What's all this about?

Lamborghini has revealed the new Revuelto, which is the long-awaited hybrid replacement for the old Aventador. But don’t go thinking Lamborghini has forgotten to do madcap power just because it’s a hybrid – the Revuelto has a more than 1,000hp.

Sorry, how much?

You heard. By combining the classic Lamborghini V12 with a hybrid system, the Italian car maker has sneakily managed to squeeze more power from its flagship. A total of 1,015hp, in fact.

Yes, the Revuelto is technically a hybrid, just like the Toyota Corolla, but the two systems are like chalk and cheese. Calling the Revuelto a hybrid is like referring to a komodo dragon as a lizard. It’s kind of accurate, but it’s underselling the situation somewhat. Instead, Lamborghini likes to call the Revuelto a “high-performance electrified vehicle”, or HPEV.

How much performance are we talking?

Well, with a 6.5-litre V12 and three electric motors producing a combined total of 1,015hp and 725Nm of torque from the engine alone, the Revuelto is fast. Outrageously fast. Getting from a standstill to 62mph takes 2.5 seconds and the top speed is greater than 217mph (350km/h).

Of course, that’s partly down to the all-wheel-drive system and the specially designed Bridgestone run-flat tyres that were developed specifically for this car. And once those tyres were done, Bridgestone designed some more tyres for those who didn’t want run-flats. Then they designed some winter tyres, too.

That's a lot of tyres...

This is a lot of car. We’d already heard about the carbon construction and the hybrid system before the Revuelto was revealed, so we won’t go into all that here, but this is the first time we’ve seen the finished product. And it’s quite the looker.

The basic rules laid down by the Aventador and Huracan remain, but the Revuelto looks more modern thanks to the deep-set lights, the sharper angles and the pert tail. And, of course, there are those doors…

Would it be rude to say it looks like a squashed Cupra Born?

Yes, stop that blasphemy immediately. But also no, because that was our first thought too.

Glad it isn't just me. What about the interior?

That definitely didn’t come from a Cupra Born. The design is fairly minimalist, with the two figure-hugging seats positioned behind a dash that includes three screens and not a lot else. There’s a central touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster, while the passenger gets their own screen with speed readouts and the like – just so your mum can admonish you for breaking the speed limit.

Generally, though, the design is pretty typical of Lamborghini, offering that childish kind of spaceship image that adds a sense of occasion to the already remarkable cars.

So how will it drive?

We won’t know until we get the chance to try one, but Lamborghini is pretty confident in the car’s character. With a clever ‘monofuselage’ construction ensuring “ideal” weight distribution and plenty of aerodynamic influence on the design, Lamborghini claims the Revuelto is “exceptionally stable” and has an “overall feeling of compactness and responsiveness”. Whether or not that proves to be the case, we’ll have to wait and see.

I want one. How much is it?

We've no idea as yet, because Lamborghini hasn't advertised that information. We assume it'll be more expensive than a VW Golf, though.

James Fossdyke - 30 Mar 2023