2021 Lamborghini Huracan Evo

The Lamborghini Huracan Evo. An evolution of the already fantastic Huracan that was first introduced in 2014 to replace the Gallardo money-maker, the Huracan Evo is Lamborghini's "most affordable" and daily drivable supercar, and it just got cheaper with a rear-wheel-drive variant entering the market. Starting with a price tag north of $260,000, Sant'Agata Bolognese's mid-engined exotic is fitted with a 5.2-liter V10 producing 630 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. Sending power to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Huracan Evo can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds (3.3 for the RWD), topping out at over 200 mph. With a host of new technologies integrated for 2020, the Huracan Evo is the most flattering Lambo on sale, making driving gods out of mere mortals in much the same way that a Ferrari 488's Side Slip Angle Control system allows the hamfisted to slide into the next corner instead of into a Mustang's hunting grounds. For those more confident in their abilities, the Evo RWD sends a little less grunt (602 hp and 413 lb-ft) exclusively to the rear wheels. With less weight and power, the price tag on this variant drops to just over $200,000.

The 2021 Huracan Evo continues mostly unchanged from the 2020 model but an open-top Spyder variant of the 602-hp RWD Evo becomes available - which we review separately. There are some new paint colors and an additional Giallo Belenus (yellow) interior color choice - the latter available on the RWD Evo. In terms of options, the Fluo Capsule package becomes available on the AWD Evos and adds some extroverted coloring. Finally, Amazon Alexa is added to the infotainment system and Android Auto finally becomes available, joining the existing Apple CarPlay. A hardcore STO performance model is added to the range, which we review separately.

The Lamborghini Huracan is facelifted and updated in 2019 and launches as a 2020 model. It receives a new name to replace the previous alphanumeric naming convention: Huracan Evo. The Evo inherits several performance enhancements from the Performante. The AWD model gets the Performante's more powerful 631-hp engine, rear diffuser, and a torque-vectoring system. The exterior styling is updated and downforce increased and all Evos inherit the Performante's radiators, exhaust routing, and rear-wheel steering. A RWD coupe with 602 hp is now also available. The interior sees updates including a new 8.4-inch infotainment screen.

Lamborghini has a special way of designing cars that are ridiculously flamboyant and exciting. Despite the Huracan Evo being the most restrained of their recent designs, it's still something that will evoke emotions of giddy excitement every time you see it. The narrow LED headlights and taillights feature Lambo's trademark Y-pattern, as do the front bumper and the new wheels in a 20-inch sizing (RWD models get 19s as standard). Spotting the RWD model is made easier through a less-busy front bumper design, but most of the visual cues that give the regular Evo presence are carried over. The door-mounted mirrors add width with the windows showing a hint of the earlier Gallardo design too, feeding into ducts that work with those on the lower section of the rear fenders to feed the engine. That engine is encased in a see-through glasshouse, below which is a subtle spoiler integrated into what would be the trunk on a conventional vehicle. The rear end features numerous vents with two exhaust tips and a full-length grille adding width, while a massive rear diffuser that can be had in body color helps break up the sea of black. The diffuser on the RWD model is also unique, helping set it apart.

The Huracan Evo's square proportions help add to its visual presence, but its width and height are the most obviously overt dimensions. The car measures 76.1 inches wide with a low height of just 45.9 inches. Length is 177.95 inches while the wheelbase between the front and rear hubs is 103.15 inches. Despite an all-wheel-drive system and a big V10, the Huracan Evo weighs just 3,650 lbs, while the rear-wheel-drive model is around 73 pounds lighter.

When I was growing up, a Lamborghini was always orange, just as all Ferraris were red. With a fresh twist on the bedroom poster car's hue, the Evo is launched in a new shade called Arancio Xanto. However, there are numerous other options to choose from. Solid colors include Blue Glauco, Nero Noctis, Verde Scandal, Blu Le Mans, and Bianco Monocerus. Another five metallic colors are also available: Nero Helene, Bianco Icarus, Grigio Lynx, Grigio Nimbus, and Rosso Mars. Six special metallic options are available too, with Viola Aletheia, Nero Granatus, Blue Sideris, Rosso Bia, Blu Nethuns, and Rosso Efesto. 14 different pearl variants are available too, with greens, yellows, oranges, purples, a couple of blues, a gray, and a white. If even that is not enough, matte options can be specced too, although this palette is dominated by grays, blacks, and whites, with a yellow, an orange, a red, and a blue dotted in between.

The Evo RWD also gets a special Giallo Belenus yellow that isn't available for the regular Evo. Instead, the regular Evo gets access to the Fluo Capsule package, where a choice of five new "fluo" colors can be combined with a matte-black roof, front bumper, and side skirts to create various two-color exterior finishes. Of course, like any self-respecting manufacturer that supplies the one percent, you can always get something totally unique mixed up to differentiate your Lambo from the rest in Newport Beach.

