Road Test: The New Peugeot 208 GTi

 

It’s day five of my acquaintance with the hot new little Peugeot 208 GTi.  Right now I am admiring it neatly parked in the office car park whilst grinning from ear to ear with the same excited expression I used to have after returning from a drive-for-fun in the 205 GTi 1.6  I owned some twenty years ago.

Yet it is just as much a love affair for me now as it was then; it’s great when affordable cars can be this good. Or to put it another way; I have just left the wheel of a six figure priced supercar, yet mentally my thoughts are locked into yesterday’s drive down from London to Eastbourne in the little ‘Pug’. That speaks volumes about what makes truly enjoyable real world motoring, in this case, for a snip over eighteen grand.

Unique package

Before the petrol heads amongst us start scrambling for car mag test results on the 208GTi against its obvious rivals, the Renault 200 Clio and the Fiesta ST, I suggest a pause for thought. ‘Performance’ is highly ‘subjective’, and these days have more to do with personal preferences rather than factual differences. It is only part of a wider equation that makes a truly good car ‘great’. In that regard, both your buying criteria and mine may be less to do with points of a second quicker here or there, or Tiff and Jason’s drift banter, and more to do with meeting wide and varied tick box criteria spanning at the very least  from  performance, to comfort and economy. Arguing over points of a second in achieving 0-62 mph times is equivalent to arguing that an eighth of a teaspoon of sugar really makes a difference to the sweetness of your tea. Or to be Clarkson-esque (must give him a mention too) that my Willy is bigger than yours.

And that’s why on first acquaintance we’ll focus only on what this new rocket-ship from Peugeot has to offer.  Most obvious are the subtle design cues; the framing of the dials on the dash light up in red to greet you to the cabin at night, the blue LED’s add subtle blue lighting to the edge of the glass roof at night, and the daytime running lights are quite distinctive over the plethora of others you see on the road; and then there’s the neat chrome lining at the top of the windscreen. It’s not as ‘bling’ as it sounds. There’s everything there equipment-wise too; the music and Satnav housed in a central binnacle, and speedo, rev and fuel information directly head of the small steering wheel set far back and slightly obscuring the view of them for taller drivers.

The Cabin feels surprisingly larger than its actual dimensions suggest, yet at the same time you’ll feel compact and composed behind the wheel– just right for punting this car across a challenging cross country drive.

The perfectly weighted gear change is one clue to the excitement ahead, the other is perfect ‘heel n toe’ placement of the pedals matched to a smooth free flowing engine. You just know you are going to have fun. The 1600 cc Turbo charged 4 cylinder engine gives positive linear acceleration, an engaging experience for the keen driver – its engine showing a keenness for revs all the way up to 6,500 rpm. You can play sweet rhythms and achieve spritely acceleration by changing up at the maximum torque level of 5,800 rpm, even less if you like, and still be overtaking single line traffic in the bargain. And oh my goodness will you enjoy shifting that gearchange!  - it’s such a sweet ‘box to use, that you’ll curse the day PlayStation introduced  paddle shifts on real cars, and interfered with the skill of proper gear changing. Real driving back again – thanks Peugeot.

With this car you pine for the next bend – the steering is so communicative and the chassis so responsive and reassuring that only driving matters;  you’ll want to see just how well you can exploit the flow, balance, and sheer pace this car is capable of achieving. Get it right and you’ll be a serious challenge on the twisties to much faster and more powerful contenders, and relish the fact that you didn’t pay the extra twenty or thirty grand to own that more powerful car.  If the driver of the ‘more powerful car’ is not concentrating you will leave it behind anyway; so you concentrate, and the Peugeot GTi magic is reborn………………

Today’s New magic

But not like it was in the days of the old 205 – it is in fact better; much more refined and multipurpose in its application. This car is unbelievably refined for its size and performance, maybe too much for some who might prefer that keener sporting edge. Not this driver though, because the designed-in refinement is what makes this car a perfect everyday tool, ready when you are for the ultimate B-road dash.  Many high performance cars these days have irrelevant gearing for real roads – what’s the point of being able to do 70 mph in first gear? – by the time you get to second gear you’ll have three points on your licence, and once you hit fourth you’ll be in gaol. The new 208 GTi understands real world motoring, and whilst of course you can rocket up to 144 mph if you want – you can play with gears 1-6 between 0 and 70 mph and have the time of your life on the right roads.

