Lamborghini Aventador Roadster review, test drive

Grip levels are phenomenal and it takes you a while to build up enough confidence to even get the tyres to chirp under hard cornering. A sophisticated four-wheel-drive system and fast-acting stability control give you a sense of security, but the truth is that the Aventador is an intimidating car to drive on the limit. It doesn’t handle as precisely or predictably as smaller exotics like the Ferrari 458 or McLaren MP4-12C. The steering is quick, no doubt, and the ceramic brakes are staggeringly effective, but the Aventador has an edgy feel to it, accentuated by the noticeable weight transfer under hard acceleration, braking and cornering. As a result, the Aventador shifts around a lot, even on a smooth track, and you are constantly making corrections. The cumbersome handling and bone-jarringly hard ride don’t give it the finesse or finely honed feel of a Ferrari.

 

 

The Aventador’s seven-speed, single-clutch automated manual gearbox takes no prisoners either, and is nowhere near as smooth as the twin-clutch systems in some of its competitors. Like with the coupé, the Strada, Sport and Corsa settings alter throttle maps, the torque split between the front and rear wheels, and the speed of the shifts. If gearshifts could cause you bodily harm, it would happen in the Aventador’s full-attack Corsa mode. Each tug of the paddles is like being struck by a lightning bolt and makes you feel like an F1 driver. In Strada mode, optimised for normal driving, Lamborghini claims the shifts are much smoother, but the transmission still felt quite jerky while crawling through traffic.