2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica
TECNICAly The Best Huracan Yet
While we’d all like to see a Lamborghini Huracán STO sitting in our garage, it’s one car that truly does belong on a racetrack. Now, if there was only a way to get the STO’s performance in a street-friendly ride that’s as easy to drive as it is easy on the eyes. Well, Lamborghini has granted our wishes with the Huracán Tecnica!
Unless you spend a lot of time following all the goings-on in the exotic performance car world, you might find it hard to keep up with Lamborghini. Since they established a whole new level of supercar accessibility with the entry-level Huracán for 2015, they’ve been constantly evolving it, even adding Evo to the name of its current base model to drive the point home.
Their latest wind of change is this 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica which takes most of what makes the top STO great, including its engine, and puts it in a something a little more street-able; essentially creating an additional tweener model between mild and wild. Regardless, it’s a Lamborghini, so we couldn’t wait to get on the track at Savannah, Georgia’s Roebling Road Raceway.
With all of its performance potential, it’s clear right away that the friendly Huracán nature remains fully intact. Your senses tell you to take it easy the first few laps, but you soon find yourself pushing harder and harder.
Much of the STO’s outlandish aero treatments are gone, that means a smaller wing and fewer air intakes. But the car’s shape itself still creates an amazing amount of downforce, providing grip aplenty for the tires; which are 245/30 Bridgestone Potenza Sports in front, 305/30 in rear; all mounted on diamond-cut 20-inch wheels. The front splitter is unique, as is the rear fascia, along with a subtle reshaping of the panel at the base of the windshield.
Lamborghini’s LDVI integrated driving dynamics control works through Strada, Sport, and Corsa drive modes, staying mostly behind the scenes enhancing your abilities, not holding back the car’s. For track use, Corsa puts you mostly in total control, though there always seems to be a safety net in place.
The Tecnica is rear-wheel drive only, so the front end feels lighter than AWD variants, and more willing to turn in; aided by good steering feel for precise inputs, as well as standard rear-wheel steer. Carbon-ceramic brakes are included, giving great feel and consistent results throughout our track days. It absolutely wails going around the track thanks to the free-flowing exhaust of that glorious mid-ship mounted V10 engine.
This 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 was an outlier when it first arrived; no turbos, superchargers, or battery assist. It’s even more so now, and we love hearing every one of its 631-horsepower and 417 lb-ft. of torque being made. It still works through the same 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Put to the straight-line test, despite being rear-drive only, there was no lack of grip off the line. Just immense power flowing non-stop. We hit 60 in only 2.9-seconds and finished the ¼ in 10.7-seconds at 134 miles-per-hour.
Lamborghini has already said that they’ll be winding down Huracán production soon; so, were not sure whether to be sad about that, or excited for what’s next. At its base level, the Tecnica is more luxurious and less purposeful than the STO, but with the full cannon of Lamborghini customizations available, buyers can basically add in as many of the STO’s goodies as they want, including lots of carbon fiber.
Driven on the street, it’s not quite like a Camry, but it is comfortable and surprisingly easy to drive; though thankfully you can still hear plenty of mechanical noises, and you’re obviously well conscious of your investment.
While performance-wise the Tecnica is situated in between the base Huracán Evo and top STO, Lamborghini no longer offers a rear-wheel drive base Huracán, so the Tecnica actually starts a few thousand less, at $244,795. Meaning, unless you absolutely need all-wheel drive, you can get the best of both Huracán worlds, and still pay a tad less for it.
So, while most people in our world today tend to look at compromise as a dirty word, it’s the very thing that made the Huracán a true game changer when it arrived, and what has continued to make it a longtime success story. The 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica takes that theme to the extreme; though engineered for the street, it feels equally at home on the track, making it “TECNICAly”, the best Huracán yet.
Specifications
- Engine: 5.2L V10
- Horsepower: 631
- Torque: 417 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 10.7 seconds at 134 mph
2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe
Genesis GV80 SUV Upstaged By Stylish New Sidekick
These days if you don’t have a coupe version of your luxury SUV, you’re not trying hard enough. And that’s something that Hyundai and their luxury division Genesis could never be accused of. So, let’s go for a spin in the latest oh so stylish GV utility from Genesis.
