Lamborghini Gallardo (03 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 25 February 2009
The Gallardo was the first Lamborghini to be fully developed under Audi’s ownership and it shows in the superb build quality. The cockpit is wonderfully finished and despite the obvious Audi switches, retains that important Italian flair. Four-wheel drive is standard on every version, including the very pretty Spider open-top, to make the V10-powered Gallardo supremely good to drive. With the coupe, the main choice is between standard six-speed manual gearbox and the E-Gear ’box that does without a clutch pedal but add shift paddles behind the steering wheel. In June 2008 the LP560-4 model arrived with even more power and a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds.
5 out of 5

Other Lamborghini reviews

2 out of 5

Running costs

While the Lamborghini Gallardo loses its value slightly quicker than an equivalent Ferrari, owners tend to use them more frequently. Just as well then that the Gallardo has service intervals at every 7500 miles. The Gallardo also needs less intensive maintenance thanks to certain engine components being shared with some high performance Audis. Nevertheless, servicing is far from cheap and consumables such as tyres cost a small fortune to replace. Insurance group 20 and fuel economy of 15mpg are wallet-worrying, but not exceptional for this class.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

7500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£475.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

0.5 out of 5

Green credentials

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    450

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Gallardo's petrol powerplants return just 15mpg on average, so it's no surprise that it gets a rock-bottom eco score. It emits 450g/km CO2 which although is about average for a sports coupe, is exceptionally poor compared to the average family car. The later LP560-4 is better - it emits 327g/km of CO2 and averages 19mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2