2023 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica

Some heroes refuse to go gently into the night. In its farewell year now after a decade on the market, the 2023 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica on review here is a not-so-gentle reminder that there's a fresh new trim of the brash Italian with the operatic tenor voice, and that it will be elbowing its way through the crowd and onto the stage once again for another rock-star performance. Conceived as an in-between car - a wilder Evo or a tamer STO, depending on your take - the 2023 Huracan Tecnica is a purist's delight. It has rear-wheel drive and its wailing 631-horsepower naturally aspirated V10 sitting just behind your right ear comes straight from the STO. So good does Lamborghini reckon the compromise is that they call it the "perfect fun-to-drive Huracan". The quarter-million-dollar price of the 2023 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica puts it squarely in the sights of the more expensive Ferrari F8 Tributo and the cheaper Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 RS. Has Lamborghini taught the old Huracan any new tricks?

The only new development in the range for the new model year is the new Tecnica trim of the Huracan. This will be a one-year trim only, with 2023 also being the last model year of the current generation of the Huracan. The Tecnica offers the full output of the 631-hp STO engine, but is less resolutely track-focused and easier to drive and live with every day. The Tecnica is 2.4 inches longer than the Evo and features new styling cues derived from various Lamborghini concept cars.

The Huracan Tecnica carries many styling cues from Lamborghini concept cars such as the Terzo Millennio and Vision GT. Changes to the front result in a re-engineered front air curtain and a nose with Lambo's Y-themed Ypsilon styling features, in addition to a black windshield base to create a lightweight visual impression. The hood is made of carbon fiber and the fixed rear wing is smaller than the STO's, but the revised aerodynamic package and longer body (by 2.4 inches compared to the Evo) combine to increase downforce by 35% over the Evo, yet reduce drag by 20%. In profile, the Tecnica stands apart from other Huracans through its longer body, and the subtly reshaped glasshouse is clearly inspired by that of the Essenza SCV12. It also has a special carbon-fiber engine cover with a window through which onlookers can admire the engine, as well as unique hexagonal tailpipes. The dramatic exterior is finished off with black 20-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights.

The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica's dimensions are fairly typical of the class. It's 179.8 inches long and has a 103.15-inch wheelbase. It's 76.1 inches wide without the side mirrors (88.03 inches with them included) and has a height of only 45.87 inches. Thanks to the use of RWD, its dry weight is only 3,040 pounds - 22 lbs less than the RWD Evo. The automaker doesn't provide a figure for the curb weight, but independent tests in the USA have shown that the ready-to-drive weight of the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica with fuel in the tank is around 3,470 lbs.

There are so many exterior colors for the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica that it would be impossible to list them all here. There are no fewer than seven different palettes, with the normal Base Offer palette containing 11 colors, including the well-known Verde Mantis green, Giallo Inti yellow, and two shades of Rosso (red). The Sportiva palette allows you to choose from seven gloss and seven matte colors, with a few examples being the glossy Verde Selvans green and Viola Pasifae purple, or the matte Verde Alceo or Viola Nebula. And this is just the beginning. Suffice it to say that you have an enormous choice; to summarize, there are a further eight glossy and eight matte shades in the Contemporanea palette, seven of each in the Eclettica palette, and 16 glossy shades and ten matte shades in the standard Ad Personam palette. Lamborghini claims that more than 200 colors are available through the Ad Personam program. The Classica palette contains only glossy colors - there are seven of them - while the Tecnica palette contains eight matte colors.

Besides the colors, you can pick a livery for your Tecnica in any of four striping designs and with any of ten accent colors at a cost of $15,100 to $18,500. You can even select two-color side mirrors, or any of eight colors for your brake calipers, including red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. If you want the roof and hood painted in contrasting black, it will cost you $11,100, and getting the exhaust outlets in matte black costs $600.

The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica's 0-60 sprint should take about three seconds. The factory only quotes performance in European metric units and gives a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 3.2 seconds. It's certainly very quick for a RWD car. Top speed is given as 202 mph - about 10 mph up on the STO's thanks to the reduced downforce of the Tecnica's revised aerodynamic package, and its lower drag.

The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica's engine comes straight from the STO and develops the same 631 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. It's a naturally aspirated 5.2L V10 with direct injection, a high 12.7:1 compression ratio, and an 8,500-rpm redline. Power is sent to the rear wheels exclusively, with the Evo's AWD system not available here. The transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a torque-vectoring differential is fitted as standard.

