I placed my order for a 488 in August expecting delivery in Canada next summer. When I received the following invite from Ferrari to test drive the 488 with one of the Ferrari Corso Pilota in Qatar, I couldn't resist . To make a long story short, here are my impressions of the car. The 488 looks and feels amazing. Power and torque increase over the 458 are obvious and the car felt a lot smoother and civilized than my 458. At the end of a 30 minute drive during which both the driver and I tested the car ( acceleration from start, from roll, braking and turns,...) , I can say that the 488 reminded me a lot of my 2014 911 Turbo S that I have sold for the Italia. However, from what I have experienced, the Porsche pulled harder than the 488 does. I finished the test drive feeling exactly the same I did every time I drove my 911. The car is amazing and super fast, very smooth but something was missing to give this visceral connection with the car, the engine sound... When I sold my 911 Turbo S for the Italia, I never looked back. Even if the Porsche would have put the Italia to shame at a signal light or at the drag strip, it never came close to giving me to the feeling I got when driving the Italia. This amazing sound when revving the engine up to 9000 RPM's and down. What can I say. I took 24 h to think about it after the test drive and finally called the order off with my dealership. This is to all the reviews I have read on the net on the topic that claims that the sound of the 488 is equally amazing as the 458, it is all BS. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for your writeup. I think its important to get different viewpoints and this is a good counter point to the very positive 488 commentary. I had a brief drive of a 488 and I tend to come down more of where you are coming from. BUT! Full disclosure! I didn't like the 458 at first. I felt it was too digital vs the 430 and 360. However over time, and I think some refinements they made in the 2012+ cars, I fell in love with the Italia. I think its the best super/sports street car I've ever driven.
I watched a review where James May reviewed the car, and said the engine looks "wimpy" in the engine bay. I think that statement is really important. Ferrari's are about more than straight line speed. My 458 makes me feel really special. It's engine looks special in the bay. It sounds special, the way it rev's is special. Let Macca and Porsche worry about straight line speed, Ferrari can't lose it's passion.
I can say that the 488 reminded me a lot of my 2014 911 Turbo S that I have sold for the Italia. However, from what I have experienced, the Porsche pulled harder than the 488 does. I have the same thought, 488 is actually a more beautiful 911 Turbo. What we want here is a more beautiful 991 GT3 RS to replace the 458. 911 Turbo CANNOT replace the GT3 RS, similar to 488 CANNOT replace 458. Porsche pulls harder because Ferrari is trying to minimize the turbo lag, so the boost is very little in lower rpm. I finished the test drive feeling exactly the same I did every time I drove my 911. The car is amazing and super fast, very smooth but something was missing to give this visceral connection with the car, the engine sound... And the pedal feel too. Feeling special (passion) is much more important and much more expensive than feeling fast. You can modify a 911 turbo to run faster than LaFerrari for just $60,000, but you'd need $300,000 to make it sounds as good as 458, which is to buy another 458. When I sold my 911 Turbo S for the Italia, I never looked back. Even if the Porsche would have put the Italia to shame at a signal light or at the drag strip, it never came close to giving me to the feeling I got when driving the Italia. This amazing sound when revving the engine up to 9000 RPM's and down. I also sold my 997 Turbo for 458, thought I'd never looked back. Now I'm back. I think Porsche makes sense when they still retain the NA for GT model. I think they care about what the real customers want. But I won't let go the 458, just get another Porsche's NA. The difference from the 458 to 488 could easily give me a GT3 while keeping my 458. And if you like sound, you should modify your 458's exhaust.
1) they do 2) they don't care. They will sell everyone one of them they can make. I've been having this debate myself. I'm just wondering if it's better to get a higher mileage 458 next year that's lost 1/3 of it's depreciation and drive the crap out of it than get a new car. 99% of the people on earth couldn't tell the difference between a 458 and 488 if they saw them side by side anyway. I don't care if the car goes 3 tenths quicker to 60. I'm not going to race it. The problem with the 458 coupe is they made it too good. But I'm guessing the 488 spider is much better from what I understand they've done to stiffen it.
