Video: Lamborghini Gallardo test drive in the snow

[Erik]

I just drove the Lamborghini Gallardo with e-gear!

I'm in Stockholm, Sweden, so it was +1C outside and the roads were wet. Some roads were icy and the surroundings snowy. I could easily have this car as a daily, all year around. It's that good, and easy to drive. It feels like it's carved out of one piece of aluminium. There are no alien sounds and all the buttons work (thanks Audi!).
To summarize: The looks are Italian, the feeling German. And I love it!

sport auto test results:
0 – 100 km/h: 4.0 sec.
0 – 200 km/h: 13.0 sec.
0 – 1000 m.: 22.5 sec.
0 – 200 – 0 km/h: 18,0 sec.
100 – 0 km/h: 34,4 m
Nürburgring: 7.52 min.
Hockenheim: 1.11,8 min.

Got any questions?

If anyone can host this video ASAP I'd be happy. Downloading is limited to 15 people at a time so try again if you can't connect.

No longer working... ftp://www.rs6.com/rs6.com/RS6COM-Gallardo-V10.wmv (please save as...)

Please use this mirror:
ftp://pezon.no-ip.org/RS6COM-Gallardo-V10.wmv



Press pictures...these two until I can develop my own.



Nice view. Note the snow



e-gear selector. The R-everse button is to the left of the steering wheel.



Cheers! www.RS6.com

[Klint]

Spectacular!!

I'm so envious.

I'm downloading the vid. right away!

On the bottom picture, it looks like an I-drive device lying ahead of the E-Gear buttons, is that for the mirrors? or is it some kind of MMI, from Audi?

[Nordschleife]

Well, it was an unusual Saturday. My first day with modern 'flick' gearchangers. Bavaria had come up trumps, a traditional white and blue sky (they give you a flick round here for calling it blue and white), temperatures above freezing, but very slippery in the shade (was that motorway exit that soon?).

Prowled round the back of a very agricultural shed and there they all were, Murcielagos and Gallardos with some other exotica playing supporting roles from the side lines. It was going to be an interesting day. Mentally reviewing my score card I began to assess the cars on their bv-factor, a complicated rating system involving blondes (female), vacations, wow factor and 'can I get enough luggage in to pack a spare pair of swimming trunks'. My experience with blondes (female) and cars (interesting) hasn't been entirely trouble free; however, these days I only holiday in places with a FedEx office and I regard golf as the ruination of a good walk.

A yellow Gallardo could not be ignored. Interestingly I couldn't enthuse about the Murcielago alongside, its just too damn wide and in this bit of the world garage access usually involves ramps, fat super low cars with unforgiving overhangs don't make the Mitteleuropa pulse quicken the way they might on Rodeo Drive.

Out in the real world the Gallardo looks edgy and mean, squint slightly and you see the race numbers. The exhaust burble was like a Wagnerian leitmotiv, a hint of what was about to happen. Big wheels, big brakes, big presence.

Yeah, people will get out of the way of this car. Surveying the other cars, I decided in this instance that an in-your-face metallic yellow or tomato would be the colour to go for, forget Grigio Titaneo or Nero or any of those understated colours.

Getting in was easy, well I didn't notice any problems getting in and JL had brought along Eva aka 'Tester Babe', and she didn't raise any problems, so that must be an ok then. The cabin is good, Audi have really contributed here. And compared to cars later in the day, the steering wheel is perfect. This one has E-Gear, not cheap at EUR 9,280 tax paid. But this why I'm here, to learn how the system works so on my next visit to Sant'Agata I'm not grasping for gears like a kid in a bran dip. For now I don't worry about launch control, I note where the reverse button is and learn to pull both flippers back together to select neutral. Otherwise its one side up and the other down - got it, sorted. Not so fast, reversing is a bit of an exercise in guesswork, I'll option the parktronic when it comes, the tv camera is overkill in such a focussed car.

As I make my way to the road, I become aware that the throttle, my brain, and the exhaust note have developed a special relationship, its instantaneous, its glorious, five litres of V10, with no lag, power, power, power all the way from virtually idle to the red line. And boy, is it chatty, talk, talk, talk - what was Tiff moaning about, could it be a spot of preconception? This is one four wheel drive that behaves like a RWD car, about 70% being directed at the rear wheels.

Slowly cruising through the village, I'm eyed up by the hundreds of Bavarians all dressed in their finest folk costume as they wait for a major funeral outside the onion-domed church. I kop a lot of crafty thumbs up from the Herrenfolk, so reward them with a down-shift, ah, the blip is perfect, very very cool indeed.

Nailing the changes under full throttle at red line is a little bumpy but taken a little more sensibly its smooth up and down and I'm soon dropping two cogs at a time 'cos it sounds so good. Onto the autobahn and I nail it whilst still on the approach road, the back comes out on command, easily held and I goose us into a gap in the traffic, then its wap, wap, wap and I'm wondering where the lights are to warn people I'm coming - no need this bull is yellow, can't miss it. These brakes really work, and I've learnt already that with this gearbox its LFB all the way, right foot reserved for loud pedal only. I can feel a lot more grip on the exit slip road this time and I quickly realise that this is one car which makes you look very good indeed, rather like one of those mirrors which makes everything look long!

