First drive: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

[steaner]

To a large extent Lamborghini exists today because of the Gallardo. While the Murcielago has always remained the top model in the company’s line-up, it was strong sales of the Gallardo that allowed it to reach profitability after almost 30 years of losses. At its initial launch back in 2003 there was the worry that this new ‘entry-level’ Lamborghini would dilute the brand’s exclusive cachet. As the first model completely designed under the watchful and sensible eye of Audi, there was also some concern the carmaker was expanding its market share at the cost of exclusivity and heritage.

But once the first trickle of reviews came in, all fears were put to rest, and the new car was able to strike an almost impossible balance between accessibility and exclusivity. It’s since gone on to become the Italian marque’s most successful model to date - selling around 7,100 units - and its reputation as an everyday supercar is the best descriptor of the new Lamborghini: outrageous but still entirely livable.

However, Lamborghini was never one to rest on its laurels. Just as it had done with the Murcielago and the more extreme LP640 variant, designers also tinkered with the Gallardo and added some extra kit to make it a much more vicious machine. Put on a diet, the brand new LP560-4 loses 20kg over the standard model and is given another 40hp (30kW) for extra bite. The most significant changes come in the form of a new aerodynamic package that improves downforce considerably and makes the car a far more formidable track weapon than the standard Gallardo.

Technical

Named for its 560hp (418kW) output and 4WD powertrain, the latest incarnation of the Gallardo impresses on several fronts. With its highly-strung 5.2L V10 the LP560-4 has stunning performance, accelerating to 62mph (100km/h) in just 3.7 seconds and going on to reach a top speed in excess of 200mph (320km/h).

The engine emits a deep bellow when pushed, and is most brutal in the lower end of the rev-range where it seems to summon the most force. Hitting the top end is equally exciting because the torque curve remains flat and stable throughout the rev-range.

It’s strange to think of the self-titled ‘Most outrageous car company’ considering emissions and [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]fuel [COLOR=black! important]economy[/color][/color][/color] in its marketing materials, however even Lamborghini is beginning to think about tough new pollution regulations to be ratified by the EU. For this reason it has introduced a new Bosch direct injection system, giving the LP560-4 more power and torque but better fuel-efficiency and lower emissions than the previous Gallardo.

Styling and interior

Lamborghini has updated the Gallardo's shell to bring it more in to line with the Murcielago and recent Reventon concept. You can clearly see the family resemblance in the new model with giant air dams and new lights in the front.

The rear has also been altered significantly, with cooling vents, new rear lights and bumper plus a redesigned diffuser all contributing to its changed appearance. In what may be a subconscious nod to its German cousin, the LP560-4's rear looks a little like the Audi R8's. The rear lights are now positioned in a ‘Y structure’ and the same motif appears in the front LED daytime running lights.

Sitting inside, the interior resembles that of the regular Gallardo. The seats are set extremely low but leg and shoulder room are generous for both driver and passenger. Lamborghini offers the LP560-4 with either leather or Alcantara upholstery for the seats, and the same options are given for various accents around the cabin.

While the interior hasn’t changed much from the pre-facelift model, the driving experience certainly has. Gone is the instability during high speed cornering and the tendency to understeer that were the negative hallmarks of the Gallardo. The LP560-4's new aerodynamics package has significant effect at speed, and the front spoiler and rear diffuser work together to improve aerodynamic efficiency by a staggering 31%.

On the road

The optional carbon-ceramic brakes are also excellent, though we wish Lamborghini would follow cross-town rival Ferrari’s example and make them standard on the new model. Still, there’s not much to complain about when you’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a car and the brakes deliver up to 1.2g of seatbelt-straining force.

With its high-revving engine, excellent four-wheel drive system, improved down force and powerful brakes, the LP560 is more confident around a track than the Gallardo. The suspension has also been tuned and lightened, and is adept at keeping the car stable during high-speed cornering. Body roll is now almost non-existent.

Steering the car through the pedals was necessary more than a few times, especially when understeer reared its ugly head. However, these were rare occasions and generally the car was responsive to our steering inputs. The transmission comes in three modes, Normal, Sport and Corsa, with the final being the most hardcore option. In Corsa mode the gear shifts are around 40% faster than normal. There’s also a launch control option, during which both brake and accelerator are depressed, locking revs at 5,000rpm and sending the Gallardo off while matching traction with power perfectly.

The LP560-4 isn't brilliant in all areas though. The carbon-ceramic brakes still lack proper feel for stop-and-go traffic, a problem we’ve noticed on a number of other cars fitted with them, including the McLaren SLR (not sold here) and the Porsche Carrera GT (now out of production). The extremely low front spoiler also makes the car hard to take around town and even when you do use the handy front-raising feature there’s still the occasional painful sound of grating metal.

[drax1z]

this was my all-round-fantasy fav car until i saw a pagani zonda f

[ckt2020]

i fancy Matte Black Lambo........

[vikaskumar11233]

This one is ultimate.It's a white masterpiece.Lamborghini is eyeing to cash in from the Formula One Race track i.e. the Buddh international circuit in the NCR region. The Volkswagen owned sports carmaker is planning to lure some of its prospective car buyers by offering them a test-drive of their dream wheels. The test drive offer from Lamborghini includes a Test drive for about 10-15 prospective customers and to test drive their dream wheels for more than 45 minutes at the 5.14 km long race track at the Buddh Circuit. The company choose to call this day the ‘Track Day’.The total sales of sports car in the year 2011 is merely 100 units out of which Lamborghini’s share was 14. Lamborghini has sold about 342 units in China with the global sales of 2,000 units in 2011.

[demone_matt]

The Gallardo has been given a thorough refresh for 2009. And we should make one thing clear right now: This is more than a nose job. It has more power, a better interior, and a more cohesive design. It also has a new suffix—LP560-4—to reflect its engine layout ( longitudinale posteriore , meaning the longitudinally mounted engine sits behind the driver), power output (560 PS, which equals 552 horsepower), and the number of drive wheels (four).