The Huracan Evo is more than just the entry-level Lambo. It's arguably the most fun-to-drive four-wheel-drive Lamborghini out there, thanks to a brilliant CPU that can adjust power between individual wheels and even brake a wheel to help you slide it with grace. Numerous reviewers have noted that the Evo is arguably the easiest supercar to drive on the limit, but those hoping for a bargain in the next Audi R8 will be disappointed - the gyroscopic tech that helps make all this possible won't be shared. With 631 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque being split among each corner, traction off the line is phenomenal. The seven-speed dual-clutch responds with lightning ferocity, making for sprints from 0-62 mph in just under three seconds. Top speed is around 325 km/h, or 202 mph in American English. Doing without turbocharging, the 5.2-liter V10 sounds absolutely glorious as it howls through the gears, something that the likes of Ferrari and McLaren can no longer boast.

The Huracan Evo RWD is endowed with the same engine, but it produces less power and twist to make it more manageable. Mind you, 602 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque are not to be scoffed at, and although the rear wheels are the only ones being engaged, the same transmission allows the RWD to accelerate from 0-62 mph just four-tenths of a second slower than the regular Evo. Top speed is shared, but the regular Evo has a better power-to-weight ratio which should make it quicker on a track despite its added heft. Lamborghini recognizes this and has calibrated everything to make the car more fun to drive, not just to decimate lap records. Traction control won't suddenly cut torque and unsettle the car when you get it sideways. The result is a car that is gloriously manageable when you're at opposite lock and burnouts outside your favorite boutique coffee bistro are easily accomplished.

The Huracan Evo's 5.2-liter V10 engine is a rampaging beast, its 631 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of twist providing linear thrust and a predictable power curve. It loves to be revved and shown off. The seven-speed dual-clutch that manages shifts is similarly exciting, with lightning-quick reactions and a crispness that befits a monstrous exotic. On the track, this car is simply phenomenal, with little to complain about in the way both the engine and the gearbox go about their business. The response and quickness to rev that a naturally-aspirated engine provides are just unrivaled, with a magnificent noise to boot that just cannot be replicated any other way.

The Evo RWD may produce less motivation with "just" 602 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, but it is just as exciting and is blisteringly quick too. The changes between gears are instantaneous, with the column-mounted paddles responding as quickly as you'd like. Lamborghini toyed with the idea of mounting the paddles directly on the steering wheel, but after producing prototypes with both versions of the system, their test drivers eventually all agreed that it was easier to change gears mid-turn when the paddles stay where you left them. Despite the breathtaking performance that both these vehicles exhibit, the Huracan is a docile and liveable car on the street too. However, in its most laidback automatic setting, the gearbox takes an age to downshift and always favors getting into higher gears as soon as possible to maintain civility. This can be annoying, but the benefit of switching the engine to its Strada (street) mode is that the exhaust flaps close too, and you don't have to draw unnecessary attention to yourself, although maintaining an inconspicuous profile in a Lamborghini is probably something that even the best ninjas wouldn't be able to pull off.

Despite looking very similar, the Evo and Evo RWD are different mechanically, which affects the way they drive. The regular AWD Evo has a system called Lamborghini Dynamic Vehicle Integration that controls the dynamics of the all-wheel steering, traction control, adaptive dampers, torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive, and inertia systems. This means that it can monitor the way the car's weight is being shifted and what each wheel is doing in real-time. It adjusts each individual system in as little as 20 milliseconds, thus allowing changes to be made so quickly that they're almost predictive. Altogether, the Huracan Evo is a car that can go around corners at astonishing speeds without plastering you into the Armco, and when you overcook it, a steering wheel correction is all that's needed to get you pointing the right way again - the car will automatically adjust throttle and braking to ensure you don't lose it.

Those adaptive dampers can be carried over to the RWD model, which makes for an impressive level of ride comfort when you're simply going from point A to point B on public roads, but both cars exhibit signs of a slightly wooden brake pedal. The car stops well and is easy to modulate in traffic, but at the expense of ease of use on the track, where you have to progressively add more pressure to brake properly. The RWD model is slightly better here, as its lower curb weight and standard steel brakes make it easier to bring to a halt. It's also a car designed for the purist more than the regular Evo, with its traction control system boasting a special type of calibration that is intended to enhance your status as a wannabe drift king. Depending on the mode, it'll still try to be as quick as possible, but it's definitely meant to exploit its sideways abilities too, controlling long slides with ease.

