Next-Gen Performance Cars Are Taking Fun Beyond The Pavement And Into The Mainstream – SlashGear

Performance cars are funny in that, no matter how cool they are, they lose it the moment they’re faced with sub-optimal conditions. It’s happened to me plenty of times during my years on the job, even if I exclude all “tumbling out into the street from under a gullwing door” moments. One outstanding example was during the first drive of the Lamborghini Huracán in 2014. Lambo had brought the car to the Ascari track in Spain, an idyllic circuit in a private resort nestled in the hills of Málaga. We were there recently for our first drive of the McLaren Artura. It’s purposefully tucked away from any major towns or cities, so returning to our hotel would take a couple of hours, a perfect amount of time for a road test.

Conditions couldn’t have been more fantastic: Sleek, brand-new Lamborghini, sun-baked highways of Spain, and an endless number of travelers and locals cheering the car as we passed them by. A literal dream come true, until a road closure on our route sent our Huracán on a scenic detour. You might think that a little backroad deviation would be welcome, and it had its moments, but our nav sent us through increasingly rural areas connected by paths not often traveled, certainly not by a car like our Lambo.

The pavement eventually ended, replaced by uneven pebbly roads that pelted the pristine sports car as we trundled along. This and the unpredictable dips that slammed the car’s wheel well down onto the rolling rubber thanks to a tight sport suspension meant we couldn’t travel more than 18 or so mph. It was agony, wincing as the car took its lumps and awash with further shame as a ragged Suzuki Jimny became impatient and overtook us. Yes, the Lamborghini was too slow.

What I wouldn’t have given for the Sterrato in that moment, or heck, even the Urus.