Road and track

This is a real performance road car suited for the reality of driving today, and one that rewards an average keen driver (which is most of us) who wants to maximise the fun of everyday motoring. What’s even better is that the fun doesn’t stop there, and if I want to be a speed demon without having to worry about speed limits and the boys and girls in blue, I can take my 208 GTi to the nearest track day meeting, blast the hell out of it, lap quicker than most…. and finish off by loading the shopping into the car from the local supermarket on the way home. With the new 208GTi - You really Can have your cake AND eat it.

Price £18,895 0-62mph 6.8 sec; Top speed 144 mph; Economy 47.9 mpg; CO2 139g/km; Kerb weight 1160kg; Engine 4 cyls, 1598cc, 16v turbocharged, petrol; Installation Front, transverse; Power 197bhp at 5800 rpm; Torque 203lb ft (from 1700 rpm); Gearbox 6-spd manual

Road Test: Mini John Cooper Works GP

It was the perfect day. 6 pm on a dry sunny and quiet Sunday afternoon to be exact; the time I had chosen to take the fastest Mini ever produced on a brisk cross country test drive . Just me and this amazing car enjoying ourselves in the middle of Kent’s finest Countryside, the Italian Job CD blaring away in the background of course. Yep I’m sad.  At times I paused for thought to appreciate the excellent Recaro seats, the piano black trim and anthracite roof, and red stitching of the leather.

The GP and I were surrounded by beautiful green fields, the law allowing us 60 mph to play with, and life couldn’t be better that very day ………. Until  Michael Schumacher turned up. ‘Schumi’ pulled out from a side road to the right of me ahead, clearly on full throttle and rudely interrupting the Mini GP’s relaxed, brisk and even poetic pace.

Michael Schumacher (he wishes) took a long curious look at my ‘Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Grand Prix’ as he took advantage of his positional gain to ‘show me’ that he had the greatest driving skills and the fastest modified boy racer XR2 on the planet. He failed. Miserably.  Embarrassingly in fact – for to the Mini GP his pace was merely a doddle,  and this rather embarrassed and easily forgotten non-hero boy racer couldn’t even create an inch of gain on the Mini GP, so I soon backed off to prevent his ego endangering others. One thing I know for sure is that he will not be telling his mates about this in the pub. To the contrary, if I was him I’d be fondly reflecting on just how confident, safe and relaxed the Mini GP looked in his rear view mirror whilst he was trying so hard. He will also have been curious about what could possibly be under the bonnet of my Appollo 16.

Performance by design

 

 

Well engine-wise it’s a familiar recipe, a turbo charged 4 cylinder 1598 cc engine  producing 215 bhp at a heady 6000 rpm and a hefty 206llb of torque, achieved between the 2000 and 5100 rpm mark. It’s all driven via the front wheels and interpreted through a sweet six speed manual gearbox. It’s a great engine, notably more powerful than the Cooper S, and even noticeably sprightlier than the car in the next tier of the Mini hierarchy – the standard Mini John Cooper Works. Credit for this must go to the substantial chassis and handling makeover given to this special Limited Edition motorcar.

Regular chassis components have been replaced by adjustable coilover suspension to achieve a ride height reduction of 20 mm, mated to high performance dampers that are stiffer longitudinally at the front. Extra grippy tyres are fitted to the 17 inch wheels, specially developed for this car by the Korean manufacturer Kumbo, and the addition of front and rear braces stiffen up the car somewhat – the latter replacing the rear seat, and at the least reminding you of the single purpose nature of the Mini ‘GP’.

And so to the Driving!




