First Drive: 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Coupé

Story, video and photos by John LeBlanc LAS VEGAS, Nevada –It's challenging enough for Lamborghini's Gallardo to keep up with recently updated super sports car rivals, such as the Ferrari F430 Scuderia and Porsche 911 GT2. But now that its corporate kid brother, Audi's R8 – a newer vehicle that doesn't exist without the four-year-older Gallardo's space frame chassis – has started getting mentioned in the same mid-engine sports car breath, it's time to reset the family hierarchy for 2009. Since its launch in 2003, the mid-engine V10 two-seat Gallardo has proven popular as an entry point into the iconic Italian cars; and it's a fraction of the cost of the larger $400,000-plus V12 Murciélago. The 2009 Gallardo is more of a mid-cycle refresh than an all-new car, with Lamborghini focusing on improving performance, dynamics and refinement, with upgrades to the engine, permanent four-wheel drive, transmission, suspension and exterior styling. Lamborghini thinks the changes are substantial enough to warrant the addition of LP560-4 to the Gallardo badge (LP means longitudinale posteriore, Italian for rear longitudinal engine position; 560 for the engine's horsepower; and 4 for the number of driven wheels). Despite the improvements, at the LP560-4's world launch in Sin City, Lamborghini confirmed Canadian pricing remains similar to last year's Gallardo: "in the range of $255,000." That's almost double the $139,900 Audi, yet competitive with the F430 and GT2. The LP560-4 continues Lamborghini's tradition of stomping the opposition on cylinder count and horsepower, with a new 5.2 L V10 that prodigiously produces 560 hp and 398 lb.-ft. of torque. The additional 40 ponies combined with 20 kg less curb weight than the previous Gallardo (due to lighter transmission, suspension and brake bits) means the LP560-4 now has a power-to-weight ratio equal to the last model's stripped-out Superleggera special. Lamborghini says the LP560-4 will accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds; equal to the F430 Scuderia and 911 GT GT2, and 0.8 of a second quicker than the R8. A six-speed manual transmission is offered, but Lamborghini says more than 90 per cent of previous Gallardo owners chose the "e-gear" sequential automatic. I'm being kind when I say the previous e-gear was clunky. It made BMW's herky-jerky SMG manu-matic seem as smooth as a cue ball. But during a day split between a morning of lapping at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's combined oval and infield road course and an afternoon on public roads, the revised autobox is easily the most improved driving aspect of the LP460-4. Where normally a gear shifter would poke up from the central tunnel inside the cockpit, there's a brushed aluminum pod with three black buttons for the e-gear's different modes. "A" is for automatic; "Sport" makes shifts quicker and loosens up the LP560-4's nannies a bit; and "Corsa" quickens shifts by another 40 per cent and gives the driver full control via left/right fixed steering wheel paddle shifters and further extends the electronic driving controls, but not completely. In all three modes, the new autobox is less abrupt, yet even quicker in swapping cogs. Not bad. Except for the new e-gear console interface, the Gallardo's leather-lined cabin remains the same. That means a centre console stack, chock-a-block with audio and HVAC controls from fellow Volkswagen Group Audi's parts bin, highly supportive bucket seats for two, a gun slit rear window and the constant mechanical music from the vivacious V10 wedged up against one's spine. A double espresso is highly recommended before taking the newest Lamborghini out on the track. With the e-gear in take-no-prisoners Corsa mode, the LP560-4 makes good on Lamborghini's promise of an "extreme" driving experience. The engine, steering, transmission and brakes are all immediately ferocious. But this doesn't mean the LP560-4 is unrefined or imprecise. Due to its flat cornering attitude and easier-to-access torque curve, it was way too much fun to let the Lambo drift in tighter infield corners. And on the Speedway's oval, the improved aerodynamics, combined with the revised rear suspension made driving at speeds up to 220 km/h seem commonplace. Two beefs: The e-gear's paddle shifters are fixed to the steering column, which is contrary to most current set-ups that turn with the wheel. Lamborghini's director of research and design, Maurizio Reggiani, explained this was done for safety reasons. The other critique is of the "around $10,000" state-of-the-art ceramic brake package that all the launch event vehicles came with. Road or track, I was never able to modulate the brakes properly. From a numbers standpoint and driving experience, if the goal of the LP560-4 was to put its super sports car combatants and little Audi sibling in their respective places, mission accomplished – for now. But debuting alongside the LP560-4 at the Geneva Motor Show this year was an R8 "concept" crammed with the inevitable V12 turbodiesel. And you just know Ferrari and Porsche aren't sitting on their super sports car laurels. Nonetheless, Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann hinted that a Superleggera version of the LP560-4 is almost a given. "If you know the past, you will know the future," he said.

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