Having slipped behind the competition in performance chart for so many years, Lamborghini finally decides to strike back with a big boost of power. However, instead of taking the turbocharging route as its rivals, it opts to keep its traditional naturally aspirated V12, which is admittedly the key reason to buy a Lamborghini. Instead of turbocharing, extra power is sought from electrification. The electric element is seen as a means to keep the V12 alive, cutting 30 percent emission without hurting the sound and high-revving character of the engine. Wise.

The V12, codenamed L545, has been heavily reworked from the last one. Despite retaining 6.5-liter capacity, the same bore and stroke dimensions as well as old-fashioned port injection, it gets a new block casting, freer flowing intake and exhaust, new valve gears and new (supposedly lighter) crankshaft. Compression ratio is lifted from 11.8:1 to 12.6:1. Rev limit is lifted from 8700 rpm to a whopping 9500 rpm, matching Ferrari's finest V12. It produces 825 horsepower at 9250 rpm, a remarkable improvement from 780 hp / 8500 rpm on the last Aventador. Peak torque is 535 pound-foot at 6750 rpm, slightly more than before. More remarkable still, the new V12 weighs 218 kg, 17 kg less than before.

The V12 is supplemented with 3 electric motors. 2 of them are mounted at the front axle, each driving one wheel to provide 4-wheel drive as well as torque vectoring functionality, like Honda NSX. These axial flux motors are compact and lightweight (18.5 kg each) for their output, which is 150 hp and 258 lbft each. The front motors and their associated power electronics weigh about 80 kg. At the back, sandwiched between engine and gearbox is another motor that provides 150 hp and 110 lbft as well as working as starter generator. However, the battery limits total electric power to 190 hp, hence a combined output of 1015 hp. This lifts the big Lambo into the 1000-horsepower club for the first time. It needs so desperately, because its chief rival Ferrari SF90 offers 1000 hp.

The 70 kg worth of battery is stored inside the transmission tunnel. It is 1.5 meter long, but capacity is merely 3.8 kWh, half the size of what Ferrari SF90 or 296 GTB employ. Unsurprisingly, it gives a laughable electric range of 10 km (6 miles), under which the Revuelto is driven by its front wheels. It can be charged up at home socket, because Lamborghini needs that to deceive emission calculation, cutting the latter by 30 percent compared with Aventador. However, I don't see many buyers will do that. Let it be charged by the engine would be far easier, which takes a few minutes.

The position of battery should improve front-to-rear balance, but in fact its 44:56 weight distribution is only 1 percent better at each axle than the Aventador. This is because since Countach all V12 Lambos had been employing the “LP” layout which puts its gearbox fore of the engine and inside the transmission tunnel. As the Revuelto’s transmission tunnel is occupied by the battery pack, it needs to relocate the gearbox to behind the V12.

This is an all-new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, mounted transversely to improve weight distribution a little, and has the rear electric motor incorporated into its top. Yes, the big Lambo finally gets rid of the notorious ISG single-clutch transmission of its predecessor. The DCT should improve smoothness massively, but the downside is extra weight, which tips the scale at 193 kg including motor, versus 79 kg of the ISG.

Abandoning the "LP" layout has one advantage: the engine can be mounted lower in the chassis to improve center of gravity. This is because the LP layout needed to use a drive shaft to direct power from the mid-mounted transmission back to the rear axle, and that drive shaft had to pass through the engine sump. Now free of that drive shaft, the sump can be made shallower, lowering the entire engine.

To compensate the extra weight of electric hardware, some weight has been trimmed from the chassis. The new carbon-fiber monocoque called “Monofuselage” has its front crash structure fashioned in forged carbon-fiber instead of aluminum. While the rear subframe on which the powertrain and suspension mounted remains aluminum, 2 of the main members have been converted to hollow to save weight. As a result, the entire monocoque weighs 188 kg, 10 percent lighter than before. Meanwhile, torsional rigidity is lighted from 35,000 to 40,000 Nm/degree. Naturally, the body work of the car is all carbon-fiber, with the exception of aluminum doors and thermoplastic bumpers.

It weighs almost 1.9 ton, but doesn't feel it on the road.

As always, the mighty sound, sharp throttle response and free-revving character of Lamborghini V12 is the highlight of its driving experience. The noise might be a little bit less edgy than before due to noise regulations, but still far rawer and more addictive than, say, a turbocharged V8 from Ferrari. Moreover, while the Aventador lacks punch low down, the electric power here fills the gap fully, providing strong and instantaneous thrust right from the bottom end. Throttle response is razor sharp, almost like an electric hypercar, but power delivery is so linear, more like a naturally aspirated engine with double the capacity! By around 3000 rpm, the V12 becomes the dominant force, and it revs and revs relentlessly, punching towards the mighty 9500 rpm redline accompanied with crazy noises. Fast? Unquestionable. The Revuelto feels just as quick as any hypercars, something its predecessors struggled to achieve. Maybe it will trail Rimac or Bugatti or Koenigsegg a little in terms of numbers, but I doubt if you can feel the difference. On the contrary, you will swear that the Lamborghini’s power delivery more exciting than everything else on the market.

Meanwhile, the new dual-clutch transmission is a huge improvement from the old ISG. It might not be quicker to shift, but far smoother and absolutely painless. In the Aventador, shifting in a corner would be followed by a sudden power interruption and then a violent shunt, which might upset the car’s mid-corner balance. No more such worry on the Revuelto now. You can enjoy a smooth and predictable handling.

It feels more precise, consistent and composed to handle than Ferrari SF90...

The Revuelto’s brake-by-wire system is one of the best we have seen in combining regenerative and frictional braking. Its pedal feels firm and responsive. Moreover, it is powerful enough to stop the substantial mass, even in track abuse.

The car might be 200kg heftier than Ferrari SF90, but it doesn’t feel so. In fact, it is the big Lambo that feels more precise, consistent and composed to handle. Lamborghini’s engineers made good use of the 2 front motors and rear-wheel steering to kill under and over-steer, to sharpen turn-in and make the car feels agile. Moreover, its various electronic systems are tuned so good that everything feels natural – for example, the steering is not corrupted by the application of electric power, unlike SF90. While Aventador could be unforgiving when it exceeds cornering limit, the Revuelto feels so much more stable and reassuring. Surprisingly, it is also more comfortable to ride on regular roads, thanks to superb damping and less tire noise.

Are there any weaknesses? Yes, but far from deal-breaking. The steering is a touch too light and not blessed with feel. Unless driving on wide open roads, you are always aware of its massive width. Sometimes the electronics could fail to mask its weight and power if you are too eager. For example, full-bore upshift on hard acceleration could trigger the 1015 horsepower to upset the rear end. Brake hard in a high-speed corner could wag its tail around. Those moments are few, but they remind you that after all this is a very heavy and powerful mid-engined machine, not exactly a 296GTB. A certain level of respect is still required.

Sold at £450,000 rather than 7 figures, the Revuelto is a bit of a bargain for a hypercar. It costs a little more than the standard SF90 but considerably less than the SF90 XX. No wonder the first 2 years of production has already been sold out even before its official launch.