2018 Car of the Year: the Lamborghini Huracán

2018 Car of the Year: the Lamborghini Huracán. In the 25th edition of its Car of the Year, our US parent drove different cars to a different conclusion. Robb Report US conducted its 25th annual Car of the Year contest and published the outcome in its February 2018 issue. The US event is, unsurprisingly, on a lavish scale: the 13 cars were subjected to driving tests at separate multi-day events on opposite sides of the country: in Napa Valley, California and Boca Raton, Florida. Indeed, the US judging process went through no fewer than 10 groups, totalling 202 drivers. Among the cars, there was something to suit every taste: a couple of supercars (Lamborghini Huracán Performante and McLaren 720S), three gorgeous GTs (Bentley Continental Supersports, Ferrari GTC4Lusso, Lexus LC500), two feisty sports sedans (Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Cadillac CTS-V), two ultra-luxury four-doors (BMW M760Li xDrive, Mercedes-AMG S65), three powerful convertibles (Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante, Audi R8 V10 Spyder, Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster) and an American muscle car (Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat), which elicited debate louder than its 527kW, supercharged V8 engine. At the conclusion of the mammoth event, Robb Report US announced its 2018 Car of the Year: the Lamborghini Huracán Performante. Its all-wheel drive, sophisticated aerodynamic package and atmospheric V10 engine made for an utterly intoxicating concoction.

“The Performante is Lamborghini’s most powerful Huracán, and it was a revelation to the more than scores of Robb Report readers who, over the course of 10 driving sessions, weighed its merits against the official criteria of this signature competition,” wrote the editors. “That it took a decided victory in our 2018 Car of the Year is testament to its sheer goodness as a driving partner. How could such a single-purpose machine – such a polarising, flamboyant design – ingratiate itself to so many drivers, many of whom might not ordinarily be seduced by such a wild thing? We suspect the active aerodynamics, so carefully engineered into the car that it handles as if on rails, elevate driver engagement and confidence to make every curve, every straight-line blast, a laugh-outloud experience.”

Just nudged into runner-up position was McLaren’s 720S. It was a close-run thing; the McLaren, it seems, was marked down only on aspects of its cockpit access, the ergonomic awkwardness of its seat controls, and the peculiar feel of the carbon-ceramic brakes, which respond best when punished. Still, as one of the (presumably more experienced) drivers commented: “This may well be the new standard by which sports cars are judged.” What was most apparent, if unsurprising, was the general excellence of the entire CotY field, which in turn put the spotlight on the emotion and passion that’s inevitable when any such collection of cars is assembled. Robb Report’s US editors summed it up best: “The biggest lesson learned is that one can never predict the love or hate elicited by certain automobiles. And the sheer diversity of our judges ensures that one driver’s heartthrob could be another’s heartburn. It’s a safe bet, however, that at the end of an exhausting day of driving, evaluating and voting by our judges, every one of these 13 cars is someone’s winner.”

Sources: Robb Report Australia, July 2018

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