A Turbo charged two litre front wheel drive engine with 215 bhp, and pulling on only 1253 kg           of  weight means lots of power,  and torque steer that needs reigning in like a wild horse. The          steering’s a pleasure to use and the grip of this car is fantastic, period. It’s a genuine wolf in sheep’s clothing this – and shocks the hell out of you when you start pushing on, such is its sheer pace and    tenacity– I didn’t realise it’s limits were so high. The ‘snap’ ‘crackle’ and ‘pop’ from the exhaust with Sport engaged  is a bit artificial and probably just tuned for pure entertainment, but you’ll  love it       nonetheless, it just adds aural excitement to the adrenaline.                                                                       

                                                                            

 And that’s what driving a car like this is all about – fun and pure tactile feedback.  But it’s also a very fast and serious motor car – maybe too much so to be exploited properly on our roads; you must take to the track experience with this car – then it’s got you for good.

At some point you will ask yourself if the 30k price tag is justified – well give it a good test drive first and find out. You need to get to know this car to fully appreciate it, and I really don’t understand how anyone could really buy it on the strength of a quick run around the block;  It is the Mini Way of doing things at this level, and an investment in pure performance. Understand it that way philosophically, and this car is worth every penny. We have one day left with the car….I have to go and drive it again; it’s compelling.  I wonder if Michael Caine is still looking for a driver?

Mini John Cooper Works GP

Price £28,790; 0-62mph 6.3sec; Top speed 150mph; Economy 40mpg; CO2 165g/km; Kerb weight 1235kg; Engine 4 cyls, 1598cc, turbocharged, petrol; Installation Front, transverse; Power 215bhp at 6000rpm; Torque 206lb ft (2000-5100rpm); Gearbox 6-spd manual

Likes:  – crazy performance and character, quirky looks.

Dislikes: Silly sat nav after market accessory navigation system/no rear wiper/sometimes miss a rear seat for the odd third passenger for day to day use – rear seems bit of a waste of space really

Kevin Haggarthy road tests theAudi Q7 3.0 litre TDi Quattro

Kevin Haggarthy road tests the new Audi Q7 3.0 litre TDI Quattro

It’s a substantial looking machine the Audi Q7. As 4 x 4 s’ go, only the Range Rover seems to match its’ bulk and size. Both are very popular with the ‘well to do’ for the school commuter run – ‘it makes me and my children feel safe’ says Mum(s); well you can’t knock that can you? – So whilst the Q7 may not be very ‘PC’, for families it’s the next best thing to a house on wheels.

proper car

So we expected the Q7 to be boring for exactly that reason. A ‘big’ carriage for child seats, prams, and shopping bags, rather than a real car. Well we were wrong, and should have known better. Being an Audi, the Q7 turned out not only to be a ‘proper car’ but a highly enjoyable daily commuter at that.

Still on the family thing, the Q7 has 7 seats and the Range Rover hasn’t. The two back seats just push down flat on release of a lever, and you’ve got loads of flat space for your luggage.

You’ll have to cough up a fair amount of dough for the privilege: prices start at £32 grand for the entry level petrol powered 3.6 FSI , rising to £38 – 40 k for the 3.0 litre turbo diesels, and the big 4.2 diesel hits a whopping £50 grand plus, and prices can creep to 90 grand!. They are all pretty good, so you’d be as well to go entry level money and pocket the rest.

Niggles

Lots of browny points then? Well yes, bar two practical niggles. First the electronic push button located on the inside of the bottom of the rear hatch to close it, closes it a bit too sharpish! - so you need to move out of the way quickly or you ll get a sore head. I didn’t…so I got one, so I know.

Second, whilst electronic aids make parking in general a doddle, the car is a bit unwieldy around a multi storey. I know that because I got stuck in one with the car – the lanes were too narrow for the Q7 to get around without the threat of painful alloy scratches and the parking spaces were just too small for us to park the Q7, and actually open the doors and get out.



On the road

Our 3.0 litre diesel ‘S’ line (top spec) was particularly well equipped with distinctive S Line trim, Sat nav, blue tooth, and electric everything; its all idiot proof to use aiding that feeling of luxury and comfort for day to day use.

