first drive
the car, at any speed so not just when you
car has subsequently gone, and you end
(a massive step in the right direction for
are going fast.”
up feeling much more connected to the
the Aventador), and then at high speed
road as a result.
it feels pretty much glued at both ends.
And for once there is no hyperbole
single
And because the car is so much better
On the move the S really does have a new-
biggest difference you become aware of
balanced under power across all speeds,
found harmony to the way it responds to
is the four-wheel steering. So how does
this has allowed the engineers to send
your inputs – be that on the throttle, via
this work and what does it do for the
much more torque to the rear axle at any
the steering wheel, on the brake pedal,
Aventador’s dynamic repertoire?
given time, which has the effect of making
present here, Dr Reggiani is dead right.
And
without
question
the
and most of all beneath your backside
To begin with it turns the rear wheels
the S feel like a rear wheel-drive car most
– and this alone means it represents a
(electronically) in the opposite direction
of the time, rather than four-wheel-drive.
huge step forwards dynamically over the
to the fronts up to a maximum of 3.0
I did lots of laps in the S at the Valencia
old car.
degrees at low speeds, above which it
Moto GP circuit, and the more time I
The first thing you notice is how much
turns them in the same direction as the
spent in it, the more it blew me away. And
less steering input is required, and how
fronts, up to 1.5 degrees. The switching
it wasn’t just the new handling set up that
direct this makes the front end feel.
“window” is between approximately 78-
impressed. The engine is also a gem that
Then you notice how much cleaner and
84mph depending on how much yaw is
shines brighter than ever in this instance,
more consistent the throttle response is.
detected at the time, but in practice the
partly because the enhanced chassis
You instantly feel much more in control
transition is seamless.
allows you to get much more out of it in
of the car as a result. You drive it rather
All you pick up on from behind the
the first place, but also because the engine
than the other way round. Any sense of
wheel is a much sharper front end bite
itself has been uprated from an already
clumsiness that was present in the old
with maybe a hint of neutral oversteer
high level. >
the engine sounds utterly magnificent in this installation, too, with nondigitised crackles on the overrun and a hair-raising howl over the last 2000rpm
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