Walking into a garage and seeing a Lamborghini Aventador for the first time usually does something to your heart rate. It’s wide. It's low. It looks like it wants to bite you. But once you pull that scissor door up and slide into the seat, your eyes immediately go to one place. It isn't the steering wheel. It’s the Lamborghini Aventador center console. Honestly, it looks less like a car part and more like the flight deck of a Reaper drone or something stolen from a Cold War fighter jet.
Most cars have a volume knob and maybe some climate controls. Not this. This is a massive, cascading slab of buttons and switches that angles up toward the dashboard, creating a literal barrier between you and your passenger. It’s intimidating. It’s crowded. And yet, it is exactly what you want when you’ve spent nearly half a million dollars on a V12 masterpiece.
The red flip switch that everyone talks about
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the red plastic cover in the middle of the console.
This is the start button. To fire up that 6.5-liter engine, you have to flick up a red safety guard, just like you’re about to authorize a nuclear strike. It’s tactile. It’s dramatic. It’s also completely unnecessary from a functional standpoint, but that is the whole point of a Lamborghini. If you just wanted to push a button, you’d buy an Audi.
Right around that start button, you’ll find the toggle switches for the windows and the nose-lift system. Placing the window switches on the center stack instead of the doors is a classic Italian supercar move. It keeps the doors light and the wiring simple, but it also forces you to engage with the Lamborghini Aventador center console every time you want to hear that exhaust note better.
Navigation and the Audi connection
If you look closely at the buttons for the infotainment, things might start to look familiar.
Since Lamborghini is owned by the Volkswagen Group, the underlying tech for the Aventador’s interface was heavily borrowed from Audi’s MMI system. You’ve got the central scroll wheel and the four corner buttons that correspond to the screen menu. While the graphics were updated with Lamborghini-specific fonts and "honeycomb" patterns, the logic is pure German engineering.
👉 See also: Images of Thanksgiving Holiday: What Most People Get Wrong
It’s a weird contrast.
You have this wild, aggressive exterior and then a menu system that feels like it’s from a 2012 A4. It works, though. It’s reliable. In the early days of the Aventador (the LP700-4), the screen was a bit small by today’s standards, and it didn't even have a backup camera as standard. Imagine trying to reverse a car that has zero rear visibility using nothing but side mirrors and a tiny pixelated screen. Stressful.
The evolution from LP700-4 to SVJ
As the Aventador aged, the center console changed. Not the shape, really, but the materials and the tech.
When the Aventador S arrived, we saw a shift toward better screens. Then came the SV (SuperVeloce) and eventually the SVJ. In these "hardcore" models, the leather and plastic often gave way to "Carbon Skin"—a flexible carbon fiber fabric that Lamborghini patented.
- The SVJ console is a sea of matte carbon fiber.
- You lose some of the creature comforts to save weight.
- The pull-straps on the doors mean you spend more time touching the console for everything else.
The sheer amount of real estate this console takes up is actually one of the biggest complaints from taller drivers. Because the Lamborghini Aventador center console is so wide and high, it eats into your legroom. Your right knee is constantly resting against that hard edge. If you’re over six feet tall, a long road trip in an Aventador feels like being trapped in a very expensive, very loud carbon fiber coffin.
Why the layout is actually "wrong" (and why we love it)
Ergonomically speaking, the Aventador is a disaster.
✨ Don't miss: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessing Over Maybelline SuperStay Skin Tint
The buttons are small. They are all the same color. They aren't particularly intuitive to find while you're doing 100 mph. If you want to change the driving mode—Strada, Sport, or Corsa—you have to look down and away from the road.
In a modern Huracán or the new Revuelto, a lot of these controls have moved to the steering wheel. But the Aventador represents the last of the "old school" layout where the center stack was the king. There is something incredibly satisfying about the mechanical click of those toggles. Most modern cars are moving toward touchscreens that get covered in greasy fingerprints. The Aventador's console is a shrine to physical buttons.
Common issues and wear
If you are looking at buying a used one, pay attention to the "sticky button" syndrome.
Like many Italian cars from this era, the soft-touch coating on the buttons can degrade over time, especially if the car spent a lot of time in a hot climate like Dubai or Miami. The buttons start to feel tacky or gummy. It’s a pain to fix. You basically have to pull the whole unit and have the buttons refinished or replaced.
Also, the leather on the side of the console tends to scuff. People get in and out of these cars by sliding over the high sills, and their belt buckles or jeans often catch the side of the center stack.
Customization through Ad Personam
Lamborghini’s "Ad Personam" program allowed buyers to do some crazy things with their interiors. I’ve seen Lamborghini Aventador center console setups with contrast stitching that matches the brake calipers. I’ve seen them finished in forged composite—that marbled-looking carbon fiber that looks like dark granite.
🔗 Read more: Coach Bag Animal Print: Why These Wild Patterns Actually Work as Neutrals
The console is the centerpiece of the cabin. When you customize it, you're changing the entire vibe of the interior. You can go "Classy" with tan leather and black accents, or you can go "Full Race" with Alcantara and bright green accents.
Comparing it to the Revuelto
The successor to the Aventador, the Revuelto, has finally moved on.
It now features a vertical touchscreen that looks like a smartphone stuck to the dash. It’s more functional, sure. It has Apple CarPlay that actually works well. But it loses that "fighter jet" soul. There is no massive bridge of buttons anymore.
When people look back at the 2010s era of supercars, the Aventador will be remembered for its drama. And the center console is a huge part of that. It wasn't designed by a committee focused on "user experience" or "safety metrics." It was designed to make you feel like a pilot.
Practical maintenance for owners
If you own one or are planning to, keep a microfiber cloth in the tiny (and I mean tiny) glovebox.
- Dust settles in the gaps between those toggle switches instantly.
- Avoid using heavy chemical cleaners on the buttons; stick to a slightly damp cloth to prevent the finish from peeling.
- Check the "E-Gear" or "ISR" buttons (the ones for Reverse and Manual mode) for cracks, as these get the most use.
The Verdict on the Console
The Lamborghini Aventador center console is a glorious, flawed, beautiful piece of industrial design. It’s too big. It’s confusing. It’s dated. But every time you flick that red cover up to start the V12, none of that matters. You aren't just starting a car; you're engaging a piece of theater.
If you're hunting for a replacement part or looking to upgrade the trim, focus on the OEM carbon kits. They hold their value better than aftermarket options and fit the tight tolerances of the dash far better. Most of the aftermarket "stick-on" carbon covers look cheap and will eventually peel under the heat of the windshield. Stick to the authentic stuff or leave it stock.
Keep the leather conditioned, especially on the "knee-knock" areas on the sides of the stack. A little bit of leather balm once every few months goes a long way in preventing the creases that eventually turn into tears. Owning an Aventador is a responsibility to history—treat that interior like the piece of art it is.