartment under its bonnet. And it’s not really necessary.
Lamborghini chief technical officer Rouven Mohr says the energy recuperation system has been engineered to ensure maximum power is always available.
“The consequence is that you cannot empty the battery,” he promises.
The Revuelto will arrive in Australia early in 2024. Its price is $987,000, and most customers will add options that push the price beyond $1 million.
While the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory can turn out a maximum of 1500 Revueltos a year, Lamborghini already has more than 3000 orders. Those customers who’ve owned an Aventador in the past will be impressed.
LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO
PRICE $987,000
ENGINE 6.5-litre V12 hybrid with 3 e-motors, 747kW
TRANSMISSION 8-speed twin-clutch auto; e-AWD
THIRST Not available
0-100KM/H 2.5sec
Originally published as 2023 Lamborghini Revuelto new car review
The $1 million car that missed the mark
Ferrari’s four-door Purosangue proves it is never easy to justify a seven-figure spend on a luxury car.
Affordable luxury cars coming next year
One of Australia’s fastest-growing brands has announced plans to introduce a new range of luxurious models in 2025.