The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is now a familiar car in supercar circles—but it is, and will remain, a hyper-exotic design icon for leagues of fans including the young and the young at heart.
The Aventador is Lamborghini’s top production model, and as such is its most high-powered standard offering, whether in coupe or roadster form. It’s also the most head-turning Lamborghini available to most folks—a handful of even more exotic, small-batch cars have been built, but the Aventador’s edgy style remains a crowd-pleaser.
Inside the cabin it’s much the same: futuristic, edgy, and jet-inspired. The space doesn’t feel much like a typical street car at all; it feels more like a Tie Fighter.
A wailing 6.5-liter V-12 engine rates 691 horsepower, uncorking its ferocity right behind the two seats in the snug, low-slung cabin. A special 50th anniversary edition for the 2013 model year got LP 720-4 50° Anniversario badges and a bump in power to 710 hp, should the standard model’s 691 hp prove inadequate. The result of all this power, driving all four wheels through an ISR (Independent Shifting Rod) automated manual transmission, is 0-60 mph acceleration in under 3.0 seconds, and a top speed claimed at 217 mph.
The Aventador, despite its largely carbon fiber construction and low-slung stance, is a fairly heavy car—weighing in excess of 3,700 lbs. The result is a car that feels lightning quick in a straight line, but lags in the corners. Its immense width can also make the Aventador feel somewhat cumbersome around town, when parking, or navigating narrower lanes and streets, though a self-raising nose feature does help improve clearance over speed bumps and driveways. The ride quality of the Aventador, whether in coupe or roadster forms, is rather stiff, but not always objectionably so—unless you switch the adjustable driving mode from Strada (Street) or Sport to Corsa (Track).
The only problem with the Aventador’s manners in Strada mode is the awkward engagement of the gears by the ISR transmission—it’s slow to engage, resulting in a herky-jerky take-off from a stop. Swap to Corsa mode and the shifts become lightning fast—and hit-by-a-bus brutal. The happy medium lives in Sport mode, where the shifts are quick enough to be comfortable, but not so violent.
Inside the cabin itself, the Aventador isn’t especially spacious, despite its width. The low-slung nature and scissor doors mean you have to half-slide, half-fall into the seats. Once there, the seats are snug, and leg room is enough, but not ample, especially for six-footers. Fitting a weekend’s worth of luggage in the front trunk area is possible, but it’s tight.
Gas mileage, as you might expect, isn’t phenomenal—but then this is a $400,000 supercar, so you shouldn’t really be pinching pennies at the pump. At 11 mpg city, 17 mpg highway, and 13 mpg combined for the coupe (or 10/16/12 mpg city/highway/combined for the roadster), the Aventador is rather un-green even by supercar standards, however.
Like any good supercar, and any modern Lamborghini, the Aventador is nearly endlessly personalizable, thanks to the company’s Ad Personam program. Every shade and hue under the sun, nearly any material of upholstery, and most of the features or technologies you could want can be yours—for a price. But you’re buying a headline-making, neck-snapping supercar, so why skimp? Build your dream.
2-Door Coupe Specifications
Quick Specs
EnginePremium Unleaded V-12, 6.5 L
EPA ClassTwo-Seaters
Style Name2dr Cpe
DrivetrainAll Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity2
Passenger Doors2
Body Style2dr Car
TransmissionTransmission: 7-Speed Automated Manual w/ISR -inc: ISR: Independent Shifting Rods
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