Lamborghini Aventador S 2017 Review - International

Lamborghini Aventador S
International Launch Review
Valencia, Spain

The Lamborghini Aventador S needs no introduction. But contractually I'm obliged to provide one. So, this Italian exotic is a fire-breathing 12-cylinder AWD colossus that gets a new look, new suspension and a cool new party trick to match, four-wheel steering. It'll shred tyres as effortlessly as it tempts agonisingly beautiful people into its exceedingly exotic cabin. It's a dream car in every respect; you feel like a celebrity just standing next to one, let alone driving one. And that's why it costs $788,914 in Australia.

Low clouds scud across the gloomy European mid-winter sky. It's a chilly seven degrees centigrade, but I'm sweating. After all, it's not every day I'm handed the keys to an $800,000 supercar.

"First the racetrack, then the road," says an impatient German-sounding bloke at the Ricardo Tormo MotoGP circuit.

Not the order I would have chosen for a first date with a volatile weapon, but hey, old-mate looks grumpy so I'm not going to argue.

There's a fleet of about a dozen Lamborghini Aventador S lined up in pit lane. I clamber into a yellow one, requiring some serious yogic control, owing to the ultra-low seating position and super-wide sills.

Strapped in, my heart is beating hard in my chest, and it's not because Justin Timberlake is bringing the Sexy Back on the stereo. I switch off JT because I want to hear music of a different kind, and thumbing the starter button ignites the engine with a whoosh-bang that's more fighter jet than petrol engine.

The V12's ignition sends a tingle up my spine, a sensation that evolves into a heady mix of endorphin-fuelled elation over the next 20 laps around a dry Ricardo Tormo circuit.

What we have here, dear readers, is something very special. Lamborghini's engineers have turned a big, scary, unwieldy supercar into a far more agile, predictable and engaging super sports car. And for that you can largely thank a new four-wheel steering (4WS) system.

Four to the floor, to be sure
After the first five-lap session at somewhat subdued speeds (a modest 200km/h down the main straight), it's evident that the 4WS has had a transformative effect on the car.

When we last drove an Aventador properly in anger it was at Phillip Island and the verdict wasn’t all that positive. Back then Editor-in-Chief Sinclair said: "The Aventador didn’t bite me, but it growled through clenched teeth a couple of times."

It's clear there's been significant magic worked since. On the car, not my boss… Indeed, over the next three sessions on Ricardo Tormo the tempo increased to giddy levels, turning the world into a haze of high-revs, adrenaline and driving satisfaction. The updated Lamborghini Aventador S isn't perfect but it's vastly improved, a much more nimble dance partner with which to blast through corner after corner.

Like joining a promising start-up IT enterprise in its embryonic stages, you've got lots of options too. I spent a bit of time fiddling the car's powertrain, suspension, and steering settings, three levels for each via the new "Ego" selector system. The powertrain adjustments also alter the AWD split front to rear: 40:60 (Strada); 20:80 (Corsa); and 10:90 (Sport).

Slot all settings into Corsa (read: track) mode and it's all about taking the racing line to carve out fast laps with effortless ease, the car's carbon-fibre monocoque chassis keeping things rigid. The resolute front end tips into turns with a hungry eagerness, gripping up and tracking through corners doggedly.

Or should that be bullishly?

You still feel the vehicle's circa-1700kg weight on faster, sweeping corners – like an invisible hand pushing you wide of your intended trajectory. But even when this occurs (and even if you panic), the car now progressively (and satisfyingly) transitions into controllable lift-off oversteer that's more predictable than an "alternative fact" rebuttal tweet.

If you have only a trifling interest for racing lines (or tyres) you can saunter into corners a little slower, apex early and then blat the throttle Gangnam-style. This sees the big Lambo's 544kW V12 stamp its authority on the situation, power-sliding predictably out of the corner with just the right amount of tyre-shredding zeal.

Mercifully it doesn't bite back after fishtailing either – just keep the throttle pinned and it eases back to full grip with only a dab of opposite lock and you're golden. The glory!

Testing the previous Aventador back-to-back with the new Aventador S was an informative experience, the 4WS on the new model makes a massive difference to way the car turns, providing an alacrity that just wasn't there before.

Never has an Aventador felt this communicative or indeed friendly/tenacious at the limit. Lambo has turned a sledgehammer into a scalpel, and if this is what Lamborghini's new CEO Stefano Domenicali brings to the table, it's going to have lots more dinner guests, believe you me.

Big brakes, big engine, big fun
Specially-developed Pirelli P Zero tyres combine with the new Aventador's Haldex AWD system to produce convincing grip. Immense 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloy wheels are shod with severely staggered 255/30 and 355/25 tyres respectively.

Sizable 400mm front and 380mm rear carbon ceramic disc brakes with gigantic six- and four-pot calipers provide the Aventador S with fierce stopping power too. It requires just 31 metres to decelerate from 100km/h to zero, generating enough g-force to bring up your breakfast. Indeed, the car can be shoved late and deep into corners, while the new suspension mitigates body roll so you're rarely left floundering.

