Lamborghini Revuelto evaluation: excellent concord

With the dawning of a brand new period of hybridization within the automotive trade, increasingly producers are integrating electrical propulsion into their lineups. Delicate-hybrid programs are well-established, and extra helpful plug-in hybrid programs hold getting higher and higher. Even Lamborghini’s taking part within the newest wave of hybridization, which could come as a shock to some.

That’s as a result of this Italian firm’s outlandish supercars have by no means been thought to be thrifty, or ever making an attempt to be thrifting. They’ve at all times returned old-truck-like gas financial system because of their ravenous 10- and 12-cylinder engines. And their innate capacity to make these behind the wheel drive them as inefficiently as potential doesn’t assist, both.

However by God, it’s a actuality in the 2025 Lamborghini Revuelto, the Italian model’s high V12-powered mannequin. Its plug-in hybrid system is principally there to up the thrills, however surprisingly, it may well additionally return respectable gas financial system with no downsides to its ravenous driving expertise. Right here’s how $612,858 (earlier than pricey choices) price of Lambo slots into our present golden age of hybridized high-performance.

Lamborghini goes out of its technique to name the Revuelto its first-ever plug-in hybrid HPEV (high-performance electrical car), and it actually is: a 3.8 kWh battery sends juice to 2 AC motors mounted on the entrance axle, and one other hooked up to the transverse-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. By default, the mighty Lambo involves life with out firing up its engine, as a substitute sending energy to the entrance motors for backing up (there’s no reverse gear), in addition to providing as much as 5 miles of EV-only vary.

Which will sound comically low, however contemplating simply 30 miles of regular driving can absolutely high it again up, it’s extra helpful than one may assume. If I used to be allowed extra mileage for my press mortgage, I might’ve beloved to run the battery down on the freeway, firing up the engine till it was recharged, and repeating the method till the tank ran low.

In spite of everything, it’s rated at 23 MPGe—12 mixed with out hybrid help. The latter barely beats its Aventador predecessor and means this factor carries a $4500 gasoline guzzler tax for not assembly minimal gas effectivity requirements. Not many PHEVs can declare that honor.

That stated, I used to be pleasantly shocked by how straightforward it was to come back near 23 MPGe. Over a typically traffic-free, 15-mile stretch of Los Angeles freeway with radar cruise management set to 75 mph, I used to be in a position to simply exceed 21 MPGe. Not solely that, it prioritized EV propulsion for passing slower vehicles whereas the engine sat dormant at a really calm 2,000 rpm in eighth gear. Regardless of some important street noise, this brutish supercar was somewhat stress-free on the freeway. However exiting off and transitioning to twistier blacktop excessive up in California’s San Gabriel Mountains, it rapidly turned something however.

Because the Revuelto is Lamborghini’s flagship V12 supercar, the specs are insane: its 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 screams to 9,500 rpm and produces 814 horsepower and 535 lb-ft of torque. The three motors contribute as much as an extra 296 hp and 364 lb-ft, reaching a peak whole output of 1,001 hp and 1,044 lb-ft of torque. You’d by no means know from behind the wheel that this factor weighs 4,290 kilos, as 0-60 mph occurs in simply 2.5 seconds, and 150 arrives in lower than 10.

If the principle purpose for hybridization is pure pleasure, then I’m right here for it. Launching off the road, you are feeling the motors punch down low because the V12 revs up, and as soon as the tach needle reaches the midrange, all hell breaks free in great electron-flowing and fuel-burning concord.

The Revuelto doesn’t maintain again in its pursuit of filling the cabin, and several other metropolis blocks in both route, with superb V12 music. It’s endlessly entertaining no matter mode and RPM, even frivolously cruising round between 3,000 and 4,500 RPM. I’d by no means been so content material having a ringing in my ears as I did filling up its 22.5-gallon gas tank twice in a single weekend.

The shove again within the seat whereas ripping off the road is actually one thing particular, too. I’ve had the consideration and privilege of driving some thrilling {hardware} throughout my tenure in automotive journalism, however this takes the cake for all-out savagery. Upshifts seamlessly proceed the hassle forth in direction of felony offenses, and as soon as it’s time to decelerate, some gentle gearbox whine and sharp puck noises make for buttery clean, GT3 race car-like downshifts. It’s all intoxicating.

The Bolognese model didn’t simply make the Revuelto quicker and optionally thriftier. Lively aerodynamics sitting atop the rear deck to assist it lower by the air 66 p.c extra effectively, in addition to bleed off pace. Carbon fiber and aluminum comprise its chassis and bodywork, making it 10 p.c lighter and 25 p.c extra inflexible than its predecessor. Mixed with a mixture of adaptive dampers and double-wishbone impartial suspension, its rectangular battery pack mounted in what was referred to as the transmission tunnel, all-wheel drive, plus its mid-engine format, this factor is a monster at corners.

Conveniently, switching between damper and motor settings, in addition to drive modes, was fairly straightforward as they’re all performed on the steering wheel. I’ve by no means been a giant fan of complication right here, however Lamborghini’s technique works nice.

The steering itself possessed first rate weight underneath cornering and ample communication, tack-sharp front-end response, and above all, the right ratio for high-performance driving. It was so good being far tilted again within the Lambo’s sport seat (this was very essential, as headroom is at a excessive premium for tall people), arms at 9 and three, and getting right into a daze-like rhythm of carving corners at breathtaking pace. Whereas energy supply was cruel, it was fairly straightforward to tame with clean inputs and considerate downshifts, which weren’t as frequent as different unique fare because of the engine’s sky-high redline.

The tip outcome was reaching well-traveled mountain high landmarks in an incredibly quick period of time. All whereas experiencing an immensely good experience high quality in both its stiffer or softer damper mode, too—a testomony to how a lot engineering went into this beast’s chassis dynamics.

The 2025 Lamborghini Revuelto is in contrast to something I’d ever pushed earlier than. I could not have match very properly inside, the seat again could have been designed for somebody a foot shorter than me, however goddamn was it completely price it.

Not solely was the feeling of a screaming, 6.5-liter V12 behind me one thing fantastically distinctive, however behind all of the drama was a chassis tremendously potent in its grip and athleticism. Then, its unparalleled mixture of 12-cylinder ferocity plus hybridization created a harmoniously hilarious good time. It even returned admirable gas financial system numbers for a supercar, if I wished… however I principally didn’t, as its consumption proved to be one of many wisest monetary investments ever.

Images by Peter Nelson / The Verge