Ok, so thanks to Jordan of Shiraki Photo, I was able to test drive the brand new Lamborghini Aventador. This 700 HP, $400,000+ beast was my b*tch for 10 or so minutes courtesy of the baller Jordan who hooked me up with a test drive. And needless to say... it totally made my Sunday.
First things first, so as I came up to the Aventador the first thing I had to note is that it is absolutely stunning. Not since the Diablo have I been floored by how incredibly brilliant a car can look. This car is absolutely stunning. This is one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen and it is every bit as gorgeous in person as it is in the pictures. And the attention is in the details. I can't go into every little bit, but for example even the hexagonal vents are cut unevenly in such a way it mimics a carbon fiber weave. Let me repeat that. The vents. Asymmetrically cut to give a carbon fiber appearance. Stuff you don't normally even wash are given the full treatment. Absolutely brilliant.
(I drove the black one. :smile
I went for the door handle and with a light touch the door flips open... VERTICALLY... like a proper Lamborghini. :tongue: None of this horizontal crap says I. Getting in wasn't too bad. Surprisingly the seat moves forward with a standard lever bar in the front and I had to do the "dog dragging its butt across the carpet" move to move the seat forward. The first thing I notice is how refined the interior is. Just brilliant. Clean, crisp, tight... are the words that come to mind. The car starts by flipping up a missile launch flap and pushing a start button. That alone is worth .... about $200,000. Oh and the sound. This sound of this car is just unbelievable. Not too loud, not too soft. Just a growl that just makes you shake your head.
Disable the electronic parking break, shift it into reverse and the backup camera makes it a simple chore. Surprisingly, the rearward visibility is very good via the mirrors alone. But then again, this is coming from a guy with tiny GT side mirrors and a rear hatch with scoop that makes the rear view mirror all but useless. The transmission feels extremely heavy; like it was pulled out of a bulldozer.
Engage the front hydraulics to clear a few bumps and we are off to the freeway on ramp. Oh the sweet freeway on ramp. You guys know what I'm talking about. The chance to floor it with impunity and using the excuse of needing to merge with traffic. I stab it.
So first off, the car pulls like a freight train. The AWD completely puts all HPs to the ground. There is no turbo lag. It's just instant power on tap like the only way a 6.5L V12 can. Gears shift effortlessly and before you know it you are clearing 100 mph. But here's the thing. The car is sooooo stable, soooo planted, soooo controlled, it doesn't feel fast at all. At no point do you say "oh crap" or pucker your third eye, because the car is just so calm and collected, it's just seems like business as usual. Wait. Let me step back. This car is face melting fast. It will punch you in the gut no matter what gear, no matter what speed. It's like a bull being held back by dental floss and when you hit the accelerator it slaps you across the face like a jealous ex lover (not that I know anything about that :biggrin. It's just I come from the turbo world. The world where I don't want a slap; I want a Mike Tyson-esque KO punch across the jaw. This car just pulls you like you jumped out of plane. It just pulls and pulls and pulls. The best way I can put it is, just imagine a sumo wrestler slowly sitting on you. That's what it feels like. I'm just used to anvils being dropped on your skull. :wink:
Unfortunately Highway Patrol decided to linger so I had to take it easy for a while, but for the most part the car was the most refined and stable vehicle I have ever been in. 120 mph feels like 30 mph. Really. And perhaps that's probably the only complaint I could possibly have. The cars feels like an instrument of speed. A device designed to take you to speeds not meant for human consumption. But safely and reliably. This is a car that is designed to get you to 0-60 in under 3 seconds all day long.... as you get your groceries and dry cleaning.
I didn't get to really test the handling but for the most part, it felt as stable as a mountain goat. For as big and heavy as this car is, the Aventador felt like a go-kart. You literally just point it to where you want to go and it just goes there. A few more high speed pulls and the few things that stand out in my mind are:
1) The sound. The car has one of the most beautiful exhaust notes I've ever heard.
2) This car is about as complete of a car I can think of. There is nothing I can fault about it...
3) Except that lacks a certain soul. As I said before, it's an instrument of speed. If your only priority is to go as humanly fast as possible, then I can't think of any other better production vehicle. If you want to stir your soul and remind yourself why the automobile was one of the greatest creations of mankind... well I might have to "steer" you in another direction.
