The Essentials

• Price from £157,668
• What Car? says:
• Fuel economy: up to 19.2mpg
• What is it? A supercar that will get everyone looking at you.. and wondering how comfortable you really are.

• Drive

  Lightning pace and wonderful handling; low-speed ride is firm and there's plenty of noise

• Inside

  Body-hugging, moulded seats for two and a stylish control panel, even if some of it's the same as an Audi

• Safety

  Twin front and side airbags and electronic stability control come as standard

• Reliability

  As Lamborghini is now owned by Audi, reliability isn't such a concern

• Space

  Comfortable up-front where the action is, but you might want to cancel that golf club membership unless they'll store your clubs

• Standard and extras

  There's a long list of extras, but if you dont want to tick those boxes you're left with just climate control, a CD player and leather seats

• What's it like to drive?

  Life ain't like it is in the movies, so you've got to be a confident character to pull this one off. You know: thrusting. Dynamic. Able to keep a straight face when you fill up in Morrison's forecourt or have to negotiate a KFC drive-thru with your mother in the passenger seat. The Gallardo offers dizzying acceleration, stunning handling and the soundtrack of a racing driver's dreams. The regular six-speed manual is smoother to use than the paddle-shift version. And if it's not quite extreme enough, try the lighter Superleggera version.

• What's it like inside?

  If you ever wanted to have a secret affair/consultation at the plastic surgeon then this is not the car to take, because every set of eyes will be on you wherever you go. The Gallardo's wedged shape gives it those fantastic Miami Vice looks, but you do have to compromise in terms of passengers (one only) and boot space (not much to speak of.) Rear visibility isn't great and the pedals are annoyingly offset to the left.

• How reliable is it?

  Audi now owns Lamborghini and so build quality is paramount, even if that does mean this extremely expensive car shares the design of its centre console with an Audi A3 family runaround. Reliability is also on the up, as the parent company has made quality improvements to the badge.

• Should I buy one?

  If you've got the money and crave the attention - why not. You'll have to join the waiting list, or try a specialist dealer to beat the queue, and prepare for astronomical running costs.