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LAMBORGHINI Aventador Review

OUR TEST CAR: LAMBORGHINI Aventador LP700-4 2012

 
LAMBORGHINI Aventador - Page - 2
Lamborghini used to built superb Grand Tourers in the past, but the Aventador is from another world, that of supercars which provide uncompromised performance. The technology spread throughout the car allows it to offer an acceptable level of comfort, but only just.

We can split the vehicle's elements into two categories for this chapter: those that perform in a decent manner and those that you need to accept in order to live with the supercar.

The cabin provides enough space for the driver and the passenger and you can clearly feel that the designers payed special attention to the design of the roof. The headroom has been seriously improved compared to the Murcielago.

The seats have a strong visual presence and are excellent on the track, but you won't hear your female friend complaining about them during a long trip. The same goes for the steering. This is one of the most accurate the automotive industry has to offer nowadays and yet you never feel it's too heavy.

As for the soundproofing, this is well-balanced: you're well protected from the wind noise, but the V12's magic is always present inside the cabin.

The navigation system may be taken straight from a previous-generation Audi, but it proves to be a valuable asset, so we really can't complain. It's the same with the climate control system: while air outlets might not be on the same visual level with the rest of the interior, the system proved to be an efficient one.

The suspension marks the border between the two aforementioned categories. Its pushrod configuration allows it to offer an impressive ride for a passive supercar suspension, but it will still allow bumps or potholes tackled at low speed to become a threat to the occupants. Let's hope the pushrod suspension will become active in the future.

The engine will be more than happy to work at under 2,000 rpm in seventh gear, but the ISR gearbox simply isn't fit for this chapter. In order to avoid the occasionally awkward shifts, as well as the blistering full-throttle ones, you'll need to keep it in the Sport Manual mode and lift off during the shifts. This forces one to always take part in the shifting process, as if the car didn't have an automated manual.

The limited boot space will force you to develop new luggage packaging skills and while this is acceptable in an ultra-compact Gallardo, the size of the Aventador makes this problem embarrassing.

The Aventador can be described as a collection of racing-inspired technologies. The late Ferruccio Lamborghini despised road cars with motorsport-derived technical solutions, as these brought a major drivability drawback on public roads. Despite this, we really don't think he would be displeased with the LP700-4 . That's because modern engineering has allowed for all these racing-borrowed features to be perfectly implemented for daily use.

We'll start with the structure of the Aventador. Carbon fiber is the main ingredient here and Lamborghini built a separate unit in its factory back in 2009. so that it could rely on in-house production. In fact, we are talking about carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which has a simpler fabrication process that keeps the Aventador from climbing even higher on the pricing ladder.

Different parts of the car's structure require different characteristics, so Lamborghini uses three CFRP manufacturing methods. Each one uses custom carbon fiber and weave, as well as a dedicated synthetic resin used.

The first is Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM), a process that sees the carbon fiber mats being performed and impregnated with a certain amount of resin. The part is kept inside the mould during the heat-curing process that follows. The technology is borrowed from outside the company, but Lambo enhanced the process, patenting a carbon fiber mould instead of the traditional heavy metallic one. This makes the operations more flexible and reduces costs, as the low injection pressure can be made with less expensive machines. RTM is the dominating process for building the car.

The RTM process also has a derivative called Braiding, which borrows the carbon fiber weave technology from the textile industry. To put it shortly, the fiber is diagonally interwoven in multiple layers. This technology is used to produce tubular components that offer extra strength such as the roof pillars.

The Prepeg technology follows: the supplier pre-injects the carbon fiber mats with a thermosetting liquid resin, which requires them to be stored in a refrigerating unit. The mats are subsequently laminated in molds and cured via pressure and heat inside an autoclave. These components are expensive to make, but they offer the best finish, so they are used for the areas that are visible.

The 229.5 kg (505 lbs) body-in-white of the Aventador is mainly comprised of a 147.5 kg (324.5 lbs) CFRP passenger cell, which uses aluminum subframes that hold the engine, gearbox and suspension in place. This is made from two sections, the tube (the floor) and the roof, which are joined using heat and finally form a single element. The front and rear walls also incorporate aluminum inserts that enhance the connection with the aforementioned subframes.

The Aventador's body-in-white manages to be 150 percent stiffer compared to that of the Murcielago, an asset that joggles with both driving and safety benefits.

The car's monocoque also uses epoxy foam parts. These act as spacers between the composite layers, increasing stiffness while also reducing the NVH (Noise Harshness and Vibration) level.

