2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO Road Test and Review

2020 Lamborghini Huracan Evo Orange Front Three Quarter Driving 1 ・ Photo by Lamborghini

Last year, Lamborghini introduced its first SUV, the 650-horsepower Urus, beating other exotic supercar makers like Ferrari and McLaren to the punch. Lambo calls it the world’s first Super Sport Utility Vehicle, and with a base price of about $200,000, it has quickly become the brand's best-selling model.

Lamborghini is of course known for its radical sports cars, and this year it has turned its attention back to its most popular two-seater, creating the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO. It’s the latest evolution of the Huracán — Spanish for hurricane — which replaced the Gallardo back in 2015 and remains the brand's entry-level supercar. With revised styling, a more comfortable interior, more power, four-wheel steering, and a revised all-wheel drive system, the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO is among the most desirable Lambos ever. It competes with the with a handful of other mid-engine supercars such as the Ferrari 488, the Audi R8, the BMW i8 hybrid, several McLarens, and the soon-to-be-released Chevrolet Corvette C8.

Still Built in Italy

Like Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and Bugatti, Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen, which is one of Germany’s largest automakers. And according to the supercar's window sticker, 60 percent of its parts are sourced from Germany. This isn’t a surprise, as the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO shares its chassis, much of its powertrain, and other components with the Audi R8.

Unlike the R8, however, every Lamborghini is still built in Italy. Final assembly takes place in Sant’Agata Bolognese, just 13 miles east of Modena, the home of its rival Ferrari. This is no accident. As the story goes, tractor magnate and Ferrari customer Ferruccio Lamborghini founded his car company in 1963 after a dispute with Enzo Ferrari. And every Lamborghini has been produced in the small town ever since, including icons of Italian performance like the Countach and the Miura, which is considered the world’s first modern mid-engine supercar.

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Offered as a Coupe or Convertible

Available as a two-seat coupe or convertible, every 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO is powered by an all-aluminum V10 backed by a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Other standard speed equipment includes all-wheel drive, massive carbon fiber brakes, 20-inch aluminum wheels, and ultra-wide high-performance Pirelli tires. Its chassis is made of aluminum and carbon fiber.

For a coupe like our test vehicle, the base price is $261,274, including a $9,695 destination charge, and Lamborghini says it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. That equals the performance of the company’s V12-powered Aventador model and the 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante, which was the best-performing Lamborghini ever. That model set the production-car lap record around the most challenging and most dangerous racetrack in the world, Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife. Lamborghini says the heavier Huracán EVO Spyder, or convertible, can hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. It costs $287,400.

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Screaming 640-Horsepower V10

In the age of superchargers, twin-turbos, and hybrids, the Lambo’s big 5.2-liter is a bit of a throwback. With its screaming exhaust note and a stratospheric 8,500 rpm, it sounds and feels like it belongs in a race car, revving so quickly and cleanly that it’s hard to keep up with the gearchanges.

In the 2020 Huracán EVO, Lamborghini has cranked up the V10 to 631 hp at 8,000 rpm and 442 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. It’s an increase of 29 hp over the last year’s standard all-wheel drive model, and it’s just 9 hp shy of the Performante. Every Huracán EVO gets a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission, which is perfectly geared to keep the engine above 6,000 rpm, where it makes the majority of its power. There is a full automatic mode for when you’re feeling lazy, but it’s more fun to select gears yourself with the large paddle shifters mounted to the car's steering column. Gear changes are lightning quick and firm.

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Incredible Handling

Lamborghini has offered all-wheel drive since the 1990s, and it continues to improve the performance of the Huracán. For 2020, the system has been completely redesigned for quicker response and better performance. It can now actually predict the driver's desires, make adjustments 50 times per second, and sharpen response depending on the sports car’s traction, acceleration, wheel positions, pitch, roll, yaw, and steering angle.

The result is an astonishing amount of grip on the road and immediacy to the car’s ability to turn. This is one of the world’s most exhilarating cars. It’s fun and fast, and it feels small and light as you toss it around. But it’s also forgiving and incredibly easy to drive. Its combination of all-wheel drive, massive tires, stability control, an impossibly low center of gravity, and its new four-wheel steering system will make you look and feel like a talented race car driver. The Huracán’s massive cross-drilled carbon-ceramic brakes are also some of the best in the world.

