It seems almost impossible to believe, but Lamborghini has been building the Huracan for nearly a decade. The outstanding supercar that dethroned the Gallardo as Lambo’s best-selling sports car a few years back, is also now facing replacement, meaning it’s worth taking a final look at the Huracan before it goes away.
DrivingOnRoad had a chance to drive a 2023 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica, one of the final iterations of the V10 Raging Bull. The Tecnica was created to be a more livable version of the STO, a track-focused monster with no trunk or rear window. It sits above the Evo in the Huracan lineup and adjacent to the off-road Sterrato model. You can almost think of the Tecnica as a “diet STO,” but there’s nothing lesser about how it performs.
Power comes from a 5.2-liter V10 engine delivering 631 horsepower, tying other variants as the most potent Huracan. In this model, drive goes to the rear wheels only with standard rear-wheel steering, making it one of the most lively variants ever built. This is the automotive equivalent of an adrenaline shot to the thigh, so be ready at all times.
Exterior: A ‘Tecnical’ Masterpiece
The Huracan, Spanish for hurricane and named after a fighting bull from 1879, is visually striking in all of its forms and has been since it debuted 10 years ago. Lamborghini made its first (and only) major facelift back in 2019 with the Huracan Evo, which became the basis for the track-focused STO model. The Tecnica serves to soften the STO’s hard edges, making it a less bonkers companion on the street.
There’s a decently sized spoiler on the back, but it’s a pigeon next to the condor-sized wing on the STO. Other aerodynamic changes are harder to spot, including cooling deflectors and caliper ducts. Lambo says the Tecnica produces 35% more downforce than the Evo, while the STO improves that number even more.
Our tester came wearing a unique shade called Blu Astraeus, aptly named for the Greek god of winds. While not an eye-searing color Lamborghini is famous for, the blue still attracted stares wherever it went. Lamborghini offers four wheel patterns for this car, but we got the 20-inch Y-spoke Damiso wheels that create a hexagon shape. These wheels also include a center lock, hinting at its track potential.
Interior: Livable Race Car
Though the Tecnica is meant to be more livable than the STO, Lamborghini lets customers go with aggressive and sporty if that’s what they want by checking certain boxes on the options list. Unlike the STO, the Tecnica is available with a comfort seat option, including optional powered and heated seats. Our tester didn’t have these, instead having the manually adjustable $7,600 Sport Seats that are also found in the STO. We’d say these seats are approaching the border of uncomfortable, but they aren’t awful to sit in for prolonged periods. There are less forgiving Racing Seats available too, but the Sport Seats offer enough support that we’d skip the more aggressive chairs.
Our tester was decked out in acres of Alcantara inside, providing a soft yet sporting feel to all surfaces. The doors, however, were made from exposed carbon fiber (a $6,100 option), channeling the spirit of the STO. If you opt for these doors, you get red straps instead of door handles to save a minimal amount of weight (weight that will be added back the next time you stop for a big meal).
Practicality: More Usable
Unlike the STO from which it is derived, the Tecnica does have a semi-usable front trunk (or frunk). It’s not massive at 3.53 cubic feet, but you can squeeze a backpack or two with a change of clothes for a weekend trip. There is a decently-sized shelf behind the seats, but a good portion of it was taken by the optional fire extinguisher on our tester. You do at least get a glovebox, a rear window to see out of the back, and our car had a phone holder mounted on the center console for just $355 extra.
This supercar has modern technology, but it’s not the most intuitive setup. The 8.4-inch touchscreen has no buttons or knobs around it and there are no infotainment controls on the wheel either. This means everything from volume adjustment to radio tuning is done on the screen, which is mounted low in the dash. Distraction is not something you want in a car that does 202 mph, but it wouldn’t be a supercar without some minor annoyances, right? Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are at least available, but they do not come standard. The standard audio system is nothing special, but when you have a ten-cylinder aural device behind your head, who cares?
Performance: V10 Symphony
Frankly, it’s tragic that we will soon live in a world where new Lamborghini’s come without this naturally aspirated V10 engine. This glorious power plant was first developed for the Gallardo and was also used in the Audi R8, growing from 5.0 to 5.2 liters and 493 to 631 hp over the past two decades. Lamborghini may have made a name for itself on the back of the V12, but if you ask any child of the ’90s or ’00s what sound they most associate with the Raging Bull, they will likely tell you that it’s this V10.
