The Gallardo may have lived in the shadow of its big brother, the Murcielago, but the latest model could well be the most significant car Lamborghini has ever built. Andy Enright reports
It takes quite some time to get your head around a Lamborghini Gallardo. After all, Lambos were always supposed to be cars that would leave the average driver with post traumatic stress disorder after the briefest acquaintance. Yet the latest Gallardo doesnt quite fit that billing. The doors dont open skywards, instead functioning much like a normal car.
RATING OUT OF 5
**************************************
Build 4 Stars
Comfort 3 1/2 Stars
Depreciation 3 Stars
Economy 2 Stars
Equipment 3 1/2 Stars
Handling 4 1/2 Stars
Insurance 1 1/2 Stars
Performance 5 Stars
Styling 5 Stars
Value 3 Stars
**************************************
Yes, its low but visibility isnt too bad, theres air conditioning, a decent stereo and the controls dont seem to require superhuman effort to function. Shouldnt it be a little more special? Try accelerating beyond 4,000rpm. Then it becomes a very different animal altogether.
European drive-by noise regulations have meant that Lamborghini have been forced to baffle the Gallardos exhaust at low revs, making it civilised around town. Give the accelerator a good prod, however, and the difference is astonishing. I had the opportunity to drive the Gallardo back to back with the 6.5-litre Murcielago and the smaller car is a good deal more vocal when driven in anger, the five-litre V10 making itself heard from half a mile distant, its strident bark ricocheting off the sides of the Tuscan valley.
All was well again. Lamborghini are still building cars that could earn you an ASBO in double quick time. The changes to the latest Gallardo are wide reaching, despite the fact that it doesnt look all that different. Still, it didnt need to.
With Ferraris svelte 360 Modena evolving into the rather lumpen F430, the Gallardo didnt need to do much at all on the styling front to stay ahead of the car from Maranello and its also a good deal more arresting than the comparatively mundane-looking Porsche 911 Turbo. Only Fords GT offers a similar visual right hook in this sector of the market. Where the original Gallardo enjoyed a serious power advantage over the 360 Modena, the arrival of the F430 saw the car from SantAgata lose out in terms of power to weight ratio. The latest car sees its power hiked from 493bhp to a hefty 512bhp with torque remaining static at 376lb/ft.
This now gives the Gallardo a real sledgehammer punch at the top end, peak power streaming in at a stratospheric 7,800rpm, and restores the power to weight advantage in its favour. Aside from that, the brakes are bigger, the software for the optional e-gear paddle shift gearbox has been finessed and the all-wheel drive chassis has been sharpened still further.
"Even with 512bhp on tap in a mid-engined car costing this much, the Gallardo never feels intimidating "
The paddle shift is now one of the best of its ilk. The only trouble is that the redline is a mere 200rpm above where peak power is produced, so just when it feels like the car is getting ballistically rapid, it shifts up a gear. Still, thats preferable to the manual car which just hits a very intrusive rev limiter. A small grumble in an otherwise very accomplished package.
Roll away from a standing start in the Gallardo and it gives little clue as to its potency. Youll have to get used to the goldfish-bowl nature of driving a car like this as onlookers peer in to see whos piloting it before registering a faint look of disappointment that it isnt a celeb they recognise. Youll gain their attention again the moment you prod the accelerator pedal. There is no appreciable ramping up in the noise level.
It just appears and the first time it happens youll physically recoil from the sound emanating from the back of the baby Lamborghini. Its an angry, feral noise that is a world away from the breathy timbre of a Porsche 911 or the screaming, almost musical crescendo of a Ferrari V8. In short, it sounds like a Lamborghini should. It goes like one too.
Against the clock, the Gallardo will register a sprint to 60mph in 3.8 seconds and keep going to 196mph. The four-wheel drive electronics arent quite as clever as those in a 911 Turbo when it comes to stepping cleanly off the line but get up to higher velocities and you wont begrudge that, the Gallardo behaving for the most part like a traditional rear driver. Only when youre really pushing it over scabby tarmac can you feel the front tyres biting for grip.
What impresses most is the body control. Drive the same section of road in a Porsche 911 or even a Ferrari F430 and there would be a lot more roll, squat and dive. The Lamborghini planes flat, almost sucked to the ground, its hefty 19-inch tyres and foursquare stance giving the driver almost unassailable confidence levels. Equipment levels have been enhanced and include items like the Lamborghini Multimedia System with CD changer, MP3 player and tuner.
A revised palette of interior and exterior colours is offered as are a whole range of options including a reversing camera and TV tuner. Other options include the popular Calisto wheels and a sports pack with racing steering wheel and suspension. The Gallardos shape still works wonderfully well. Although it shares many styling cues with its bigger brother, the Murcielago, the Gallardo is surprisingly small and slightly more aggressive with its chopped-off angles.
Luc Donkerwolke, the man responsible for penning both cars, has once again excelled himself. Obviously a Lamborghini, the Gallardos detailing does enough to distance it from the Murcielago. Park the two side by side and youll appreciate the differences but such is the success of the Gallardos lines that the latest Murcielago has adopted a sharper, Gallardo-looking front end. If one were to design the ultimate useable supercar, it would have Italian charisma and German build quality, the looks of a Lamborghini and the utility of a Porsche, but would go, stop and steer like nothing else.
