The Lamborghini Aventador is a powerful car, able to go from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and it can reach top speeds of around 217 mph (349 kph). You might also have heard that Lamborghinis have naturally aspirated engines and want to know if the same is true of the Aventador.
The Lamborghini Aventador is naturally aspirated (commonly abbreviated as NA). In the past, most cars designed by Lamborghini used naturally aspirated engines because they had some advantages over turbocharged engines, but this is likely to change in the future.
Looking under the hood of an Aventador to see what makes this car so powerful is genuinely fascinating. Below, we’re going to explain what naturally aspirated engines are in detail and then take a look at the future of Lamborghini engines.
Naturally Aspirated Engines Explained
Naturally Aspirated engines (abbreviated as NA) mean that the engine takes in air from the atmosphere for combustion, without additional compression of that air. They are sometimes also known as normally aspirated. They do have some advantages over turbo or supercharged engines.
How Naturally Aspirated Engines Work
In many ways, NA engines work similarly to lungs. As you move faster your lungs work harder to provide an adequate amount of oxygen to your muscles. You need this extra oxygen to use fuel appropriately, as otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to maintain your speed.
NA engines work the same way. As the car moves faster and faster it allows more air to reach the combustion chambers in the engine. This increased airflow allows for more fuel and thus bigger explosions, enabling the engine to produce enough power to maintain the higher speeds.
The Advantages Of Naturally Aspirated Engines
There are quite a few advantages of using an NA engine over turbochargers and superchargers. Lamborghini has traditionally used NA engines as they originally produced tractors and agricultural vehicles.
NA engines are generally cheaper to produce because you don’t need to include as many complex parts in the design. You don’t need to add extra placement for turbos and other complex components which help the engine utilize fuel and air more effectively.
NA engines are generally more reliable as they offer responsive acceleration and minimal lag. Often turbos have acceleration lag, although advancements in turbo technology are reducing this lag considerably.
Minimal Maintenance
There are fewer separate parts in NA engines, which means that it’s easier to diagnose and fix problems in the engine. A natural air flow means that it’s more difficult for the engine to overheat, as the system somewhat regulates itself.
NA engines also tend to last longer than turbocharged or supercharged engines. This is due to these engines being forced to work harder by other components. Running the engine harder over prolonged periods often leads to overheating problems and component breakdown.
Naturally Aspirated Disadvantages
While there are lots of upsides to NA engines there is one major downside. They are renowned for being much less efficient than smaller engines that are boosted by turbos and superchargers.
This is a downside, especially in contemporary times, as there is a great push for higher performance as well as better fuel efficiency. While there are always ways to tweak performance in cars, NA engines simply get bigger to get more powerful, which means they require more fuel.
Is The Lamborghini Aventador Naturally Aspirated?
The Lamborghini Aventador is naturally aspirated. Generally speaking, Lamborghini wanted the Aventador to retain the normally aspirated design for multiple reasons. One of the most important reasons is to be able to distinguish the Aventador from its competitors.
Many supercar manufacturers are increasingly switching to smaller engines that are turbocharged. This allows these cars to be more fuel-efficient and retains their awesome speed and performance, but it also leads to some unpopular changes that Lamborghini capitalized on.
The Sound
Smaller turbocharged engines make much less noise than their NA counterparts. The Aventador comes equipped with a V12 that sounds every bit as powerful as it is. Lamborghini is fully aware that its audience appreciates the roar of its engine as much as its sheer speed.
Lamborghini wants the driver to have a unique experience with their cars. The Aventador is their flagship model, which means it has to represent Lamborghini as a brand. Thus the Aventador retains the simple, traditional, and powerful NA engines.
The Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae (the final iteration of the Aventador series) will also have a NA engine. Lamborghini has confirmed that the newest Aventador will not lose its NA engines, as they consider it to be an important feature of this model.
Are Lamborghini Engines All Naturally Aspirated?
Most Lamborghini car engines are naturally aspirated, but there is one model – the Urus – which uses a 4.0 L twin-turbocharged V8 instead of the trademark NA engines found in all other Lamborghini models. The Urus is an SUV though, while the Aventador is a supercar.
The other Lamborghini models, which include the Aventador, the Sian, and the Huracan all use NA engines. As mentioned Lamborghini has been reluctant to adapt to supercharged and turbocharged engines, as they believe it will take away from the experience of driving their cars.
The limited-edition 2022 Countach has a naturally aspirated engine but also contains a 48-volt electric motor. Perhaps this is some clue for the future of Lamborghini cars, which represents a radical shift in their design?
Will Future Lamborghinis Be Naturally Aspirated?
There’s a lot of uncertainty around the future of naturally aspirated engines. There is an increasing focus on manufacturer regulations surrounding car emissions. Most cars are expected to have hybrid technology and utilize electric motors in some way sooner or later.
A Mean And Green Lamborghini
Lamborghini themselves has stated that their latest flagship model, which should replace the Aventador in 2023, will have a completely different engine than its predecessor to comply with emission laws. The new flagship model will have a V12 with plug-in hybrid technology, a first for Lamborghini.
The as-of-yet unnamed Aventador successor will have a naturally aspirated engine, which came as a welcome surprise to most motor enthusiasts. Many suspected that the latest Aventador would be the last ever Lamborghini to make full use of NA engines.
An Eye To The Future
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann is well aware that the V12 naturally aspirated engine is becoming a thing of the past. Lamborghini has also ruled out the use of supercapacitors in future models, as they believe this won’t help them achieve their goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2025.
Lamborghini has also hinted that its entire roster will feature some kind of hybridized technology in the future. Time will tell if most of their models will retain naturally aspirated engines or not. Turbochargers and superchargers are becoming increasingly advanced, and most car manufacturers are adapting their cars to hybridized technology.
Not much more is known about the latest series of Lamborghini, but statements released by Lamborghini indicate that they are well aware of the changing times. We might be seeing the beginning of the end of naturally aspirated engines, especially as governments make it increasingly expensive to own and manufacture these cars.
Final Thoughts
The Lamborghini Aventador comes with a naturally aspirated engine, as most Lamborghinis do. For the time being, Lamborghini will retain their traditional naturally aspirated engine technology. However, they are shortly due to release their latest flagship car with hybrid technology.