On the road, the diesel’s hum is subdued and progressive – with spritely performance and enough urge to satisfy even the most demanding. It’s an exceptional cruiser of course, and the permanent all wheel drive is reassuring when the going gets tough. In time, and odd as it may seem, you’ll find there’s not much around that offers all the Q7 does for the same money, and of course, if size is an issue for you, there is always the smaller, and slightly more composed Q5.

Maybe the Q7 is an acquired taste, but it is also an ‘informed’ choice – it delivers so well for the day to day needs of a family; one car to satisfy all needs.

Kevin Haggarthy


Audi Q7 3.0 litre tdi S Line

Price: £40,850

0-60 mph: 8.5 secs

Top speed 134 mph

Average Consumption: 28.8 mpg

(published in The Voice newspaper)

Kevin Haggarthy road tests the new Focus RS

Kevin Haggarthy road tests the new hot hatch rage – the new 300 bhp Ford Focus RS

Right. So the eighties are back then; or so says Ford with their latest Hot Hatch King. The lights are red, you look around, ‘Bring it on’ says the Focus RS, to anyone who dares ‘…show me what you’ve got, and I’ll show you what for mate…and more!’ The lights hit green, its dry and your cheeky challenger just dare raise his engine note to threaten you away from the lights and that’s it – challenge done as he watches the Focus RS SCREECH! away in first, then keep its tyres spinning in second, hit third gear and the tyres are still screeching – in the dry! - ’Wow’! This is true blooded serious hot hatch stuff. Take a serious look at the tail lights on that Focus RS, for it is probably the last time you will ever see that car.

All or nothing?

So what’s come over Ford then? We thought they’d said goodbye to the all- or-nothing hot hatch, as per its old Turbo RS et al, and the days of the Peugeot 205 1.9’s and blown Renault Turbos – every insurance company hated them, and every boy racer loved them. At that time Ford had had enough of a growing ungainly reputation – too many boy racers were hitting too many lamp posts and trees, and no one wanted to be at the butt end of what was becoming quite a political issue on the roads.

Ford were amongst the first to get sensible, and cool everyone down with its sober but wonderful to drive Focus ST – a sensible and exhilarating car, involving, and ‘nice’ to drive, but with the added advantage of sharper handling and a more rewarding drive over the standard car. Eventually a limited edition wild-cat RS followed that just couldn’t contain 212 bhp driving the front wheels, without pulling you quite markedly in a direction you didn’t want to go when throttling hard out of a bend.

Speed Demon!…

Yet this new Focus RS has gone even more ballistic; it has a beautifully refined but understandably firm ride at low speed but when you give it some and the Turbo wrenches control, you are unlikely to get more speed and performance per pound than any car available to the public anywhere – period. It’s a bit all or nothing this one – it’s the ‘Focus RS Licence Loser’ when the devil takes you, with razor sharp precise steering and handling to match, and yet when you calm down and behave yourself on the way to Tescos, no one would ever think you could be such a speed demon on demand. Always the sign of a great car.

What makes this Focus RS special is that it is all usable performance, B road burning stuff, and in the hands of a good driver will challenge the very fastest of cars money can buy when you are assaulting the Countryside’s twists and turns. I cannot think of a car other than Porsche or Ferrari territory that will master B roads with such finesse and outright speed.

But it needs driving does the new RS, and more importantly it needs a skilled hand behind the wheel to exploit the performance safely. And herein lies the worry – with such outright acceleration, a Turbo charger that holds you in rocket mode, and a pedal set-up which (surprisingly for this kind of car) is not entirely friendly to the chassis balancing skill of heel and toe gear changes, -a method of braking and changing down a gear at the same time- the Focus RS could end up getting the better of the unskilled/inexperienced driver setting out to exploit its exceptional performance to the full.

The new King?

Being capable of such out-right performance the RS will carry tremendous front wheel powered speed into a bend, the brakes are well upto shaving the speed off in time, but the driver’s challenge will be tackling that bend, managing the finely tuned weight distribution through it, and coming out of it knowing just when to apply the power. A lot of decisions to make, accurately and confidently, for the push-on driver. If this all sounds like driving instructor gobble-de-gook, that is exactly what it is – I seriously think Ford should offer a complementary safety performance road driving course to owners of this car…then no worries.