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Adjustable Dynamics

One of the reasons the new Huracán EVO is so easy to drive is its choice of three driving modes, which allow the driver to customize the supercar’s dynamics to the conditions. The system is controlled with a small toggle switch on the steering wheel.

In Strada, or street, the Lambo is its most docile. Lamborghini says traction and stability are prioritized in this setting, and its transmission is fully automatic. In this setting, the Huracán’s engine noise is also suppressed and its adjustable suspension is the most compliant. Although the ride remains firm, it’s comfortable enough for everyday driving. In Sport mode, the all-wheel drive system sends more power to the rear tires and the stability control system allows for some tire slippage. The suspension is also firmer and the engine’s rasp is dialed up considerably, which sounds fantastic. In Corsa, or track, the gauge cluster changes to a larger tachometer and gear readout, the transmission is completely manual, and the stability control is dialed back even further, for ultimate performance.

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New Infotainment System

Lamborghini has also redesigned much of the Huracán EVO’s interior, adding a new infotainment system with a vertically mounted 8.4-inch touchscreen in the center console. It’s a huge improvement, offering web radio and Apple CarPlay compatibility, though Android Auto is still not available.

The supercar’s dashboard design is simple, clean, and modern with a 12.3-inch configurable instrument cluster and a flat-bottom wheel wrapped in suede. The engine's start button is right out of a fighter jet and all the gauges are labeled in Italian; Oilio, Batteria, Acqua, and Benzine. And you will use a considerable amount of Benzine. The 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO’s fuel economy ratings are 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. We averaged 15.8 mpg over 400 miles of mixed driving around Los Angeles.

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Quirky Ergonomics

Build quality is exceptional, and the Lambo’s interior materials are proper for the supercar’s big price. The seats are quite firm and heavily bolstered, but supportive, well-sized, and adjustable for height. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, so it’s easy to find the right driving position. We drove the Huracán EVO 300 miles in one day and emerged without a broken back.

But this is a Lamborghini. And it wouldn’t be a Lamborghini without some quirky ergonomics that take some getting used to. The window switches aren’t only high on the dashboard, but they also function backwards; push them up to put the windows down and down to put the windows up. If you want a turn signal stalk, buy a Camry. Instead, Lamborghini has installed a toggle switch on the steering wheel. It’s operated with your left thumb, like on a motorcycle. And there’s no volume knob. Instead, Lambo asks that you drag two fingers up or down the infotainment screen to adjust the stereo volume. It works most of the time.

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Dramatic Styling Draws a Crowd

Lamborghini is most famous for its unique scissor doors, which debuted on the Countach in 1974. They open up instead of out, and they’re still part of the appeal of the automaker’s more expensive Aventador. The Huracán’s doors, however, function conventionally, which does detract from the supercar’s drama.

But the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO, especially our bright orange test car, still draws quite a crowd. It has an incredible ability to turn heads. When you drive by in a Huracán EVO, people notice. And when you stop they ask you about it, even in Beverly Hills where Lambo sightings are a daily occurrence. Many take pictures with their phones, even while they’re driving on the highway. One admirer asked if we were famous, and everyone wants to know what it costs and how fast it will go. When you tell them it costs $334,619 as tested and it has a top speed of 202 mph, their mouths hang open. Let them sit in it and you’ve made a friend for life.

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Final Thoughts

In photos, the Huracán looks larger than it really is. It’s actually quite compact, so it’s surprisingly easy to park. New styling on the supercar’s front and rear also adds drama without being overdone or cartoonish, which is often the case in this class. The exhaust now exits through the rear bumper, which is cool — but be careful, as you can easily burn your thighs on the pipes.

Lamborghini may have gotten into the SUV business, but it still knows how to make great sports cars. For those in the market for an exotic high-performance coupe or convertible, the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO is a very desirable machine. It’s a special car, one that’s comfortable enough to be driven every day, while offering the performance, the beauty, and the exclusivity expected from a Lamborghini.

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