The consensus from the motoring press is not that its been "made worse".
Well from V10 to V8, 520 bhp to 414 bhp, 0-60 4.3 to 3.8, lower torque of 376 down to 276 lb-ft, top speed down from 198 to 181 mph, weight up from 1430 to 1560 kg.
All suggest to me that they've taken a great car and made it worse, but still a great car in its own right i'm sure. Again, just like the Cayman when Porsche took out the LSD to keep cost/ performance down
I know its not mean't to be a direct competitor and that its supposed to be cheaper but a client of mine has just bought one for over £90k which is Gallardo money.
Performance stats don't tell the whole story, of course. The fact that it is being touted as better than the 911 suggests to me that they've taken a great car and made another great car in a different class. There's still £40k plus between them on list price (for a base Gallardo not the SE) and I'm sure that there are plenty of ways to add to Gallardo's price with extras.