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Ok... here is my first ever driving impressions review! Before I dive in, I joined Fchat when I purchased my one owner F430. This forum is highly informative, resourceful, entertaining and not to mention I have met some local people that are now friends and have received un-selfish offers to help out... THANKS! The first time I ever drove a ferrari was in 2002. It was my brothers 2000 360. I fell in love immediately and the roughly 8 year process to order my dream Ferrari began. I, like many learned the hard way that you don't walk into a dealership and get to pay sticker for a car you would like to order. I live in SoCal and lots of guys have the means to buy these cars and are/were more than willing to pay BIG dollars over sticker to get a car immediately. I vowed to one day wait my turn and get to order my car at msrp and that Ferrari Italy would officially have me as a client. 2003 and I got no where trying to order a 360. I turned away and purchased a Mercedes Benz SL55. Great all around car and huge torque but nothing close to the fun of driving my brothers 360. Frustrated, I sent my SL out to be modified by one of the original AMG guys Hartmut Feyhl. His company "Renntech" transformed the healthy car into a steroid eating machine. 640hp, 660 ft/lb torque. Every time you fired this thing up it sounded like a 427 Shelby Cobra. Now I could race my brother. In a straight line I destroyed him... always an excuse. Short shifted, motor was cold, etc.. He could not admit that my car was faster than his famous car. Even with my massive Brembo brakes and and competition suspension the SL was no match in the canyons or the track to the 360. Its 2006 and the peak of the economy and Ferrari prices are absurd but I kept going to the dealership and my dream of my own F car was in full stride. 2008. Economy tanks and a lot of stretched guys are starting to sell their toys. Management changed at my dealership and the new general manager called me to introduce himself. Nice guy! Didn't say I could get a car but wanted me to know that he knew who I was. Wow... felt pretty good about that call and soon went in to meet him. We talked shop and he said when a clean 430 that he thought I would be interested in showed... he would take care of me. He did. My 2005 Titanium and red 430 was love at first sight! I drove away with the biggest smile... a Ferrari and this is AWESOME. That following weekend it was time to run the car.... Flat out on a stretch I know well but something is missing. Power.. all the stories my brother told me were just a cover. The Renntech was a monster and the Fcars just didn't have the balls I grew accustomed too. The 430 handled, braked and connected on an entire different level but to me the ultimate car would be an Fcar with the Renntech power. I drove my 430 at every opportunity and the SL became the second choice. I gradually learned the limit of the 430 and pushed it to my max lots of times. Intoxicating to learn how to drive it. 2008 and the Scuderia is born...wow! I loved it! Day dreamed of owning one and put my name down on the list. During the wait I got some inside info on the 430 replacement. Nothing more than 'wait for the new car'. I asked the dealer if I could move my order to the future car. I was never promised a date but was told it would be sooner than later... they delivered. September 2010 was my turn to finally order MY car!!! A day I will never forget. Last week my red dream came true! I am far from a pro racer but I do race. 125 shifters, track day cars and sand cars. The shifter kart has a 45hp 2 stroke engine, 6 speed sequential gear box, weighs 185 lbs and does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and 3g's in the corners. My sand car has a 900hp Twin turbo LS3 motor, sequential shift tranny and shovels for tires that provide so much traction the car wheelies on demand. 0-100 in less than 6 seconds! I mention this because in order to drive a sports car... you need to be able to drive a sports car. And more importantly the word 'raw' that so many toss around. Free sand car rides for anyone who wants to truly experience raw! I love this post about the driving impressions... it is a great place for all of us to provide our point of view. Thats the great thing about choices... some people like black, others yellow, some red or even gum ball green... Im a red guy and now one of the people who think the 458 is the best sports car in the world today. Last Saturday was a perfect early socal morning... buzzing from picking up my car only 10 hours earlier it was time to stretch its legs. One of the best canyons around was so recently repaved it still did not have the road reflectors installed. A perfect scenario... like fresh snow for a skier. I didn't want to be the idiot who wraps up his new car so I graduated to faster speeds. The racing seats are a must in any performance car and the 458 sport seats are fantastic! The alcantera centers keeps you stationary and the support is ideal. You drive with your butt. Its the communication point between the car and you. If your moving all over a seat you will never know what the car is doing! 