The Gallardo is that car and, for the time being at least, is probably the finest all-round supercar money can buy.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lamborghini Gallardo
PRICE: £134,000 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 400g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 196mph / 0-60mph 3.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 14.5mpg WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ? Length/Width/Height 4300/1900/1165mm
It takes quite some time to get your head around a Lamborghini Gallardo. After all, Lambos were always supposed to be cars that would leave the average driver with post traumatic stress disorder after the briefest acquaintance. Yet the latest Gallardo doesnt quite fit that billing. The doors dont open skywards, instead functioning much like a normal car.
RATING OUT OF 5
**************************************
Build 4 Stars
Comfort 3 1/2 Stars
Depreciation 3 Stars
Economy 2 Stars
Equipment 3 1/2 Stars
Handling 4 1/2 Stars
Insurance 1 1/2 Stars
Performance 5 Stars
Styling 5 Stars
Value 3 Stars
**************************************
Yes, its low but visibility isnt too bad, theres air conditioning, a decent stereo and the controls dont seem to require superhuman effort to function. Shouldnt it be a little more special? Try accelerating beyond 4,000rpm. Then it becomes a very different animal altogether.
European drive-by noise regulations have meant that Lamborghini have been forced to baffle the Gallardos exhaust at low revs, making it civilised around town. Give the accelerator a good prod, however, and the difference is astonishing. I had the opportunity to drive the Gallardo back to back with the 6.5-litre Murcielago and the smaller car is a good deal more vocal when driven in anger, the five-litre V10 making itself heard from half a mile distant, its strident bark ricocheting off the sides of the Tuscan valley.
All was well again. Lamborghini are still building cars that could earn you an ASBO in double quick time. The changes to the latest Gallardo are wide reaching, despite the fact that it doesnt look all that different. Still, it didnt need to.
With Ferraris svelte 360 Modena evolving into the rather lumpen F430, the Gallardo didnt need to do much at all on the styling front to stay ahead of the car from Maranello and its also a good deal more arresting than the comparatively mundane-looking Porsche 911 Turbo. Only Fords GT offers a similar visual right hook in this sector of the market. Where the original Gallardo enjoyed a serious power advantage over the 360 Modena, the arrival of the F430 saw the car from SantAgata lose out in terms of power to weight ratio. The latest car sees its power hiked from 493bhp to a hefty 512bhp with torque remaining static at 376lb/ft.
This now gives the Gallardo a real sledgehammer punch at the top end, peak power streaming in at a stratospheric 7,800rpm, and restores the power to weight advantage in its favour. Aside from that, the brakes are bigger, the software for the optional e-gear paddle shift gearbox has been finessed and the all-wheel drive chassis has been sharpened still further.
"Even with 512bhp on tap in a mid-engined car costing this much, the Gallardo never feels intimidating "
The paddle shift is now one of the best of its ilk. The only trouble is that the redline is a mere 200rpm above where peak power is produced, so just when it feels like the car is getting ballistically rapid, it shifts up a gear. Still, thats preferable to the manual car which just hits a very intrusive rev limiter. A small grumble in an otherwise very accomplished package.
Roll away from a standing start in the Gallardo and it gives little clue as to its potency. Youll have to get used to the goldfish-bowl nature of driving a car like this as onlookers peer in to see whos piloting it before registering a faint look of disappointment that it isnt a celeb they recognise. Youll gain their attention again the moment you prod the accelerator pedal. There is no appreciable ramping up in the noise level.
It just appears and the first time it happens youll physically recoil from the sound emanating from the back of the baby Lamborghini. Its an angry, feral noise that is a world away from the breathy timbre of a Porsche 911 or the screaming, almost musical crescendo of a Ferrari V8. In short, it sounds like a Lamborghini should. It goes like one too.
Against the clock, the Gallardo will register a sprint to 60mph in 3.8 seconds and keep going to 196mph. The four-wheel drive electronics arent quite as clever as those in a 911 Turbo when it comes to stepping cleanly off the line but get up to higher velocities and you wont begrudge that, the Gallardo behaving for the most part like a traditional rear driver. Only when youre really pushing it over scabby tarmac can you feel the front tyres biting for grip.
What impresses most is the body control. Drive the same section of road in a Porsche 911 or even a Ferrari F430 and there would be a lot more roll, squat and dive. The Lamborghini planes flat, almost sucked to the ground, its hefty 19-inch tyres and foursquare stance giving the driver almost unassailable confidence levels. Equipment levels have been enhanced and include items like the Lamborghini Multimedia System with CD changer, MP3 player and tuner.
A revised palette of interior and exterior colours is offered as are a whole range of options including a reversing camera and TV tuner. Other options include the popular Calisto wheels and a sports pack with racing steering wheel and suspension. The Gallardos shape still works wonderfully well. Although it shares many styling cues with its bigger brother, the Murcielago, the Gallardo is surprisingly small and slightly more aggressive with its chopped-off angles.
Luc Donkerwolke, the man responsible for penning both cars, has once again excelled himself. Obviously a Lamborghini, the Gallardos detailing does enough to distance it from the Murcielago. Park the two side by side and youll appreciate the differences but such is the success of the Gallardos lines that the latest Murcielago has adopted a sharper, Gallardo-looking front end. If one were to design the ultimate useable supercar, it would have Italian charisma and German build quality, the looks of a Lamborghini and the utility of a Porsche, but would go, stop and steer like nothing else.
The Gallardo is that car and, for the time being at least, is probably the finest all-round supercar money can buy.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lamborghini Gallardo
PRICE: £134,000 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 400g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 196mph / 0-60mph 3.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 14.5mpg WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ? Length/Width/Height 4300/1900/1165mm
No comments:
Post a Comment