In a good way.Ĭrucially, though, adding rear-wheel steering necessitated completely redesigning the chassis. A new TFT display morphs to match the driving mode but always looks like you’re playing a retro arcade game. The bat-costume body and fighter-jet cockpit looks unchanged at a glance, though exterior modifications evoke poisonous fangs, add 130 percent more front downforce and increase cooling in line with the extra power. You can see the carbon-fiber monocoque when you swing up the extravagant doors there’s still a riotous, naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 behind your head and there’s carbon-ceramic brakes and exotic push-rod suspension at each corner. Of course, the Aventador fundamentals remain. Here's the difference between a base Lamborghini Aventador and the SV You’re also more aware of the weight of that mid-mounted V12 shifting around behind you. In comparison, the S jinks and shimmies, feeling lighter and more energetic, and you sense the tires on tiptoes, hungry to change direction. The original Aventador never did fulfill its dynamic potential-it feels dim-witted and cumbersome, veering from left to right through the cones. To underline the point, Lamborghini let us drive an Aventador back to back with the new S on a slalom at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain. Lambo claims lower-speed steering inputs are reduced 30 percent with a variable-rate steering system. Above 81 mph, the wheels turn up to 1.5 degrees in the same direction to effectively elongate the wheelbase, increasing stability. Similar in concept to those cars, the Aventador S’ version turns the rear wheels opposite the fronts up to 3 degrees below 81 mph, virtually shortening the wheelbase and adding agility. Rear-wheel steering has been around for decades - 1980s Honda Preludes and R32 Skyline GT-Rs ran it - but it’s back in vogue, notably with the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari F12tdf. Instead, it’s the newfound agility that puts a gulf between the two: A new rear-wheel-steering system is key here.

But that’s not what you take away from driving the Aventador S. The new Aventador S, at 730 hp, is more powerful and, Lamborghini says, no heavier, but there are also no stated improvements to acceleration times - even the 217-mph top end is static. It produces 690 hp and hits 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. We've never complained that the Lamborghini Aventador is too slow.

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