Another top priority on the to-do list is a brand new engine. We are not asking for a downsized turbocharged motor, as we know for pure driving satisfaction nothing compares with an Italian naturally aspirated V12. What the Aventador needs is a clean-sheet V12 rather than another small evolution of the Bizzarrini-designed unit, whose history could be traced back to half a century ago to the very first 350GT ! Modern construction is able to make it lighter, lower, higher revving and more powerful. As the last one on SV was already good for 670 horses, a full 700 hp shall be the starting point.

In this way, Aventador LP700-4 was born. Like its ancestors, it is named after a Spanish fighting bull, and the rest of the name refers to longitudinal mid-engined, 700 horsepower and 4-wheel drive.


The Aventador was designed by the little known Filippo Perini, Lamborghini's design chief since 2004. Previously responsible for facelifts like Gallardo Superleggera, LP560-4, Murcielago LP640 and Reventon, Perini finally got the job that every automotive designer would dream of: to design a brand new Lamborghini V12 model !

The exterior of Aventador is a consistent evolution from the Countach-Diablo-Murcielago bloodline. Its wedge profile is unchanged, as are the trademark "scissor doors". However, compare with the refined Murcielago it is added with an extra sense of aggression. Its nose becomes a knife edge, ditto the trailing edge of its tail. Its otherwise smooth body is graphically decorated with hardedge polygons, zigzag cut lines and ridges inspired by the Reventon special. Apparently, such efforts attempt to bring back an uncompromising character lost during the Chrysler and Audi era. I would say it is largely successful, although the strong flavor of batmobile from some angles is somewhat comical. At the back, the Aventador is characterized by six Y-shape LED lights and a single hexagonal exhaust.

Lamborghini did not reveal its drag coefficient, but the Aventador has a few tricks to keep drag low during top speed run. The rear spoiler is one of them. It rests flush with the tail at low speed, raises to 11 degrees at mid-range speed to induce downforce and scales back to 4 degrees at very high speed to reduce drag. Similarly, the cooling intakes normally rest flush with the flying buttresses, pop up at medium speed and retract again at high speed.


Compare with Murcielago, the Aventador is 170 mm longer and runs a 25 mm longer wheelbase. However, this does not make it any heavier. On the contrary, it undercuts the old car by 90 kilograms. The biggest weight saving comes from the chassis. It comprises of a carbon-fiber monocoque passenger cell and aluminum front and rear subframes. The whole chassis weighs only 229.5 kg, while torsional rigidity is boosted to 35,000 Nm/degree, a far cry from the Murcielago's 20,000 Nm/degree.

Better still, the carbon-fiber monocoque is built in-house with RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) technology co-developed with Boeing and University of Washington. It utilizes an 80-ton stamping machine to forge the hot carbon-fiber composites into shape, saving the need for lengthy fabrication process in high-pressure and high-temperature chambers, thus reduces production cost by two-third. This allows the car to have its price inflated by a reasonable 10 percent. At £202,000 or €255,000 before tax, the big Lambo is significantly cheaper than million-dollar exotics like Bugatti, Koenigsegg and Pagani, while making the slower Lexus LFA (at £340,000 or €375,000) seemed overpriced.

Apart from chassis, the Aventador has its suspensions upgraded, too. Now the forged aluminum double-wishbones are controlled by racing-style inboard horizontal springs and dampers via pushrods, just like Pagani, Koenigsegg and Ferrari Enzo. This reduces unsprung weight and gives more freedom to tuning. On the downside, the car does not offer any kind of adaptive suspensions – the Ohlins dampers here are passive, a far cry from Ferrari's magnetorheological adaptive dampers. Perhaps Sant'Agata has spent too much money on the chassis already.


As expected, the bodywork is made largely of carbon-fiber, with the exception of the aluminum bonnet, doors and bumpers. The new body shell allows the fitment of larger wheels, measuring 19 and 20-inch front and rear respectively. This in turn allows larger Brembo CCM ceramic brake discs – 398mm with 6-piston calipers up front and 380mm with 4-pot calipers at the rear.

