CS vs Gallardo drive: my impressions

Well I've just completed about 350 miles over the w/e with an e-gear 9500 mile Gallardo. As some may know I have owned a CS for the last 4 months and have done just under 2000 miles in it. This was my first drive of the Gallardo. My impressions are:
1. It is definetly faster than my CS. It is very easy to be seduced by it's torque/power. wads of torque there for the taking.It's what I would call "power at any revs any time". I have always felt the CS has been slightly "thin" in terms of power delivery. I am hoping the 430 will correct this.
2. The styling is a matter of taste. I personally like the exterior overall cab forward styling. the interior is another matter however. i just don't like it. No disrespect to our american friends out there but it just looks more like a pontiac interior than an italian exotic to my eyes. I certainly can see the german influence/audi switchgear, which makes the whole picture even less cohesive to me. But I will stop there because this too is a subjective issue. What isn't subjective is the driving position. i had difficulty finding the right position with the seat despite steering wheel and seat adjustments. Seats certainly not as supportive as my CS. the footwell was another problem. It is just so tight. The pedals are also set too high which makes it very uncomfortable. I wear size 8 shoes and just had no room to put my left foot. As such I was constantly left foot braking routinely just to keep my foot from falling asleep(not too mention my left thigh which was also going numb) I have never had any such problems with either 355/360 or CS. The front roofline as it meets the windscreen goes far too forward for my liking giving a somewhat claustrophobic(perhaps some would say cosy!) feeling inside the car. But I suppose this is a Lambo trait, again very subjective.
3. the engine sound is superior, to my ears, to my CS- at idle and up to about 4500 rpms. After that the CS sound blows the L-car's sound away. Great starter noise also in the lambo.A fast stir followed by nice bellow from the engine.
4. the e-gear version that i tried( car was a 2003 model) although it too is also made by Magneti marelli( the same people who do the CS one) is simply not as good as the CS version. I am big fan of the CS F1 system. The shifts in the lambo are jerkier and the engagment of gears not as quick. There were also one or two e-gear warning lights that went off 3-4 times(I have been subsequently told by the people who own it that they have been having some difficulty with the e-gear clutch, although they didn't elaborate- BTW the manual clutch car that they also have has had loads of problems.) The ratios of the lambo gears IMO are jsut too long for a sporting car. I think the first two gears should have been slightly shorter to add to the racing/quick revving spirit of sports cars. Perhaps SV version will address this.
5. the steering I have to say just simply feels too stiff and wooden in the Gallardo compared to the CS. It does get better as the speed increases but just not as communicative,incisive or telepathic if you like as the CS. Even compared to the standard 360 it still feels too numb. I know it is AWD which I am sure blunts this feeling, but in some ways it is a shame, because driving the Gallardo otherwise, it simply goes where you steer it. It has very high levels of grip and as it has been quite rainy over the weekend, it has also proven to be extremely sure footed.It does things in this environment that the CS simply just would not be able to do. It shows slight understeer in tight fast corners, but the back is very difficult to throw out. I find the CS much more accurate however, staying true to the racing line. Abrupt transitions of the steering wheel are handles much more competenly in the CS than the Gcar. The ride, funny enough, I found was actually slightly harsher than the CS(as my wife will testify to!). the brakes are simply are not in the same league as the CS also. Although I didn't measure this I am sure the stopping distances are longer with the Gallardo and brakes just feel spongy. However I was not able to detect any fade in them.

Prior to driving the Gallardo I had read various track times for the Gallardo and the CS at different tracks, and couldn't really make up my mind as to which would be faster. The truth, now that I've driven both extensively, I feel is that it just depends on the track. In tracks with lots of multiple tight corners, esses, and quick transitional changes the CS would simply walk away. However in tracks with long straights and sweeping bends the power of the Gallardo would make it quicker. Because although the Gallardo is not quite as focused as the CS it is a decent all round package.

I warmed to the Gallardo after my w/e drive despite my initial reservations-mainly not as sharp a steer as I like. Would I trade my CS for it?Great car though the lambo is, the answer would have to be no. I have to be frank and say that I just could not live with the driving position alone. In addition to the problematic footwell the seats gave me back ache. I appreciate however the lambo's fantastic engine.. if Lambo improve one or two things then maybe I could be tempted. Then again the 430 is just around the corner, and so maybe I will be swayed back.

One last thing I will say however, having driven the Murcie three times in the past(and done about 500 miles in), I cannot see the point of it. The Gallardo IMO is the better car. More compact, better handling, and as fast as damn it to the Murcie.. If you must however be seen in a car with scissor doors then buy the Murcie otherwise the Gallardo is the better package.

Alex

 

The car I have been driving is RHD as I'm based in London, so I would agree with you that the manual car would have been undriveable, due to impossible foot space. I would tend to also agree with you that for an everyday car the Lambo is probably slightly better(mainly better all weather control) however I have to say that I tended to bottom out (on speed humps etc.) much more often in the Gcar than my CS, so that would count against it as a daily runner. If you ask me, I would say that neither is good for a daily car and as such I drive a 500CL for that-much, much more comfortable! For me the CS(or which ever car I own as a second car) is mainly for having fun in and for that I derive more pleasure in steering a CS than a Gcar. But as I said both have pluses and minuses. My ideal? a Cs with 500 bhp-maybe the 430CS when it comes.
Alex

 

thanks. A late night dash across town is exactly what I do, after all the traffic has dissipated!
Alex

 

I would agree they have done a good job overall. however some things like the narrow footwell(in RHD at least) is just a plain design fault. On the manual car you have no option but to rest your foot on the clutch. This is the main reason, I have been told by people more knowledgable than myself, that clutches are going at 4-5000 miles. Totally unacceptable. Maybe when Audi decides to use the new DSG system(which is excellent BTW) there will be less manual demand.

Having said all that, and back to driving my CS over the last two days again, I am definetly certain that I made the right choice.
OK, perhaps ultimately I don't have as much grunt as the Gallardo, but, (and I'm trying to stay objective here!) the pleasure derived from the CS steering, handling,brakes(not to mention the seats/driving position) is just magic! Having driven extensively ALL major supercars(barring Enzo,carrera GT and SLR)I am now truly happy because I always had a nagging doubt in my mind(at least until the 430 CS comes out!).

Alex

 

The left footwell is slightly wider. However this is no excuse at all. It is still a design fault. Ferrari 360's(and Audis for that matter!) have no problem between sides. They should at least take this into consideration when designing the car.