My Early 296 Ownership Impression

Have you heard how it sounds? If they depreciate hard- it’s the one to buy. IMO.

 

Isn’t the sound other worldly compared to a MAC?

 

honest question - how noticeable was the difference? .5 seconds is obviously huge if you are chasing track times. is it still huge on the street? (fyi, I'm trying to get out of my 296gts order and buy a 765lt instead - not having good luck though)

 

great thank you. really helps to have such detailed reviews!

 

765 was indeed “holy sht” hang on experience.

 

Revuelto needs the exhaust valve controller, it sounds so good with the valves always opened and such a welcome addition when you can shut them down to take a call for example, yesterday I even switched to electric to pick up calls.

In terms of speed, I drove it back to back with my SF90 the other day, same road etc, and the SF90 to me still felt faster but it’s probably in the way the speed is delivered, the SF90 is absolutely explosive, nevertheless both are absolutely amazing cars with very unique and different characteristics.

 

Was comparing a low-mile but demo Revuelto to 296, which I've had 1k miles with.

I was focused on driving STO but they said I should try Revuelto because they felt it "drove much smaller".

My Revuelto notes:

- Visibility not that great
- Didn't sound as good to me
- Could feel the car shifting around me, felt heavy coming off throttle (on P0 tires)
- Turned like a battleship, and had full lock tire rub which didn't help
- Didn't feel as fast as reviews but the dealer said it may open up more with > 1k miles. But def didn't feel 296 level speed
- 296 was more fun at slower speeds
- 296 much more agile and Revuelto less agile than even 488/F8
- Like most Lamborghinis they feel too soft in soft mode. In more aggressive settings the steering weights up too much and makes the car feel sluggish to move around but faster to shift. I think there's an individual mode on Revuelto (unlike STO) but I couldn't find it on the drive.
- Transmission was OK in aggressive modes, not amazing
- Didn't feel super AWD with the front motors helping (but neither did Artura and eRay)
- UI/screen not great. Much easier to use than 296 but 296 looks better

Anyway not a car for me even if it were $400k, would take STO over Revuelto but not planning on STO. Fatal flaw for me of STO is no individual mode so the same thing as above - steering makes the car feel sluggish in more aggressive drive modes, but transmission and exhaust too tame in base mode. Prefer 4RS or Scud to STO even though there's a lot to like about STO.

 

Thx for the notes.

 

This is about my only gripe with my Evo. Strada steering is great but Corsa is weighted weird and feels like it fights you in the corners. I drive around in Sport pretty much the whole time. I haven't noticed any difference in shift times all pretty darn fast.

 

Great analogy…my experience with the 750s.
After putting 800 miles on my 296 gts, the only thing I wish would be better is the maps. Sometimes you start the car and are waiting for the maps to load, can take even 15 mins and at some point you just do google maps on your phone and get on with your drive. Also will be helpful if you could just type the location with your phone via Ferrari app and send to the car, so you don’t have to deal with the touch and scroll.

Besides that, this car is mega to drive. After break in period it’s noticeable louder. Pitch after 7000 rpm is glorious. Done some roof down time and highly recommend GTS. Still on the fence replacing with the Revuelto , but I’ll say the Revuelto (very limited seat time) isn’t 300k more car than the 296 GTS.

 

How would you compare the 720 to the 750 to the 765 for the road?

 

I thought there was no “break in” for new Ferrari’s (break in done at factory)? And I always thought all cars should be broken in a little by the customer. What about bedding the breaks?

 

Where did you drive the Revuelto, what roads, conditions, etc?
I am very curious to know this, I drove mine back to back with my SF90 same road, same day, covered close to 500 km in one day in the Revuelto alone, twisty mountain roads, flat straights, good and bad tarmac,
I also drove the car on track at Imola, Circuito de Jerez and on ice in Inner Mongolia, I drove it in most conditions you can possibly think of also have had so far 7 x V10 Lamborghini in various configurations and still own one now, I am very familiar with with the STO on road and track and when I read your driving feedback it almost sounds like you aren’t describing a Revuelto.

To me,in my opinion, it drives nothing like you describe it, based on your comment in relation to sound makes me think you just drove it around town because once the valves open at high RPM under load the car sounds manic, I got a valve controller to keep the valves open all the time and the car sounds perfect but I agree at low RPM valves closed it’s very quiet for a V12, anyway, strange to see those comments but hey that’s your experience with it.

 

+1

 

Maybe the STO is different than EVO in terms of aggressiveness? It was such a big delta on Urus and Urus Perf that maybe I should have tried harder also, it just seemed like STO transmission was slower in the base mode.

I was impressed that w STO, the rear visibility was better than I remembered.

The STO also wasn't as agile feeling as 296 but was much more for me than Revuelto or the Evos or older Huracans I've tried, but ultimately I'd still take 4RS over it even if barely. Maybe the Evos I've driven were poorly set up but I've Turo'd two and done one Speed Vegas (and one Perf but only track).