We suspect that the new RS will now take the Hot Hatch crown. It is an exceptional achievement by any measure – but as a tool for the road, and indeed for its owner, it’ll be about knowing when to go slow that counts.

Kevin Haggarthy

FORD FOCUS RS - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION


Price £25,740

Engine Type
2.5L 20 V DOHC RS
Max power ISO PS (kW)
At engine speed (rpm) 305 PS (224kW) 6500
Cylinders - 5, in-line


Max speed (kph) 263
Acceleration (sec)
0-100 km/h 5.9 secs
50-100 km/h (in 4th. gear) 5.3 secs


Fuel Consumption

Combined (ECE l/100 km) 30.5 mpg

Kevin Haggarthy road tests the new award winning VW Golf 2-0 litre TDI 140 ps
Basic on the road price 19,236

This latest version of an already great car is a subtle but significant improvement over its predecessor, setting absolute standards for the class, making it arguably, one of the best (if not the best) small family saloons on the market. A bold statement I know, but one based on many years of testing and sampling cars like these.

This latest version of the Golf has a significant, albeit subtle design makeover. Its predecessor, the Mark V was already good. As a Mark V owner my personal choice of car is testimony to that. So the basic DNA remains unchanged - namely chassis, doors window apertures and roof, as are the basic engine range. But leave it at that and we’d be paying very short thrift to what is a truly excellent small family saloon that has made a very good car, a very much better car.

Better by design

Design and styling are subjective matters but there is a crispier more modern look to the new car. Sat side by side to my albeit beefier Mark V R32 ,the Mark VI has a cleaner, more compact appearance. It also looks and feels plusher inside too. A tad of much needed luxury has gone into the dash and switchgear, the latter trimmed at the edges with chrome, the Golf’s cabin now proving a much plusher place to be. The seats too, brushed in Alcantara Suede add to that ‘quality’ feel. Inside there are improvements all round; with clearer, more prominent, and better located switchgear. It all makes the Golf feel better value for money.

Our test car was the 2.0 litre diesel, and oh does this engine change your perception of diesels! No more aching headache when you start from cold, or noisy humdrum arthritic tone on the move. Flip the coin totally for the true story – this is a spritely tremendously smooth and progressive engine. Whilst the standard 0-62 mph is a respectable 9.3 secs, its top speed is an official 130 mph. Do you really need more? What’s more, with an average 57 mpg you’ll see a good 450 miles plus on a full tank of diesel – all that in a comfortable highly versatile every day and long distance well built machine.

Compelling

Behind the wheel the Golf enthuses the driver; the steering feels confidence inspiring and sure footed at any speed, the gearbox an absolute pleasure to use, and the handling safe and predictable. The body feels light yet strong on the move; the kind of feeling a responsible parent likes to have about the sturdiness of a car in an accident. For quality, refinement, and strong engineering integrity, the new Golf is a compelling proposition. The Golf has exceeded its own boundaries yet again.

Kevin Haggarthy is 'disappointed' -only achieving 197 mph in the Koenigsegg CCR

Travelling at nearly 200 mph! Kevin Haggarthy takes us on a journey in one of the Worlds fastest Supercars; The Koenigsegg CCR..........

Who cares about pronouncing the name? Somehow, a top speed of 240 mph, 694 bhp, 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a price tag of over £350,000 is enough. Yes, I like many have always had a latent curiosity about driving the Koenigsegg. Sensational looks, sensational sound – the perfect recipe for my mid life crisis. But thankfully there’s a little more substance to my curiosity than that. It all goes back to the year I did the notorious Gumball Rallye. Admittedly, I was driving rather fast (ish) at the time in a lovely silver Porsche 911S – admiring the noise and beauty of a Ferrari Maranello up ahead of me that was pacing a black Lamborghini Murcielago and a red Ferrari F50. Believe me, that sight was better than the opening scene of the original Italian Job. The beauty of those three cars up ahead held me in a trance……. right up until all three were pulled over and arrested. Shame the Police missed the metallic green Koenigsegg that had just caught and passed the lot of them!

