The 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo has one-of-a-kind exterior styling, insane performance and a fantastic interior. These characteristics combine to make one of the fastest, sexiest exotic sports cars on the market.
The automotive industry thinks the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo is an amazing exotic sports car. It’s powerful, and the Supperleggera model, which is 154 pounds lighter than base model, is extra fun to drive. It has some of the best handling capabilities in its class, and reviewers say standard all-wheel drive keeps the Gallardo glued to the pavement. To top it off, the Gallardo has an eye-catching exterior.
Without a doubt, the Lamborghini Gallardo is a great specimen, but it’s not suited for daily driving. For one thing, its unique body structure makes visibility poor, and compared to other models in the class, the Gallardo doesn’t have a lot of standard tech features. You’ll have to turn to the Aston Martin DB9 for standard Bluetooth, navigation and iPod integration.But, if you’re looking for a superfast Gallardo and are more than willing to sacrifice a few amenities, go for the LP 570-4 Superaleggera. It’s lighter – Lamborghini even dropped its leather seats and replaced them with synthetic material to shed some weight – and faster than the base model. Fox News writes, "In fact, in many ways the Superleggera is the ultimate factory tuner car, and a god among the mod squad."
Other Sports Cars to Consider
When it comes down to it, the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo trades comfort for performance, so if you’re in the market for a grand tourer, start with the Aston Martin DB9. It has one of the most luxurious interiors on the market and comes standard with satellite radio, navigation, Bluetooth and rear parking sensors – features you have to pay extra for on the Gallardo.However, if performance is the name of your game, shoot for the Ferrari California. It has a 4.8-liter V8 engine, which is smaller than the Gallardo’s V10, but reviewers like the California’s performance just as much. The California costs nearly $200,000, and the Gallardo tops $200,000, so if those figures are out of your range, try the Audi R8. The R8 starts at about $114,000, but that doesn’t mean it can’t hang with the rest of the pack. Reviewers think its V8 and V10 engines are smooth and powerful.
Details: 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo
The 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo is available in coupe and convertible body styles. It’s also available in several models: the LP 560-4, the LP 560-4 Spyder, the LP 570-4 Superaleggera, the 550-2 Valentino Balboni, the 570-4 Spyder Performante and the Bicolore. This year, automotive journalists spend a lot of time discussing the Superleggera, which is 154 pounds lighter than the LP 560-4 to enhance performance.
"For now we are content to celebrate Lamborghini's decision to build a truly hard-core exotic and give Ferrari something to worry about, aside from the pretty lime-green paint."
"A sleek machine and newest member to the Gallardo (pronounced guy-ar-doe) family, it does something to you. Maybe it's an escape, a fantasy, or just the only opportunity to drive an Italian work of art."
"In fact, in many ways the Superleggera is the ultimate factory tuner car, and a god among the mod squad."
"The high-performance Lamborghini Gallardo represents the essence of exotic ultra-luxury."Performance
The 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo has a powerful 10-cylinder, 560-horsepower engine and some of the most impressive handling and braking capabilities on the market. This year, a lot of journalists had the opportunity to test the Gallardo Supperleggera, a lighter version of the LP560-4 with performance that’s even more engaging because it’s 154 pounds lighter than the base model. It’s the Gallardo version of a Boxster Spyder, reducing weight found on the base model.
"Shocking in person and a bona fide supercar, the LP560-4 will put its driver into sensory overload."
"The steering is exact. The power extreme. The braking world class. The gas mileage abysmal if you drive it the way you should drive it -- but I don't see anyone purchasing this car because they want to pinch pennies at the pump.""With this kind of power, the Gallardo offers an amazing level of performance in its stock trim. However, for even more performance, Lamborghini offers a special edition called the Valentino Balboni edition. This model ups the ante by routing all of its power through the real wheels alone, bringing it even one step closer to a full blown race car and giving it the ability to kick the rear end around as needed, or wanted."
[on the Superleggara] "Weighing in at a scant 2,202 pounds, the V10-powered supercar is about a third lighter than Lamborghini’s closest current offering, and several hundred pounds less than a Mazda Miata. It’s an amazing achievement that promises huge increases in the often disparate areas of efficiency and performance, while compromising neither."
Acceleration and Power
Reviewers have nothing but good things to say about the 2011 Gallardo’s powertrain. The LP560-4 is equipped with a 5.2-liter 10-cylinder engine that produces 560 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 398 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, but an automatic, E-gear transmission featuring paddles on the steering column for manual shifting is optional. Lamborghini reports that the Gallardo coupe has a top speed of 202 mph. What's more, it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds and from 0 to 124 mph in 11.8 seconds. The Spyder is somewhat slower, and averages 4.0 seconds and 13.1 seconds, respectively.
This year, reviewers have spent most of their time drooling over the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera’s performance capabilities. It shares the LP560-4’s engine, but because its 154 pounds lighter, this model has better performance. It accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and from zero to 124 mph in 10.2 seconds. Like the LP560-4, the Superleggera’s top speed is 202 mph.According to the EPA, the 2011 Gallardo coupe and spyder models have identical fuel economy ratings. Paired with an automatic transmission, the Gallardo averages 13/20 mpg city/highway, and paired with a manual transmission, the Gallardo averages 12/20 mpg city/highway. No fuel economy data is available on the Superleggera.
"In ‘base’ LP 560-4 form the Gallardo screams, reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds and gunning to a top end right around 200 mph. And, of course, the lighter, more potent Superleggera edition is quicker still. Also on tap are an adaptive, mega-grip suspension, monster Brembo brakes, and an available E-Gear paddle-shift auto-clutch six-speed. This one's as fast as it looks."
"The 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo's performance is just as otherworldly as one would expect from any exotic sports car. The V10 power plant shrieks off the line as the revs climb toward redline. "
"Imagine dropping the top and facing the 560 Spyder into the teeth of a Category 6 hurricane...that's what driving this Lambo at top speed would be like. Minus the rain, of course."
Handling and Braking
Test drivers say the Gallardo’s steering capabilities are exceptional, and that its standard all-wheel drive keeps the Gallardo glued to the road. If you test a Superleggera, you may notice a bit of understeer. There are few comments about the Gallardo’s brakes but automotive journalists who do mention them report that they are smooth and astonishingly impressive.
"Up on the twisty mountain roads leading to La Teide, the volcanic mountain at the center of Tenerife and the highest point in Spain, the standard all-wheel-drive system helps the Gallardo stick as we rise through the coastal fog and burst into a pine forest. The super-accurate steering could use just a touch more feel, but it doesn't take long to figure out how to place the Gallardo in corners."
"Like most modern exotic cars, the Gallardo is at ease in traffic, not a caged beast like exotics of old. But where some exotics (like Ferrari F430s), have dramatically different city and open-road personalities, the Lambo is always a bit on edge, firmer and more aggressive."
"Steering feel on both is exceptional, and each manages to deliver carbon ceramic brakes (standard on the 458, a $15,600 option on the 570-4) that apply as smoothly as steel ones when cold while delivering astonishing whoa in track conditions."
"Compared to models from rival manufacturer Ferrari, the LP 560-4 is slightly less nimble and tossable. It is, however, perfectly at home blasting down the highway and carving through high-speed sweepers."
"As in the Gallardo LP560-4, the extra weight of the all-wheel-drive system at the front end makes the Superleggera understeer more than the 458 Italia on corner entry, but as you feed the power in, the central viscous coupling transfers torque to the rear axle, and it’s possible to get the tail out, provided the stability-control system is switched off."
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