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2004 Lamborghini Gallardo
Good Car, No Bull: Gallardo Brings Lamborghini Supercar-dom Closer To You


By AUTOWEEK




LIKES

Broad torque, loads of power
Stunning styling
"Affordable" price
DISLIKES
Clunky E-gear
Would have liked rwd
Still too pricey for us
OTHERS CONSIDERED
Ferrari 360 Modena
Ford GT
Dodge Viper
With the introduction of the Gallardo (guy-ARRR-doh), Automobili Lamborghini moves a giant step up from its traditional boutique supercar ultra-niche and closer to real carmaker status. It helps that Audi now owns Lamborghini and seems to be doing all the right and best things a benevolent super-owner should do to a niche supercar maker. Audi's help-monetary, managerial and technological-has been a boon to the little Sant'Agata manufacturer. And the addition of a smaller, "more affordable" car to the lineup has made sales skyrocket.

In the short five months the Gallardo has been available in the United States, it has outsold the Murciélago by about three to one. Apparently price does matter, even to those kicking tires up here in this lofty corner of the market.

While the mondo-honkin' V12-powered Murciélago stickers at $282,000 before you start piling on gas-guzzler, luxury and other taxes, as well as a $1,300 destination charge, the humble V10 Gallardo is "only" $165,900 pre-taxes and delivery. It's close to half the price, but a lot closer to all the performance. That's a bargain.

But the Gallardo can stand alone on its own formidable merits. Not only does it look unmistakably like a supercar, with lines that make young children squeal and old men smile, it behaves like one, too. The 5.0-liter V10 puts out 492 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque, delivered to both the front and rear axles via all-wheel drive. And the front and rear double-wishbone suspension is well matched to handle all that power. The rear differential is limited slip and the front traction is controlled via individual brakes, so there is very little in the way of wheelspin and there are very few corners you can't conquer.



The single biggest obstacle to us truly loving this little Lambo is that E-gear transmission. We can only guess the F1-loving Europeans are so impressed with technology like this that they toss out all practicality in embracing a system similar to "what Schumacher drives." On a racetrack, paddle-operated sequential manual gearboxes are well suited. You can shift up and down lap after lap faster and more precisely than you can yourself (probably), with the engine control blipping the throttle on downshifts more smoothly than all but a few very good drivers can.

But in the real world and at the drag strip, the E-gear is clunky and awkward. Because of the Gallardo's all-wheel drive, maximum-g launches require even more care than similar units placed in rear-drive-only Aston Martins and Ferraris, since the awd means virtually no wheelspin to balance power delivery to the ground. Once we mastered it, our 0-to-60-mph time of 4.57 seconds was still well off Lamborghini's claim of 4.2 seconds.



Regardless, either time puts the Gallardo in the upper reaches of street-car performance. It beats the Ferrari 360 Modena with paddle shift and approaches the 4.18 seconds of the Porsche GT3.

The Gallardo's identical 1.7-second 20-to-40 and 40-to-60 times show how broad and flat the big V10's torque curve is, too. All of the Gallardos we have driven so far have had the E-gear transmission. We bet the six-speed manual would really show how much torque this engine makes and be a lot easier and more fun to drive, both in the city and up on mountain roads. It might even hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

The Gallardo stops like a supercar, too, taking just 117 feet from 60 mph to 0, within 13 feet of the Porsche Carrera GT's all-time record stop of 104 feet and just shy of the GT3's 111 and 360 Modena's 114. As expected, braking produced no dive and no drama.

We expected a little bit better performance in the slalom, however. The Gallardo's 46.6 mph was good, better than the 360's speed of 44.5 mph, but the GT3 did it at 48 mph.

Maybe we're just spoiled.

OWNERS SAY...

Even at triple-digit speeds the Lamborghini Gallardo's composure is rock solid and the brakes have no problem slowing the car down. High-speed stability is better than that of any car I have driven. But this stability comes at the cost of ride quality at lower speeds, where every road imperfection makes its way into the cabin. Talking on the phone is almost impossible because of this. I am happy with the quickness and smoothness of the E-gear operation. A window sill that is too high to rest an arm on tops my list of ergonomic complaints.

When Lamborghini put a dashboard in this car that is almost identical to that in the Audi S4, they should have install-ed the S4's wonderful Recaro seats. My Gallardo has been back to the dealer twice to have the transmission cooler bracket repaired. The bracket was cutting into the transmission line and leaking fluid all over my garage. One thing that annoys me is the car must be fill- ed with fuel very slowly. A bend in the fuel-filler neck makes the fuel splash around too much on its way to the tank and will not let the lock on the gas pump handle engage.
Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill.