The Tecnica is tuned to be a fun-to-drive Huracan and not just a track-focused machine like the STO, so it gets unique tuning for its Performance Traction Control System (P-TCS) that allows more slip in Sport mode, so you can do delightful tail-out corner exits in safety. There is still a dedicated Corsa mode for the track, but it's not as hardcore as that of the STO. Rear-axle steering, carbon-ceramic brakes, and a torque-vectoring differential are part of the package. The result of all of this is better stability than the Evo, but even better grip thanks to the reworked aerodynamics, making this a perfect track car, especially considering its fade-free carbon-ceramic brakes. It doesn't provide quite the same cheek-bulging cornering grip as the STO, but gets as close as most mortals will dare to go, and is more comfortable and easier to live with day to day, with a very agreeable and pliant ride for something so sporty. Unfortunately, it also loses some of the STO's incredible steering feedback in everyday driving, but it does communicate better when pressing on.

The same EPA estimates are given for all Huracan derivatives, regardless of whether they are RWD, AWD, coupe, or Spyder. No specific Tecnica figures are available, but they should be very much the same as the 13/18/15 mpg city/highway/combined quoted for the other trims. Not economical, in other words, and not that it matters. Expect those figures to plummet when the car is used in anger - or on a track. If you manage to drive it normally, the 21.9-gallon fuel capacity should be good for a range of around 328 miles.

Lamborghini creates a sense of occasion in its cars' interiors that few automakers can equal and even though the Huracan is now supposed to be an old car, the cabin is still a very special place to be. Leather and Tecnica-specific Alcantara abound and assembly quality is excellent. The "Tecnica" motif is embroidered on the seats' bolsters. The interior can be customized to the owner's wishes through Lambo's Ad Pesonam program, allowing for virtually limitless color and trim combinations. The driver's view ahead is dominated by the 12.3-inch HMI interface that is uniquely configured for the Tecnica and uses fewer colors, so it distracts the driver less. The steeply sloping and partially floating center console contains the infotainment system. It's a bit snug inside for larger frames, but reasonably easy to see out of for a supercar.

The Huracan's sport seats hold the occupants firmly in place, regardless of the g's they pull on the track. For track work, the normal seatbelts can be replaced with racing harnesses. The cabin is snug, but there is enough interior space for all but tall drivers, who will find the cabin rather snug. Sport seats are standard, but racing seats with a Y motif are optional. For more seating comfort, fully electric and heated front seats with two-way lumbar support can be specified.

The standard Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica interior comes in an all-black Nero Ade or gray Grigio Octans unicolor scheme, with either being the base color and the other being the contrast color. Upholstery and trim are in leather and Alcantara. A little extra color can be added to the unicolor scheme with contrasting accents and stitching in a variety of colors, but this requires either racing seats or Lamborghini logos embroidered on the headrests, and then requires you to choose from the standard black or gray base colors and a long list of accent colors. You can go full bicolor by specifying the contrasting color on the seat bolsters, center console, and doors as well, and here you can select any of 20 contrasting colors, from demure browns and grays to vivid yellows, greens, and purples. You can choose whether the stitching matches the accent color or not. A different variation on the bicolor theme is bicolor trim with laser graphics, with similar color and stitching options to the normal bicolor option.

Many other options include extended Alcantara trim, a full Alcantara dashboard and, depending on how many surfaces you want covered in Alcantara, the pricing can vary from $1,100 to $2,400. Dark Chrome trim costs $1,100 and adding Carbon Twill increases this to $7,200. The complete Interior Carbon Pack will set you back $14,100 and includes the Carbon Twill pack. If you're not happy with any of these standard options, a world of personalization awaits thanks to the Ad Personam program, which allows you to tailor the interior at will to truly make your Tecnica your own.

You won't be going touring in a Tecnica, as the total cargo volume on offer in the frunk is a mere 3.5 cubic feet. There's hardly any place to put your personal belongings inside the cabin too and the only spots of note are the rather small door pockets. If you want a single cupholder, you must pay extra for it via the $800 Cup Holder and Smoker package, which also adds an ashtray with a lighter/12V socket and a handy rear-wall storage net. A phone holder costs $355 extra.

