F355 Spider v. 458 Spider

There have been quite a few recent threads comparing the 355 to other Ferrari models. I was fortunate enough last week to find myself with some fellow FChat buddies in Maranello. I also rented a 458 Spider, so I wanted to share my subjective comparisons for those who are interested or simply lust over the 458 Spider but may never own one...at least anytime soon.

These are only my opinions, so take this for what it is worth.

Exterior Styling
Aesthetically, the 458 resonates with me because it returns to the basic wedge shape that was popular in the 90's. In this respect I see the 458 as a modernized 355. The overall side profile of the car (with top down) reminds me of the 355GTS. Both cars are low, wide and striking. Both have a perfect balance of hard edges and graceful curves.
355 = 10/10
458 = 10/10

Interior Styling
Here the 458's quality of craftsmanship really shows over the older brother, but that's not what I'm measuring here. The 458's asymmetric dashboard with its wild vents is a bit too space-age for me. The 355's interior certainly won't be confused with any 2014 model year car, but it is classic and visually pleasing. 110% Ferrari.
355 = 9/10
458 = 8/10

Comfort
I thought the 355 Spider had comfortable and supportive seats. Until I slipped in the 458's racing seats. These seats wrap around you much like a burrito's tortilla wraps around chicken and rice. Had I not been so amped to experience the new spider, I swear I could have taken a nap. Naturally, since nearly all the controls are steering wheel-centric, there is no need for leaning to access any controls. The 355 Spider's lack of top-down wind buffeting is taken to a different level in the new V8. With the windows up and the top down, the 458 almost doesn't provide enough airflow! The 458 is many generations ahead of the 355's suspension and isolates small bumps and dips where the 355 produces mild, but jarring, racecar harshness.
355 = 8/10
458 = 10/10

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Handling
Obviously I was not in a position to ring out the 458 Spider--someone else's car--on unfamiliar country roads in a foreign country. But I pushed her enough to appreciate the immediacy of the car's response to steering inputs. If the 355 is a sharp hunting knife, the 458 is a surgical laser. The 458 is simply magnificent in its ability to obey your commands and point where you want it; road conditions seemed to be irrelevant. This is not to say the 355 doesn't deliver an Alonso-esque level of confidence to its driver. Just not as much or as smoothly as the 458. This is weird to say, but the 458 is almost too smooth.
If you've ever been in a purpose-built racecar, you know it is violent. Some of that rawness and edginess should be retained in a street car (like either of these F-cars) to remind the driver of its serious roots. If the 458 possesses this, I suspect you need to be on a road course to feel it.
355 = 9/10
458 = 10/10

Power
This one is easy. The 458's sheer amount of power and its ability to instantaneously turn throttle input into a jail sentence is indisputable. The 355 obviously can't compete with the larger V8's low-end torque or high-end horses.
355 = 7/10
458 = 10/10

Transmission
This section may sting a bit if you own a 458 or are under 25 years old: the 458's F1 tranny is so fast, so smooth and so easy to use that it has lost quite a bit of the engagement that is needed to properly command a 6-speed manual like the F355. The transmission is no longer a system that must be mastered in conjunction with others to maximize the car's performance. It is no more difficult that playing a video game; anyone can pull paddles (but I will admit the LED's on the top of the steering wheel are cool). The satisfaction of the click-clack when shifting the gears, the use of your left foot and the thrill/risk that you really can damage the car if you get something wrong add are all lacking in the 458.
355 = 9/10
458 = 8/10

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Sound
This is the biggest disappointment to me in driving the 458 Spider. As the smoothness and refinement have taken this model to a new level of everyday drivability, so too has the exhaust note been smoothed and refined. Sure, it has bypass valves that open and wail. It sounds good. But it is too quiet if the valves are closed and even when they open, the shriek lacks the raspy rawness the 355's 5-valve engine puts out. Perhaps it is not fair since my F355 sports Hyperflow cats and Tubi exhaust, yet my 458 rental appeared to be bone stock.
355 = 10/10
458 = 8/10

Overall Experience
This category is not a calculation based on my other categories. This ain't Car and Driver and I didn't even do the math. The Italian way of life, as seen in these cars, is driven by passion so that is how I am comparing these two fine machines. One is a throwback to days that will never return: gated shifters and pop-up headlights. Raw, edgy and quirky. The other represents the intersection of technological evolution and market forces. Electronically-controlled, smooth and easy. Today's consumers want easy, convenient gizmos. The easier and less effort is required to perform any given action, the better. I feel sure this makes life in 2014 more appealing when considering the purchase of a washing machine or cell phone, but part of Ferrari's mystique is the thrill produced by the level of effort required to drive one. I can certainly say that nearly anyone with a valid driver's license can drive a 458.

If you want a track day monster that can also double as a gorgeous, street legal headturner, the 458 is the machine to get. If you want a timelessly beautiful, raw, unique-sounding Ferrari built as the handmade era was coming to an end, go with the 355.

Which do I prefer? I really like both, but would not want a 458 without keeping the 355. Slight advantage goes to..........the 355!