Driving this car is a fantastic experience. One of the best things about the Gallardo is the way the E-gear matches the engine revs and downshifts when entering a tight corner. The sequential shifting action is smooth and quick even without engaging the sport mode. The suspension is firm yet compliant, letting you feel every bump in the pavement. This can be a great benefit on the right back-country road, but it does add to the car's lack of overall comfort on extended journeys. For the most part the Gallardo is pretty well mannered around town. This car also has the ability to slow down police vehicles in a hurry, but the kids love it. The general responses from onlookers are mostly enthusiastic and positive. The idea of owning an affordable Lamborghini was what enticed me into buying this car and I did not consider looking at anything else. Overall, I have absolutely no regrets about writing such a big check.
Robert Monteiro, New Bern, N.C.

MANUFACTURER INFO
Automobili Lamborghini S.P.A.
Via Modena 12
1-40019 Sant'Agata Bolognese
Italy
Customer assistance: n/a
Internet address: www.lamborghini.com
Country of origin: Italy
Number of dealers: 19
STICKER
Base (includes $1,300 delivery): $167,200
As tested: $183,364
Owners paid: $179,230 to $180,000
Average paid: $179,615
OPTIONS AS TESTED
E-gear ($10,000); special paint color
($2,990); dual color interior ($1,150);
yellow brake calipers ($805); board
computer ($460); car cover ($414);
coming home function ($345)
OTHER MAJOR OPTIONS
None
CHASSIS
Aluminum space-frame two-door coupe
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase (in): 100.7
Track (in): 63.8 front, 62.6 rear
Length/width/height (in): 169.2/74.8/45.8
Curb weight (lbs): 3560
CAPACITIES
Fuel (gal): 23.7
Cargo (cu ft): n/a
ENGINE
Mid-longitudinal 5.0-liter/302.7-cid dohc V10
Horsepower: 492 @ 7800 rpm
Torque (lb-ft): 376 @ 4500 rpm
Compression ratio: 11:1
Fuel requirement: 91 octane
DRIVETRAIN
All-wheel drive
Transmission: Six-speed sequential manual
Final drive ratio: 3.82:1
SUSPENSION
Front: Double wishbones with coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
Rear: Double wishbone with coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Discs front and rear, ABS
Aluminum 235/35ZR-19 front, 295/30ZR-19 rear
Pirelli PZero Rosso
STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 4.57 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 5.07 sec
0-quarter-mile: 13.03 sec @ 110.9 mph
ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 1.7 sec
40-60 mph (first gear): 1.7 sec
60-80 mph (second gear): 2.3 sec
BRAKING
60 mph-0: 117 ft
HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 46.6 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 0.94 g
INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 58
Full throttle: 91
Steady 60 mph: 74
FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 10.97 mpg
AW overall: 9.04 mpg

 

Well according to the service mgr Darrell at Symbolic The computer fix is PERFECT. He finished the first one yesterday. It went fine so he is waiting on
1 more part to do mine tommorrow. He said NO lurching no double clutching on slow steep grades. 4 different new computers are used.

I'll post as report when I get the car back. This is the ONLY flaw in
an otherwise perfect car. I have 4200 miles on mine in 3 monhs.

 

Man, it is awesome to see that you are "driving" the car! I have a customer that has 3500 trouble free miles on his E-Gear car. One of my customers in AZ got her's off the truck, hopped in it after telling me it had arrived, and immediately drove it to San Diego! When she got back she called to tell me that she was pulled over three times and let go each time. One guy just pulled her to take a look at the car supposedly.

Chris

 

Of course I'm driving it!!
Chris have you guys finished any of the EGEAR upgrades in Atlanta yet?

It is supposed to be able to do stop and go on ANY road.
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I guess they're doing well around Tampa.. I just saw two on the road today. An orange one and a yellow one, both within 3 minutes of eachother on the same road. I have to admit they look pretty good in motion...

-R

 

I have 3500 miles on mine in 3 months or so. Looks like the early adopters can and do DRIVE the cars!

The article was favorable, but I could not believe the owner comment about the car being hard to use the phone in. I have been able to use the phone in mine, but for crying out loud, the car is to DRIVE.

Another comment was that the door sill was too high to do the Hasselhoff-KITT-arm-rest-pose. Hands on the wheel!

That was it for nits.

This car is for real and Ferrari should be very afraid, as the 360 runs on image alone at this point (and subjective looks for those who like the 360's looks) when compared to the G.

The 110 mph in the 1/4 better be wrong. That is pitiful and slower than the Z06. i would expect closer to 118 and have seen this kind of number elsewhere.

 

13.03 is very slow for this car!!! perhaps an e gear or clutch or engine quirk