IMO, not every Ferrari has been better than the one that it replaced -- but that's a matter of opinion of course. The problem with the 488 is Ferrari is being driven by external forces out of its control such as fuel standards, pollution standards, noise standards, competition, and the changing whims of consumers. Steve McQueen would have tossed the radio out of his car in the 60's. Today consumers want every imaginable electronic widget to make the car a floating concert hall that plays every song in the universe on demand in 20 micro seconds. People unfortunately change. So does Ferrari. Is that better? The answer is -- it depends.
This is true of every car manufacturer. Some models just seem to get it just right, but as The Mayor points out, manufacturers are compelled to constantly redesign, evolve, innovate, etc. And the next version won't necessarily be better. Think of the German word "zugzwang" applied to cars (if you've ever experienced it in chess, you'd never forget it). I've bought four of the last BMW model 5 series for my wife, and each successive version has lost more and more of the initial BMW feel - the new ones are like driving a video game.
So true. Neither Henry Ford, Ferdinand Porsche nor Enzo Ferrari would recognize the interior of any of the current automobiles carrying their respective names. Sadly, the Millennial generation is more concerned about "connectivity" and, in some instances, autonomous driving capability, than it is about actual driving dynamics and the ineffable quality comprising a marque's heritage. I think that this trend will unfortunately accelerate, and the time will come when I, for one, think that I am too old (I'm 67) to appreciate the latest offerings of my preferred automobile brands. Better to have loved and lost, right? Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here. Fred
Makes me really appreciate the "old school" feel of my GT4 - lets face it, for better or for worse NA engines and manual tranny's are going the way of the dodo bird
As to the Porsche pulling harder, there is only one way to know. When I get my 488, I'll be putting it up against my 911 TTS which has approximately 700hp. Then we'll know. I suspect the TTS will be faster, but who cares. I love Ferrari and can't wait to get my new 488 GTB.
This is a common misconception.. the fact is they sell 23K+ engine blocks to their partners like Maserati. According to the prospectus, this is an essential source of revenue that would severely hurt the company if this doesn't continue to grow. It was the requirement of their partners to produce the turbo engine not noise or emissions. It was all laid out in the pre IPO prospectus.
Your Porsche is modded so not a fair comparison. Stock the Ferrari should be faster although more difficulty to hook up because it's not AWD...
I was not considering buy a 488 because my 458 is boring and I expected the 488 to be the same! I have found my 458 to be a very easy car to live with, but missing something compared to my manual 360 or my 430. As one poster said I believe Ferrari has to adhere to the new European noise standards. The car is just not exciting anymore. A little while ago I looked at and drove a new twin turbo Porsche. It is a gorgeous car with awesome performance. The only problem is no sound and there for no soul. It is getting harder to find cars that are manual and have soul. I have found myself looking at older cars or USA based cars. The Adventador has enhanced sound at a button push. Why not the other European car manufacturers? I find it sad bestLee
I own a 2015 BMW M4 Vert, and I can totally testify to your video game analogy! Unfortunately its the last M car I will probable buy (After 8 M cars) - I wish I had my old V8 M3 back BMW is certainly not the ultimate driving machine
Thanks for the review and your feedback. I totally concur. I tested the 488 last month and I share your exact conclusions. If you want the real Ferrari experience, keep your 458. People that say that the 488 is "amazing", well it is until you drive a 458. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I can certainly understand the OP point of view. The sound of the 458 spider with the baffles always open is one of my favorite things about the car. I would miss that.
Stock Turbo S will mow down pretty much every other stock car on a straight line. Light weight, four wheel drive, turbo torque and all weight on back axle. I've had various turbo and GT models and loved them all. But I agree it just doesn't compare. The 458 is just in a league of its own and I don't care much about acceleration stats. They're all very, very fast so it's much of a theoretical discussion as long as one does not participate in quarter mile races. That being said I'm taking delivery of a GT4 in a week and it'll be an awesome track toy I bet. Appreciate each for what they are..
+1, and a turbo s with tune and exhaust will leave a 458 for dead and IMHO out brake it easily as well. That said, 458 is somehow more fun to drive.