Lamborghini Huracan Performante cornering on a track

Is the Lamborghini Huracan available with a manual transmission?

Transmission options for the Lamborghini Huracan

The sports cars of old were almost exclusively sold with manual transmissions. Even when automatic transmissions became available, the manual was for the enthusiasts, but the modern car landscape is very different. Performance cars like the Lamborghini Huracan are no longer available with a manual transmission. How can that be? Allow us to answer that by going over the transmission options for the Lamborghini Huracan.

Lamborghini Huracan gauge clusterWhat transmission comes with the Huracan?

The Huracan actually only has one transmission option. It comes standard with a dual-clutch gearbox called the Lamborghini Doppia Frizione. This 7-speed transmission is what you will find in all variants of the current Huracan including rear-wheel drive options and the Performante model.

Read More: Which Huracan model is right for you?

How does a dual-clutch transmission work?

To understand why Lamborghini utilizes the dual-clutch design, first we should explain how this particular type of transmission works. A dual-clutch transmission, or DCT, was designed to nearly eliminate shift lag.

In a manual transmission vehicle, you must engage the clutch, shift gears, and disengage the clutch. All of that takes time. Time that your car could be using to put power to its wheels. Traditional automatic transmissions can operate faster, but they still suffer from the same basic problem.

A DCT nearly eliminates the problem by essentially having two gearboxes in one. In a DCT, you have two clutches each tied to two different sets of gears. Typically, one clutch is tied to the even numbered gears and the other tied to the odd numbered gears.

This allows your transmission to have two different gears engaged to the input shaft or shafts at the same time. For example, when accelerating from a stop, your DCT engages the first gear and engages the appropriate clutch. Second gear is also engaged, but its clutch remains disengaged. Then, when the car is ready to up shift, it simply has to disengage the first clutch and engage the second. This means that shifts can take place in mere fractions of a second.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante interior with steering wheel mounted shifting paddlesWhy is a dual-clutch transmission better than a manual?

It’s the lack of shift lag that makes a DCT better than a manual. With a DCT, you can accelerate faster and more efficiently. What about control? Manual transmissions were always known and sought after for the level of control they offered over your vehicle. With a DCT, you can have that same level of control as they can be operated as either an automatic or as a clutchless manual. With the simple pull of a paddle, you can change gears faster than ever.


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