Gallardo Owner Test Drives F430

I had the opportunity, through a good friend, to test drive his 430 Spyder (F1) yesterday. We swapped cars and he drove my 05 Gallardo 6 Speed. Our drive was on a rural mountain road, about thirty miles in length. What follows is my analysis of the experience.

DISCLAIMER: I have no agenda here; I consider myself to be a car guy first, and a Lamborghini zealot somewhere further down the list. Indeed, the reason I was keen to test the 430 is because I am considering a Coupe. I will do my best to be objective. It was a short drive, about 45 minutes. I am by no means an expert, but I own or have owned a few great cars, including the Gallardo, a Ford GT, two Porsches, two NSXs, a 427 Cobra, an S2000, etc. I've also had some seat time in a 360. Lots of seat time in a Kart, but that doesn't count. Okay, end of the weasling.

INTERIOR: I was immediatley inspired by the F car's interior. The pie plate sized tach, in all of its yellow glory, front and center and in your face, is cool beyond description. The general feel and quality of the interior, as well as its design, is beyond reproach. Oh, the sheer PASSION of it all! The seats are comfortable and easily adjusted. The 430 interior makes the G car's feel like a funeral. On a cloudy day. ADVANTAGE: 430

ENGINE: The engines of the two cars could not be more different in both sound and feel. I have a Tubi on the G, so its sounds a bit more rowdy than the 430. The 430 has a smaller, higher pitched engine note, especially as it goes up through the revs, while the G is more gutteral, but still very italian. Its all a matter of taste, but I liked the sound of the 430 better, at least from inside the car. Its got this cool little warble just after a shift that makes the hairs on your arms stand up.

The 430 loves to rev, and is quick to do so. Several times during the drive, I noted, to my surprise, that I was driving the 430 at least 1500 rpm over where I would have held the G in a similar road environment. The 430 just seems to want to dance around the tach, while the G is certainly a bit more deliberate in its rev behavior.

However, the 430 cannot match the sheer thrust of G, and both my friend and me seemed to agree on this point. We were both surprised by this, having seen the magazine numbers on both cars. It was as simple as this: pick a gear, any gear while the car is rolling, and mash the throttle; the G just rockets away, on afterburner. The 430 is a real screamer, but it can't match the torque of the G. Even the throttle response felt sharper in the G, unless it was way, way up in the rev range, where I don't like to drive. In a real world passing situation with oncoming traffic bearing down, I would much rather be in the G. Some have called the G V-10 one of the greatest engines ever built. It showed its flexibility when compared with the 430. ADVANTAGE: G.

HANDLING: The 430 feels like its hardwired to your brain -- you think it and the car does it. It's like a scalpel for the road, vibrant, alive, light on its feet and keen to bust its next dazzling move. Because it was a spyder, the 430 had a bit of cowl shake/chassis flex, but very little. The steering is communicative, and the chassis tells you what's happening down there. The G, by comparison, is super precise and germanic in its road feel, like it was carved out of one monoblock of titanium. The G's steering is a bit heavier but granite steady, and feels somehow more isolated, but by no means numb. Both cars grip like crazy, way beyond my other cars (with the exception of the Ford GT). Not surprisingly, the G felt much more comfortable at higher speeds (140) than the 430. (Maybe because of the wind noise of the spyder with the top up). The best way I can sum it up is as follows: Handling feedback and sharpness: 430 scores 10. G car scores 9. Stability and drive-it-all-day fast through Nevada: G car scores 10, 430 9.

TRANSMISSION. F1 lovers: skip this paragraph. Okay, there is no easy way to say it; I did not like the F1 and would not buy one. Ever. Mind you, this was my first ever ride in a paddle car. I was surprised at the harshness of the F1, in all modes. When I first got in the car, my friend was driving. He accelerated, rolling start, wide open throttle. The first gear change, was quick but brutal. My first thought was "I would never change gears that roughly with a manual". The next gear was the same way, whomp! and so on through the revs. That poor drivetrain. I did not like the way it sounded or the way it felt in the seat of the pants. Now, it was much gentler at less than wide open throttle. And I should hasten add this: the F1 is brilliant on downshifts, perfectly smooth with rev matching only a computer could do. However, I found myself bored with it after about twenty minutes of driving. I am willing to concede that I need to drive the paddle shift more before I give up on it forever. But not in a car I own. It was so nice to get back in my G and feel that cool, deadly shift knob in my right hand, and that third peddle under my foot. ADVANTAGE: 6 Speed, in any car.

STYLING: Sorry guys, I may be dumb, but not that dumb. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, I've never had a car that attracts as much crowd attention as the Gallardo. I'm not sure what that means...

OVERALL IMPRESSION. On the drive home, reflecting on my experience, I was amazed at how different two cars could be, and yet both spectacular in their own way. The 430: Assuming it was a 6 speed, the 430 seems to me like a 360 made in heaven, improved in every way, by a large margin. It may be the greatest driving tool yet devised. At msrp, assuming you could ever find one, it would be a no brainer for any true enthusiast. Its deserves its reputation as one of the most desireable cars on the planet.

The G is totally unique and so very special. It goes about its business with an almost deadly calm -- like a hit man in an Armani suit. It covers ground at warp speed and will flatten your eyeballs under acceleration. The four wheel drive pulls off the apex like nothing else I ever driven.

To call one better than the other is truly dangerous ground, when they both do so well, but in such different ways. Let the owners decide, but let them be honest in their assesments.

I was impressed with the 430. The emporer does indeed wear fine clothes, just not as fine as I had imagined, at least in not in f1 guise. I have, after the drive, decided that I like the 430 but that I would not pay over msrp for it. Which means I will never have the pleasure of owning one. Now, I just need to call my dealer and talk to him about upgrading to an '06 G. Faster steering, more HP, new suspension settings. Mmm. Then I'll take the premium I would have paid for the 430 and go buy an Elise with it. I wonder what my wife will say...