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Lamborghini makes Aventador more fuel efficient for 2013

Through the addition of start-stop system and cylinder deactivation technology, the new 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is up to 20 percent more fuel efficient.

Antuan Goodwin Reviews Editor / Cars
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Expertise Reviewing cars and car technology since 2008 focusing on electrification, driver assistance and infotainment Credentials
  • North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
Antuan Goodwin
2 min read

I can that imagine someone at Lamborghini thinks that the Aventador's 700-horsepower split between all four wheels is probably enough power for one car. (And no, I don't agree with that person.) I assume this because rather than getting a nominal power bump for this model year's update, the 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 gets a mile per gallon bump thanks to the addition of cylinder deactivation and idle stop-start technologies that allow the V-12 engine to instantaneously and momentarily make less power in the pursuit of using less fuel.

The Cylinder Deactivation System (CDS) works like this: When cruising or coasting at speeds below 85 mph, the Aventador shuts down one bank of its 6.5-liter, V-12 engine -- essentially transforming the engine into a 3.25-liter, inline six-cylinder. You don't need all 700 ponies for your daily commute, so by basically shrinking the engine on demand, Lamborghini is able to squeeze out a few more mpgs. When the user decides that it's time to drop the hammer, the CDS fires the second bank of cylinders back up with no more interaction from the driver than an increase in pedal pressure and, presumably, no hesitation.

When the 2013 Aventador comes to a stop, so does its engine thanks to the start-stop system that reduces fuel wasted while idling. Energy stored in a high-performance capacitor in released instantly the moment the driver's foot leaves the brake pedal, restarting the engine in just 180 milliseconds -- a measurement that Lamborghini says is "barely detectable." The automaker's press release makes no mention of a regenerative braking system, so I have to assume that the power stored in those supercaps comes from the conventional 12-volt system, which is still in place.

Lamborghini states that the 2013 Aventador with its new fuel-saving tech saves an average of 7 percent to a new estimate of 14.7 mpg and that steady state highway cruising at 80 mph sees an even larger 20 percent reduction in consumption and emissions. Plugging the EPA's estimate for the 2012 model into that 20 percent reduction gives us a very loose estimate of 20.4 mpg highway.