Mind you, they caught the Koenigsegg guy eventually too – but by Police helicopter travelling at nearly 230 mph! Someone told me you can only go 55 mph in the States - clearly a silly rumour from someone with a daft sense of humour. As it happens I didn’t see much of the guy behind the wheel of the Koenigsegg either, as he spent every one of the five nights we travelled across America in gaol; his car had to transported to the finish line as he was immediately banned from driving in the States.

Mr ‘Gumball Koenigsegg’ won a bubble gum machine for his efforts. I thus wondered what my prize would be after accepting an invitation from Porsche Carrera Cup racer Sam Hancock of Jota Motorsport to drive Jota’s Koenigsegg up at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. Jota run a special Drivers Club for the well financially heeled who want to become racing drivers, and have both the time and money to do the same. (Anyone interested should look them up on www. Jotasport.com – then sub title ‘Drivers Club’)

I have not the money, but made the time to sample why I never became Lewis Hamilton. I found the answer to the latter in a couple of laps, but what I really wanted to do was to take retrospective revenge on Gumball Koenigsegg. He did 230 mph down the freeway; the challenge for me was to do more than 230 mph at Bruntingthorpe.

The problem was I couldn’t see a thing – it was late afternoon in November, the fog fell both suddenly and heavily; it was dark, and I could barely see past the bonnet! Sam Hancock didn’t think it was a problem though, and told me to just put my foot down. Cool…as he was sitting beside me at the time, we may as well have our evening meal with God together. So that’s what I did – the Koenigsegg spitting flames in anger each and every time we shifted up a gear. On the first run we hit a measly 164 mph (with the bloody top down in the cold by the way). Second time - and with no daylight available now, I was off to either heaven or hell in my pointless pursuit of notoriety. (it’s a male menopausal thing).It was foot-to-the-floor all the way, zero vision, just imagination and a whisper from Sam that he’d tell me when to stop! Maybe he was Uncle Sam with the evil ears,I don’t know, but neither did I care at the time as we sped off into oblivion aiming for the double Century Plus….in no time Sam was shouting ‘brake! …..firmly! “Well Sam did we do it!” I screamed, confident of my overwhelming victory “Sorry Kevin….you weren’t pushing hard enough …we just nudged 197 mph”.

So close yet so far……….- I’m not a poor loser, it’s just such a shame that they can’t make accurate speedometers in Supercars these days.


Kevin Haggarthy

Kevin Haggarthy road tests the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 - 4

In the time it takes you to say ‘Welcome to Kevin Haggarthy on Cars' the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 will have travelled from standstill to 62 mph. That’s 3.7 seconds. If that alone isn’t testimony to the fact that we are referring to one of the World’s fastest supercar’s here, its top speed of 202 mph surely must.

Yet the true credibility, and essential DNA of this amazingly sophisticated and truly exclusive machine lies much deeper than acceleration figures and top speed alone. More importantly, the LP560-4 represents the ultimate in modern road car technology, and succeeds in what to many might be the ludicrous proposition of harnessing a humongous 552 bhp of V10 power into both usable, enjoyable, and safe road use.

In the Gallardo LP560-4 we have automotive art and engineering ingenuity, combined with the exotica of Lamborghini – and that means that anywhere in the World this car goes, it will be the subject of wow factor envy and admiration; even the less visually astute will be unable to avoid their thoughts being pleasantly diverted by the deep raucious, hard, and savage sound of its engine. Many a time, you will hear a Lamborghini before you actually see it.

