F8 vs 296GTB

the question is what would you do with more power? the f8 is absolutely nuts on the road

 

Thats why my favorite car remains my 355 for back roads. I have a 296 on order and I hope to track it occasionally but I agree this is all too fast.


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For what it’s worth


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I drove the 296 a fair but at the factory last week and have covered 10k miles in my F8 now, mostly in the Alps.

Here was my subjective take on Instagram of the comparison, in terms of what they actually drive like.

Hope its useful to someone:

"The 296 is a real triumph and a new recipe. How they made something this complex feel so transparent and pure is like a kind of witchcraft. But unlike 488 to F8, or f12 to 812, where every metric was significantly improved, the 296 doesn’t render the F8 a lesser car, except in a very small amount of straight line pace (irrelevant for all drivers, including myself) and wheelbase agility. For me they are both on a level, and crucially for steering feel they are neck a neck. If you want bigger cabin space and better GT ability then the V8 car is actually the pick. Need some more seat time but the 296 didn’t feel any more exploitable or tail happy than the already playful F8, and for sound I actually also score them the same; with the windows up the Pista lump growls mechanically at the very top whilst the 296 is tonally pleasing but fairly muted and smooth. Unpopular opinion: after the V12’s and post Scud/CS everything sounds a bit meh anyway, 458 included.

This then is how good things have become. It’s becoming more difficult to make any further leaps forward and both cars had practice runs to allow them to be perfected (488 and SF90). I know a friend who feels similarly about Performante to STO. Apart from the occasional desire to have just a smidge more focus and firmness, the F8 is not wanting in any area and I love the way it looks so I think for now it stays. A 296 can only be added."

 

Good write up. I was late by a few days to order a F8 and placed a deposit on 296GTB instead. I assumed I’d have been happier with either choice and your post reassures that, thank you.

The biggest take away from your post for me is that you are saying both sound similar. That was my biggest concern when I heard the 296 was a V6. I sincerely hope Ferrari can continue to create soul inspiring sound when their vehicles go full electric. Unfortunately, no manufacturer has cracked the code to make electric sports cars sound as cool as ICE cars.

 

296 sounded pretty amazing to me. Much better than I expected and better than an F8. Of course it’s all subjective. I rode home in my 458 and while I appreciated the difference I didn’t think the gap in aural excitement was as big as I expected.

 

Own an F8, just drove an 296GTB

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296 drove very nicely, definitely sounds better than an F8. But, the looks (subjective as always) of the 296 is just too soft..

 

Sweet rides. V6 sounding better than V8?!!! Wow, the magicians at Maranello do know how to concoct a good aural symphony from even fewer cylinders. I hope they continue to do so when full electrification happens.

 

Right at the top and through the resonance pipe, the F8 has a hard mechanical edge in the last 1000 or so which I really rather like. The 296 doesn’t have this, although it probably has a better more musical sound, more of the time, through more of the rev range. I don’t rate the 296 as as good as others though. It’s still fairly smooth and muted to my ears.

 

IMO the 296 sound better because Ferrari had the time to engineer it properly with the GPF.

The F8 was pushed in due to the late timing of the 296 GTB. With that they added the GPF with little time to do anything but just to say that they put the music in the cockpit with a sound generator however they have been doing that already on previous models.

 

Sounds pretty good in my view

 

Wow that is a good video @1881 it does sound really good. Hopefully Ill have my F8 by this fall but this is impressive for the future of Ferrari

 

does the battery add much performance?
are there numbers that shows acceleration and lap times with and without the battery activated?

 

don't think you can turn it off, but probably fair to say that it would perform similar to the 488 as hp is similar, so would compare to those stats

 

Hey all, I've been considering a 296 GTB AF package for a few months now, which could replace my F8T, so I search the chat and found this thread.

I too have a ton of doubts about this, since I love my F8 so much, but I also love the 296 in many ways. One question to bring up to the group is the recent amazing price cuts on the 296 GTBs. I'm seeing up to $40k reductions! I also feel like this model (V6, hybrid...) will lose even more value in the next year.

What are your thoughts about it?

 

I am about to trade my F8 for a 296 GTB AF..... I thought log and hard. the F8 is amazing and an amazing design. The 296 is the future. If you love the cutting edge of speed, power and Tech then the 296 GTB AF is the car for you...... just do it! you only live once.

 

Ha! after buying 5 Ferraris in the last 4 years, my wife and friends all call me YOLO!

What motivates me is definitely the sound (I think it’s better than my F8 even with the Novitec exhaust), the torque, and I actually really liked the EV option (never thought id say that about a Ferrari, but I do!).

Next on my list would be the AF package, especially considering the type of driving I do (lots of mountain passing and occasional tracking). I noticed a big difference in the suspension of the AF model I test drove, which made it very exciting.

I do love the F8 but after two years of ownership I feel the 296 is a step up and it feels like a more playful and racy choice. It’s less GT-ish than the F8.

Having said all this, the V8 engine is one of the best ever. The looks of the F8 are arguably better. And then I’m a bit concerned with the new tech on the 296, specifically the battery. I drive my Ferraris hard and so I hope I don’t run into issues with it.

Finally, I’m thinking about the timing. What’s going on with all these discounts? Could I get a nice AF for $350k if I wait until December? Seems like the market is not appreciating this model as much as you and I…

 

As a depreciating asset of course it’ll be cheaper the longer you wait, and he older the model year and the more miles they average. But you could play that waiting game forever. As more GTS get delivered I’m sure you’ll see a larger flood of GTB into the market and some continued downward pressure.

What’s hard is finding a perfect spec at a discount price amongst everything out there. Obviously that depends on how specific your interests are. If you find your perfect spec, I don’t know that I’d wait around an extra 3-6mo for one.

An alternate perspective is that as rates come down, market holds steady or up, and election worries pass, you may see a flood of buyers enter the market who have been sitting on the sidelines. Makes for a good narrative but I don’t know that it drastically changes the market on a specific model, at best stabilizes it further? Who knows.

 

agree 100%

 

right now there is a lot of down ward pressure on everything but very special cars

 

Yes I am absolutely loving the 296 GTB AF and definitely think the Assetto Fiorano package makes a big difference to me. It's like the Pista version of the 488.

To me the Pista is the most beautiful modern Ferrari the F8 comes in behind then the 296 and I will always love the 599 GTB.

 

To me the 296 is on a different level compared to the F8; the F8 is just an improved 488 (which does not make it bad, since the 488 is already very good ).
So in terms of value for money as cars the 296 wins hands down.
There are some question marks though:
- how is it possible to cope with the terrible UI of the 296 ? (it depends on the personal appreciation)
- what trust could be put in the far more complex technical implementation of the 296 ?
- how acceptable will be the depreciation of the 296, given it does not seem to be that much loved on the market ? (again it depends on a personal assessment)

 

100% with you on all three points. After several test drives, I was KIND OF getting used to the haptic buttons and UI. The fact is, my 2023 Golf GTI (MK8) has them too!). It's the other two questions that bother me the most, especially since the F8 has a mega proven track record as an engine and platform, so I'm really hesitant to let it go...

 

trump got elected. watch that exotic car market for fun. wait to see what happens in the next 60 days. it's going to shoot up. i'll check back later.

 

Ya look at the stock market, geez. Here go asset prices again.