Lamborghini Temerario review: A reckless decision, but one you won’t regret
Like Lamborghinis of yore, the Temerario is named after a Spanish fighting bull. But does plug-in tech dilute its fighting spirit?
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THE only reason I don’t have a Lamborghini Temerario is that no one will give me one in exchange for one of my kidneys.
Then again, I might well need my viscera intact if I’m going to withstand what this car can dish out: a savage 920-horsepower kick that slams you to 100 kmh in 2.7 seconds, and a top speed that could, in theory, get you from here to Kuala Lumpur in barely more than an hour.
Those numbers belong to a two-seat, mid-engined plug-in hybrid that replaces the Huracan as Lamborghini’s entry-level supercar.
An all-new twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that revs all the way to 10,000 rpm drives the rear wheels, aided by two electric motors up front and one between engine and gearbox, for four-wheel drive. A 3.8 kWh battery in the centre tunnel lets it creep along near-silently for a few kilometres in Citta (or City) mode, though Lamborghini won’t say exactly how far.
Like Lambos of yore, the Temerario gets its name from a Spanish fighting bull. This one did its business in 1875, and apparently did it in a reckless way, which is what you get if you translate “temarario”.
A Lamborghini’s first job, though, is to stop you in your tracks, and if the Venus de Milo herself regrew arms and waved at you, you’d still look at the Temerario first.
Its stance is impossibly low and aggressive. The engine cover is like an industrial sculpture, offering a coy peek at the V8 underneath it and letting you watch superheated air shimmer off it in waves.
Vents and slats all over the body scoop in air, making the whole car feel like an oxygen-hungry, living thing. The exhaust blasts hot air high enough to dry a passing toddler’s hair in a second, leaving room for the broad rear diffuser that keeps this car so planted at speed.
As you’d expect, driving the Lambo in anger is like having your lapels grabbed by a WWE champion and shaken around – terrifying, but utterly thrilling. The acceleration is so violent it feels personal, and I still get a hit of adrenaline just thinking about it, long after returning the car.
Sure, I’ve driven more powerful electric vehicles, but none match the Temerario’s raw excitement roaring down a street like a fiend from below, each gearchange landing with a jolt to remind you what you’re trifling with.
The experience is also endlessly tunable, thanks to the interplay between the plug-in system and the howling V8. The main modes, chosen via a clickwheel on the wheel, are Citta, Strada (street), Sport and Corsa (race), paired with energy settings that either maximise performance, top up the battery, or keep the engine dormant.
The handling demands equally fast reflexes, though the Lambo never fights you. Instead, it works with you around a corner, even if it gets there faster than your nerve allows. Yet, the real surprise is how easy the Temerario is to live with daily.
It feels as planted as a go-kart, yet the ride never threatens to loosen your teeth, and visibility is surprisingly good. The cabin doesn’t feel cramped, though the boot is minuscule; owners of cars like this keep something else around for airport runs, anyway. Handily, a nose lifter spares the chin from speed humps and carpark ramps.
It can roll around in electric silence for the sake of your neighbours’ sanity, but the Temerario is a committed dipsomaniac. The plug-in tech is really about performance, not efficiency, and about satisfying emissions rules in markets that frown on pure combustion. But it does mean you can park in an EV charging bay with a straight face.
My face winced when I saw the price, though: S$1,528,000 for the car alone, and that’s before the options list has its way with you. Mind you, I grimaced not because the number is too high, but because I couldn’t find that sum after turning over all the sofa cushions.
Realistically, no car is worth that sort of money, but this is no mere car. The Temerario transcends metal, glass and wheels. It’s a rolling sculpture that exudes emotion. Your heart beats faster when you’re around it, let alone when you drive it.
Above all, this is worth the money if you have it, simply because of how alive it makes you feel. Even if you’re short one kidney.
Lamborghini Temerario
| Engine | 3,995 cc, twin-turbocharged V8 |
| Engine power | 800 hp at 9,000 to 9,750 rpm |
| Engine torque | 730 Nm at 4,000 to 7,000 rpm |
| Electric motors | 449 hp combined |
| System power | 920 hp |
| Gearbox | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| 0-100 kmh | 2.7 seconds |
| Top Speed | 343 kmh |
| Agent | Eurosports Auto |
| Price | S$1,528,000 without COE |
| Available | Now |
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