At 1575 kg dry, the big Lambo is still hardly a lightweight. It is 80 kilograms heavier than a Ferrari 599 GTO and almost 300 kg more than a Koenigsegg. However, considering the car has a big V12, all-wheel drive system and relatively luxury features for a supercar, I would say the weight is reasonable, if not one to be worth special mention.


The original 3.5-liter V12 launched in 1963 employed seriously oversquare combustion chambers to achieve high rev and power. Over the years, it gained capacity, reached maximum bore limit and then majored on lengthening stroke. Ultimately, the 6.5-liter version on LP640 had a slightly undersquare profile of 88 mm x 89 mm. Now with the opportunity to do it all over again, the new L539 V12 has its combustion chambers returned to oversquare profile of 95 mm bore and 76.4 mm stroke. Displacement remains unchanged at 6.5 liters, which is already very large indeed.

Specification-wise, the L539 is pretty conventional. It has a 60-degree V-angle, DOHC 48 valves, dual-VVT and variable intake manifolds like its predecessor. The aluminum cylinder block is still inserted with cast-iron cylinder liners rather than coated with modern silicone spray, while connecting rods are made of forged steel rather than lightweight titanium (note: both are acceptable as the short-stroke engine has no difficulty to rev to 8500 rpm). Most surprising of all, it does not get direct fuel injection like its smaller sibling Gallardo or its new generation Ferrari rivals. Lamborghini admitted it had problems to get the exhaust emission right without sacrificing output power, so DI has been put on the agenda for its next evolution. Like the passive suspension, this implies a tightly controlled development budget.

Having said that, with a higher compression ratio (11.8:1 instead of the previous 11.1:1), a more powerful engine management system, more efficient scavenging lubrication pumps and the aforementioned reprofiled combustion chambers, the engine is capable of higher rev, more power yet a broader spread of torque. It produces a maximum 700 hp at 8250 rpm and 509 lbft of torque at 5500 rpm, an improvement of 30 horses and 22 lbft from the last LP670-SV. A modest boost perhaps, it is nonetheless a good starting point for further evolutions to come.

However, the biggest improvement is not output, but the packaging of the engine. It continues to use dry-sump lubrication, but the new sump is made much thinner, allowing the crankshaft to sit 75 mm lower in the chassis than before, greatly lowering center of gravity. The engine is also made lighter, with its weight reduced from 253 kg to 235 kg, thanks partly to a new aluminum-silicon alloy. The lower mass of the engine also helps shifting one percent of weight away from the rear axle. Weight distrubtion is now 43:57 front to rear.

The V12 is mated to a new 4-wheel drive system. As before, the gearbox is situated forth of the engine and inside the transmission tunnel of the cabin to benefit weight distribution. What's new is front/rear torque split device, now a Haldex 4th generation electromagnetic multiplate clutch instead of the old viscous coupling. In other words, a computer-controlled, active torque-split device replaces a passive mechanical device. It should be a big plus to the new car. Front-to-rear torque spilt can vary from 0:100 to 60:40 depending on needs.

The gearbox is also all-new. Controversially, Lamborghini decided to skip the popular route of double-clutch gearbox (due to limited development budget again) and opt for a new kind of automated manual gearbox. The 7-speed ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) transmission is a joint-development with Italian transmission expert Graziano. It weighs 79 kg, considerably lighter than a dual-clutch alternative, yet it can make gearshift in a lightning 50 ms - faster than the 60 ms taken by Ferrari 599 GTO and a night-and-day difference to the 200 ms on the outgoing E-gear ! How is this achieved? The ISR gearbox uses 4 shift rods to manipulate gearshifts simultaneously. As one rod is disengaging a gear, another rod is already engaging the next gear. These actions partially overlap so to save time. However, it cannot fully pre-select the next gear like a dual-clutch box because there is only one clutch.

