LP640 reports please...

wait so did you drive it or were you the passenger?

I can only hope to drive one someday..ill just have to watch the top gear video until then

definitely the sickest looking car IMO

 

Good for you for treating a grand Touring car as a grand touring car. Kudos.

 

It eats 456GT's for breakfast.

 

From what I've taken in from owners around the web, the reliability of Lamborghini's have greatly increased from the Diablo-era.
I believe most have commented that the Murcielago is easy to maintain as long as it's driven how the factory reccomends so past a certain point, and is cared for. Oil is the most common problem I've read from well maintained Murcielagos, and Gallardos. If it is treated right, the car should go without any major problems.

 

I own a Murcielago and have had no issues with it so far. It has been reliable as well as a hell of a lot of fun - as you can imagine. I had a chance to drive an LP640 the other day for an hour or so and have some feedback. Compared to my car, the suspension is greatly improved, the clutch is different as it has been redesigned(not sure if I dislike it or I wasn't used to it) but it seems softer and more sensitive, and the noise level in the cockpit has been significantly reduced. The acceleration is also quite different. Mine seems very torque-y vs. the LP640. When you put your foot in the Murc it slams passenger's heads back and presses bodies into their seats in a burst of unbridled power whereas the LP seems to thrust gradually before winding up. I don't think there is any deficiency in acceleration for the LP but I do believe that it is a bit more tame or civilized as compared to the Murc. The rear engine lid had the clear vents which improved visibility a bit and the redesigned mirrors offer less drag with same visibility. As for some of the other differences - they have lowered the stance of the car overall (making it even MORE practical for US streets - lol) and the changes made to the instrument panel are fantastic all around. The carbon fiber options for the interior can be over done as well as the optional diamond stitch patern which is offered a la' carte throughout the interior. One can get carried away quickly and achieve too much of a good thing - i.e. a very "busy" cockpit. The changes made to the stereo / on-board computer are a plus as well as they have made a touch sensitive screen standard for the LP. Of course they have redesigned the front, the rear defuser and tail lights, the exhaust (which by the way sounds freakin' great) and the side intake vents below the doors. The look is subjective but I found that I liked it a great deal. Finally, I found the seats in the LP to be less comfortable. It seems as though the lumbar portion of the seat fits my back poorly. The Murc is quite comfy. Overall, the car is as outrageous as I expected and while I would definately recommend one to anyone (provided they are familiar with getting in and out of the car and are OK with that challenge) I would not personally be able to justify spending another $100K+ to trade upto the LP640. At the end of the day - my Murc is just fine.
As far as how usable it is - that depends entirely on how wierd you are about your cars. I know people that are affraid to take them anywhere due to the attention the car gets. If you are a paranoid owner - this will drive you nuts. If you don't worry about stuff like that, then I see no problems. It handles like a champ and it is really fun to drive. The only thing becomes getting used to the car and driving it within your personal ability.
I hope that gives you a bit of insight to this gorgeous car. I wish you all the best and truly hope you end up owning one. It has been a decision I revel in every day since I bought mine.

 

All I can say is just do it! You seem to be a person that REALLY drives their cars. You only live once!

I think the new options for the interior make the car even nicer! I took all of them

 

I have an LP, and have never driven in a regular Murci, so I have another perspective. I also have a 722, and F430 Spider, and a G Spyder as well, so I have a 'bit' of experience in these kinds of cars.

The LP is definitely the most extreme looking car of the bunch, although some people think that the 722 is more exotic. It does seem a bit slow off the line, especially if you're just driving around nicely.... it seems a bit like a tank! But, if you really want to hit it, it can be quite fun! I think it's traction control system is a bit more invasive than those of the Ferrari and 722. Others I have talked to think so as well, almost like the Lambo engineers were far too careful.

For me, it's a bit removed from the road experience, unlike the F430. I love the interior, and the Kenwood stereo is far above anything in my other cars. The seats seem pretty comfortable to me (I'm 6'1, about 215 pounds), with no trouble in the lumbar region.

