Taking cues from the Aventador SV, the Aventador S has been given an exterior makeover, it’s chassis and drivetrain have been thoroughly re-engineered. Changes over the standard Aventador include the new front bumper and splitter, rear diffuser, rear wing, and a new exhaust that is 20% lighter than before and cracks and pops more than ever. Choose your Aventador experience here
Other updates include rear-wheel steering, revised suspension, and increased power from 690 bhp to 730 bhp. The Aventador S gives you the opportunity to be that bit more involved in the pantomime of this car and that unapologetically brutal V12 exhaust note.
It’s almost six years since Lamborghini introduced the Aventador to replace the Murcielago. Six years and although we’ve had a hot one (the SV) and one with lift-out roof panels (the Roadster), the LP700-4 has otherwise soldiered on while around it the supercar market has changed beyond all recognition. The Holy Trinity has been and gone, and in pretty much the same period McLaren has gone from a standing start to having a three-model range with LT this, Spider that, and GTR gor-blimey.
What’s been occupying Lamborghini? Well, the Huracan obviously, plus SUV dithering and a bunch of diversionary one-offs such as the Egoista and Sesto Elemento. But Lamborghini can get away with this because there’s nothing else quite like the Aventador. It’s supercar 101: looks, noise, power, drama. Don’t overthink it, just do it. Pure pageantry. Alongside Lamborghini, everyone else takes themselves too seriously. Among car companies, only Lamborghini looks like it’s having fun.
Oh sure, details of the new Aventador S contain all the usual stuff about new four-wheel steering systems, a 130 percent improvement of front axle downforce, and a whole new control unit to marshall inputs from all the active systems, but none of it, no matter how high-tech, overshadows the drama.
Briefly then, this is how the Aventador S shapes up. It still uses the same central carbon tub with aluminum sub-frames fore and aft. It drives all four wheels through a central Haldex clutch. The engine is the same 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12, but the valve timing and variable intakes have been altered, yielding another 40bhp (and exactly 1lb ft more torque). The power gain is also aided by a raised rev limiter (from 8,350rpm to 8,500rpm).
But, as ever, it’s the way the Aventador looks that sets the tone for the car. It’s a jaw-dropper alright. The proportions haven’t changed much, but the nose, taking cues from the SV, is more open and aggressive, channeling cooling air past fangs and splitters to vast standard-fit 400mm ceramic brakes. Air is also swept down the flanks to the intakes – extra ducts on the roof give the S a more hunkered-down stance, and together with the rear arch shape gives something of the flavour of the old Countach – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The kerb weight is the same – the rear steer mechanism added 6kg (and necessitated a wholesale redesign of the rear suspension), but a new exhaust system, rounded off by three pipes exiting in a triangle, saved 6kg, so we’re all square. There’s an active rear wing and vortex generators underneath to maximise airflow and aid brake cooling.