5 point seat belts are in my future. I started off in sport mode and got the engine up to temp. Heart beating my hands landed at 10 & 2 on the LED sport steering wheel. Straight race car stuff. My first impression is exactly what others have posted... the steering was so effortless it felt light. The transmission is a work of art... sorry all the nay sayers but racing is racing. The faster a car shifts...the faster it is. Its instant! I could easily notice there was a substantial power increase, even more impressive was the increased torque. Next level..Race mode. The information screens are straight from a telemetry setup. The car stated the brakes and engine were a go but the tires needed more time to warm up. A few more miles and it was all go! More throttle and the engine came to life. The car transformed from a dare I say daily driver to a race car. The exhaust note was that of my old straight piped 430. Absolutely no need to swap out the exhaust... its dead on. The cars are broken in at the factory... the 5 laps around Fiarano proves this point but I still wanted to limit my shifts to the first led on the steering wheel till I got to know the handling better. One of the biggest difference that many people have not posted is the suspension. The initial light steering soon turned into a detailed feedback of what the car is doing... I loosened my grip on the wheel and the car talked to me like no other I car I have ever driven. I turned around for another pass... this time I put the trans in auto mode so I could learn what redline sounded like.... HOLY ****! Remember... I know big hp... once the car breaks 7 grand its the Renntech power in the Fcar I longed for! It will take time to learn just how fast the engine revs up to it's 9K redline! The stock setup has just a tad of over steer and I think thats intentional to keep most drivers out of trouble but next week I am going to lower the car and see if I can get a more neutral balance. I put the car back into manual and played with some braking points... The brakes are different then the 430 so I will hold my opinion till I follow the bedding instructions. Cars are starting to commute so I will leave the canyon on a a high note just trying to avoid gassing it just to slow down to hear the burble of the engine on downshifts.... its pure fun! Into the city for breakfast and the gym. The car is a magnet... the red car screams Ferrari so much more than my Titanium 430. Good or bad. My brother is blowing up my phone so I pick him up. I can see the look in his eyes... the happiness for me but the envy of the car. His mind crunching the options on how he can get one. I handed him the keys and we were off again. I know he was hoping that there was a subtle difference in the cars so he could rationalize not stepping up to the 458 but like turrets in a good way the enthusiasm came out un-filtered! He felt the same way I did about the car. Our next stop was the toy store for his kids bday presents. We kinda joked that we would have to carry the items on our lap but the boot was refreshingly big! everything fit no problem. We played around with different modes and something that was pretty amazing is that in the first driving mode and in automatic the car would shift into 7th gear at 40 mph and pulled effortlessly. The bluetooth for the iPhone worked great and so did the iPod adapter. I never listened to the stereo in my 430 but the stock 458 system gets a pass grade and I think I will activate the XM account. I will break out the owners manual and learn the minutia as time permits. The air conditioner works great and cools instantly. The gripe I have is the same as most. The turn indicators. When your driving fast... it makes sense. Your hands are there but when your driving around you almost feel like your hunting and pecking for the indicator.... bad idea. The auto release emergency brake takes a little getting used too also. The fit and finish of the car is on the next level....approaching production like. All the parts in the engine bay were so detailed and leagues above the previous versions. This is where this car sets the bar. Its a huge jump. almost like there should of been a car between the 430 and 458. The 444 or something. Its that big of a difference. What Ferrari managed to keep was its soul. Its has to be difficult. Look at Italy itself. How do you maintain the architecture, the history, the passion but at the same time the perks of technology? What a great day... he and I driving around till the point his wife called and said you need to come home and spend some time with your kids! The car drank 3/4 of a tank and we logged 187 miles. It may be pre-mature for critical driving impression or a review but as they say... first impressions are the most important and mine is that this is the best sports car there is and a dream come true rolled into one. Cheers, Robert
Robert, great write up and I hope you enjoy yours as much as I'm enjoying mine. I couldn't of summed up my feelings any better. Good luck with it.
The 458 is my 1st Ferrari and might be the last one. Italian cars are a bit disappointed and overpriced IMO.