Sadly, the arrival of ISR gearbox means the end of traditional manual gearbox. Because most customers ordered E-gear in the previous generation, Sant'Agata decided not to offer manual box alongside the ISR. The ISR is pretty versatile. It offers 3 modes - Strada (street), Sport and Corsa (race). The first two also allow full automatic operation. Apart from gearshift speed and smoothness, these modes also alter throttle, steering, 4WD torque split and stability control.

Inside, the Aventador's cockpit still features a large transmission tunnel, but ergonomics, build quality and equipment are all vastly improved. First, you will find it easier to enter the cockpit, thanks to a lower and narrower door sill. Once settled on the seat, you will find the relationship between yourself and the controls is far more rational than before. The instrument pod and center console are finally close enough. The steering wheel is fully adjustable. The foot well still biases towards the center, but with the demise of clutch pedal foot room becomes less cramped. There is decent room for head and elbow. Visibility is good for the road ahead, more challenging rearward through the shallow rear window and louvers, but at least you get a standard rearview camera now.


The interior design tries hard to be special, as seen from the extensive use of polygonal elements and contrasting colors. It could be more tasteful though. The combination of classic toggle switches and modern LCD instrument panel is strange, especially when the latter provides no more functions than conventional dials – unlike Ferrari's which is integrated with multimedia display. The new instrument allows you to switch between analogue speedometer plus digital tachometer and analogue tacho plus digital speedo. While looking cool, it delivers an uncomfortable smell of gimmick.

Plenty of switchgears come from Audi. Some do not gel with the exotic cockpit, such as the rectangular air vents (from A6), but they do work flawlessly. The reskinned Audi MMI multimedia control interface is much much better than the cheap sat nav on Ferraris.

Strangely and disappointingly, the cabin is completely covered with leather, alloy and plastic, with none of its carbon-fiber surface exposed to sight. If you want to have it uncovered, you will have to pay extra for hotter variants (e.g. SV) in the future.


Press the hexagonal Start button and the V12 comes into life. The first impression is very different from the old engine – it is much smoother, quieter and more cultured, more like a Ferrari V12. Power delivery is more linear than ever. It is more tractable low down, pulling eagerly from 2000 rpm all the way to 8500 rpm like a gas turbine, without any obvious steps in the wide spectrum. Less dramatic you may say, it is perfect for accessing performance in bends.

At 3000 rpm, the noise is as subdued as the old engine at idle. This makes Aventador a better companion for highway cruising. Floor the throttle, the electronic tacho needle climbs instantly beyond 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 rpm. The noise gets loud and angry, releasing the true personality of the fighting bull. The sound is addictive, although it lacks the hard edge of 599 GTO.

Full-bore launch under Corsa mode is a breathtaking experience. The thrust is so strong, accompany with a violent kick at your back during each upshift. Yes, the ISR gearbox is nowhere as smooth as today's double-clutch gearboxes, as each gearshift comes with a short pause followed by a brutal re-engagement, but it is this drama that makes the Lamborghini's acceleration feel more spectacular than that of Bugatti Veyron, even though it is actually slower. Another advantage is a razor sharp throttle response, something not its turbocharged rivals can match.

Straight line acceleration is a strong card of Aventador, as it is benefited by more power, less weight, a more sophisticated 4WD system and electronic launch control. Lamborghini claims an incredible 0-60 mph time of 2.8 seconds, which is merely slower than Bugatti Veyron and quicker than anything else we have seen. Is it really that quick? Independent test results from Quattroruote magazine confirmed this. Auto Motor und Sport recorded slightly slower times, with 0-60, 0-124 and 0-186 mph done in 3.0, 9.4 and 24.8 seconds respectively. The last figure puts it just behind Bugatti (14.9s for SS and 16.8s for standard car), Koenigsegg CCX (21.9s), McLaren F1 (22.4s) and Pagani Zonda Cinque perhaps, while jumping ahead of Ferrari Enzo (26.1s) and leaving 599 GTO for dead. The Lamborghini has greatly narrowed the gaps from those million-dollar exotics. That alone is a great achievement for a production car aiming to sell 750 units annually.