Bottom line is this. This Lamborghini Aventador is truly a feat of engineering marvel. It is absolutely brilliant on so many levels. And again I have Jordan ShirakiPhoto to thank for what will be a memorable and once in a lifetime experience. If you've ever driven a Murcielagos, which I'm sure you all have :tongue:, then you'll realize that it is an epic leap forward than that old bull; in every way it is far superior. The Aventador will probably rewrite the standard(s) in automotive engineering but yet there is something lacking that will capture the hearts of drivers like say a Ferrari F40 will. However, having said that, I'd still give my left nut to own one.:smile:
Stay tuned.... there is a BONUS to this story that you don't want to miss.... :smile: Let's just say, have you ever been curious what a '91 turbo boosted widebody NSX does next to a brand new 700HP Aventador? :smile:
First things first, so as I came up to the Aventador the first thing I had to note is that it is absolutely stunning. Not since the Diablo have I been floored by how incredibly brilliant a car can look. This car is absolutely stunning. This is one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen and it is every bit as gorgeous in person as it is in the pictures. And the attention is in the details. I can't go into every little bit, but for example even the hexagonal vents are cut unevenly in such a way it mimics a carbon fiber weave. Let me repeat that. The vents. Asymmetrically cut to give a carbon fiber appearance. Stuff you don't normally even wash are given the full treatment. Absolutely brilliant.
(I drove the black one. :smile
I went for the door handle and with a light touch the door flips open... VERTICALLY... like a proper Lamborghini. :tongue: None of this horizontal crap says I. Getting in wasn't too bad. Surprisingly the seat moves forward with a standard lever bar in the front and I had to do the "dog dragging its butt across the carpet" move to move the seat forward. The first thing I notice is how refined the interior is. Just brilliant. Clean, crisp, tight... are the words that come to mind. The car starts by flipping up a missile launch flap and pushing a start button. That alone is worth .... about $200,000. Oh and the sound. This sound of this car is just unbelievable. Not too loud, not too soft. Just a growl that just makes you shake your head.
Disable the electronic parking break, shift it into reverse and the backup camera makes it a simple chore. Surprisingly, the rearward visibility is very good via the mirrors alone. But then again, this is coming from a guy with tiny GT side mirrors and a rear hatch with scoop that makes the rear view mirror all but useless. The transmission feels extremely heavy; like it was pulled out of a bulldozer.
Engage the front hydraulics to clear a few bumps and we are off to the freeway on ramp. Oh the sweet freeway on ramp. You guys know what I'm talking about. The chance to floor it with impunity and using the excuse of needing to merge with traffic. I stab it.
So first off, the car pulls like a freight train. The AWD completely puts all HPs to the ground. There is no turbo lag. It's just instant power on tap like the only way a 6.5L V12 can. Gears shift effortlessly and before you know it you are clearing 100 mph. But here's the thing. The car is sooooo stable, soooo planted, soooo controlled, it doesn't feel fast at all. At no point do you say "oh crap" or pucker your third eye, because the car is just so calm and collected, it's just seems like business as usual. Wait. Let me step back. This car is face melting fast. It will punch you in the gut no matter what gear, no matter what speed. It's like a bull being held back by dental floss and when you hit the accelerator it slaps you across the face like a jealous ex lover (not that I know anything about that :biggrin
. It's just I come from the turbo world. The world where I don't want a slap; I want a Mike Tyson-esque KO punch across the jaw. This car just pulls you like you jumped out of plane. It just pulls and pulls and pulls. The best way I can put it is, just imagine a sumo wrestler slowly sitting on you. That's what it feels like. I'm just used to anvils being dropped on your skull. :wink:Unfortunately Highway Patrol decided to linger so I had to take it easy for a while, but for the most part the car was the most refined and stable vehicle I have ever been in. 120 mph feels like 30 mph. Really. And perhaps that's probably the only complaint I could possibly have. The cars feels like an instrument of speed. A device designed to take you to speeds not meant for human consumption. But safely and reliably. This is a car that is designed to get you to 0-60 in under 3 seconds all day long.... as you get your groceries and dry cleaning.
I didn't get to really test the handling but for the most part, it felt as stable as a mountain goat. For as big and heavy as this car is, the Aventador felt like a go-kart. You literally just point it to where you want to go and it just goes there. A few more high speed pulls and the few things that stand out in my mind are:
1) The sound. The car has one of the most beautiful exhaust notes I've ever heard.
2) This car is about as complete of a car I can think of. There is nothing I can fault about it...
3) Except that lacks a certain soul. As I said before, it's an instrument of speed. If your only priority is to go as humanly fast as possible, then I can't think of any other better production vehicle. If you want to stir your soul and remind yourself why the automobile was one of the greatest creations of mankind... well I might have to "steer" you in another direction.
Bottom line is this. This Lamborghini Aventador is truly a feat of engineering marvel. It is absolutely brilliant on so many levels. And again I have Jordan ShirakiPhoto to thank for what will be a memorable and once in a lifetime experience. If you've ever driven a Murcielagos, which I'm sure you all have :tongue:, then you'll realize that it is an epic leap forward than that old bull; in every way it is far superior. The Aventador will probably rewrite the standard(s) in automotive engineering but yet there is something lacking that will capture the hearts of drivers like say a Ferrari F40 will. However, having said that, I'd still give my left nut to own one.:smile:
Stay tuned.... there is a BONUS to this story that you don't want to miss.... :smile: Let's just say, have you ever been curious what a '91 turbo boosted widebody NSX does next to a brand new 700HP Aventador? :smile:
