I heard that the Gallardo wasn’t much fun on the track. Would you consider testing it on a track before buying it, and giving us you opinion?
The anti-track comments come from a distaste for the somewhat detached sensation coming from the 4WD system in terms of steering feel. It's similar to the arguments for and against the electric power steering on our cars. My 3.2L NSX's steering feels nowhere near as good as the non-boosted 3.0L NSX's direct steering, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me.
As far as overall track ability goes, thanks to low rpm torque peak, its massive brakes and huge lateral grip, the Gallardo is in the top echelon of sports cars, posting lap times that rival/exceed a stock 911GT2's. It would take a supercar like a Carrera GT, Enzo, Zonda, Murcielago, to beat it by a large margin.
And one more thing how did you like the interior. I know that they raided the AUDI parts bin for the Gallardo interior, so what did it look like in the flesh? Did it have a sense of occasion like an Italian exotic would? Or did it look a little on the German side of interior styling.
It's funny because how often do we listen to complaining by journalists about our car's "dour" "drab" and "boring" interior, meanwhile the Gallardo's is possibly LESS impactful. It's a total Audi A4.
Remember how they'd always say that the NSX's interior could be "mistaken" for an Accord's, and we'd laugh at how rediculously ignorant that statement was? Well the Gallardo's switch gear, radio, and center console, truly look as if they should belong in the entry level Audi. Like get into the car blindfolded, open your eyes, and voila, you think you're in a $30k German car.
This is an area where they need a little work in future versions of the car, it's just too common for this price range. It doesn't have to be crazy bling bling over the top as the Pagani Zonda interiors are, but the G's interior is actually LESS distinctive than the NSX's!
Why would you prefer the Gallardo to the 911 TURBO
The P-cars are great sportscars, but I'm a desciple of the school of "wedges" when it comes to exotics. I don't care for the modern rounded look of the 911, the 360, the 575, or the new abomination from Ferrari, the 612.
I like the wedge look of the Murcielago, Gallardo, Esprit, and NSX, and feel that cars in this price range should look like that. The Ford GT, Ferrari GTO, and Ferrari Testarossa are also good examples, even though they lose a little of their angular wedge sharpness in exchange for soft curves. Plus the Gallardo is much faster at all rpm ranges to my senses, although it's been a while since I rode/drove a 996 TT.
Final question. What are your expectations in terms of reliability and how sensitive are you to that issue?
I mentioned earlier that the Gallardo's parts are sourced and manufactured outside of Italy, thanks to Audi wanting to improve the notorious Italian quality control as much as possible. The parts are then shipped to the modernized Italian Lambo plant where final assembly takes place.
As much as I'm sure the moves by Audi have improved things versus the previous situation, any Italian car will likely give more problems/issues than a similar German/Japanese assembled car. I believe that with the changes, Lamborghini's products are now more reliable than a comparable Ferrari. How much more? We don't know yet. The Murcielago has been shipping for about two years now, and according to Audi it's been the most trouble free model in Lamborghini's history. That's a good first step, hopefully the Gallardo continues it.
In my book, 2001 diablo roadster is my babe
