2009 Lamborghini Gallardo - Review

The Basics:

The 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 gives auto writers from across the Web—and the editors of TheCarConnection.com—the chance to exercise some vocabulary to describe its fantastic, outrageous shape. The newest version of the Gallardo has tuned out some of its excessive gills and slits, leaving a sophisticated, exciting shape underlined by LED driving lights and punctuated by a big glass panel that lays bare a big performance heart.

The new Gallardo breathes supercar performance from each of its 10 cylinders and all four of its driven wheels. At its core is a 552-horsepower V-10 engine that can hurtle it to 60 mph in about 3.7 seconds, on its way to a stratospheric top speed of more than 200 mph. Hyper speeds are matched to stable four-wheel-drive handling and a quick-shifting e-gear transmission with three modes and paddles for video-game-style operation (a traditional manual is available but rare).

Cramped and difficult to enter and exit, the 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo nonetheless has a high-quality cabin and makes all the right noises. The interior’s slathered in leather, but it’s tough to slide in even under the flat-bottomed steering wheel. There’s no vast expanse of room nor is there much storage inside, but making up for it all is the rippling noise created right behind your head.

There’s no crash-test data for the 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, but safety equipment is plentiful. However, visibility out of its gun-slit windows is a major issue.