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The 2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO is an Italian-designed entry-level, exotic supercar.

The 2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO is an Italian-designed entry-level, exotic supercar. Credit: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A./Charlie Magee

I had barely begun to experience this new Lamborghini Huracan when, at my first appointment of the day, the man I was meeting for breakfast said: “Don’t you feel like a jerk driving it?”

A few hours later, after I’d posted a picture of the car on a social media site, a friend wrote, “I’m sure it’s fun to drive, but doesn’t it make you feel like a jerk?” (They both actually used another word that was not as nice as “jerk.”)

In fact, I didn’t. I felt lucky. The Lamborghini Huracan EVO is a sublime Italian sports car, a benign beast that is as easy to drive as it is exhilarating.

Around town it is a startling head-turner. On canyon roads it is a hot knife through butter. On the track, based on previous Lambo experience, it is a precision racing instrument.

The EVO is the newest iteration of Lamborghini’s “entry-level” supercar family, joining the higher-priced Performante and replacing the outgoing rear-wheel-drive Huracan. Like its siblings, it is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine, mid-rear mounted and naturally aspirated, that makes 630 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque.

Power is applied to the pavement via an all-wheel-drive system that, on the EVO, includes rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring and other electronic aids designed to make the absolute most of the engine’s energy.

Its builders say the EVO accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds, a little below the 2.9 seconds it takes the Performante model. Both cars top out at an electronically controlled 202 mph. While I didn’t test the car at anything like those levels, I believe the numbers. It’s a rocket, and of course it has the fuel economy to match.

The interior is all business, but with Italian charm. Race seats that sit low and firm are standard. The cockpit, draped in “carbon skin” coverings, is fitted with minimum airplane-like switches. Other functions are done through a new 8.4-inch touch screen mounted in the center console.

Creature comforts are slim to none. This may be the only car on the planet that offers a cup holder only as an option. The touch screen is minimalist. The front end trunk holds a small overnight bag, but not much more. The glove compartment holds two pairs of gloves — maybe.

So, what’s the trouble?

Lamborghini advertises the EVO with the phrase “Every Day Amplified,” underscoring the company’s contention that the Huracan is its “daily driver” model. While I absolutely buy that idea when applied to the Lamborghini Urus,  I’m not sure it applies here. This car is definitely ready for the track, and it’s a blast on the Angeles Crest.

But it’s less ready for the 101. It rides very low, and its suspension is very stiff. The rear-view camera helps with maneuvering, but the car’s architecture presents plenty of blind spots. And, at a base MSRP of almost $300K, this isn’t a car for casual parallel parking or parking-lot behavior.

All Lamborghinis have the reputation for being “chick magnets.” That was not my experience. I found it more of a geezer magnet. Everywhere I went, I was approached by people who wanted to look at the car, talk about the car or be photographed with the car. They were all middle-aged men like myself. For the record, none of them seemed like “jerks” to me

2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO

Base price: $297,095

Price as tested: $348,545

EPA fuel economy ratings: 13 mpg city, 18 highway

Powertrain: 5.2-liter V10 gasoline engine

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic, all-wheel drive

Power: 630 hp, 442 pound-feet torque

Bottom line: Rich with Lambo style

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