Despite differences in both curb weight and power, the EPA rates the Huracan Evo and the Huracan Evo RWD with identical fuel-consumption figures of 13/18/15 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. With an 18-gallon gas tank, 270 miles is the predicted range with mixed driving. By comparison, the Ferrari 488 Pista benefits from turbocharging to return figures of 15/20/17 mpg on the same cycles, although these figures are moot for those who can afford to fill up multiple times a week.

As is befitting of any high-end supercar, the Huracan Evo's interior sports the same visual drama and wow factor that the exterior exudes. Genuine leather, carbon fiber, and Alcantara trimmings with aluminum switchgear are seamlessly integrated. The fighter-jet style cover for the engine start button draws your eyes to the center console, where an 8.4-inch touchscreen is housed, controlling the LDVI system, infotainment, and climate control. A large 12.3-inch TFT screen acts as the cluster and is configurable depending on the driving mode, ensuring you're never mistaken about what setting the car is in. Heated seats, smartphone integration, and a telemetry system with dual cameras are also available.

A true supercar, the Huracan Evo is equipped to seat just two individuals, with the small space behind the seats only providing enough room for a couple of small parcels. Getting in and out of the Huracan Evo is a tricky affair if your joints are not as malleable as Play-Doh. With Lambo doors being so overplayed in recent times, the most user-friendly Lamborghini does without them, which does make ingress and egress a little easier at least. Fortunately, once you're over the bolsters of the seats, the chairs are supportive and relatively comfortable depending on what you choose. Fixed-back seats are available with only horizontal adjustment or you can opt for the more traditional type that includes power-adjustment and power lumbar support. As you'd expect, you sit very low and the view out the back is but a dream. The view out the front is acceptable, however, and the door-mounted mirrors don't add additional obstruction to the A-pillars.

Alcantara, carbon fiber, and leather are the order of the day. How much of each of those materials you want and where is up to you. Diamond-quilted seats, door panels, and headlining can be had with leather, Alcantara or a combination of both in solid, two-tone, or with contrast stitched color schemes. Additional carbon fiber can be added to the transmission tunnel, upper dashboard cover, and door cards. Colors of leather and Alcantara are almost as expansive as for the exterior paint, with hues of red, orange, yellow, green, white, black, brown, and cream available, each varying depending on your preference of dominating material. The Evo RWD also has its own yellow available for the leather and Alcantara to match its unique exterior paint.

Storage space in the Huracan is at a premium, as is almost everything when you're talking about a $200,000 supercar. The front trunk is just 3.5 cubic feet in volume, meaning you have only enough space for a small duffel bag or a laptop bag, probably not both.

Behind the seats is a space where you can hang your coat or stow a few tiny shopping bags, but that does little to make this a practical car. You're better off driving alone and putting extra items on the passenger seat. Shallow door pockets can house keys and wallets, but there's no convenient space for your phone and the glove box is laughable. A solitary cupholder is available at a price, but when you're in a Lambo, stopping at the drive-through is likely the last thing on your mind.

As is required by law, the Huracan Evo has a rearview camera. It also gets a 12.3-inch digital screen that adapts to your driving mode to display information that is most pertinent. Dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, and adaptive magnetorheological dampers are also included (the Evo RWD makes you pay extra for the adaptive suspension), with a pair of forward-facing cameras available to aid parking and also record telemetry and performance data that you can download later. Cruise control is standard, and ambient lighting can be added. A lifting system for the nose of the car can also be specced to prevent the nose from scraping over speed bumps. This is manually activated and lifts the front of the Huracan by 45 mm (1.8 inches). That height is maintained until you deactivate the system or reach 70 km/h (43 mph). Advanced traction and brake distribution systems are standard inclusions, along with torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-steering on the Huracan Evo.

The Huracan Evo's infotainment system features an 8.4-inch central touchscreen that also controls the car's dynamic performance modes and climate control. The infotainment system has navigation as standard and allows for the use of gesture control for things like muting the sound system and adjusting the volume - a good thing since the volume knob no longer exists. SiriusXM satellite radio is standard, with Apple CarPlay being joined by Android Auto and Amazon Alexa very soon. A 10-speaker Sensonum sound system is available, as well as a 128 GB hard-drive to store all your favorite tunes when the V10's sonorous melodies cannot be fully exploited.

The Lamborghini Huracan has not been completely free of recalls during its time on sale, with a blank backup camera display affecting both model years. Should anything go wrong, a bumper-to-bumper warranty covering everything - including the powertrain - is in place for the first three years of ownership. Warranty extensions and maintenance plans are available at an added fee.

Typically for vehicles in this sort of price bracket, no crash tests have or are likely to be conducted by the IIHS or the NHTSA.

The Huracan's focus is on performance more than safety, but parking sensors and a rearview camera are included as standard. The performance-enhanced systems that help one drive the car more quickly are dual-purpose in that they help glue the car to the road. Advanced traction and stability programs, as well as your usual EBD and ABS systems, help modulate the power and keep you safe. In the event of the unthinkable, driver and passenger front and side airbags protect you and your passenger's heads from impact. A dual-camera system is also available to assist with forward parking maneuvers.

