The Top Gear car review:Lamborghini Aventador S
£291,660 – £346,698
OVERALL VERDICT
Aventador gets a new lease of life, one that’s done nothing to unstitch the essence of Lamborghini, but a lot to smooth it out.
FOR:
Stellar engine, improved agility, sense of occasion.
AGAINST:
Clunky gearbox, understeers in the wet, heavy.
1. Overview 2. Driving 3. On the inside 4. Owning 5. Our verdict
Overview
What is it?
It’s almost six years since Lamborghini introduced the Aventador to replace the Murcielago. Six years and although we’ve had a hot one (the SV) and one with lift out roof panels (the Roadster), the LP700-4 has otherwise soldiered on while around it the supercar market has changed beyond all recognition. The Holy Trinity have been and gone, and in pretty much the same period McLaren has gone from a standing start to having a three model range with LT this, Spider that and GTR gor-blimey.
What’s been occupying Lamborghini? Well, the Huracan obviously, plus SUV dithering and a bunch of diversionary one-offs such as the Egoista and Sesto Elemento. But Lamborghini can get away with this because there’s nothing else quite like the Aventador. It’s supercar 101: looks, noise, power, drama. Don’t overthink it, just do it. Pure pageantry. Alongside Lamborghini everyone else takes themselves too seriously. Among car companies only Lamborghini looks like it’s having fun.
Oh sure, details of the new Aventador S contain all the usual stuff about new four-wheel steering systems, a 130 per cent improvement of front axle downforce and a whole new control unit to marshall inputs from all the active systems, but none of it, no matter how high-tech, overshadows the drama.
Briefly then, this is how the Aventador S shapes up. It still uses the same central carbon tub with aluminium sub-frames fore and aft. It drives all four wheels through a central Haldex clutch. The engine is the same 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12, but the valve timing and variable intakes have been altered, yielding another 40bhp (and exactly 1lb ft more torque). The power gain is also aided by a raised rev limiter (from 8,350rpm to 8,500rpm).
But, as ever, it’s the way the Aventador looks that sets the tone for the car. It’s a jaw-dropper alright. The proportions haven’t changed much, but the nose, taking cues from the SV, is more open and aggressive, channeling cooling air past fangs and splitters to vast standard-fit 400mm ceramic brakes. Air is also swept down the flanks to the intakes – extra ducts on the roof give the S a more hunkered down stance, and together with the rear arch shape gives something of the flavour of the old Countach – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The kerbweight is the same – the rear steer mechanism added 6kg (and necessitated a wholesale redesign of the rear suspension), but a new exhaust system, rounded off by three pipes exiting in a triangle, saved 6kg, so we’re all square. There’s an active rear wing and vortex generators underneath to maximise air flow and aid brake cooling.
Driving
What is it like on the road?
This is not the Aventador we know and – mostly – love. The outgoing car was a mighty thing, but it didn’t have the liveliest chassis. You were aware it was a heavy car, dominated by its engine, not something that wanted to dance to your tune. The S is a car transformed. I’d stop short of saying it’s outright playful, but the agility, the steering, the weight management, the integration of all the systems… it’s a big, big step forward.
Central to this is the new 4WS system. Everyone is fitting these now, but Lamborghini does seem to have pushed the system further than most. The rear wheel can turn up to three degrees at low speed, giving the sense that the Aventador has a 500mm shorter wheelbase. Rarely do car firms line up old against new on a launch, but they did here, and through a slalom the difference was amazing – the S was far more agile, you could feel both ends helping out, where the old car seemed to be dragging an anchor behind it. At higher speeds the rears turn the same way as the fronts, making the wheelbase seem 700mm longer. Up goes stability and up goes confidence.
On circuit it feels much more alert, too. Now, while the pictures you’re looking at show a lovely dry track, the reality was pouring rain and flooded corners. No matter which way you cut it, or how many wheels you divvy it up between, 730bhp is a lot to cope with in these conditions. Especially when it’s spat at the tarmac through 255/30 ZR20 front tyres and colossal 355/25 ZR21 rears. Due to the rear steering Lambo teamed up with Pirelli to develop a brand new P Zero compound for the car.
Now because it was wet, all the Aventador S did when you turned in, was understeer. You’d hear the tyres grumble and push wide, but although this wasn’t ideal, the important thing was that you could feel what the car was up to and do something about it. The S has a variable steering rack. Normally I hate these, but this set-up didn’t offend me. It’s very direct off-centre, but without feeling nervous because it’s balanced and assisted by the rear steering.
So when the front end slid, I could back off the throttle and the car would tighten its line. It’s surprisingly adjustable and wears its weight lightly (1,575kg is a dry weight – actual kerbweight is probably around the 1,700kg mark).
This behaviour changes depending on driving mode. On track you can ignore Strada (street) because the gearshifts are too slow and the engine not quite alert enough. Sport is spot on for wet circuit driving, sending up to 90 per cent of torque rearwards, while Corsa, which is focused on fast laps, can only direct 80 per cent aft. In Corsa you also have to put up with a fairly savage ride and a completely savage gearchange. New is Ego, which allows you to select your own settings for the steering, suspension and drivetrain. About time too.
The Aventador S retains the sequential manual ISR seven-speed gearbox. Lamborghini claims to have sharpened it up and improved it, but compared to the latest twin clutchers, it’s a dinosaur. It may be lighter and easier to package, but the shifts are either noticeably slow or head-bangingly savage. Of course you can lift-off to smooth them out, and you could argue that this is good character-building stuff. But compare it to an Audi R8 or Ferrari 488 and it feels 20 years old.