We're in the habit of lifting the nose anytime we go somewhere that is unfamiliar. At least you CAN raise the nose, unlike our non-Lambo cars. In that respect, I don't see the height being a problem unless you have poor roads or trash all over the roads (we have Armadillos.... haven't hit one yet, but that would really, really suck!) We've only whacked the nose once, when we hit an unexpected dip in the road.

The visibility is pretty good, but sometimes the reflection from the carbon fiber inside the engine bay makes you think there's a car beside you when there is none. I definitely like having 'some' view through the rear window though.

The carbon fiber interior seems prone to squeaking, especially where it touches other carbon fiber pieces. Where the Kenwood radio fits in seems to squeak all the time in ours.

One minor thing I hate is checking the oil. Who in the world put the dipstick that far back in the engine bay! It's a good thing I'm fairly tall, because someone much shorter couldn't do it without laying all over the car. Plus it seems to have the worlds hardest dipstick to read.... it won't hold oil on that red plastic piece at the end.

 

Having put 4k miles on my Murcie and also extensively test driven the LP640 I would agree with most of the comments above with the following exceptions:

Acceleration - my 02 Murcie has a 6 speed so launches from a stop, or a few miles per hour, seem more radical than with the LP's E-gear (no big supprise). However, the overall acceleration to 100 is noticably quicker in the LP640, the E-gear shifts with grease lighting precision and I could definitely notice the boost in performance. The E-gear is far superior to the F1 I had in my 360, this was a pleasent supprise that I was not expecting. The auto feature is also very nice if you plan to drive the car on a regular basis.

Handling and Braking - hugh improvement in handling (most significant change IMO), it's like a whole different car (the Audi/Le Mans engineers really nailed this one). The car handles like a nimble lightweight now and the braking is improved as well. You won't notice how much it's really improved unless you push the car to its max

Seating Comfort - the LP640 is improved over my Murcie, the origional Murcie seating comfort is poor at best (I'm 6' 1" at 185lbs).

Oil Level - why bother checking the oil; change the oil at the first 2000 miles, then change it every 3000 miles after that and you never need to check it in between (unless you find a large puddle under the car ). Lambos (or any exotic for that matter) require frequent fluid changes to insure a long life (very cheep insurance).


Bottom line:
I absolutely love the LP640, Lamborghini made all the right changes to perfect the Murcie's incredible looks and performance; without question the LP640 is the most beautiful and powerful Lamborghini production car ever built.

However, I still struggle with paying two times the price over my 02 Murcie, so I might just wait a year or so and see how the pricing looks (most folks I talk to say it will drop at least 50k, perhaps as much as 75k - we shall see)

 

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but my LP doesn't seem to have an automatic mode like the Gallardo does. Not that I'd use it anyway. Are you sure about this? The G has a big AUTO button in the center console. I don't have one in the LP.

I'm probably a bit paranoid about oil levels, since the 722 (and original SLR) have big warning labels warning you to check the levels at every gas fillup. The 722 seems to want to be topped up every couple of fillups, so I naturally want to do this with all the cars. Also, the first time I checked the oil level in the LP (after about 500 miles), the level didn't even register!

 

Yes, but it's a bit touchy to engage and there is no button to push:

Bring the car to a stop, make sure it's in neutral, pull the right hand paddle toward you and wait about 3-5 seconds and it will go into automatic mode. It will stay in automatic mode until you shift it manually.

 

Gotta try that, but I doubt I'll use it much. Where'd you find that out? It doesn't seem to be in my book anywhere (at a quick glance, anyway).

 

Salesman showed me while we were on the demo ride, it's good for cell phone calls and perhaps a few other situations

 

I didn't know that either! Thanks for that bit of info.

 

'Other situations'? In an LP? Maybe when I was 22 or something, but no way now!

However, when you get your Starbucks, that could be handy for a bit!

 

Hey Chuck, let me know if the auto function works ok for you.

Yes, holding a Starbucks coffee cup is definitely what I was referring to when I said "other situations"

 

Really?

So the big V8 eat a lot of oil?