The stunning shapes of the car are sculpted in composite panels that use aluminum and plastic. These offer about the same weight advantage as carbon fiber, but at a much lower price. The aforementioned aluminum subframes and the composite body panels also lower the cost of a repair compared to a full-carbon structure.

The Aventador is connected to the road via a pushrod suspension supplied by Ohlins. This solution reduces the unsprung mass and offers a better packaging. As for the wheel & tire package, up front the car uses 19x9-inch forged rims wrapped in 225/35 R19 Pirelli P Zero rubber and at the back we have 20x12-inch forged wheels with 335/30 R20 tires.

The car is suspended on double wishbones at all four corners and there's a pushrod where the spring & damper were supposed to be located. The aluminum subframes hold the passive shock absorbers and springs, hence their removal from the unsprung mass calculation. These are connected to the pushroad via a bellcrank which is shaped like a triangle and also raises the stabilizer bar link.

Up front, the solution allowed the designers to create that sought-after low front end - a classical suspension would've required low-height springs and dampers, which can't offer the same level of ride and handling. At the back, the springs and dampers sit above the engine, in between the block and its the massive central muffler.

The powerplant itself is held in place by the rear aluminum subframe and we have to tell you that we'd like to take the subframe's place for one day. Yes, we'd like to hug the 6,498 cc naturally aspirated V12 unit for at least 24 hours. This way. we'd directly feel the 700 hp delivered at 8,250 rpm and the 690 Nm (509 lb-ft) of torque that arrive at 5,500 rpm. In case you were wondering, the compression ratio has an impressive value: 11.8:1.

This is the first all-new V12 unit since the initial unit launched once with the company's inception in 1963. The L359 unit sits about 60 mm lower (2.36 inches) within the car compared to the 6.5-liter engine of the Murcielago.

While the displacement is the same, it comes from shorter cylinders. The bore was increased (88 mm), while the stroke was decreased (89 mm). Lamborghini was looking for assets such as a high rev limit, increased throttle response, instant torque delivery, as well as a more visceral sound and this is exactly what the unit provides.

The Aventador's engine is also light, tipping the scales at 235 kg ( 518 lbs). The mix between a low weight and a high-revving nature required special materials. The open-deck crankase is built from an aluminum-silicon alloy and so are the twin four-valve cylinder heads.

The unit uses a dry-sump lubrication system, just like the prototype for the aforementioned 1963 powerplant did. This assures lubrication even during high-speed cornering and also reduces the height of the engine. In addition to that, the forged crankshaft is nitride-hardened.

Things have evolved and the L539 comes with no less than eight scavenger pumps. The engine uses a high-pressure oil pump, as well as an oil-water cooler and an oil-air radiator make sure that the unit works at the correct temperatures.

When the engine is in the warm-up phase, a less complex water circuit is used to complete the process faster. There's a second water circuit that also includes the external coolers, which is only used when necessary.

A glance through the glass engine cover will reveal the generously-sized intake system. This includes four individual throttle valves and uses a variable path to suit any conditions. Thus, the intake comes with two flaps, multiple channels, as well as a bypass.

The exhaust system, which uses a three-into-one layout, is just as complex. This comes with four pre-catalytic converters placed in the proximity of the engine and two catalytic converters located just ahead of the muffler. Speaking of the last, there's a generously-sized casing that includes two distinct mufflers, a low-volume and a high-volume one. The package also includes valves for controlling the sound.

Other new-age technologies such as variable timing for both the intake and the exhaust have been used, but not direct injection. Audi gifted the Gallardo's engine with FSI direct injection for superior efficiency and a touch of extra performance. Ferrari doesn't miss any opportunity to advertise this feature of its engines, so why wasn't this used for the flagship Lambo's engine?

The answer consists of two arguments against the feature. First of all, a direct injection system would've increased the engine height. Such a solution would've also increased the weight, as it requires an extra particulate filtering system. Lamborghini preferred to offer almost the same performance and efficiency without the two aforementioned drawbacks. But don't worry, if this engine will be around for half a century like its predecessor was, it has enough time to have its fuel directly sprayed into its combustion chambers.

The all-new powerplant is offered with a bonus: a transmission that's just as new and innovative. We are talking about Lamborghini's Independent Shifting Rods seven-speed robotised manual gearbox.

This is an automated manual not a double-clutch unit, as Lambo wanted to keep the gear changes emotional. This is much more compact and lighter compared to a dual-clutch unit. It's roughly the same size as a standard manual and tips the scales at 70 kg (154 lbs). More importantly, the ISR gearbox can shift gears in as little as 50 milliseconds, not too far from an F1 car's sub-40 millisecond average shift time.