The gearchanges punctuate the wild excesses of the engine, spoil its flow. This V12… oh my god. The old adage of buying the engine and getting the rest for free? That’ll do. It’s mesmeric, howling and punching forward, making the car feel like an unstoppable force. You’re not going to notice the extra 40bhp. Lamborghini still claims the same 2.9sec sprint to 62mph, and although it’ll hit 124mph in 8.8secs and 186mph in 24.2secs, in reality that’s no faster than a Ferrari 488 GTB or McLaren 570S (we figured the 488 at 8.5secs to 124mph, the 570S at 8.6secs). But that’s not the point. This V12 doesn’t just generate noise or vibration or acceleration, it has its own life force. The same can be said for Ferrari V12s, too, so the Lambo’s not unique, but god bless them for sticking with it. This is transcendental. The top end as the needles whips up past 6,000rpm and you know there’s still 2,500rpm to enjoy… oh my.
Out on the road, well, it copes. There’s a lot of road noise, the tyres can get distracted by cambers and the like, and on light openings the throttle is snappy, but it manages and the steering doesn’t lose its way. But every Aventador you see trundling around town is missing out. It needs space to perform, and when given it and taking everything together, the Aventador S is a car you now really have fun with – and not just for the way it accelerates.
I’d love to have driven it in the dry. I reckon it would have contained the understeer much better (although the difference in tyre widths, 255 vs 355, is abnormally large) and allowed the engine to really lean on the chassis and show both off to full effect.
On the inside
Layout, finish and space
I have a favourite thing I do when I get in a Lamborghini. I put my little finger on top of the steering wheel and span my hand to the ceiling. It’s about 4-5 inches. Yet the windscreen is about 4-5 feet deep. You’re looking out through a slot, basically. That may make it sound as if visibility is woeful, but in actual fact it’s not bad. The scuttle is low, the A-pillars plunge forwards and away, and you see enough earth and sky to get by pretty happily.
Yes, there’s a lot of metalwork and engine behind to get in the way, but while others can’t see in through the slatted back deck, the view out is… tolerable, actually. The door mirrors sit proud enough of the bodywork, too. But this is a wide, wide car and very low, too. Access is just so theatrical – the doors swing up, you step over the broad sill and then lower yourself in, down and down, until Levi’s touch leather in a seat that, well, it’s OK. Lamborghini doesn’t do great seats. The ones in the Aventador SV are basically two paving slabs. These are better, but they’re mounted too high and you don’t snuggle down into them properly and the side bolsters aren’t big enough to hold you in place.
The dash layout hasn’t changed much and nor has the centre console. You’ll cope, but since we’re forever criticising Bentley for their ageing VW-sourced infotainment systems in the Conti GT, it’s only fair to have a pop at Lambo for the same thing. I vaguely remember seeing this system in an A4 about ten years ago. It really could have done with a refresh here, but I’m not going to argue with where Lambo spent its money – the driving experience is more important. And there’s Apple CarPlay as standard, so if you plug your phone in you don’t have to look at the nasty graphics anymore.
But sitting in the Aventador S is an event in itself and, seat aside, the driving position is great. The wheel pulls way out of the dash, you pull the door down to close it, stare out through the slot, flick up the cover on the start button, feel and hear this mighty beast fire up behind and well, life feels pretty good at that moment.
Owning
Running costs and reliability
You can lease a Lamborghini, and I expect some people do. But the monthly payments will be bigger than most mortgages, putting you in the potentially exciting position of considering this an either/or purchase against your house. From what I remember, £271,146 is more than the average house price in the UK…
Of course trying to write logically about a Lamborghini purchase is daft. Buying an Aventador S is a decision driven by ego and a bank account that can afford the figure in the same way you or I might lay out for a coffee at a motorway services - we’re aware it’s not great value for money, but we just want it, OK? Right now before latte/Lambo withdrawal kicks in.
CO2? The best part of 400g/km, while averaging a claimed 24.4mpg. Call it 17mpg. Or 7mpg if you’re doing what most Aventador owners do and trundling between Knightsbridge and Chelsea. Options prices haven’t been announced yet, but suffice it to say you won’t have much trouble sending the price spiralling past £300,000. Just get busy with the carbon and Lamborghini’s in-house Ad Personam department. Apparently 50 per cent of all new Lambos are now specced with some form of Ad Personam content, be it paint to match your loafers or your family crest emblazoned on the bonnet. Who knows? What’s important is that this Lambo has a strong enough personality to carry this stuff off
Verdict
Final thoughts and pick of the range
Lamborghini facelifts the Aventador by adding 40bhp, 4WS, plus extra aero and intakes.
Don’t underestimate how different the Aventador is now. It used to be a bit of a pantomime villain – tremendous voice and presence, but rather one-dimensional. The addition of 4WS is, as I said earlier, transformative. Together with the reprogrammed suspension and retuned steering, the Aventador not only feels sharper and far more agile, but also more cohesive. It moves more predictably and inspires confidence. Yes, it does still understeer and it’s too heavy to be genuinely playful and the gearbox is disappointing, but a fast drive in one of these is now way more manageable, controllable and exciting.
Yes, it’s a whole hill of money, but there’s nothing else quite like a Lamborghini Aventador. The world seems brighter for having such things in it, the day more sparkling when you see one. So don’t frown or shake your head at the profligacy or CO2 – owners are basically performing a public service. So the Aventador gets a new lease of life, one that’s done nothing to unstitch the essence of Lamborghini, but a lot to smooth it out.
