New Lamborghini Revuelto 2023 review | Auto Express (2024)

Verdict

It might have an electrified powertrain, but the Lamborghini Revuelto loses none of the theatre that we’ve come to expect from the Italian brand. If anything, the cutting-edge technology actually makes the Revuelto easier to live with, and that performance all the more accessible. Our biggest regret is that the car is already sold out for the next two years.

We might as well get this potential bone of contention out of the way, here and now: yes, this is the most powerful Lamborghini of all time, and it’s a plug-in hybrid.

Still with us? Good, because the Revuelto (named after a fighting bull that presumably got stuck into quite a few matadors back in the 1800s) is quite the statement of intent. And to find out if it’s still a proper Lamborghini, despite its new technology – or perhaps even because of it – we’re taking it for a few laps around Autodromo Vallelunga near Rome.

To recap, the Revuelto takes a new 6.5-litre V12 petrol engine, producing 814bhp, and combines it with three electric motors – two on the front axle and one integrated into the gearbox. Total output is a whopping 1,001bhp, a figure which is almost as impressive as installing the complex powertrain in the Revuelto’s chassis.

In fact, we’re allowed 16 laps of Vallelunga to put this technical solution to the test. As you can imagine, these will fly by in the Revuelto (especially because we’ve switched the driving mode to its most raucous ‘Corsa’ setting), but even after the first few corners, it’s clear that this latest V12 creation is more well mannered than its predecessors. Where the outgoing Aventador felt raw and unpredictable, the Revuelto feels much more trustworthy.

One corner in particular where this stands out is the Curva Grande, an ultra-fast right turn that’s followed immediately by a left bend. There’s tremendous composure at high speed in the Revuelto and that’s thanks to the torque vectoring. Most sports cars use this for agility, but in the Revuelto it’s used to maximise stability.

The control systems are so clever that driving conditions are anticipated by the car. If the rear loses traction in a fast corner, it can send power to the inside wheel of the front axle to bring it under control. Most impressive of all, you don’t even notice this happen from inside: it all feels very natural.

Approaching the Campagnano corner at the end of the back straight, we’re doing 170mph; and before you can think, you’re in the corner, having already braked and flicked down a few gears with the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The whopping 10-piston calipers on the front, complete with suitably large 410mm carbon-ceramic discs, slow the car down without mercy, and we’re pleased to report that the pedal feel is still perfect even after several quick laps in a row.

A rotary switch on the left-hand side of the steering wheel selects the Revuelto’s various driving modes. Città is for city driving, Strada for cruising, and Sport is for when you fancy exploring the Revuelto’s dynamism. Corsa is for track use, and further on there’s “ESC off’’ which, as you can imagine, makes things a bit lively – even with permanent all-wheel drive.

The new V12 is still naturally aspirated and mounted longitudinally, but it has been rotated 180 degrees to allow for a 3.8kWh battery – which sits within the transmission tunnel running through the centre of the co*ckpit. The new rear electric motor acts as a type of traction- control system and also manages the reverse gear, with the gearbox behind the engine (as in the classic Miura).

The sheer power of the Revuelto is absurd, with a 0-124mph time of just seven seconds and an equally impressive 0-62mph time of 2.5 seconds. It’s also incredible how much fine tuning there has been in improving the car’s drivability. Where the Aventador is an uncouth beast, the Revuelto is a beast with manners.

Looked at objectively, the new Revuelto is an enormous step forward in technological development. But what about the emotions? Rest assured the Revuelto gets pulses racing for all the right reasons, and this starts with the opening of the scissor doors, followed by the start procedure, in which the start button peeks out from under a red cover.

And then there’s the engine. Just the fact that Lamborghini has built a 6.5-litre V12 naturally aspirated engine in 2023 is more than admirable. Plus the rev limit has risen from 8,700rpm to 9,500rpm, so it has the soundtrack to match the performance.

At first, it sounds more restrained than the Aventador. But under load, with the exhaust flaps open, the Revuelto then sounds exactly how a Lamborghini ought to – first snotty, then screaming. The car can also be driven on electric power for around six miles, but we didn’t try that.