This second generation Lamborghini Gallardo is set to build on the sales reputation of its predecessor as the most successful Lamborghini model ever, having sold some 7,100 Gallardo models since its launch in 2003. In doing so, the LP560-4 is anything but a facelifted and tweaked standard Gallardo - it is virtually an all new car. Stephen Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini claims the LP560-4 “..will outclass its predecessor in every respect”.

engine

And the fact is…….it does; and the greatest testimony to the claim lies in its all new engine, sharing only the number of cylinders with its predecessor. Make no mistake, the Gallardo is improved in just about every single area, but this new engine is by far what the new LP560-4 is really all about. It is indeed a brand new 5.2 litre V10, with an incredible output of 560 PS (552 bhp) at 8,000 rpm. That’s a 40 PS power increase over the previous Gallardo, combined with a 20 kilogram reduction in weight, improving the power to weight ratio over the old car to 2.5 kilogrammes per PS, making the new car significantly faster than the old.

And here’s how fast. It means that the LP560-4 will go from 0-124 mph in 11.8 seconds, that’s about the same time it takes a new 2.0 litre diesel Audi A6 to reach half that speed. The engine has a 5,205 cm3 displacement, creating the 560 PS name tag at 8,000 rpm. We’ve already talked about better top speed and acceleration, yet Sant’ Agatas engineers were still able to achieve a reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by18%.

The LP560’s engine is set longitudinally, or ‘Longitudinale Posteriore’ in Italian, denoting the ‘LP’ designation for the model. Enthusiasts know that a mid-rear engine set up is the optimum for a purist sports car, putting the centre of gravity closer to the rear axis. In the LP560 -4 it results in a near perfect weight distribution, with 43% on the front axle and 57% on the rear.

If you’re curious about the ‘4’ on the model name tag it denotes the fact that the Gallardo has permanent four wheel drive transmission. It’s the best way to tame over 500 bhp on the bends, there is twice as much grip as all four driven wheels will be called upon to earn their keep, not only allowing the keen driver to carry more speed into fast bends, but with a much greater chance of coming out of them safely; the added advantage of being able to apply throttle earlier in the exit from the curve.


Better by design

Yet no Lamborghini would be ‘a Lamborghini’ unless it was drop dead gorgeous to look at. Whilst the LP560-4 is devoid of the wings, spoilers and skirts of predecessors like the Lamborghini Diablos of the past (in fact the Gallardo is nearon modest by comparison) it is by sight and sound every inch an exotic Lamborghini. In stark contrast to the Oragami-like angular sophistication of the ‘every-boy’s-bedroom wall-favourite Countach’ of old, modern Lamborghini’s are all about precise lines, clean surface edges, and distinctly minimalist design – with a touch of elegance.

‘Evolution of form systematically follows the demands of function’ say Lamborghini. In the LP560 -4, that evolution has resulted in a redesigned front end, characterised by enlarged and clearly accentuated cooling intakes to give more breathing for the bigger powered engine, and there’s a subtle new spoiler between the air intakes to improve aerodynamic equilibrium at high speeds. The rear has been also redesigned, giving a neater compact finish, with streamlined covers to the left and right of the engine bay to accentuate both the greater power and length of the new car.

Just to make sure your new Gallardo is noticed, the new headlights have a characteristic daytime running light integrated beneath the Bi-Xenon lamps, consisting of 15 LEDs positioned in a ‘Y’ structure. The lighting entertainment continues at the rear too. with the brake lights displaying the Y form three times over.



Cool cabin

Not surprisingly, your £147,000 buys you a supercar with exceptional interior fit and finish. Vehicle and passenger lateral air bags, and a two-zone air conditioning system with sun regulation come standard of course. As does the Lamborghini Multimedia System including a USB connector, and sports seats with an electronically operated backrest.

But you can spend more money still, and indulge in a navigation system and a module for TV reception, a hands free blue tooth phone set, an anti-theft device, and a rear view camera. And there’s a further option I especially like, and that is a lifting system control of the front of the car which at the touch of a button, allows you to raise the height of the Gallardo over obstacles – perfect for Ferry travel and steep outlets from driveways, and relief to a common nightmare with supercars. If you really want to go to town on the extras front, you can have a glass engine cover too. We’d ‘have em all’ – but at this sort of money one would have thought that a few more of these optional extras could have been thrown in as part of the package. But let’s face it – your money is invested here in the engine, and the Gallardo’s stupendous performance.

