2023 Lamborghini Huracan STO review

Meet the fastest and most powerful rear-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan V10 supercar to date. And what is expected to be the second-last Lamborghini supercar without hybrid or electric power.

The Lamborghini Huracan STO is a lightweight race car for the road.

It looks – and costs – a million bucks (well, almost).

And despite being the most powerful iteration of its V10 to date, Lamborghini has elected to send drive to the rear wheels only – rather than benefiting from the extra grip provided by all-wheel drive – and that makes it quite the handful.

Without the necessary driving skills – or access to a racetrack – to tame such a beast, it’s a bit like having a racehorse as a pony for the kids. In a suburban backyard.

We were handed the keys for 48 hours. As exciting as it was to take delivery, it was also a relief to hand it back.

Here’s why the limited edition, carbon-fibre Lamborghini Huracan STO was a roller-coaster ride in more ways than one.

Some options on the Lamborghini Huracan STO are dearer than most popular small cars.

The vehicle’s RRP of $607,920 before on-road costs is just the start.

The test vehicle was equipped with $259,720 worth of options, which brought the total to $867,649 plus on-road costs.

By the time it’s in the traffic, with stamp duty, registration, insurance and other charges included, the Lamborghini Huracan STO is priced somewhere between $900,000 and $1 million (stamp duties vary depending on state and territory).

Metallic paint is a $450 to $650 option on most makes and models in the mainstream car class.

On a Lamborghini this paintwork is $36,040 extra.

Two of the three graphics packages are $19,220 each. The main livery pack is $40,840. This car had all three combinations of sticker packs and painted stripes for an additional cost of almost $80,000.

The “carbon pack” (carbon-fibre design highlights in addition to the carbon-fibre structure and bodywork that accounts for 75 per cent of the Huracan’s make-up) is an extra $40,430.

Apple CarPlay and rear-view cameras have been standard on most new cars for several years. But smartphone connectivity is an extra $6620 and the rear camera is a cool $3920. Both of these items are standard on the $31,990 Isuzu D-Max ‘traffic controller’ base-model ute.

The front suspension lift kit – which raises the nose at the press of a button so you don’t scrape the carbon-fibre trim on the edge of the lower spoiler – is $7350.

Meantime, here is the complete options list. Test your mates, see how close they get to the nearest thousand dollars.

You’ll need to lay off the burgers to get in and out of the sports seats more elegantly.

The cabin is already cosy – made to feel like the inside of a race driver’s helmet thanks to the black roof-lining and long, sloping windscreen pillars.

The switchgear – including the starter button underneath a faux missile switch cover – underlines the fighter-pilot vibe Lamborghini is going for here.

In fact, it’s so cool, you don’t even need to drive it. Just fire up the engine, let it warm up, and rev it a few times to impress your mates and annoy the neighbours.

And the brightly coloured seatbelts? That’ll be $3060 thanks.

Apparently, the Lamborghini Huracan STO we tested was equipped with Apple CarPlay (though not Android Auto). We didn’t notice because we were listening to the sounds coming from just millimetres behind the seats from the glorious V10.

As we noted earlier, the smartphone integration package is a $6620 option. Had we known at the time it was such an expensive option, we would have tuned in to hear what a $6620 version of Apple CarPlay is like.

Supercars like the Lamborghini Huracan STO are not tested by Euro NCAP or its Australian counterpart ANCAP because, frankly, they’re too expensive to crash in the numbers required to complete all the data.

So buyers are putting their life in the hands of the manufacturer and hoping they have not cut any corners.

There are, of course, airbags should the worst happen. And massive brakes and grippy tyres to help avoid a mistake in the first place.

The biggest danger is the temptation to switch off – or reduce the interference from – the stability-control system.

Even with all safety aids fully engaged, the Lamborghini Huracan STO can start to get out of shape if the road is slippery or the tyres haven’t been warmed up yet.

We left that button alone and advise anyone who wants to take their friend’s Lamborghini Huracan STO for a spin to take advantage of all the crash-avoidance technology and traction aids the car has to offer. In other words, don’t switch anything off.

The fuel consumption readout during our test drive was close in excess of 20L/100km, and well above the already-thirsty claimed average of 13.9L/100km.

As the saying goes, if you want to dance, you’ve got to pay the band. And if you want to hear that engine and feel the acceleration, that costs fuel.

But if you can afford one of these, presumably you can afford the $160 to $200 to fill the tank.

There are two great feelings when a car like this comes through our garage: picking it up and handing it back.

Pretty much the entire time in between is a body full of nerves and with wide-open eyes.

Other traffic either can’t see you – because the Huracan is so low, so you need to drive it as if you are a motorcycle, making sure you’re not hovering in the blind spot of other cars.

Or other traffic unwittingly starts to stray off course and cramp your lane because the drivers are gawking at the car rather than looking where they’re supposed to be going.

Which is why if you own one of these, you really need to get out of the city and the suburbs and away from the daily grind.

It seems like they’re living a cliché when owners point their Lamborghini in the direction of a winding mountain road.

But now I know why they all head to the hills on weekends. It’s not necessarily to explore the potential of the power of the V10 and the grip of the tyres – it’s to get away from other idiots on the road.

Which is how we ended up as far as Lamborghini’s kilometre limit would allow us on the fringes of the Sydney basin.

As you might expect, the car is amazing, though I’m not sure anyone can feel the weight difference thanks to the lighter carbon-fibre nose and all the other weight-saving performance parts.

But there is a set of scales that proves the enhanced overall weight balance – and better power-to-weight ratio – are all in the Lamborghini Huracan STO’s favour.

As tempting as it was, we didn’t test the 0–100km/h claim because we didn’t fancy getting the Huracan out of shape as it went from first to second gear.

This is one time we accepted the manufacturer’s claim. However, it must be said repeating the claimed 0–100km/h time in such a fast and powerful rear-wheel-drive car really does require optimal conditions.

What’s required are warm tyres, a warm surface, and a few practice runs without overcooking the rubber or the transmission.

So we just kept driving, and kept enjoying dropping from third to second gear just to hear the howl.

But eventually, the novelty does start to wear off. The cramped seating position. The loud engine. The firm-ish ride. The limited visibility.

And the other idiots on the road who can’t see the car because it’s so low, or inadvertently start to steer into it.

So, as we said at the start. While it was a joy to be able to experience the Lamborghini Huracan STO, there is definitely some relief in handing it back unscathed.

The Lamborghini Huracan STO is epic in many ways – though not all – and destined to be a future collector’s item.

But unless you’re a weekend track-day warrior, buy any all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan V10 over this one if you want to increase your chances of the car coming home in one piece.