610 vs 580 decision

[s4play]

s4play - what did you think of AWD vs RWD?

Well - first let me say if you are just going to drive this thing around town and cruise, you will never really notice the difference.

Now let's say you are doing some mountain runs and pushing the car a bit harder, this is where the two cars will start to show some character traits. Keep in mind the 580 comes standard with 19's and the 610 typically has the 20" wheels/tires so that alone is a factor. Of course this can easily be alleviated with a simple wheel swap.

When I went out with dealer the first time in the 610 - I noticed right away it drives a lot like my previous R8's. The sound is more ferocious and the paddles shift faster than my 6-speed gated shifter for sure. Around turns the car's front wheels really help pull the car around with virtually no tire spin. I think for majority of owners it would be near impossible to find the limits of grip out on the street. We did some casual driving down Highway 17 which is a curvy mountain highway towards Santa Cruz for those who know the bay area. There are many parts that are an uphill climb and in any other car, it would be lagging but the Huracan just keeps moving like you were going on a flat surface. Turn-in is very solid and you get great road feel from the steering wheel. I should note most of the test drive was done in Sport mode and manual shifting.

For the 580 we took the same roads, but on a different day. First thing I noticed different is the way the car accelerates. The 580 does not have the same ferocious grip off the line nor at the top end. Again this is only noticeable if you push the car very hard. Just romping on the car to 80 is not going to be readily apparent. The tires are a bit more forgiving on the 580 most likely due to the 19" setup. Coming from a long history of driving RWD cars and living in the snow states, I'm quite used to drifting and powerful RWD cars that tend to spin out easily. I didn't drive the 580 in the snow but as you get closer to the limits of the tires, you do notice it has that tendency to swing the back end. As with any RWD car you need to be careful how you apply power especially in corners or you'll be looking at a tree very quickly. The 580's best merit is the "rawness" of the car. It's a bit trickier to drive but the car rewards the driver with a lot of fun.

The 610 is a safer car, more tame for the street and in most drivers's hands, definitely a faster car. It takes a more skilled driver to extract every ounce of performance from the 580.


For me, it wasn't about the performance but more the cosmetics. I did not like the front grill on the 580, has too much plastic that reminds me of my s2000 (not a bad thing however in a $200k+ car I felt the 580 looked "econo box"). I didn't like the rear bumper either so at the end of the day I picked the 610.

[rssf]

Well - first let me say if you are just going to drive this thing around town and cruise, you will never really notice the difference.

Now let's say you are doing some mountain runs and pushing the car a bit harder, this is where the two cars will start to show some character traits. Keep in mind the 580 comes standard with 19's and the 610 typically has the 20" wheels/tires so that alone is a factor. Of course this can easily be alleviated with a simple wheel swap.

When I went out with dealer the first time in the 610 - I noticed right away it drives a lot like my previous R8's. The sound is more ferocious and the paddles shift faster than my 6-speed gated shifter for sure. Around turns the car's front wheels really help pull the car around with virtually no tire spin. I think for majority of owners it would be near impossible to find the limits of grip out on the street. We did some casual driving down Highway 17 which is a curvy mountain highway towards Santa Cruz for those who know the bay area. There are many parts that are an uphill climb and in any other car, it would be lagging but the Huracan just keeps moving like you were going on a flat surface. Turn-in is very solid and you get great road feel from the steering wheel. I should note most of the test drive was done in Sport mode and manual shifting.

For the 580 we took the same roads, but on a different day. First thing I noticed different is the way the car accelerates. The 580 does not have the same ferocious grip off the line nor at the top end. Again this is only noticeable if you push the car very hard. Just romping on the car to 80 is not going to be readily apparent. The tires are a bit more forgiving on the 580 most likely due to the 19" setup. Coming from a long history of driving RWD cars and living in the snow states, I'm quite used to drifting and powerful RWD cars that tend to spin out easily. I didn't drive the 580 in the snow but as you get closer to the limits of the tires, you do notice it has that tendency to swing the back end. As with any RWD car you need to be careful how you apply power especially in corners or you'll be looking at a tree very quickly. The 580's best merit is the "rawness" of the car. It's a bit trickier to drive but the car rewards the driver with a lot of fun.

The 610 is a safer car, more tame for the street and in most drivers's hands, definitely a faster car. It takes a more skilled driver to extract every ounce of performance from the 580.


For me, it wasn't about the performance but more the cosmetics. I did not like the front grill on the 580, has too much plastic that reminds me of my s2000 (not a bad thing however in a $200k+ car I felt the 580 looked "econo box"). I didn't like the rear bumper either so at the end of the day I picked the 610.

s4play - Thanks for sharing your experience. Interestingly enough I did the same drive in the 610. Up 17, back roads and then back down 17. One of the techs did the first part of the test drive. He barnstormed up 17 and it really felt like every other car was at a standstill. Backroad drive was a blast. The car handled like it was on rails. I got to keep the car overnight and did a short drive up 85/280 and then around my neighborhood. Absolutely loved it.

Yesterday I finally got a chance to drive the 580. This was all city driving so not a fair comparison but I couldn't tell the difference once I sat in the car. Nevertheless, I'm hoping to replicate the 17 drive in the next week or so just to be thorough.

Cheers