Rob, Now I am not going to sleep 'til mine arrives! Your combo is off the charts pretty. Enjoy ! Russ
Congrats Robert. I loved your review. You put more words in between "458" and "awesome" than I ever could. When I drove my first 458 in Maranello (at the rental place across from the Galleria), I knew I'd made a mistake ... "shouldn't have done it, son!!"
Nice call, because He or she posted this in December: 12-16-2010, 08:58 AM ferrariluk Formula Junior Not Subscribed Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 276 I love the 458 and this is my 1st Ferrari !
That is too bad you feel this way. Please, at least explain your position; it might be helpful to you and us. Otherwise I feel your comment is specious at best….No disrespect intended.....Steve
After about 30,000 miles each in my 360 and 430 Spiders, I just completed 1000 miles in my 458. A few personnel observations: Overall a fantastic machine, feels much quicker than my 430 while being much smoother to drive. A better "daily driver" even though the 360/430 were fine and I suspect better track machine, will confirm at Sebring in April. I was surprised that I very much like the integrated controls and wheel buttons. Everything falls "readily to hand" to quote old Road and Track car reviews. Not being able to view multiple screens at the same time is not an issue for me. Haven't activated the Sat radio yet. The exhaust sound is great especially in Race mode and I welcome the much quieter Sport mode when I must leave early in the am to avoid the wrath of neighbors. Love the LED's on the steering wheel. The car looks fantastic. Better front, side and rear views, especially compared against the rear view on my 430. Some nits: The dual clutch while smoother than the F1 is much less visceral. Doesn't have that satisfying to me , bam bam bam as you shift at the red line. I guess that was the point but I miss it. Can still drive my 430 when I need it I guess. The glove compartment is seriously smaller, broken up and far less useful than the 360/430. No place to put the instruction book package inside whereas it fit nicely in the 430 glove compartment door still leaving lots of room inside.. The instruction book for Media is a joke. Needs much more detail and written for 'dummies". . A major nit. The flimsy non metallic battery compartment cover held up by cheap Velcro is a disappointing piece of crap. Had to tie mine up with string for Gods sake to stop it from falling down. This after the beautiful machined aluminum screwed down covers on the 360/430 I miss the web pockets behind the seats which held water bottles, umbrellas and other useful stuff. The cup holders a bad first try. Too big and shallow to hold most things upright. They should have copied those from a cheap Honda with rubber fingers that adjust to varied sizes. It even took Mercedes a few year to figure out how to design proper cup holders. What's with Europeans and bad cup holders? The trunk is noticeably smaller. Won't hold a standard 24" carry on roller like the 360/430. I can live with this. Overall, I love it despite its few minor faults.
I had the same issue - needed to use a spring loaded clamp to keep it shut because the velcro/staples came off and it kept coming open. Outrageous ..
Have not been to dealer yet but my observations is the car will stop really quick first time on street. After that take a lot of effort to get into the ABS. On a hard stop hold the left paddle and it will help stop as downshifts are rea quick.
The trick seems to be a hard bedding of the brakes. Hard application from about 80 into the ABS Do it several times and seems to help. Last time out brakes were much better. 3000 miles and counting
What have you owned before??? Most people give it all to own one of these fine machines. It is an honor to pay so much for a Ferrari !!!!!!!!!!!
It's really 99% perfect and so easy to use,I liked it more than the California and it feels just as refined; the sort of car you would use on a daily basis. It's un-arguabley nothing short of fantastic, the one I drove had the daytona seats which I didn't like, If I was going to get one I would option for the full carbon fiber interior treatment and the scuderia style carbon fiber seats, they look "sexy". I need to drive the car more, I only test drove it once as I cant put my finger whats its messing. I like the 430's gearbox more( kick in the back feel when shifting ) it was more violent compared to the 458 in Race mode. Though its undeniably a fantastic car, cant wait to get one with a Tubi. Right now I am keeping my eyes open for the spider version.
Interesting that it doesn't have the tilt-down reverse mirrors - that's one of the features I really like in our Maserati Spyder. I'm considering trading my F360 F1 up to a 458, I think it looks sexier than the 430.
Seriously. That's shallow at best. Without explanation I'd say it came from AUDI or McLaren Headquarters...