The Huracan Evo RWD is a magnificent vehicle built for the purist who appreciates being able to hang the tail out on a sweeping bend and power through to the next corner. It's visceral, loud, and beautifully balanced, yet when you need it to just get you to the office and back, it's a perfectly civilized and docile machine that won't scare you or annoy your neighbors. One of the best Lamborghinis yet, the Evo RWD is a proper driver's car yet still has the drama and wow factor that you expect from the Italian firm. The all-wheel-drive Huracan Evo is an even more powerful and speed-focused machine and, despite its astonishing outputs, is approachable and manageable even for the novice. Like the RWD, it too benefits from adaptive dampers (which are standard on the AWD car) and an adjustable exhaust system, meaning it can be well-mannered enough to comfortably use daily. When you get to the track want to let your hair down, it lets you be a driving hero, always finding a way to keep you on the black stuff, even if your talent runs out. The Huracan Evo, whether in RWD or regular flavor, is without a doubt one of the best Lambos ever.

The 'base' Huracan Evo RWD has less power and less weight than its all-wheel-drive sibling, and thanks to fewer systems that aid traction, Lamborghini deemed it worthy of a price drop. Its base price is suggested as $208,571, but dealers and the options you select will have a large impact on the final cost. The more advanced AWD Huracan Evo starts at a considerably loftier price point, with a suggested retail price of $261,274, but again, if you get too carried away with the options, that figure will balloon beyond the $300k mark.

A number of different add-ons can be specified for your Huracan Evo or Huracan Evo RWD. Additional carbon-fiber exterior and interior accents can be added, with numerous wheel designs available too. The Fluo Capsule package accentuates the Evo's lines in striking fluo colors offset by a matte-black roof, front bumper, and side skirts. Various blue, orange, green, and yellow hues are available and lend a striking contrast finish to the interior as well, matching the chosen exterior color.

Those who like to keep a cappuccino with them in traffic can spec a cupholder, while audiophiles have access to a 10-speaker Sensonum sound system. A 128 GB hard drive is available too, as is smartphone connectivity. Ambient lighting is also available, but one feature we'd highly recommend is the lifting system that can raise the nose of the car by 45 mm when you encounter a speed bump or a slightly raked driveway. Since the Evo RWD doesn't come with them as standard, you can spec carbon-ceramic brakes for greater stopping power.

If you want the ultimate in speed and power from your Lambo, as well as the systems that can make your driving even better than your talents allow, the all-wheel-drive Huracan Evo is the one to go for. Despite having a better power-to-weight ratio and being considerably quicker from A to B and around a track, it's an approachable car that won't kill you unless you really get silly. If, on the other hand, you prefer a purity and delicacy of feel, if you want to be more in control of how messy the driving can get, the lighter and less powerful Huracan Evo RWD is the enthusiast's choice. Whichever model you choose, both have the ability to be usable in daily life and flattering on the track. When it comes to exotics, though, and especially when a manual gearbox is out of the question, bragging rights are everything. We'll take the AWD Huracan Evo's Performante power and brilliant traction this time.

Despite a striking design and impressive technical ability, Lamborghinis have justly been criticized for feeling too much like an Audi product. When compared to something like the McLaren 720S, there's no doubt that the Mac is a much more exotic-looking vehicle with a much more distinct racing heritage to boot. In terms of performance, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 in the 720S makes considerably more power, with 710 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque compared to the Huracan's figures of 630 and 443 respectively. The McLaren has the ability to brag about being faster too, with a top speed of 212 mph versus the Lambo's 200-odd effort. The 720S also has handling technology like Variable Drift Control which flatters the driver much like the Huracan Evo does. However, it comes at a cost, with the Mac's base price just under $300,000. In terms of raw emotion, dramatic styling, and a sense of being special, we'd have to say that the 720S comprehensively outclasses the Lambo. Also, who doesn't want top-hinged doors?

With a base price that carries a $20,000 premium over that of the Huracan Evo, is the Performante a car with a nice wing and not much else more than what the Evo offers? Well, the Performante has already established a strong reputation as a true supercar, beating the much more exclusive and expensive Porsche 918 Spyder. With oodles of forged carbon composite both inside and out, as well as a unique approach to its styling, the Huracan Performante certainly feels more special. It's around 88 lbs lighter than the Evo with the same power too. With similar performance figures, the Performante's USP is how special it is and how much more focused it is, and for that reason we prefer it. However, the Evo is brilliant and will be easier to drive for those less-experienced on the track, and we wouldn't begrudge anyone for picking it over the older car.