 

I have never owned a Lamborghini and have never driven a non-Revuelto V12 Lamborghini.

Drove ~15 miles, some city some highway, some twisty semi highway. I believe it was on 4S. Definitely maxed the revs a few dozen times but not constantly in a row since I had to keep it street legal.

I was feeling after driving it that maybe I should eventually go backwards and try prior gen V12 and V10.

But maybe I should give the Revuelto another shot. I can't find anywhere to rent one for a day though.

Sound wise it's of course personal, I love cars that change harmonically with (high) RPM like Ferrari V12, 3RS, and 4RS, and I thought the STO sounded even better in that sense than the Revuelto I drove, even though for prior gen (just POV video watching) it seemed like I liked the V12s better than V10s in the Lambo world. My passenger (who has a 2RS and 458) agreed but we have similar tastes there. But maybe the car itself had issues as I have watched some videos where it seemed to sound better.

As an owner, I am curious - does the Revuelto feel more agile to you than an STO or Perf? That's a bigger deal to me right now than sound and even a 4RS or 458 is almost always "fast" enough for me, though I don't mind having the extra available in 296 and faster 911s.

 

For reference, I have firsthand experience with most of the cars you mentioned. I currently own the 4RS, 3RS 992, and Performante and I drive them quite regularly. Of course, this is just my opinion, but none of these cars sound as good as the Revuelto.

I actually find the 4RS a bit forced and even annoying at times, its high-pitched tone at high RPMs can be overwhelming. In contrast, I prefer the more refined and sophisticated sound of the 3RS 992. The 4RS seems to prioritize pumping noise into the cabin to create an artificial sense of excitement. Sometimes it's fun, but most of the time, it’s not for me, maybe it's a sign on getting older

V12 Lamborghinis have a guttural and raw sound, whereas Ferrari’s V12s are more harmonically rich and high pitched kind of hard to compare them. It really comes down to personal preference, and I enjoy both for their unique characteristics.

The Revuelto is significantly more civilized than the Aventador. I previously owned an Aventador SV, which was noticeably louder stock. However, I did have the factory race exhaust on that car and that was very loud. The Aventador also transmitted more vibration through the cabin and chassis, but that’s expected, it was a stripped-down version built to a different compliance standard before Greta got involved. That's why comparing the light weight spec cars V full fat ones is a bit unfair. I have no doubt that the SV version of the Revuelto will be much more raw.

The V10 sounds fantastic, but it’s simply not in the same class as the V12. That said, the Performante is my favorite Lamborghini to date, and the one I’ve owned the longest. Still, when it comes to sound, the V12 is on another level. As we all know compliance regulations have "masked" the Revuelto's exhaust note more than the V10 variants, but once you let it breathe, the difference becomes very clear.

As for your last question, the Revuelto is a bigger car and will never feel as nimble as the smaller cars you mentioned they look half the size of the R. That’s the trade-off for having a badass V12 behind you, scissor doors, and all the drama.
However, on tight mountain roads, I found the Revuelto to be shockingly agile. The steering was perfectly weighted, the damping was impressively compliant (I drive it both in Hard and Soft suspension modes, Soft was no good), and the rear-wheel steering makes it feel smaller than it is. It rotates so well that it almost defies logic for a car of its size.

What I found exhilarating was the explosive acceleration out of tight corners and the sheer stability during the exit. In a similar scenario, the SF90 feels more on edge, almost nervous, whereas the Revuelto was planted and confidence inspiring.

Is the Revuelto as agile as the cars you mentioned? In the right hands, I’d say yes. The V10 is easier to drive fast, especially for a novice, it’s smaller, lighter, and more nimble, less power so you feel more in control. The Revuelto, on the other hand, is bigger and heavier but feels more sure footed and explosive out of corners and really sticks to the road, I wish it had better tyres. Once you get into a rhythm with it, it’s a proper beast unlike the Aventador, which, in comparison, was a terrible car IMO of course.

Honestly, I don’t know what else to tell you. I think you just need more seat time—alone, on your favorite roads. Ideally, get a valve controller installed, clear your mind of comparisons, and experience the car for what it is. Lighter cars will always have a different character, and sometimes, comparisons don’t make sense—that’s why you need more than one!

The only thing I haven’t quite figured out between the Revuelto and SF90 is the mid-range explosiveness of the SF90. The SF90 feels faster and more aggressive in that range, I guess because it has more torque, the Revuelto doesn’t feel as urgent in the same gear at the same RPM.
But are they actually traveling at the same speed and just delivering it differently? I’ve driven them back-to-back more than two times now to figure it out, but I still can’t and I am ready to conclude that the Ferrari is faster but this conclusion is far from scientific or provable by metrics LOL, maybe the Ferrari’s torque is playing tricks on me who knows?

TLDR:

My advice? Buy one of each. LOL.