The Tecnica is a sports car and not an SUV, so you do without niceties such as a panoramic sunroof or ventilated seats. The basic necessities and a few luxuries are there and these include keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a universal garage-door opener, and leather/Alcantara upholstery, but the seats are only two-way powered and not heated unless you pay extra. Some of the many options include lightweight doors and a nose-lift system to get up steep driveways and into parking garages without scraping the nose, but that is part of a $4,100 package that also includes magneto-rheological suspension.

The Huracan's age shows in its infotainment system. The console-mounted touchscreen is rather small at 8.4 inches, but at least it comes with navigation. You pay a full $3,600 extra for smartphone mirroring though, and even then, only Apple CarPlay is available, with Android Auto not on the menu. At least it comes with Lambo's Connected Services. The standard audio system has only four speakers, but you can upgrade to the Lamborghini Sensonum audio system that comes with a ten-channel amplifier and ten speakers for $3,800. A nice extra is the $5,300 Lamborghini Connected Telemetry system, available on the Tecnica and STO only. It's a complete support system for track days, which comes with two recording video cameras - one rear-wall- and one rearview-mirror-mounted - as well as a 64-GB hard disk (128 GB optional) to store the videos and data for later analysis via the UNICA app.

JD Power doesn't evaluate low-volume sports cars, so official reliability ratings are not available for the Huracan Tecnica. So far, it's not been subject to any recalls. Last year's Huracan models were recalled for a slipping transmission due to insufficient transmission oil, and a malfunctioning driver's door handle, and we're hoping that these have been resolved and won't carry over to 2023.

If anything does go wrong, the Tecnica is covered by Lamborghini's three-year warranty that isn't restricted by mileage.

Safety ratings aren't available for sports cars like the Huracan, but they have advanced safety structures and should provide the same safety as other modern cars.

The Huracan Tecnica comes with the minimum number of safety features, but it has four airbags, and the federally mandated reverse camera, tire-pressure monitoring, ABS, and stability control are present. Beyond that, the only driver assists fitted are automatic LED headlights and front and rear parking sensors.

The Huracan Tecnica is a brilliant car and its sound blend of Evo and STO attributes arguably makes it the pick of the Huracan lineup. It's a superb sports car, a very able track car, and shockingly good at going to the mall, so you could daily it if you dare. It's the obvious choice against something like an equally old R8 GT, especially since the similarly priced Lambo's badge carries so much more gravitas. But its age also counts against it and the dire infotainment and complete lack of driver assists grate in 2023. A 911 GT3 offers a superb package, is still box-fresh, and comes with more driver aids and a far better infotainment system. It might not be as exclusive, but it's a lot cheaper and massively accomplished in its own right.

With the price of the new Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica starting at $239,000, it is nearly $100k lower than that of the STO and makes it excellent value, considering the carbon-ceramic brakes and STO engine come standard. It's also only around $32k more expensive than the RWD Evo. Keep in mind that this is the MSRP of the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica and does not include the $2,100 gas-guzzler tax or the $3,695 destination fee.

Extras are very expensive and just adding the Dark Chrome and Carbon Twill package to the interior will set you back $7,200. Removing the Carbon Twill from this package results in a net charge of $1,100 for the Dark Chrome only. The Interior Carbon Pack comes with lots of carbon-fiber interior parts, such as the footplates, and already includes the Carbon Twill package, resulting in a total of $14,100. The Lifting System and Magneto-Rheological Suspension is a must-have package because of the versatility of the variable-height suspension and the ability to lift the nose to enter steep driveways; it costs a comparatively affordable $4,100. A host of other packages can be optioned on, with the various Style packages adding anything from $2,000 to $4,800 to the bill, while individualizing the Tecnica's exterior different colors and finishes for the exhausts, splitter, front upper fascia, hood air vents, and more. Tons of standalone extras add to the final amount too, and include the Lamborghini Telemetry system ($5,300), Apple CarPlay and Lamborghini Connected Services ($3,600), and carbon-fiber for many body parts at varying prices.

There's only one Tecnica trim and you'll likely spend days on the configurator arriving at your perfect, customized car. You can spec it in such detail that you are guaranteed to have a unique one with a one-of-a-kind combination of upholstery, interior color combination, exterior livery, and list of options. If you're practically minded but also love taking your Tecnica to the track on occasion, the Telemetry package is a must. We'd also add at least the phone mirroring (might require an iPhone too if you don't have one), and the Smoker Package and Cupholder, so we can get access to that 12V socket, cupholder, and rear-wall storage net for a bit of added practically for everyday use. The rest of the expensive personalization options are up to you, and you can send the final price beyond $300k with little trouble.