Lamborghini Revuelto review: Why it hits the bullseye

IF ANY car is perfectly christened, it’s the Lamborghini Revuelto. Named after a 19th-century fighting bull so unruly he leapt into the stands eight times (because why gore a matador when you can terrify an entire arena instead?), it lives up to its namesake both in spirit and in hardware.

What else could you name a wild looking coupe that’s animated by an apocalyptic 1,015 horsepower (hp)? But though the Revuelto’s side profile suggests that half the car is engine, there’s a twist – in classic Lambo fashion, it’s powered by a glorious 6.5-litre V12 screaming away behind you, but in a nod to today’s times it has three electric motors, along with a lithium-ion battery pack to feed them.

Greenpeace warriors would love nothing more than to castrate the raging bull that adorns Lamborghini’s logo, but the brand has kept ahead of emissions laws by embracing electricity. The result won’t rival a Toyota Prius for cleanliness, but as a plug-in hybrid the Revuelto scrambles petrol and volts together as harmoniously as huevos revueltos on a Spanish breakfast plate.

As the brand’s new flagship, it takes the torch from the boisterous Aventador and carries it with characteristic Lamborghini brazenness. It’s low, wide and angular, and festooned with vents you can see from space. It makes climbing in and out quite the spectacle, since you do it through scissor doors.

And because a stout, thumping V12 heart is the distinguishing characteristic of any true Lambo, its engine is left uncovered for all the world to see, peeking between buttresses like mechanical cleavage. And boy, do people look. Heads turn and arms heave phones into the air wherever the Revuelto goes, so if you’re a wallflower, driving it is torture.

Even if bystanders don’t spot a Revuelto, they’ll certainly hear it. The engine doesn’t come alive so much as erupt. Pressing the accelerator sounds like turning up the soundtrack to the apocalypse.

That seems apt, because the acceleration makes it feel like the world is ending. Engage the launch control system, and the Revuelto lunges to 100 kmh in 2.5 seconds, and not without making you feel like it socked you in the solar plexus.

Yet, it can also stalk the streets as quietly as a hungry puma. The 3.28 kWh battery lets it pad around for roughly nine kilometres in near silence, propelled by 177 hp of electric oomph while the V12 slumbers, like a dormant volcano.

Clearly, the Revuelto isn’t all fireworks, all the time. Delicate knobs on the steering wheel cycle through driving modes that adjust the ferocity, from Strada for mortals to Corsa for lunatics. In the softer settings, the gearbox, which in the Aventador felt like a sledgehammer, is downright smooth. In fact, when it’s not trying to terrify you, the Revuelto is still fast and agile, but it’s also surprisingly civilised.

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It’s positively spacious compared with the Aventador, and its controls are actually where you expect to find them. Sporty seats cradle you like an Italian grandmother, and the view out is excellent, both of the road ahead and that magnificent V12 in the rearview mirror.

The screens are bright and user-friendly, though honestly, I didn’t bother with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or the sound system. The real entertainment comes from the steering wheel and pedals.

Mind you, on wet roads the Revuelto is terrifyingly skittish (ask me how I know). In the rain, even looking at the accelerator funny is enough to provoke a fishtail. But on dry tarmac, the tyres stick like scrambled eggs left burning on a frying pan.

I won’t pretend I got anywhere near the car’s limits, but I did drive an Aventador S at Sepang once and found it supremely capable there, balancing brute acceleration with delicate agility well, and it’s hard to imagine the Revuelto having any less prowess.

If anything, it’s low-speed driving that’s a bit scary. U-turns and carparks inspire dread, not because the Revuelto can’t handle them, but because you’ll be terrified of kerbing a wheel or worse, scraping the sills of its expensive carbon fibre tub. That would be a shame, since it’s 10 per cent lighter than the Aventador’s frame, yet 25 per cent stiffer.

If you can get past that, the Revuelto manages to balance insanity with usability. It’ll take a golf bag on board, and there’s a button to lift its chin so you don’t bash it on the nearest speed hump. The V12 sometimes batters your eardrums into submission, but most times the Lambo is smooth, comfortable, and dare I say it, approachable.

Somewhat less accessible is the price, which is an eye-watering S$2.68 million without the Certificate of Entitlement. For the money, it’s hard to imagine anything as thrilling to be in or as captivating to look at, and for sheer drama, there’s nothing to touch it. If someone offered to trade one for a kidney, I think I’d take the deal and feel like I came out on top. Unlike the Revuelto itself, that’s no bull.

Lamborghini Revuelto Engine 6.5-litre V12 Engine Power 825 hp at 9,250 rpm Engine Torque 725 Nm at 6,750 rpm Motor power 300 hp (front), 150 hp (rear) System power 1,015 horsepower Battery 3.8kWh lithium-ion Electric range 12km (WLTP) Gearbox 8-speed dual-clutch automatic 0-100 kmh 2.5 seconds Top Speed Over 350 kmh Fuel Efficiency 11.9 L/100 km (WLTP) Agent Eurosports Auto Price S$2,680,000 without COE Available Now