Lamborghini Revuelto: First look at the new hybrid supercar

Editor’s note: This is the first of a multi-part series. Come back for our impressions of the car’s interior, infotainment system, and Lamborghini’s new production process.

Lamborghini isn’t known for subtlety. The crypto bro’s ultimate dream supercar is as famous for its uncompromisingly bold looks as it is for its incredibly loud and powerful V12 engine. So how do you keep up with the times and turn the Lambo into a quiet little hybrid?

Well, you don’t. The Lamborghini Revuelto, the company’s first ever hybrid car, is just as loud, powerful, and mighty as you’d expect from the brand. But now, it gives you a choice to take it down a notch, if you so desire.

I got to see and touch the Revuelto, named after a famous Spanish fighting bull, at Lamborghini’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, located half an hour away from Bologna, Italy. From the outside, the factory is a seemingly endless set of massive white and gray containers in which the brand’s fabled performance monsters are made. Once inside the factory’s perimeter, I was greeted by possibly the most impressive parking lot in the world, littered with Lamborghinis of all sorts, ranging from fairly regular looking Huracáns, to highly customized Aventadors, and even some partially camouflaged models, which weren’t ready to be seen by members of the press just yet.

We weren’t there to lust over the multi-deca-million dollar assemblage of gas-powered monsters; we were invited to spend some time with the Revuelto, one of the most important cars in the company’s history.

Lamborghini doesn’t launch new cars very often. The original Aventador was launched in 2011; Huracán came in 2014, and the Urus SUV was unveiled in 2018. The Revuelto is the spiritual successor of the Aventador, as it is also powered by a V12, 6.5 litre engine. It is also a hybrid, which may sound like a perfectly normal thing to most people, but it’s a scary proposal for a Lamborghini fan.

Here’s why: The Lamborghini’s 12-cylinder engine is loud. Very loud. It roars and rumbles when you press it a little; it absolutely screams when you rev it up anywhere near its limit which, for the Revuelto, is an absolutely nutty 9,500rpm. While I didn’t get to drive the Revuelto, I saw it move a little on Lamborghini’s stage, and I heard it roar, and reader, I can attest that it’s still the good, old, extremely over-the-top sound you expect from a Lambo.

Does it make any sense to pair a 7kW battery and three electric motors – two supplying traction to the front wheels, and a third available to supply power to the rear wheels if needed – with a loud, thirsty V12 gas engine? Probably not, but again, the Revuelto is not the type of car you buy because it’s the best choice for your daily commute and your IKEA trips.

The hybrid part of the Revuelto does make sense from a Lamborghini fan’s standpoint. It provides a little more power to the car, totalling a maximum output of 1,000 horsepower, and helping it reach a 100km/h speed in 2.5 seconds. It should improve traction and handling, too.

But it can also tame the beast. The Revuelto comes with as many as 13 driving modes, one of which, called Cittá, quiets it down completely and allows you to drive through a historic city center with zero emissions (only for a few minutes, though). If you want to show what the Revuelto can really do, you can select Sport mode, which makes it more agile and a lot louder, while the Corsa mode is designed for track driving.

Anyone wondering whether the new, hybrid Lamborghini is too tame for them will likely be dissuaded just by looking at the thing. The Revualto is as sharp and angular as ever, with all-new, Y-shaped headlights and taillights, massive side fins, Lamborghini’s trademark scissor doors, and absolutely enormous, double hexagonal exhausts in the rear. Despite the aggressive design, Lamborghini says it managed to reduce drag while increasing downforce compared to the Aventador.

Inside, the infotainment has been brought up to speed, with three displays; one for the pilot (as Lamborghini likes to call the driver), a smaller one for their copilot, and a vertically positioned, 8.4-inch display in the center, providing you with information on selected driving mode, air conditioning, music, and other details on what’s happening with the car. Mercifully, Lamborghini hasn’t gone overboard with the displays, like Porsche did on its Taycan; the Revuelto still feels like a sportscar inside.

There’s no word on price, but as you may imagine, your crypto portfolio will likely have to balloon considerably before you can order one. Similarly, fuel consumption and emissions data weren’t availably at writing time. The folks at Lamborghini don’t seem particularly worried about buyers, though; they’re quite sure they caught their attention with this one.