The 2025 model year brings an updated midsize Genesis GV80 utility, which we recently put to the test. It also brings this sloped roof Coupe cousin along with it, which adds much more than just some athletic proportions to the luxury crossover party.
But, let’s start with the GV80’s already gorgeous styling, which received a new 2-line crest grille and updated lighting for ’25. Naturally this Coupe has a more severely sloped roofline that leads to a hatchback-like tail with an integrated kick-up spoiler.
Adding the final bit of garnish are 20 and 22-inch wheel options that are not available on the standard SUV. It looks fantastic overall; sportier, but still very luxurious, fitting right in with the Bentley’s and Benz’s at the valet line of whatever latest “it” restaurant or hotel you drive up to.
Even more appealing to us is what’s under the GV80 Coupe’s long hood, a new optional twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with an e-Supercharger.
This 48-volt power booster is in place to fill in any gaps in power delivery from the turbos as well as feed in a little additional boost, increasing the standard V6 output from 375-horsepower and 391 lb-ft. of torque to 409-horsepower and 405 lb-ft. E-supercharged models come with black painted brake calipers and quad exhaust tips. Power is distributed through an 8-speed automatic transmission to standard all-wheel-drive.
While it mostly shares the GV80’s updated interior, there are a few exclusive details that come with the Coupe. The Nappa leather seats get a unique stitching pattern, and just to emphasis the sporty mission, there’s available carbon-fiber trim to replace the usual wood appliques, a 2-tone flat-bottom steering wheel, and added metal accents on the pedals. Cargo capacity does take a hit, falling nearly 20% from 36.5 to 30.3 cubic-ft., expanding to 62.1 with the rear seatbacks down.
Understeer was minor and well-controllable, allowing us to keep up a good pace through the cones.
To go along with the sportier details and boost in power, GV80 Coupes with the e-supercharger also get an added Sport+ drive mode that dials back stability control intrusion, provides a more aggressive transmission tune, and tightens up steering. Through the handling course at our Mason Dixon Dragway proving grounds, the GV80 Coupe did still exhibit a lot of body roll, but understeer was minor and well-controllable, allowing us to keep up a good pace through the cones.
Checking out that new powertrain was next on the list, and we could indeed feel a little something extra off the line, but then just as quickly, it settled down and we reached 60 in the exact same 5.6-seconds we achieved in the 3.5 twin-turbo GV80 SUV without the e-supercharger.
There was no drop off in power throughout the ¼-mile run however, and shifts were quick but still very smooth. All in all, it was a swift and luxurious 14.2-second trip to the end of the track, at which point we were travelling 100 miles-per-hour and the GV80 Coupe felt like it was just getting started.
In braking runs, that soft suspension did lend itself to some significant nosedive, but there was a surprising amount of feedback through the vehicle, and stops from 60 were stable and steady, averaging a very short 98-feet.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are slightly improved compared to the GV80 SUV’s V6 at 18-City, 22-Highway, and 20-Combined. But that’s still a slightly below average Energy Impact Score; consuming 14.9-barrels of oil yearly while emitting 7.5-tons of CO2.
Pricing starts at $81,300, which is only $150 more than the top GV80 SUV, opting for the e-supercharged turbo-6, which for now is exclusive to the Coupe, takes it to $87,100.
Genesis continues to stake their claim in the luxury vehicle landscape. Coupe-style SUVs may have limited practicality compared to the SUVs they’re based on, but for better or worse, they’ve not only become an important part of almost all luxury carmaker’s portfolios but are quickly becoming the status symbols of their brands. The Genesis GV80 Coupe is well equipped to be just that for Genesis.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 409
- Torque: 405 lb-ft.
- EPA: 18 City | 22 Highway | 20 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 5.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.2 seconds at 100 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg.): 98 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 22.9 MPG (Premium)