As for top speed, we have no reason to doubt its 217 mph claim. Whether it manages 210 or 220 mph in Nardo or Ehra-Leissen is not important. What counts is that drivers will find it effortless to break 200 mph on Autobahn, by the time the car is still accelerating.

Performance aside, the Aventador is also a far better car to drive than Murcielago. It steers better. It stops better. It rides massively more refined. It slips through the curves more precisely. It feels far lighter than its predecessor. In a nutshell, it makes LP670-4 SV feel ancient.

But what else would you expect? The most important question is: how does it compare with other excellent supercars? That is more difficult to answer. For a car so big and heavy, there is always a limitation in its agility, even though the Aventador hides it quite well. If you compare it with Ferrari 458 or McLaren MP4-12C, you will find it still feels cumbersome on regular roads. The sense of its massive width can never be overcome. Same goes for the initial understeer that built into its DNA to keep it safe in corners. Yes, the understeer is already less than its predecessor, but it is still there, especially at slow corners.

It is difficult to say whether the Aventador produce more grip in corners than the last SV, which was already very good in this aspect, but it does show a far friendlier manner at cornering limit. While the old car would scare you with plenty of oversteer, the new car is stable and planted. Oversteer comes at a modest rate. In fact, on public roads oversteer is virtually impossible to induce. You need a race track to access power slide. That also limits its driving fun a bit when compare with smaller supercars as well as the better balanced 599 GTO.

The ride quality is definitely better than any Murcielagos, thanks partly to the immense solidity of its carbon-fiber chassis. Nevertheless, it is not to say it can compare with the adaptive Ferraris, let alone the hydraulically-suspended McLaren MP4-12C. The fixed rate dampers mean Lamborghini can only choose to favour part of the spectrum. It chose to deliver a beautiful high-speed ride, leaving low-speed ride very hard. Consequently, the big Lambo is not the best tool to thread through mountain roads.

The steering is another example of "improved but not quite to up the class best". Compare with its predecessor's, it requires less effort to turn and shows less shake through the steering column, if not have the latter completely resolved. It lacks the transparency of Ferrari helms, probably due to the extra 4-wheel drive mechanicals.

Likewise, the ISR gearbox is far smoother than the old E-gear – even can be called "refined" in Strada mode – but in Sport mode the gearchanges are far jerkier than the dual-clutch boxes on its rivals. Corsa mode is even more unforgiving, thus is best to leave for track days.

However, the brakes are by all means top class. They have the power to stop the big Lambo in the same distance as lighter rivals. Pedal feel is great, too.

The Aventador feels most at home on wide, flat and fast roads, or even better on tracks. Attack a fast bend, the car settles with some initial understeer and then the Haldex clutch starts sending more torque to the front wheels to balance the car. Bury the throttle on corner exit and you will be amazed with the immense force that punches the car forward while keeping it on rails. The cornering power of this car is simply sensational, more so than Bugatti.

As Quattroruote magazine found out, it could beat MP4-12C, 599GTO and 911GT3 RS convincingly on a fast track. That could be a surprise for something so big and heavy. Its all-wheel traction, superior power and low center of gravity all help to excel on track.

Which comes to our conclusion: is it better than its rivals? That depends on your preference, of course. If you love to exploit your supercar regularly on narrow B-roads, nothing could be better than a compact McLaren or Ferrari 458. If all you want is a car to shine on the world's fastest roads every Sunday morning, plus a spectacular look, a bit of uncompromising character and the most exotic bloodline to appreciate in the rest of the week, the big Lambo remains the very best. A perfect supercar it isn't, but just like its ancestors, those rough edges contribute to its character and make it all the more desirable.