LAMBORGHINI Gallardo LP560-4 Review

God, we did we miss the feeling of these shifts! Using the full potential of the Gallardo's e-gear transmission quickly makes you understand why Lamborghini insists on single-clutch robotized manuals. The shift from first to second was a bit too violent, both for the back of our neck and the car itself, so we slightly lift off when going into third. Voila! the flood of emotions arrives as expected.

Pairing the Gallardo's impressive power to weight ratio and its aggressive second gear with a heavy foot is simply obscene. The car takes of like there's no tomorrow. Even when the drag brought by triple-digit speeds opposes the acceleration with the determination of a Budhist monk, the V10 still finds resources to impress.

Few things in life are more dangerous than the combination between certain substances and a needle. Well, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is definitely one of them. And you don't even need the needle on its dash to become addicted, the soundtrack alone is enough.

We've just left a cheeky hairpin behind, so now is a great opportunity to listen to the ten cylinders through all the gears. The powerplant feels beefy at any revs, but once you go past 3,000 rpm it really explodes. This is the point where the Lambo-specific growl-roar starts sharpening until you reach the 8,500 rpm climax. Bass, baritone and tenor, they're all here and it feels so nice to act as a conductor by using the paddles. Speaking of the paddles, we did find ourselves searching for them on certain tight bend occasions, so it really wouldn't hurt if they were bigger.

And the straight line pleasures are only a part of the Lamborghini Gallardo's repertoire, thanks to the fact that the car is just as good through the corners. This thing will eat any bend in its way with an astonishing appetite.

The Gallardo may be one of the smallest supercars on the market, but throwing it at a corner makes it shrink even more.

The team leader here is the steering. While we were in the parking lot, we complained that the steering wheel doesn't look too impressive in its non-multifunctional form. However, you quickly forget about this when you discover it's attached to a brilliant hardware. The hormones of joy, which appear thanks to the perfect weight and feedback, are hard to keep in check. We fail to do so and, falling into the hand of our own emotions, we push this taurus even harder.

The Gallardo is keen on turn-in, the understeer is virtually non-existent and it has nothing against you using the throttle to steer.

Harnessing the 560 hp are a viscous coupling at the center and a 45-percent limited slip diff at the back. The basic setup offers a 70:30 power distribution, but the Gallardo has no shame in using its rear axle alone on many occasions.

The aforementioned "Corsa" mode allows moderate slip angles, so it basically lets you get to know the car in depth without fully allowing it to kill you. In the dry at least, it's perfect.

You can also gag the Electronic Stability Control altogether. with one of the shiny buttons on the dash being dedicated to this. We used it and then we were foolishly enough to overcome the phenomenal grip of the tires through the bends. This showed us that the Gallardo can drift and bake donuts with a smile on its fascia.

This four-wheel drive incarnation of the supercar has plenty of balance. This is present much more than in the case of the rear-wheel drive Gallardo, which understeers more and is harder to recover from the oversteering state. Despite this, Lamborghini markets the RWD Gallardo as more of a driver's car. Amusing.

If you take Lamborghini's Gallardo to the track though, you won't be as pleased as on the road. This is where the car's weak(er) technical link is truly exposed. We are talking about the suspension, which uses a passive setup, so swift repeated direction changes through the chicanes will reveal a slight hesitation.

The steel brakes also make you use the "f" word sooner than you'd expect. At first, the word is "fading", but if you don't allow them to cool down you'll eventually be swearing. On the road there's no need to upgrade to the optional carbon ceramics, but these are a must if you like to have your morning coffee at Laguna Seca.

We've been refraining from telling you about the drawbacks of the suspension ever since the beginning of the chapter. You can also feel the disadvantages of the non-active setup when it comes to comfort on the road. The ride isn't unsettled, but you're not too well protected against bumps and potholes.

Apart from that, the 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo is relatively easy to drive when you're not in the mood to abuse the throttle. Alas, the aggressive gearbox and difficult brake pedal modulation keep it from being a good daily driver.

The Lamborghini Gallardo is a car that knows what "good times" means, unlike certain performance vehicle that are much more focused on the numbers. This is true even within the speed limits, it's almost as if this Lambo cares about your license.