2020 Lamborghini Huracan Evo RWD: Fewer Driven Wheels, Less Power—More Fun?

06.01.2020 22:05

MotorTrend.com

The recently, um, evolved Lamborghini Huracan Evo represents a huge step up over the pre-Evo base Huracan. As we noted last year, “there might not be a car within 100 horsepower that’s easier to drive and drift at full tilt.” Now, Lamborghini is introducing a rear-wheel-drive version of the previously all-wheel-drive-only Huracan Evo for 2020 that […]

The post 2020 Lamborghini Huracan Evo RWD: Fewer Driven Wheels, Less Power—More Fun? appeared first on MotorTrend.

The recently, um, evolved Lamborghini Huracan Evo represents a huge step up over the pre-Evo base Huracan. As we noted last year, “there might not be a car within 100 horsepower that’s easier to drive and drift at full tilt.” Now, Lamborghini is introducing a rear-wheel-drive version of the previously all-wheel-drive-only Huracan Evo for 2020 that should add a little challenge back into the sports car’s driving experience.

That’s because drivers will need to contend with the shove of a 5.2-liter V-10 engine—the same one that powers the all-wheel-drive Huracan Evo—using only the Lambo’s two rear tires. That task is unlikely to be eased much by Lamborghini’s decision to detune the V-10 from the AWD model’s 630 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque to “just” 610 ponies and 413 lb-ft. After all, the RWD Evo’s top speed still exceeds 200 mph.

Lamborghini nonetheless claims that the rear-drive Evo is not focused on straight-line speeds or lap-time records. (Somewhat unconvincingly, the automaker cites as evidence the two-wheel-drive Evo’s glacial zero-to-62-mph time of 3.3 seconds versus the AWD version’s 2.9-second rip.) Sure. And despite weighing 73 pounds less than its all-wheel-drive sibling, the rear-drive Evo suffers a worse power-to-weight ratio, lugging around 5.03 pounds per horsepower versus the AWD model’s 4.89.

That said, the lighter RWD Evo is being framed as the driving purist’s pick—and we can get on board with that claim, mostly because the car promises glorious drifty awesomeness. The Performance Traction Control System (P-TCS) has been recalibrated specifically for rear-drive antics, and won’t cut engine torque when activated even when the car is realigning following drifting or side-slipping. Changing the Evo’s drive mode in turn changes the P-TCS system’s thinking; in the track-focused Corsa mode, for example, P-TCS is said to enhance smoothness of stability control intervention by 30 percent, corner-exit traction by 20 percent, and oversteer by 30 percent compared to the previous Huracan RWD. Translation? The Evo may help smooth over your ham-fisted driving when you feel like kicking the tail out.

You might not have noticed it immediately, but the RWD Evo looks a little different from the AWD model, too. It gets a new front splitter and a cleaner-looking trio of air intake openings. (See the side-by-side photo above; the rear-drive model is pictured on the right.) In the back, there is a new diffuser. There are 19-inch Kari wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires standard, as well as steel brake rotors; 20-inch wheels with carbon-ceramic brake rotors are optional.

In the case of the rear-drive Lamborghini Huracan Evo, less really is less. The retail price of $208,571 undercuts the $260,000-plus all-wheel-drive model by a significant margin. While you may have less horsepower to work with, you can bet that you’ll have far more smokey burnouts and slides on tap. Less really can be more evolved, it seems.