The driving

Thus by far the most engaging and exciting feature of the LP560 -4 is indulging in its purpose; the driving. This is where its all at folks – for this Lamborghini is just so..so special behind the wheel, that logic and sensible discretion leading to your not so prudent purchase, become all but irrelevant. Quite frankly, nothing matters now other than the ‘I simply must have one’ factor.

From the millisecond the Gallardo 560-4 barks into life your right foot indulges in a symphony of melodies, brutal, raw, and ultimately intoxicating at the extreme. Its time for emotion to take over – and you’ll be surprised how quickly amnesia sets in on how much you paid to purchase and insure your new Lambo – in fact, you’ll forget money period – the driving pleasure is just too great. Your first emotion has to be at least an anticipatory smile, expanding to a grin the size of a soup bowl….and a bit of a stir in the tummy too as 500 horses with uncompromisingly efficient direct linear force push harder and harder into the small of your back. You’ll simply ache for some open road to indulge in that incremental melody of accelerative force that is quite frankly nearon addictive. Yet its all too sophisticated and refined to stir a latent boy racer driving style – for the Gallardo feels like a Gentlemans car…. with Attitude­ – and the ‘attitude’ in the equation is reflected in so much outright speed and power that even the most inclined egotistical boy racer can see he’d be a fool to ‘have a go’ at matching the Lambo’s pace.

The suede and carbon fibre steering wheel is the pathway to precise almost race car like steering - yet assisted just enough to allow passive effort in town, with lots of feel when driven on the challenging cross country roads that Lamborghinis’ love. And as you drive your Gallardo to such roads with great enthusiasm you soon get to understand the superior control that can be achieved by four wheel drive. –in this case enabling its generally 30:70 front to rear ratio to move the torque spread around in milliseconds when it detects even the slightest change in road conditions. As a result you inevitably have better directional control and a safer spread of power through all four corners of the car’s weight.

e-gear

Once you’re out of that bend, you’ll be eager for the next, but in between there is great pleasure to be had flipping up and down the Lambo’s automated e-gear transmission. The purists can of course, opt for standard six speed manual transmission, but most owners opt for the paddle shift ‘e-gear’ . Yet in the LP560-4 the e-gear option is anything but swapping a gear stick for paddles – it is much more sophisticated than that………..

With the e-gear system you can choose between five different driving and changing programmes – a ‘normal’ mode, a SPORT programme with more rapid change times, a CORSA programme which directs the engine to optimum acceleration, and fourthly the ‘Thrust Mode’ which ensures maximum acceleration from rest with optimally adjusted throttle action and clutch – in simple terms ‘flat out’ acceleration. Oh yes, and then there’s the boring automatic mode for driving around London – handy nonetheless.

Scrubbing off the speed comes courtesy of a new braking system with no less than eight Brembo specialist cylinder callipers grasping massive 365mm diameter brake discs up front, and four to the rear clasping 356 mm discs. They do the job fine, and you should only consider the optional carbon ceramic brake disc option (greater performance, reduced weight) if you’re intending to spend lots of time driving hard on a racetrack – otherwise they feel pretty dead on the road, where you generate fairly minimal heat, unless you’re Lewis Hamilton. I wish.

Finally, suspension tweaks for the LP560-4 improve the Gallardo’s on road abilities even more, the ride is comfortable but stiff, a compromise you’ll be tempted to live with once you’ve experienced the Gallardo’s amazing ability to grip fast roads with such uncompromising tenacity.

the People’s Supercar

The LP 560-4 is probably one of the best Lamborghinis ever made. A precision like jewel in Lamborghini’s crown that is amazingly easy and unintimidating to drive for a car of such stupendous road eating ability. That makes it ‘the People’s Supercar’ – one that you can enjoy regardless of skill and experience as long as you drive within your limits. That said, the Lambo is more than ready for even the most skilled driver – the challenge is not the car’s, it’s yours. But what a challenge…you’ll simply love it.


Ends.


Kevin Haggarthy