Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster 2013 Review - International

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster

Not so much:
>> Transmission in auto mode
>> RHD pedal placement
>> Visibility issues

The new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster is arguably the most exciting Raging Bull to yet break free of the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory.

The model sets new heights in topless supercar performance, charging from 0-100km/h in just three seconds flat; and perhaps paradoxically is generously extravagant both in terms of its luxury and amenity.

The LP700-4 is the second-fastest drop top in the world, tailing the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse by half-a-second in the nought to 100km/h dash. And although it tops out at around 60km/h slower than the Bugatti, the Lamborghini is a relative bargain at around one-fifth of the price.

Characterised by its unique profile, lightweight removable roof panels and newly designed engine cover, the Roadster aims to emulate the success of its hardtop sibling, the Aventador LP700-4, a model Lamborghini says has sold more than 13000 units since its 2011 debut.

The Roadster shares the Aventador coupe’s fêted 6.5-litre normally-aspirate V12 engine. Here the centrally-mounted powerplant is viewable via a pair of longitudinally-set hexagonal windows set in the Roadster’s so-called “spinal column”. Lamborghini says the see-through panels not only allow the beauty of the engine to be admired, but assist in cooling the 700 horsepower monster while at the same time keeping it dry.

Mated to an ISR seven-speed automated manual transmission, the V12 engine is designed not only to offer bullish performance (pardon the pun), but to do so with consideration for the environment. 'Green' technologies including cylinder deactivation and super capacitor-controlled idle stop-start aim. Lamborghini says, the Roadster’s fuel economy average has been trimmed to a ‘nominal’ 16.0L/100km.

With the two-piece 'Forged Composite' graphite roof neatly stowed in the luggage compartment (leaving little room for anything else), the intoxicating symphony of the four-in-one exhaust outlet beckons the ears and right foot to conspire against any thoughts of economic prudence. Indeed, this car's open-air opus one that simply must be heard to be believed.

You can further accentuate the V12 soundtrack via an electrically-operated rear window. This also serves to 'tune' the cockpit airflow too.

The Roadster's cornering tenacity and adhesion levels well and truly match its straight-line potential. In-board-mounted pushrod suspension joins forces with one of the stiffest chassis in production anywhere – and imposing all-wheel drive grip – with dramatic effect.

Let loose on Miami’s Homestead Speedway, the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster stretches the very boundaries of what you’d believe possible of a road car. Put simply, it challenges your levels of intestinal fortitude to a degree not often encountered on anything other than the quickest of road-going sportsbikes. But you’ve got to have a careful right foot. Too much pressure and the Haldex clutch whips the full whack of torque rearward, inducing lurid oversteer and overriding the stability control system with enough ferocity to catch out the slow witted.

The transmission and throttle shifts, blips and crackles dutifully through all seven gears when pursuing our Lamborghini-issued pace car on the oval's infield 'road race' circuit. The difference between each of the driving modes is none-too-subtle, either, and in race-ready ‘Corsa’ mode, the Roadster sounds and performs with appropriate gusto.

The brakes, too, are positively neck stretching. By the end of the test drive I literally had a sore neck from holding my head back against the power of the Roadster’s massive composite stoppers.

And the good news is that it’s almost liveable. Excusing the complete lack of storage space, the Roadster is simple enough to drive at city speeds, (ironically) provided you avoid Automatic mode. Select Strada (Street) mode and shift slowly through the cogs via the column-mounted paddles and the Roadster is suitably well behaved. Cruising the busy afternoon streets of Miami's South Beach drew more than enough attention.

The ride, too, is more compliant that you’d expect. After feeling how much grip was on offer at 230km/h, it came as a pleasant surprise to feel how much cushioning was on offer across the patchwork repairs of downtown Miami.

On the downside, and excusing the obvious lack of space and out-of-my-range pricetag, the Roadster’s outward visibility is the primary issue for day to day use. Rearward visibility is assisted greatly by well-sized mirrors, but looking forward on the open road is perhaps the single largest disappointment. Simply, the roofline is quite low and even with the seat in its lowest position your eyeline is directly through the top of the windscreen.

The sharply raked windscreen also proved itself quite noisy at freeway speeds with air rushing over the scalp and a distinct buffeting present throughout the otherwise cosy cabin.

Having a brief steer of a right-hand drive variant did, however, show-up one other significant flaw. The pedals are biased heavily to the inboard side of the footwell, compromising what you might say is effective operation. The wheelwell consumes considerable space here, exaggerating the distance your right foot must travel to operate the brake.

With a list price nearing half-a-million dollars stateside, Lamborghini says we can expect to pay $795,000 when it goes on sale in Australia later this year. Even at this pricetag, as a menacing and mellifluent, prestigious and prodigious example of automotive sculpture, the Aventador LP700-4 Roadster is truly a must-experience.

Sell your house, your partner, your kids and your kidneys, it’ll be worth every penny.