The ISR gearbox shifts about 140 percent faster than the Gallardo's e-gear, which itself changes gear 40 percent quicker compared to the e-gear transmission of the pre-facelift model. Now that's (neck-snapping) progress.

The transmission uses a two-shaft layout, with the synchronizing rings being made from carbon fiber. To be more precise, the gear wheels from even and uneven gears are separated and each shifting sleeve is actuated by its own shifting rod. As the first shifting rod disengages a gear, the other is already engaging the next one, with the movements partially overlapping.

The ISR gearbox uses four independent shifting rods, which are operated using hydraulic actuators. Pressure comes from an electric pump, which works with seven hydraulic valves. The transmission relies on a double-plate clutch that's also hydraulically operated.

Once the horses exit the ISR gearbox, they're sent to the road via a four-wheel drive system that's also received technical investment. The Murcielago, as well as the Gallardo, uses a viscous coupling central differential that doesn't have electronic control, relying on self-regulation. The Aventador was gifted with a Haldex IV electronically controlled coupling. The front wheels can receive between 0 and 60 percent of the engine's torque, depending on the driving conditions.

At the back, the power is channeled through a mechanical limited slip differential, while the ESP mimics the action of such a unit for the front wheels. A second mechanical LSD wouldn't have been a viable option due to the weight penalty brought by this.

Lamborghini has developed a complex powertrain electronic management system. It's interesting to see how the company takes pride in its multi-unit setup, while Ferrari advertises the fact that it has united everything under the roof of a single ECU.

The Aventador uses a main ECU, as well as a secondary smart actuators unit and two extra black boxes described as "smart sensors". While the Prancing Horse brags it has reduced response time by integrating all the functions into a single ECU, the Raging Bull tells us that the ECU is faster thanks to the fact that some of its functions are handled by the smart actuators.

As for the two aforementioned smart sensors monitor each cylinder's combustion in real time, using the spark plugs as the actual sensors, thus optimizing engine management.

The Aventador doesn't go very deep with the optional features it offers, with the main reason for this being the fact that its price required a rich standard equipment.

The standard comfort features are led by the two-way power seats, which are also heated and covered in leather. The material is used to cover most of the surfaces in the cabin. The two-zone climate control, dual vanity mirrors, as well as the rain and light sensors follow.

For the convenience part of this chapter we'll start with the heated power mirrors. There's also a multifunctional steering wheel and a two-way adjustable steering column, with the latter unfortunately only offering manual adjustment.

Moving to the In-Car Enterntainment area, we find an audio system that uses just four speakers, offering a memory card slot, an USB connection, as well as iPhone integration. We'll also mention the hard drive navigation system and the Bluetooth connection for your phone.

As far as safety is concerned, the Aventador comes with Xenon HID headlights, a tire pressure monitoring system, stability control, Traction Control ABS and Electronic Brake Force Distribution. The vehicle offers adaptive front airbags, side airbags that serve the head and the torso and knee airbags for both occupants.

The most notable optional features include the all-round parking sensors and the rear view camera as well as the 540 watt Lamborghini Sound System. We'll also mention the fully electric seats and the branding package. We were pretty surprised to find the transparent engine cover on this side of the border.

When we said at the beginning of the chapter that there aren't many optionals, we were referring to the features. However, Lamborghini has created a complex scheme for the interior and exterior colors.

For example, the starting price of the car will only allow you to choose between black or yellow for the body and will force you to go for a black cabin. If you pay extra, you'll be able to navigate through a total of 13 exterior shades, which are available in metallic, pearlescent of matte finishes. The last finish is available for three colors through Lamborghini's Ad Personam customization program. This also allows you to choose any color you can think of for the Aventador's body.

There are four colors for the brake calipers and you can have the wheel finished in black. You'll even find two available shades for the pushrod suspension's rear springs.

The single-color interior is offered in two shades, while the two-tone leather finish brings a much wider choice of colors, offed into style lines: Bicolor Sportivo and Bicolor Elegante.

If you want to go even further with the cabin personalization, you can turn to the aforementioned Ad Personam program. This brings materials such as Alcantara and carbon fiber on the table and allows you to navigate through a sea of colors for each area of the interior.

Lamborghini has already updated the Aventador for the 2013 model year, aiming to improve the efficiency of the supercar. The V12 was gifted with a cylinder deactivation system that turns it into a 6-cylinder engine when power is not needed. In addition to that, it has received a Stop & Start system that uses innovative capacitors to restart the engine in 180 ms. The company estimates that the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are cut by an average of 7 percent.

