Lamborghini Revuelto review

The touch points tell the story. You drop down into a cockpit that’s lost none of its drama, yet Lamborghini veterans know to brace themselves for the unyielding, plank-like seats. No longer. Instead these are curved and fitted, maybe a fraction generous in width, but you’ll nestle comfortably into them. They don’t adjust that low, though. Fine for the short as you get a good view of the road scuffing under your heels, but taller drivers will want a lower slung bucket.

And ahead of you the steering wheel is compact, surprisingly thin-rimmed and refreshingly (almost) round. And the materials and plastics feel better. And there’s a place to put your phone and wallet, plus a slot to tuck the key into. There’s even a pair of cupholders hidden behind a flap above the glove box. If you’ve ever been in a Porsche you’ll recognise them immediately. A bit of family sharing has gone on.

This is a welcoming car. Sure, you’ve had to perform a bit of bodily origami to fold yourself in here, but once ensconced you can stretch out. There’s notably more elbow room, plus 84mm more legroom and another 26mm for your head. Over your shoulder, there’s room for a golf bag. If that’s your thing.

Is there a boot in the nose?

There is and it’s big enough for a pair of cabin bags which easily beats the literal shoebox Ferrari gives you in the SF90. Back inside the storage trays (one under the centre screen, another back under your elbow) have a stippled surface so your phone won’t slip around.

The cabin is very much still a Lamborghini, with a windscreen that stretches away to a virtual infinity point and a low header rail. But this feels brighter and easier to see out of than before. Which admittedly isn’t saying much. Rear visibility is not only restricted, but the view out over the V12 is also distracting. However, one of the most surprising things about the Revuelto is that it feels like the designers and engineers have considered the ergonomics properly. It’s a Lamborghini for heaven’s sake.

Does this mean you notice the hand of VW and Audi more?

Not at all. Any carryover parts have been cleverly disguised and Germany’s corporate hand isn’t really in evidence. We suspect there’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes tutoring, but ultimately the team at Sant’Agata has been trusted to do the work themselves. It’s worked.

That steering wheel looks complicated.

Granted there’s a lot on it, but actually it’s very logically laid out. Besides controls for the lights and wipers there are four main knobs. The upper ones on each side control the powertrain, driving mode on the left, and EV mode on the right. The lower left controls the dampers (and nose lift), and the lower right does the aero.

Screens. How many are we talking? How’s the tech?

Three screens. A 12.3-inch driver display, an 8.4-inch central screen and a slimline 9.1-inch touchscreen for the passenger. They’re all crisp, responsive and Lambo has resisted overdoing the graphics too much. Certainly the driver display majors on the info you need, which is still speed, revs and gear rather than how much electric you’ve got left. There’s a minor bar chart for that.

But here are things we’ve never seen before. A swipe function allows certain apps to be shunted from the central screen to one of the side screens like a smartphone. There’s What3Words and Amazon Alexa functionality (if you want Jeff to know how fast you’re going). We’re not saying it’s future-proofed, but it is a big advance.

Any other things worth mentioning?

Customisation has long been a major theme for these luxury car makers. Alongside 400 different exterior colours, there are 70 cabin colour options – some even with a nod towards environmentalism. For instance, the Corsa-Tex fabric is made from recycled polyester.

Drive in the dark and the rooftop brake light illuminates the engine bay. That’s fun. The plan, says Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s head of design, was “to make the driver feel like a pilot”, although that’s arguably been Lambo’s raison d’etre since forever. It’s true enough, but for us the real benefit of this cabin is how it melds style, angles and a sense of the exotic with real-world usability.