Despite not being able to see the suspension, it's just as exotic as the engine and exterior design, the double-wishbone setup integrating a push rod design comprising horizontally mounted springs and adaptive dampers, the latter constantly adjusting to suit conditions and input.

The big 6.5-litre 60-degree 12-cylinder Lambo doesn't need turbochargers to tear its barrel-like rear tyres asunder either. No, this raging bull delivers its ordinance (544kW/690Nm) with surgical precision, the engine responding to right foot input like a house fly reacting to a casual swat – virtually instantaneously.

Acceleration from the dry-sump engine is intense, taking just 2.9secs to dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint. But this car is really about 0-200km/h, which takes just 8.8secs.

Jump on the loud pedal and it drives hard from 3000rpm, is howling at 5000rpm and forcibly squeezing the air out of your lungs at the 8400rpm redline in a fabulously terrifyingly blur of fear and excitement, before it hits its 8500rpm rev limit.

Top speed? With enough road, an eye-watering 350km/h…

There's a lot of unburnt fuel going through the redesigned jet-fighter exhaust outlet too. The car runs super rich (that aroma!) and on top of the seismic crackles and backfires on the overrun, chasing a colleague around the track reveals an almost constant blue flame licking the exhaust, erupting into a fireball at high revs.

Yeah, it's off the chain stuff.

The gearbox is the only dynamic shortcoming of the package. The seven-speed automated manual transmission features a single, twin-plate dry clutch (235mm). In practice there are two approaches available to drivers, resulting in a lengthy pause between shifts (strada/sport) or a vicious neck-snapping, body blasting impact (corsa).

Paradoxically, if Lamborghini ditched this archaic gearbox for a more refined twin-clutch jobbie like the one in the Huracan, I'd probably whinge about how the new Aventador lacked character, forsaking all the drama that a single-clutch auto contributes. #backhandcompliment

Great on the track, how about the road?
The big Lambo is easy to handle on the road, the 4WS again improving the cars' conduct by enhancing its turning circle. Above 130km/h the 4WS system turns the rear wheels by 1.5 degrees in the same direction as the front wheels, but at slower speeds the rear hoops turn three degrees in opposite angle.

But it's still a daunting experience around town, especially for someone who cannot afford the insurance premiums. I imagine owners probably won't have this same foreboding feeling. To be honest, I got almost as much satisfaction from contemplating its design standing 10 paces away when it was parked up on the street.

Observing bystanders completely losing their sh*t is far more entertaining and much less frightening than navigating freeway traffic with almost zero outward visibility, or trying to avoid scraping a wheel on a damp, winding road because the car is impossibly wide.

Indeed, Lamborghini has crafted an incredibly engaging racetrack weapon but on the road it makes less sense. Getting in and out is a challenge, the seats aren't particularly comfortable and headroom is woeful. There's virtually no incidental storage for a phone let alone a wallet or a man bag, although the 140 litre frunk will swallow a couple of soft overnight bags.

What else? The gearbox isn't ideal at legal speeds, nor the touchy throttle.

The flip-switch controls and hexagonal buttons on the centre console look stunning, imparting a truly exotic quality to the cabin, but using them is confusing because there are just so many. The navigation is an Audi relic, but the stereo is awesome.

Value for money is irrelevant
But these many shortcomings are forgivable… Easily! For the reason that the Aventador S creates a sense of occasion like no other... There's not a Ferrari, nor a McLaren, I've driven that has this level of impact. Its mere existence in a given place creates a juncture in time that few individuals will not remark upon.

If you begin to ask if it's really worth $800,000 you're missing the point. You choose to buy a Lamborghini Aventador S because: A) you have loads of money; or B) you have an absolute sh*tload of money. You've got the coin ready to go -- this isn't a bank-loan proposition.

For those that can afford such a car, or lucky sods like myself who get to drive it, disappointment is not something that will ever enter the equation (unless you break it). The car is much more approachable now, and the composure with which it responds to shenanigans is compelling.

The 4WS changes the Lamborghini Aventador's attitude dramatically. Simply put, it's now an engaging, satisfying car to hammer hard. Forget the V12 brick wrapped by inescapably sexy body work that was it's predecessor, this Italian dream car is a V12 shark whose dexterity and response time is voracious.

I was sweating in apprehension before I drove the Aventador S and, I believe, understandably so. But after sliding it around on the racetrack and navigating the road with brio, I'm feeling like a champion -- calm and very cool.

Forza Lamborghini. Bravissimo…

2017 Lamborghini Aventador S pricing and specifications:
Price: $788,914 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 6.5-litre V12 petrol
Output: 544kW/690Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed robotised manual
Fuel: 16.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 394g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

Also consider:
>> Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (from $690,745 plus ORCs)
>> McLaren 675 LT (from $616,250 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupe (from $501,715 plus ORCs)