2014 LAMBORGHINI Huracan LP 610-4 Photos, engines & full specs

When you're out to replace a car like the Lamborghini Gallardo, the most successful model in the brand's history, you know you must keep everything razor-sharp. This seems to be the way for Lamborghini's Huracan, or LP610-4 as pedants call it.

What is actually a Hurracan? For those who don't know, carbon fiber has found its way next to the aluminum in the chassis, which means that the supercar now has a dry weight of 1,422 kg (3,135 lbs). The Italians also talk about a stiffness increase, but actual figures are replaced with metaphors.

At the center of the Lamborghini Huracan, we find a reworked version of the Gallardo's 5.2-liter V10 unit. Why is the Huracan so great? The engine is a naturally-aspirated 5.2 V10, as per Gallardo, but now it has both direct- and multi-point injection, mixing this with an indirect injection to offer "Iniezione Diretta Stratificata" (IDS). The results? 610 HP at 8,250 rpm and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) maximum torque at 6.500 rpm. At the same time, the fuel consumption has been lowered to 12.5 l/100 km (18.8 mpg).

Gone is the single-clutch automated manual - the e-gear was replaced with Lamborghini's version of the VW Group's seven-speed double-clutch automatic, the Lamborghini Doppia Frizione" (LDF), a way more responsive and performant gearbox. The list of tech updates also includes electronic control for the AWD system and ceramic brakes. Bad news for manual lovers, no manual version is available, but don't be disappointed; the shifting pedals will make you love it.

What use of all these goodies? All these make the Lambo one of the fastest among its rivals, so it requires 23.0 seconds to do the deed. The McLaren takes 23.1, the Ferrari takes 24.0, the Porsche Turbo S takes 23.0, and the Nissan GT-R NISMO needs 23.1. With the right tires, the Hurracan would easily break into the 22s.

Lambo made some improvements on the interior too. They tried to make the new car's interior less claustrophobic by keeping the scuttle and center tunnel low, but the near-horizontal screen pillars mean it's not as town-friendly as a Ferrari 458.

The Huracán is undeniably a vast improvement on its predecessor. We knew the Gallardo was lagging behind its rivals in key areas, including the transmission, but driving the Hurracan will find the DNA of a race track supercar. This is a far more sophisticated car that's faster, more refined, and much easier to drive fast or slow.

The Huracan is the first Lamborghini that lives up to the promise of its striking, gorgeous design. We think that Ferruccio Lamborghini did it and kept his word indeed. The idea was that his cars would not only be an alternative to Enzo Ferrari's prancing stallions but to be better. It took them 52 years, but now there exists a Lamborghini that is easily as good or even better than the Ferrari and directly competes against.