The steering weights up nicely through the sweepers and I can feel what is happening at each end. Ramiro beside me is still smiling, so it must be ok, 'should I be going faster?', I ask myself. The ride is brilliant, no roll, bump and rebound feel to be well controlled, the Sports suspension option must be strongly oriented towards track days,

I look forward to finding out in Italy in a couple of weeks.

But just listen to that engine, instant roar all the time, its there, by now I'm noticing that the chassis could handle a lot more power, hmmm, now there is food for thought. I slot that one away for later and wonder will I prefer the manual box when I get to it next week.

Well, mentally, I'm resigned to finding my way to the nearest FedEx, the storage space looks laughable, although the bespoke luggage kit has more space than I feared.

Reluctantly, I leave the Gallardo, reassured that there are a whole lot more of them to look forward to. I make my way across to a gunmetal M3 CSL and soon I'm off on the same roads I'd just driven. Hmm, this does sound nice and that sport button does sharpen up the resposes. To my untutored hands the SMG feels the smoother box but JL, with more experience of the M3 prefers the Lambo's E-Gear. I do notice, however, that in the M3 I naturally change before the red line, so perhaps that is the difference. Like the Gallardo, the CSL feels taut, it communicates, the power is there when you need it, oversteer is yours to command, but, why oh why is there a speed limiter? Duh! What these two cars do have in common is their viscerality, you respond to them at a physical level, either would satisfy. Perhaps the CSL could bring the luggage whilst I play at being an Italian!

"And now for something completely different", as I spot what looks like Barnato's Nutting bodied 'Blue Train' Bentley. Yeah, its Continental GT time. Germany's finest Autobahn cruiser. Why would anybody have a Mercedes S Class when they could have one of these? German engineering and British wood, leather and carpets. Now this is a great way to travel, and surprisingly agile. I guess I was most intrigued by the enormously complicated cylinder heads required by the W12 design, almost hemi combustion chambers, compression lowered for the turbos, and so so short, I remember the first time I saw one of these engines being wheeled towards me on a stand, I thought it was the new 1.9 diesel approaching. I also noticed that to help with the turbos, the oil ways were significantly larger.

I know this is a sensible car for grown-ups, but this little nagging voice keeps saying to me, 'if you can race an RS6.......'.

Seriously folks, if your father brought this home one night, you'd be back offering to mow lawns in return for driving rights.

By the way, you know you have mastered the paddle shift when you can flash the headlights, change gear, wash the windscreen, hoot the horn, and indicate a turn all at the same time - it takes a little practice!

[Erik]

Originally posted by Klint
is that for the mirrors?

mirrors only

Nordschleife, thanks a lot for the story! I agree it was difficult to hear fromthe engine when it was time to change gear. I tried sports mode and ran the rev limiter a few times.
The sound of the engine can best be described as 2 x Audi inline 5 engines. Which is what it is I guess.

The sports suspension is apparently 15% harder Konis (apparently makes huge difference on track), sport steering wheel in leather and modified air intake.

[Co\\'boy]

Nice video Erik !!!

I think it is a good thing that Audi has bought itself into lamborghini. Let the Italians do the designing part and let the Germans build it

Thanks for the video

[steve]

Very nice Erik!

the sound evil!

[Klint]

Lovely Sound!

Incredible car (with thanks to Audi), with lots of carisma (sp?)

[Finnus]

Nordschleife,

Nice write-up! Regarding the Gallardo, I've never heard you "wax" so enthusiastically on this board. Sounds like you fell in love. LOL I look forward to your comments on the Gallardo standard. I know you liked the M3 CSL, but how did it feel after the Lambo?

Finnus

[killaruna]

Hi,

is the video still on the server ? im not able to download it but im very interested

[Klint]

Originally posted by killaruna
Hi,

is the video still on the server ? im not able to download it but im very interested

We at rs6.com changed servers...It might be something to do with that.

[Executioner]

damm i would like that movie 2

[pING]

Does anyone have a mirror of this one?

[Erik]

Here is a mirror:

ftp://pezon.no-ip.org/RS6COM-Gallardo-V10.wmv SAVE AS...

[ricky71370]

very exicted to be part of this forum. Just a month back I received my Gallado and just 3 weeks ago i got the BEAST (RS6), and what a thrill it has been for both occasions, almost equally satisfying. On monday 3-29-04 I will be putting the HOPPENMOTORSPORT chip in the BEAST, stage 1 510bhp, 515lb/ft torque cant wait!! As for the GALLARDO, in late june 04 i will be going to the POCONOS INTERNATIONA SPEEDWAY, where the circuit will be closed and all Italian made cars will have the opportunity to get on the track for 25 minutes spurts and see how the cars respond. Its clearly not a race just an opportunity to make the car perform like they should. Ill have a friend video taping and also taking pics so stay tuned.

[Erik]

ricky71370 - welcome to RS6.com!

I like your garage and I think I speak for everyone when I say that I'd like to see more!

If you have more pics you can always e-mail me or upload them in the gallery http://www.rs6.com/gallery

[ricky71370]

didnt know how to post 2 images, heres the beast!

[Erik]

Ricky, try this thread for your RS6. Thanks!

http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread....&threadid=1863

[Klint]

Ricky,

Welcome from us all at rs6.com.

Impressive garage!