2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica 0–60 MPH, 1/4-Mile Tested: Slower and … Better?

Since model year 2014, we've tested five versions of the Lamborghini Huracán. The latest rear-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steering model—the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica—features revised aerodynamics, uniquely tailored drive modes, and added brake cooling, among other things. What remains the same are the 630-hp/417-lb-ft naturally aspirated 5.2-liter 90-degree V-10 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that are shared with the track-focused Huracán STO. These two versions lack the all-wheel-drive setup we last tested in the Huracán Evo AWD, which also enjoys a torque bump to 442 lb-ft. So how does the "best-of-both-worlds" Huracán Tecnica fare against its two siblings?

Every Lamborghini Huracán features a dedicated launch-control program: Corsa (or Trofeo in the STO) drive mode > ESC off > select first gear > brake to the floor > throttle to the floor > 1-2 seconds to stabilize engine revs > release brake (no manual upshifts needed despite Corsa/Trofeo mode). The thundering V-10 settles at about 4,500 rpm before you release the brake pedal, then bam! Instant no-lag, no-bog launches. Of note, the engine was so loud, the driver got a dangerous noise-level notification from his Apple watch every time. All three cars wear the same size (front; rear) tires (245/30R20 90Y; 305/30R20 103Y). And both the Huracán Tecnica and STO we tested share the same Bridgestone Potenza Race L tire. The Evo, when we tested it, wore Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires customized for Lamborghini.

The 3,470-pound 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica needed only 1.3 seconds to launch to 30 mph, and 2.8 seconds to reach 60 mph. Its seatback-crushing 0.91-g acceleration peaked at 42.8 mph. The lighter-by-80-pounds STO managed a fractionally better 1.2-second launch but tied the Tecnica at 2.8 seconds to 60 mph. Its higher peak acceleration occurred earlier with 0.97 g at 29.4 mph. Despite its added weight (3,645 pounds), the Evo exploits its AWD and gets its 0-30-mph time down to 1.0 second on the way to a 2.5-second 0-60-mph time. To nobody's surprise, it accelerated even harder at 1.09 g as it passed 14.2 mph. Few supercars launch with as much force as the Huracán Evo AWD.

We found it interesting that despite horsepower peaking in each Huracán at 8,000 rpm, the blink-of-an-eye upshifts occurred at the 8,500-rpm redline. Somewhere mid-track, the Tecnica claws 0.1 second back from the STO to cross the quarter-mile finish line ahead of the STO, 10.6 seconds versus 10.7. We suspect the STO's giant double-element rear wing, roof snorkel, and other track-oriented aero bits contributed to its 2.2-mph trap-speed deficit to the Tecnica (134.5 versus 132.3 mph). Meanwhile the Evo AWD maintains its 0.2-0.3 second earned at the launch to cover the 1,320-foot race in 10.5 seconds at 132.7 mph.

No surprise, really: The track-focused STO came away with the best overall Huracán performance on our figure-eight course (22.3 seconds while gathering up an average/accumulated 0.99 g in all four directions). It also clung to the pavement with a rib-straining 1.16 g (average) of lateral acceleration.

It felt like other Huracáns we've tested, just louder, angrier, and sharper. The overwhelming sense is experiential. There's no ignoring the engine (because Lamborghini), and hearing pebbles spit up into the wheelwells reveals its weight-saving measures. The shifts are lightning-quick and harsh. The STO briefly needed fourth gear to get across the middle of the course, demonstrating its short gearing. The brakes are easier to modulate than anticipated, unlike some Lamborghinis. The four-wheel-steering system pointed and turned the car in like a laser beam. There's so much grip, it can be disorienting. The Huracán STO feels like the race car it's based on, so there isn't much wiggle room to try different techniques. It just says, "Thrash me while I thrash you."

That said, with its explosive acceleration and comparable braking capabilities, the Huracán Evo AWD tied the hardcore STO's lap time while giving up some skidpad grip (1.12 g). A 22.3-second lap with an average of 0.96 g is more impressive considering the car's setup isn't as sharp as the STO's.

Bringing up the rear is the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica. With softer acceleration, similar braking to the STO but less average lateral grip (1.09 g), the 22.6-second/0.96-g average lap is somewhat of a forgone conclusion. Yet it is so much more accessible than any previous Huracán. The brake pedal is outstandingly good at telling you where the ABS threshold is, so it's easy to stay just out of it. While turning the Tecnica into the corner, it's super easy to trail the brakes into the skidpad and release them at the precise/appropriate speed. Like most supercars, there is a whiff of understeer at the limit, but this one doesn't threaten to oversteer until the exit. The acceleration is very linear, and the transmission is practically seamless. The overall experience makes for an especially satisfying and rewarding supercar to drive, without the STO's edginess.

Lamborghini's claim of the 2023 Huracán Tecnica delivering the "best of both worlds" checks out. The supercar puts up performances tantalizingly (and somewhat surprisingly) close to the racy STO, but with less abuse than that version dishes out to its driver. The measurable, negligible performance differences our testing unearthed wouldn't be known to us if we drove the cars without the precise and expensive data loggers we use for testing. Indeed, the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica certainly seems like the sweet spot in the lineup. The STO is really something, but we'd rather drive the Tecnica up into the canyons and back.

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On this episode of The InEvitable vodcast, we talk with incredible overachiever Kevin Czinger, who has had a ridiculous life and career, and his son Lukas about their hypercar company and the car they've produced, the amazing Czinger 21 C. We also find out how they got their starts in automotive, and where auto manufacturing is going through the lens of their parent company, Divergent3D.