2013 Lamborghini Aventador Adds Cylinder Deactivation and Stop-Start

We haven't taken any polls, but we're pretty sure that Lamborghini buyers aren't worrying about the woeful fuel-economy numbers on the window stickers of Raging Bulls. But on the rare chance that there's a hypermiling Lambo owner out there, Lamborghini is taking steps to get the Aventador to go farther on a gallon of gas by adding cylinder deactivation and a stop-start system for 2013. Lamborghini's cylinder deactivation system works like any other; it shuts down half of the engines cylinders—six in this case—and runs on the remaining cylinders at speeds up to 84 mph to reduce fuel consumption. As soon as long pedal is depressed again, the V-12 is back to firing on all cylinders and the full 691 hp is available. The Raging Bull's stop-start system is a bit different than most systems on the market because it uses high-performance capacitors—which it calls supercaps—to restart the engine, instead of the car's battery. This takes just 180 milliseconds, roughly twice as fast as Mazda's i-stop system, but Lamborghini has always been good at fast. Comparison Tests: 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia vs. 2011 McLaren MP4-12C, 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS First Drive: 2011 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Official Photos and Info: 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Both of Lamborghini's systems help to reduce total fuel consumption by seven percent and up to 20 percent on the highway. According to the EPA, the 2012 Aventador's dismal fuel economy of 11 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway improves slightly to 11/18 in the 2013 model. Call it a draw when comparing those numbers to those of the Ferrari 458 Italia's 13/17. Lamborghini tells us that there are no plans of either of these systems spreading to the rest of the Bologna brand's lineup. Also new for the 2013 Aventador is a new set of aluminum wheels, stiffer springs, and optimized dampers. We're told that these new upgrades improve ride comfort while making the handling even more precise. Although we welcome any and all improvements to fuel efficiency, we have to believe Lamborghini's latest isn't much more than a marketing ploy and a nod to the ever-tightening efficiency regulations. Call us cynics, but we're not convinced many owners of the $400,000 Aventador are losing sleep over a few bucks at the pump. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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