California T Driving Impressions

Excellent write up, thanks. Interesting your comments on the throttle response and ride characteristics.

 

Nice write up. Count me with your wife...having also driven it, I really enjoyed that the sound is a bit more subdued. It just feels right (to me at least) for a GT road car, but I will miss the occasional entertainment value of the gear shift "pop" under heavy throttle. I traded in a Spider on one very much for the reasons you suggest (though, on a track there really is no comparison between the two). Completely agree that it's disappointing not to see more progress on the interior. In terms of price, my new one is roughly 10% more than the new 2010 Cali I bought 4 years ago...that seemed like a reasonable adjustment to me.

 

great write up.

 

Very useful and informative. I like this kind of "gifted amateur" report more than the auto journalists who always have an agenda.

 

I am not sure if a after market exhaust system will significantly change the sound of the car. I would imagine that Ferrari spent much more money on the sound than Tubi or Capristo could ever do. what are your thoughts? Never had a turbo
charged car before i am not sure.

 

Very good and honest review. For some people who put speed on everything, the T sounds good. But for some people who need passion, a car that sounds not that good is not that passionate.
IMO, you can feel the dynamic of the T compared to Cali, because the Cali after all is not that much dynamic, so there is a huge gap to improve. But as for the 458, the car is already sharp like a razor, then 458 Speciale even better. If the successor has to give away the sound quality for something sharper than razor, what are you going to cut? If we look at the example, 430 drives way better and faster than 360 CS, but 360 CS is currently one of the most wanted Ferrari out there, why, because it sounds very very good. So after all, sound is still one of the most important stuff. Any road going Ferrari won't be as sharp or as fast as a $80,000 Ultima GTR, if speed is all we need. This one will even smoke the LaFerrari in a track. We need a car that looks good and sounds good more than a car that can track 2 seconds faster.

 

In the California T, speed of response is achieved by having two small scroll turbos. As noted by Need4Spd, the software actually limits boost in the lower gears to give a further sensation of responsiveness. But the flip side is that the small turbos are limited in how much air they can move through the engine. Thus the redline is only 7500 RPM, which will not cut it in a 458-type car.

The high volume turbos of the 12C do deliver, but they also have a lot of turbo lag, which I personally do not find acceptable.

 

I would guess they all sound somewhat different, but I've had a couple of S63's with the "biturbo". The 2011 was very loud with a lot of rumble...so loud that I had the dealer put S550 mufflers on it to calm it down (which cost a small fortune!) Just got a new S63 and it has adjustable flaps...subdued in comfort mode and noticeably bassier in sport...a much better solution. In any event, in my limited experience with Mercedes turbos, as you open the pipes they get very deep with a lot of bass...not exactly a typical Ferrari sound. Not sure that the smaller displacement flat-plane in the California T would react the same way. Having heard the T, it makes sporty enough noises for me so I'm not going to mess with it.

 

Great write up- thank you very much. I think the way Ferrari is managing the power and making it mimic the characters of a NA motor are brilliant. Give them a lot of credit.

 

Great write up, thanks for the info.

 

So what are the engine specs on the T? Is the flat-crank gone? Seems like a V8T, rather than the V6T rumors last time I visited this forum. And yes, it's been a while . By the way, wasted time reading several of the recent threads, and no engine specs at all. Thx.

 

3.9L V8 twin scroll flat plane crank

 

Ferrari California T - The birth of the new V8 turbo - YouTube

 

Thanks guys. Performance should be pretty close to the 458 Spider now, no? And without the cramped footbox, 100 grand less, emergency rear seats, and more cargo space for 2. Hmmmm. Will look for a comparo one of these days .

 

LOL. The look of 458 Spider is still better. The fun is still better because of mid engine layout. Then the most important, the sound is 100 times better. Before the sound was 10 times better, now 100 times better.

 

Hahaha! Yeah, the Cali T still can't pull as good as my 2004 Dodge Cummins, therefore it sucks. These comparisons are funny to me. Totally different feel, purpose etc., but folks continue to say this one is better or that one is better... LOL.

My wife hates the look of the 458 Spider. In fact, she really hates the look of all mid engine cars. Says they look awkward to her. She prefers 599, F12 and Cali. She does have a soft spot for the 911. It is about proportions to her. So, maybe the look trumps it for you, but not for everyone.

I will wait to see when ours comes in. If the sound is that big of a deal for me and my wife, we may keep our Cali and pass on the T. Hard to tell until we are actually in it, since there is a lot of subjectivity. If we pass and keep the Cali, maybe we will just order an F12 and wait. That one trumps all!

John

 

Same here... my fiancee hated the 458 Spider I had on order but loves the Cali T.

 

My wife does not want to see, hear, look at anything Ferrari again in her life. I have totally made her crazy. Certainly this chat board, you tubes and the tons of information we gather here helps.

 

Hahaha! It can certainly become an obsession...

 

My wife loved our Spider 'cause of the low cowl (she's 5' 1") and more spacious feeling interior compared to the Cali. She thinks the 458 is almost as good as a Mini convertible, but not as cute. When it comes to a Cali, she thinks a Bentley convertible is a better option because you can put real people in the back seat and she really loves the big flying "B" on the trunk lid. In other words, she's not one of us.

Are we really comparing them? There is nothing more fun to me than a 458 for blasting around winding roads or track, and the Cali T is a terrific GT car for everyday use on the street. On the other hand, the 458 is an attention magnet and a tiring car on the highway, and the Cali ain't no track car. They're very different animals for different needs at different times. Are many buyers really standing in a Ferrari showroom and saying "hmmm...Cali, 458, FF or F12?" I doubt it.

 

We must be the same person then Mitchell... haha. My fiancee feels the exact same way, lol! You guys are my therapy.

 

While I may be in the minority, I was one of those people... Started off with a 458 Spider on order, then switched to a Cali T (but was considering an FF as well instead of the Cali T). I won't track any of them and will use it as my DD.

 

Comparing apples and oranges. Women liked the look of my Cali more. Men love the spider. The spider is more engaging to drive. The mid-engine layout, steering and exhaust are superb. The spider corners like it's on rails. The Cali tended to float and was less agile on the twisting road. It was a more liveable daily driver but not necessarily better. I don't have children so the back seats were useless except for storage. I think with a family, the Cali is hard to beat. I envision an F12 in a few years when they plummet in price as most v12s historically do but realistically am concerned I will miss the mid-engine layout and top down motoring.

Btw even though I dailied a 911 for 4 years I thought the cayman s was more fun to drive.

 

I think probably the minority, but maybe I'm wrong...but definitely seems like a sensible move to switch the order if its a DD!