2017 Lamborghini Aventador S first drive review

In a way, driving the Lamborghini Aventador flat out is a little like dying - a curious parallel for such a life-giving experience.

The Red Cross recommends adults in danger of choking to death are helped with a combination of "back blows" and "chest thrusts", otherwise known as the Heimlich Manoeuvre.

So it occurs to me that the wildest supercar on sale in Australia might be trying to save my life, squeezing my torso with astounding accelerative force punctuated by percussive blows between the shoulders - the combination of an omnipotent engine and the harshest transmission devised by man or beast.

The narrow forward field of view offers a sort of tunnel vision as I look to the light emanating from the Lamborghini ahead - blue flames pouring from its exhaust as we streak along the track. 

Far from being an occasional flicker, the light show oozing from the space shuttle-inspired tailpipes of the Aventador S is a steady glow that speaks to its other-worldliness.

Though impossible to see from the driver's seat, I can picture ceramic brakes turning bright orange as we scrub away speed for the hairpin, etching faint lines into the tarmac as four of Pirelli's best relinquish their hold.

No one can best Lamborghini for supercar theatre.

And it just got even better.

While it feels like a perfectly orchestrated moment, Lamborghini's launch of the new Aventador S didn't quite go to plan.

Having selected a corner of Spain in October for its consistently dry and sunny weather, its event team arrived to find Valencia in the midst of its heaviest rainfall period in decades. Journalists from Europe and the UK faced standing water and rivulets running across the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, making life a little too exciting for all concerned.

But the Australian press day started in dry conditions just after dawn, when new Lamborghini chief Stefano Domenicali insisted we abandon a planned technical presentation to hit the track before rain arrived. Light was limited when we went out on the first laps, allowing the engine's pyrotechnics to be felt, heard and seen.

Domenicali paces pit lane like a proud chef insisting we all taste the difference between the original Aventador and this latest dish. The former Ferrari F1 boss is eager to make sure that we drive the car hard in all of its modes, to better understand the change of character in an updated model that features bespoke tyres, four-wheel-steering, adaptive steering and magnetically adjustable suspension on top of the usual increases in visual drama and engine output.  

Even so, Lamborghini is an anachronism in the supercar world, declining to join the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren in developing hybrid powered supercars or turning to turbocharging to make its machines more sensible and efficient. 

Instead, the brand persists with glorious naturally aspirated engines that offer a sense of theatre few cars can match - in a V12 layout for the Aventador flagship, or a V10 for the smaller and 
cheaper Huracan.

That's unlikely to change soon, with Lamborghini research and development chief Maurizio Reggiani saying the big V12 is the perfect match for proper supercars like the Aventador, and Domenicali insists that the layout will remain for years to come.

The Aventador is pure Lamborghini, unlike the Huracan which shares its engine and core structure with Audi's R8. Able to trace its lineage back through the legendary Murcielago, Diablo, Countach and Miura, the Aventador is a thick wedge of old-school supercar drama that - to my eyes - represents the most exotic shape on the road. 

Designers took inspiration from the Countach when styling the facelifted Aventador S, adding shoulder-mounted air intakes and reprofiled, somewhat squared-off rear wheel arches that pay tribute to the brand's most iconic model. A more aggressive front end with clever air management improves on the original car's downforce and aerodynamic efficiency while somehow looking more integrated. There are new centre lock wheels on the option sheet, as well as an interior home to a revised digital dash and stereo with Apple CarPlay.

Lifting its scissor-action door skyward, it's clear the Aventador stands on its own for sheer drama. While some supercars are surprisingly liveable, this one asks you to make concessions - climbing in is inarguably awkward, as are the driving posture compromises you must make. Its pedals are well off-centre to make room for massive wheels, and headroom in the cramped cockpit is tight, even with the seat so far back that it rattles and squeaks against the rear bulkhead.

This cabin offers a shocking lack of visibility, and it's infuriating that Lamborghini does not offer blind spot assistance in a car that needs it more than anything else on the road. The infotainment display is not a touchscreen, but something manipulated by a control wheel long since dumped by its Audi donor, and cabin storage is laughable.

But that all fades away when you flip up the cartoonish weapons-release toggle that protects its starter button, and prod the 6.5-litre engine into life. Lamborghini have mastered the art of the V12, and the Aventador's motor dominates every element of its driving experience.  

Let's start with numbers. The revised engine produces 544kW at 8400rpm, 100 revolutions before its rev limiter arrives. It officially uses an absurd 16.9L/100km off fuel (but only if you drive like a saint) and the 690Nm torque peak arrives at a fairly late 5500rpm. The 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in 2.9 seconds, you can double that speed in 8.8 seconds, and maximum velocity is 350km/h or so. While has more power and the same weight as the previous model, Lamborghini says the new car is no faster in a straight line. Chalk that one up to diminishing returns, as gains at this level are extremely difficult to find.

The revised engine drives all four wheels through a unique type of seven-speed automatic single-clutch transmission Lamborghini calls ISR, for "independent shifting rods", a device selected partly for packaging purposes, but also the visceral brutality it offers. 

