ROAD TEST 5712
LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO
Strap in for some astonishing findings about this 1000bhp PHEV supercar
MODEL TESTED
LAMBORGHINI
REVUELTO Price
£452,040
Power
1001bhp
Torque
793lb ft
0-60mph
2.5sec
30-70mph
1.7sec
Top speed
217mph (claimed)
Average economy
15.6mpg
Electric range
6 miles
CO2 emissions
276g/km
70-0mph
45.9m (11deg C, dry)
This week’s test is surely the most anticipated of
the year when it comes to raw performance and excess, but there is far more to the car in question than numbers.
The Revuelto is Lamborghini’s opening play in the PHEV arena, in which supercar makers now find themselves, willingly or not. As a replacement for the roughedged but lovable Aventador, it will also serve as the company’s flagship for the next decade or so, anchoring broader approaches to design and technology. And from a dynamic perspective, out on real-world roads the Revuelto promises (and absolutely needs) to redefine the way big V12 Lamborghinis with four-wheel drive handle themselves, because while the Aventador was exciting, its robust ISR gearbox and at times uncooperative manner caused it to slip off the pace long before sales ended in 2022 with the Ultimae.
There is plenty riding on this car, then, and one has to assume that the gestation has also been a challenge. The early stages of development were led by superstar-engineer Maurizio Reggiani, though he was shortly moved on to oversee the LMDh hypercar programme. When it was time to bring the project to a head and present the Revuelto to the world, Rouven Mohr had become CTO, returning from Audi for his second stint in Sant’Agata. Further down the ranks, the Revuelto, with its three electric motors, has also required Lamborghini to hire and integrate plenty of new engineers into the company’s R&D set-up. Then there was the development of an entirely new eight-speed dualclutch gearbox for the Revuelto.
Lamborghini does, of course, have the backing of the Volkswagen Group via parent firm Audi. Being a contributor to and beneficiary of the group’s vast engineering IP – be it in dual-clutch gearbox design or CFRP tech – makes a project as ambitious as the Revuelto possible.
Not that the association makes things uniformly simpler, mind: some at the very top would rather have seen a twin-turbo V8 used (that is, an even fightier version of the motor in the upcoming Temerario), rather than have tens of millions spent designing anew V12. But the doubters were won over about the importance of a 12-cylinder USP in a flagship model. The decision was validated when last year the company sold 10,000 cars for the very first time, with Revuelto build slots now spoken for until the end of 2026. Note also that, even at a shade over £450,000 before options, the Revuelto is now the least expensive way to have V12 power in your fresh-off-the-line supercar. The next stop is the realm of Paganis and wares from Gordon Murray.
LP 780-4 Ultimae was Aventador finale
While the V12 respects history, in most other regards the Revuelto is a watershed moment for its maker. We now put the car under the road test microscope, as we have done for each and every one of its predecessors, starting with the Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole (Autocar, 7 September 1988, price as tested £65,900).
DESIGN &ENGINEERING ★★★★★
PROS
Keeps the V12 alive; smartly packaged; new dual-clutch ’box
CONS
Close to two tonnes in full running order; minimal EV range
Let’s start by saying the Revuelto is not an especially dainty supercar. Hardly the shock of the century, is it, and when you consider simply how much more hardware this car carries to the weighbridge than its predecessor, it’s easy to understand. Even so, compared with a claimed kerb weight of 1892kg, our test car’s 1960kg raised a few eyebrows.
Its closest rival, Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale, trod our scales at just 1698kg in 2021, though it did so with the benefit of having had the lightweight, £39k Assetto Fiorano pack fitted, as well as carrying a much smaller engine. Equally, it had the same number of electric motors as the Lamborghini (three) and its lithium ion drive battery was almost twice the capacity.
The Revuelto’s figure looks more impressive compared with the last 1000bhp-plus supercar we tested: the 1995kg Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, tested in 2011. More on that groundbreaking car in a moment.
Dimensionally, the Revuelto is about six inches longer than the Aventador, with an extra 79mm in the wheelbase. It’s an inch or two taller too, not that it looks anything other than plain Tarmac-hugging when you see one in real life. The silhouette remains classic modern Lamborghini, with A-pillars flowing from the top of the front wheel arches and adownwardraked, geometric lozenge shape to the body overall. The two most notable changes from the Aventador are the exhaust outlets, which now sit higher, and the fact that the V12 has no cover, being fully alfresco.