2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Road Test

Test Vehicle: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 5.2L V10 with 6-speed eGear Auto Gearbox

You are never quite prepared for how small these supercars are sometimes.  Low slung, painted in a beautiful pearl metalic color with a set of beautiful black wheels, the latest Gallardo out of Sant A'gata looked purposeful and amazing.

The Gallardo doesn't have the sense of drama of the Murcielago with the regular opening doors, but it's still a design that turns heads.  Totally different from the other Italians and their curves and swoops, I loved the angular look of the Gallardo. It was attracting a lot of attention, and camera phones were in full force wherever I went in this thing.  The redesigned front of the LP560-4 looks fantastic, with the scoops looking more dramatic than the previous version.

I adored the new look of the rear end on this compared with the first incarnation.  The black grill under the new little star lights creates a dramatic visual for the person behind as they head towards the horizon.

I think its one of the most contemporary designs on the road.  The white and black really fits the overall shape.  I love how compact it is.

Sliding into the tight seat, the alcantara covered steering wheel feels good in your hands.  I think it would have looked better without the silver flat bottom to it (cover that with alcantara as well), and the thin stalks for the egear box are barely visible behind the wheel, but fall in easy reach for me. The interior was black with yellow stitching, which I thought perfectly matched the character of the supercar.  The roof was obviously low, but not too low.   There is a sense of occasion and, having driven a number of Audis, a sense of Germanic functionality about the interior.

Looking left, the dash slopes away from you to the end of the windshield a long way in front of you, with a line of knurled switches breaking up the center console with the Audi satnav above and the Audi aircon switches below.  Amongst other switches, there is a very clever little button for raising the front up in case of speedbumps...that I didn't have to use, but sitting in the car it was fun to press it a few times.  Guess I'll never grow up will I!

The headliner was black alcantara giving a tight black outlined heavily sloped windshield to look through at the world.

I felt like my feet were sticking out past the front wheels as there is basically nothing in front of you, but the best part of the car is behind you.  The V10 sits right behind your shoulder and it idled nicely as I prepared myself to pull off.  This wasn't going to suck.  Foot on the brake, pull on the right paddle, off with the handbrake and ease the accelerator down.  The V10 picked up its tone, and off we slowly go.  This really is a different world driving one of these than a normal car.

I initially had the windows down to hear the engine as I pulled off. The noise behind you is really tight.  I loved the journey through the box, with pulls on the right paddle being met with really smooth up changes when compared to the Audi R8, which I thought it would be very similar to.  How wrong I was.  This is a very different proposition.  Pulls on the left paddle were met with nice down changes, little throttle blips, and a very rewarding experience indeed.

The seats hold you in place really well, and the car hugs every curve the way you would expect a 4 wheel drive car that is 3 times as wide as it is tall to.  Zero body roll, and a very planted feel to the car.  The steering was pretty well weighted, and you could feel the road very well.

After about 5 minutes, I looked at the center console, and saw a little button marked Sport.  Seems like something you should press really.  One click changed the car altogether.  The exhaust note immediately changed to a deeper, more annoyed tone, and the changes were much quicker, and pulls on the left paddle were met with a beautiful orchestra of throttle blips and crackling exhausts.  I think I went from 6th to 4th and back several times just to hear the noise!

I then rolled the window up, and listening to the engine and transmission work together was even more fun sealed in.  The noise was addictive, as was the surge when you hit the pedal.

The brakes were also pretty good.  One stab on the left pedal and you scrubbed off the speed quickly with enough bite to test the seat belts and the work of your chiropractor.

The power is instantaneous, there as soon as you hit the pedal,and the sport mode had really changed the throttle response as well.  But when the engine got over 4500 rpm, it reached a different level and the surge down the road was amazing.  Throwing this thing into corners with throttle blips and surging from one corner to another was about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

This is a car you could drive every day really.  You wouldn't want to drive it a long way, the seats were just a little bit hard for me (boo hoo, and my diamond studded shoes are too tight as well).  The fit and finish of the interior was very good, at least on par with the Audi R8 in my opinion.  I wish they had changed the digital display numbers to differentiate itself more from the Audi (as Audi owns the company now), but it is a far different proposition to the R8 (which I also drove and will post a review in a week).

What a car though.  Tons of power, ridiculous handling, and looks to stop traffic.  I'll take one in the white.  A lot of fun.

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560

Base Price: $198,000

Body: 2-door CoupeMechanical Orientation: Four Wheel Drive

Engine: All alloy quad overhead cam 40 valve 5204cc V10Power: 553 bhpTorque: 398 lb.ftTransmission: Sequential e-gear transmission (6sp)

Weight: 1500 kg (3307 lb)Wheelbase: 2560 mm (102.5 in)Length: 4345mm (171.1 in)Width: 1900mm (74.8 in)Luggage Capacity: a small mint

0-62 mph (100 km/h): 3.7 secondsTop Speed: 201 mph (325 km/h)

For: Looks, handling, fit & finishAgainst: I would honestly be nitpickingConclusion: An amazing drive, glue-like handling, and making every commute an experience.