The Aventador's carbon fiber monocoque also brings it important points for this chapter, as it gives the car a high torsional rigidity. The safety cell is formed by the base section and the roof. These are joined through a curing process that involves spending some time inside a special oven.

In the end, the structure acts as a whole and an important part of this are the stiffening elements, such as the rocker panels or the roof pillars. These are fabricated using a special technique called Braiding that focuses on providing superior rigidity - you can find more on this in the Tech Facts chapter.

The supercar packs front adaptive airbags for the driver and passenger, side airbags for the head and torso, as well as driver and passenger knee airbags.

Lamborghini has also stepped up the active safety game for the Aventador and the best example to illustrate this is the center differential. This is an electronically-controlled Haldex IV unit, which outperforms the passive viscous system found on the Murcielago and Gallardo.

Another important element for this chapter at the carbon ceramic brakes. These provide monumental stopping power and also give you tons of confidence on the road.

You can't expect to see crash test results for this kind of vehicles and the Aventador is no exception to this. No safety organization, regardless on the side of the pond where it is based, has included the V12 Lambo on its list.

Lamborghini had to do its best with the Aventador, as the company knew that the V12 supercar will act as a spokesperson for the brand. They needed something that would show the new face of the company. Everything was built from scratch, but you instantly recognize the Lamborghini spirit when you meet the car.

The Aventador has a very strong personality and this is mainly owed to the fact that this Lambo comes from another planet than the road car one. The Aventador steals moves from the aeronautical industry when it comes to the exterior and interior styling and turns to motorsport for its technical side.

This development pathway has brought performance that speaks for itself. Push the Aventador hard and you'll discover a machine which is so capable on any occasion, that you'll be afraid to exploit its full potential on the road.

The V12 creation is not difficult to control, neither when you’re simply cruising along, nor when you’re trying to see if the exhaust is actually spitting flames. This means that, besides the obvious supercar-on-the-street drama drives, you can use it both for covering long distances and for occasional trips to the track.

This V12 Lamborghini can be used as a four-wheeled argument for the fact that on-paper specs are far from telling the whole story when it comes to a supercar. Sure, the big bull's 2.9s sprint time and its 350 km/h (217 mph) top speed are superior to what a "junior" supercar like the McLaren MP4-12C has to offer, but the difference alone may not justify the serious price gap between the two.

Many will rush to give a reason for the Aventador's price by mentioning it's intimidating presence, but there's a very important asset of the car that is only revealed to those who sit behind the wheel. The Aventador's setup makes it feel extremely alive regardless of the speed. This is the best part of the car - It doesn't matter how you drive this thing, it will make you feel like a pilot in absolutely any conditions.

Don't imagine that you can rely on it for everyday driving though. Just like in the case of its predecessors, the Aventador’s impracticality remains its worst side, but the problem is considerably less disturbing than it was with its forerunners, thanks to parent Audi's education.

The Aventador’s problems start with the storage capacity, which is frustrating for long trips, so you’ll be forced to turn to complicated luggage packaging and to do some shopping at your destination.

And when you’re in a crowded city, driving the Aventador is a bit like getting into a fist fight with one hand tied behind your back. While the ISR automated manual gearbox shines on the open road, allowing you to live every gear change, it makes the car feel awkward in many urban driving situations.

Trying to acquire an Aventador will show you the difference between fairy tales and real life. Once upon a time, Lamborghini said the Aventador comes with a US suggested retail price of $379.700, which includes the gas-guzzling tax. In Europe, Lambo announced a suggested retail price of €255,000. We have to explain that since the VAT can vary from one country to another, the aforementioned price doesn't include taxes. This means that we're looking at a starting price of at least over €300,000.

And this is just the start of the cold financial shower. When it launched the car, Lamborghini had already sold out the units for the following 18 months of production. The idea of waiting a double-digit number of months for your supercar to be delivered isn’t exactly appealing. No problem, a brief search reveals multiple options for buying one on the spot, but be prepared to start the discussion with a "4".

The Aventador LP700-4 is just the beginning. With Lamborghini being Lamborghini, expect a series of special editions to roll out in the following years. The first step down this pathway has already been made through the launch of the LP700-4 Roadster, which uses a two-piece carbon fiber roof that can be stowed in the nose of the supercar. We wouldn’t mind some exposed carbon fiber in the cabin for the next edition.
THE END
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autoevolution Jan 2013
91
History
10
Exterior
10
Interior
9
In the city
6
Open road
10
Comfort
7
Tech facts
10
Gadgets
9
Safety
10
Conclusion
10
61user rating 296 votes
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