In the Tecnica, the V10 screams its way to an 8,500 rpm redline, and the production of 631 hp and 416 lb-ft of torque merely feels like a side effect from the noise. With only 3,040 pounds (dry weight) to haul around, the V10 propels this car to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds in independent tests, and up to a 202 mph top speed. In the quarter-mile, it will cross the line in 10.6 seconds at 134.5 mph. That’s quick enough to beat a Z06 in a drag race.
Drive goes to the rear wheels only, rather than all four wheels like the early Huracan variants. This technically makes it a bit slower off the line, but it looks up quickly thanks to sticky tires and a clever seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The car revs to around 4,500 rpm in launch control mode before quickly dumping the clutches and unleashing the V10 fury upon the asphalt. The only thing quicker than how this car accelerates is how it brings itself down from speed. Standard six-piston front and four-piston rear carbon ceramic brakes make stopping maneuvers feel car-crash violent with such little weight to bring to a halt.
Driving Impressions: Woah
Summing up the Huracan Tecnica into a single word leaves us tempted to just say, “Scary.” Sending 631 horses to the rear wheels is a recipe for excitement, which is further enhanced by the rear-steering. This is not a large car, but turning the rear wheels helps it shrink down further through corners. The steering is razor sharp with immediate feedback in all modes, and it’s easy to feel what is happening to the front tires through the wheel.
That being said, the rear wheels can suddenly lose grip unexpectedly, so remain alert at all times while driving this car. We noticed the back end step out two times: once during spirited driving and the other early in the morning when the Bridgestone Potenza tires weren’t up to temperature. Though the grip loss feels sudden, it’s fairly easy to catch with enough driver skill. All-wheel-drive would make for a less scary driving experience, but it would also take away from the Tecnica’s purity.
The ride, while firm, doesn’t jolt occupants over normal roads, assuming you leave it in Strada (Street) mode. Entering Sport or Corsa (Track) mode stiffens the suspension to punishing levels that aren’t pleasant on the road. We found ourselves wishing for a customizable driving mode that would allow the suspension to remain in its softest setting while sharpening up everything else.
Those modes are crucial during spirited driving, especially to wake up the transmission. In Strada, the dual-clutch slowly moves through cogs, shifting like a smooth slushbox automatic. Even putting the throttle to the floor only drops the transmission down a gear or two, meaning you need to push it past kickdown to trigger the maximum downshift to the lowest possible gear. This procedure is much quicker in Sport mode since the transmission feels more ready to drop down a gear (or three) when you stab the throttle.
Corsa is the most outrageous drive mode with stiffer suspension, reduced traction control, and the most aggressive shifts. This mode locks the transmission into manual shifting, meaning you better be locked in as a driver to control all 631 horses as they try to break their connection to the pavement.
We were most surprised by how quiet the Huracan Tecnica can be during normal driving. The V10 can even shut down half of its cylinders to save fuel, though it still averages just 15 miles per gallon. Brisk acceleration won’t wake up everyone in your neighborhood, but a baffle in the exhaust opens at around 4,000 rpm and unleashes the symphony for all the world to hear.
Pricing & Verdict: V10 Extinction
If you don’t already have an order in for a 2023 Huracan as of this writing, chances are you aren’t getting one. That makes the Tecnica’s $239,000 starting price ($301,372 with all the options on our tester) feel rather irrelevant, as anyone who can afford to grab one of the final V10 Lambos can probably grab a few other supercars and a daily driver to park next to it. There is already a waiting list for this car and production won’t last much longer before the successor arrives. The replacement will use a newly developed twin-turbo V8 with a hybrid setup, which should improve power and efficiency, but it won’t sound as good as the V10.
Our time with the Huracan Tecnica left us wanting more. Not “wanting more” as in we were left wanting, just wanting more time with what feels like the supercar formula at its most raw. We’ll have to reserve judgment for whatever Lamborghini has up its sleeve to replace the Huracan, but this will be a tough act to follow.
Would the Tecnica be the Huracan we wrote a check out for? Probably not. It’s more hardcore than we’d require on normal roads, so we’d probably be happy with the Evo Spyder. That being said, the Tecnica makes a case for itself as the most driver-centric Huracan that can still be used as an actual car.
Honestly, it’s the Sterrato that has our attention. Pairing that glorious V10 with superior ground clearance, a more comfortable ride, and all-terrain tires is a stroke of genius. Given the popularity of the Urus and other similar super SUVs, we frankly can’t believe it took any automaker this long to recapture the magic of the Lancia Stratos in a modern, off-road supercar. The Sterrato and the Tecnica capture very polar opposite ends of what makes a supercar feel special, but no matter how you order a Huracan, it is a super car indeed. Arrivederci, Huracan. You will be missed.