Driving this car with determination is a shattering experience, not only for what the car achieves, but how the Lamborghini goes about its business. Yes, it's extraordinarily fast - but so is a Porsche 911 Turbo, Nissan GT-R, Ferrari 488 or even the electric Tesla Model S. All of them will flatten your torso with forces once restricted to professional racers and and jet pilots.

But the Lamborghini gives its best with drama no other car can match. Its deep-chested song is utterly bewitching, an operatic vocal register with the range and power to have you laughing out loud with its absurdity. Get it hot enough and you can feel the exhaust's bang and crackle resonate through the carbon fibre chassis, giving the impression you are at the helm of a (barely) controlled explosion.

And that transmission is epic - set the car into the most aggressive of its four driving modes - Corsa - and each gearshift is accompanied by the sort of vindictive slap on the back usually reserved for sporting rivals. It's a needlessly harsh arrangement, one that lends a great deal of wow - or possibly "ow" - factor to the big bull.

But it doesn't have to. One of the key changes of the new car surrounds a new "Ego" driving mode that allows you to break individual elements of the steering, suspension and drivetrain out of their usual Strada, Sport and Corsa settings - giving drivers the chance to blend aggressive handling characteristics with a more docile throttle response and gearshift.

All-wheel-steering represents the most significant change to the machine, utterly transforming how it drives. 

The rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front axle at speeds below 130km/h or so, before changing tack to steer in tandem with the front end when north of that mark.

It feels like the car has a shorter wheelbase at low speed and a long wheelbase at high speed, improving agility and stability with one stroke.

Driven back-to-back, you're less likely to cross your arms when steering the new car, which has a speed of response and light-footed dartiness uncommon in machines this size - a little like the way a big rugby player can shimmy on his toes and sidestep a defender before surging for the try line.

The inherent stability offered by four-wheel steering (technology also adopted by Porsche and Ferrari) allowed engineers to change the way the Aventador delivers its power, shifting more torque toward the rear axle. The changes, in combination with revised suspension and stability control systems, make the machine much less likely to push its nose wide when cornering. Instead, the Aventador S is set up to encourage tail-out oversteer when accelerating and braking, something that will no doubt please track day enthusiasts. It's hilarious when put in a Sport mode that sends 90 per cent of drive to the rear axle, slewing the rear end wide on the exit of committed corners. Engineers also set the car up to wiggle its rump when slowing down, breaking the tail out of line to encourage the big beast to turn into bends. It's an utterly addictive experience on a dry race track but more than a little intimidating on wet roads - requiring millionaire owners to bring their A-Game.

The Aventador has always looked like a jet fighter, but now it drives like one, applying the principles of fly-by-wire fighters such as the F/A-18 Hornet to a car with seriously edgy dynamics kept in check by its computer.

Unlike the previous car, which used a network of control units to keep its hardware in check, the new car's systems are controlled by a single computer that improves its fluidity of response to allow the Aventador to feel more like a single organism that a network of components. It's so much more engaging than the previous model, a car that arguably had the punch, but perhaps not the agility, to justify its exotic looks.

Priced just shy of $790,000 (around $28,000 more than the previous model), the Aventador is an irrelevance to 99.9 per cent of population. But we're so glad it's here, representing a magnificent counterpoint to political correctness, soulless appliances, self-driving cars and the march of electric technology.

While green requirements have the wild supercar listed as an endangered species, Lamborghini insists the model will retain its core elements - the carbon chassis, naturally aspirated V12 and crazy paddle shift gearbox - well into its next generation. It's great to see supercar isn't ready to die.

Because nothing else makes you feel so alive. 

But wait, there's more

The $789,425 Lamborghini asks for an Aventador buys a blank canvas of sorts - a starting point for customisation through the brand's "Ad Personam" program. 

Owners can choose from dozens of options that shape the character of the car - you can go for race-ready carbon fibre seats accompanied by grippy suede controls, or swing the other way by plumping for plush quilted leather in rich terracotta tones.No two Aventadors in Australia are likely to be identical, contributing to the exclusivity of the car.

While the the possibilities for personalisation are tempting - and you can have a go at your own version on Lamborghini's online configurator - some of the prices are eye-watering.
Want a reversing camera? That'll be bundled with parking sensors for a thrifty $9600.

Carbon-fibre exterior details, including upper air intakes, side sills and the front and rear spoilers cost $34,400, while the full carbon fibre interior treatment is another $19,400.

Centre-lock rims with red wheel nuts? Just over $10,000, sir. 

Lamborghini's classic pearlescent orange, yellow and green tones are $7800. One with the lot will add more than $160,000 to the bottom line, pushing the price to $950,000 or so plus on-road costs that help break through the $1 million mark.

2017 Lamborghini Aventador S pricing and specifications

Price: From $789,425 plus on-road costs

Engine: 6.5-litre V12 petrol

Power: 544kW at 8400rpm

Torque: 690Nm at 5500rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 16.9L/100km

• For all the latest information, visit our Lamborghini showroom.