Cali-Cali T comparison, daily driving experience | FerrariChat

Cali-Cali T comparison, daily driving experience

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by mtarvydas, Jan 11, 2015.

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  1. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    #1 mtarvydas, Jan 11, 2015
    Having put in a couple of weeks now of daily driving and swapping back and forth between both cars here are some thoughts. I am going to avoid the other discussions, like exhaust sound, turbo etc.

    Overall there some features that make the T a better daily driver but the Cali is not a slouch and love driving it also.

    1) The trunk. YEAH the lid has to be 50% lighter than the Cali. This is a big win in my eyes as I am always loading stuff and bags so my hands are full. The Cali forces me to put something down but the T I can use my finger tips.

    2) Performance. Not that important for daily driving but the faster shifts smooth out up shifts and especially down shifts. I read somewhere that "unofficially" the shifts are now 16 mil. Definitely less jerky.

    3) Gas cap. It is nice that there is no gas cap but the big win here is that you can always fuel up at full throttle. Not sure if others have this problem but the Cali will choke at full fuel throttle. Others have posted the same find.

    3) Radio. I guess enough have complained about the SAT reception, now the antenna is on the trunk. Yes it is updated and simpler to use. Glad the Apple Carplay did not make it in. I was looking for to that but after using it at a demonstration I decided that I don't want an iPad strapped to my dash. One big missing feature for me is the voice commands for SAT nav. In the Cali I can say "Howard Stern" or "Classic Vinyl" but now I have to know the stations.

    4) Interior. No win here. In fact the Cali seems more comfortable for me, that is just personal.

    5) Steering wheel. No big issue with everything on the wheel but again a pet peeve of mine is that I always hit the window washer button when trying to park. I guess I have to get out of my habits adopted back in the Muscle car era where you really had to crank the wheel at slow speed.

    Not sure how informative this is and if there are other areas you would like me to A/B just reply.
     
  2. DK308

    DK308 F1 Rookie

    Aug 13, 2013
    2,738
    Europe, way north.
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    AB
    #2 DK308, Jan 11, 2015
    Great write-up.Thank you:)

    Could you elaborate on #4? I know it is very subjective, but how is the T less comfortable for you?
     
  3. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    #3 mtarvydas, Jan 11, 2015
    The seats I find less comfortable. Perhaps it is because I have the racing seats in the Cali. They just fit like a glove. Also the center console is lower but I am 6'5" so...
     
  4. keithos27

    keithos27 Formula 3

    Oct 26, 2012
    1,225
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    Keith
    #4 keithos27, Jan 11, 2015
    Martin, what did you mean by #3? I got CarPlay, and love it! My iPhone sits inside the center console, hidden. There is a separate USB slot just for CarPlay and it integrates perfectly and almost seamlessly with the car IMO. Would love to know what gave you your impressions?
     
  5. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    #5 mtarvydas, Jan 11, 2015
    K send me a picture, what I saw was at a demo where it was mounted next to a bunch of other audio gear. Perhaps I misunderstood how it will look in the car. Please enlighten me.
    Thanks.
     
  6. keithos27

    keithos27 Formula 3

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    Keith
    #6 keithos27, Jan 11, 2015
    Will do soon once I am back in the car!
     
  7. Udaverea

    Udaverea Formula 3

    Jun 9, 2014
    1,149
    Western Tennessee
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    Dave
    #7 Udaverea, Jan 11, 2015
    You got out of the car? ...out of gas? ;)
     
  8. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,646
    Silicon Valley
    #8 Need4Spd, Jan 11, 2015
    I don't think the deck lid is really that much lighter. They mainly just increased the strength of the struts. But regardless, it is much easier to use this way.

    How about the driving feel, acceleration and handling?
     
  9. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
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    Michael
    #9 4th_gear, Jan 12, 2015
    Need4Spd, I think Martin might also avoiding comment on these points like he mentioned about "...exhaust sound and turbo"; perhaps because they have been covered elsewhere. I still remember vividly my comparison between these 2 cars when I took my 30 minute test drive of the CaliT so maybe I can say a few words here from my limited exposure to the CaliT.

    The CaliT feels a lot more solid, it feels significantly stiffer and more insulated from the workings of the car. My Cali30 feels much less "insulated" from the engine compartment and from the road. You can say the old car feels more raw and the new car more refined to drive. The older car feels nervous and sounds louder just idling, compared to the CaliT which feels modern and completely different. The engine revving rawness of the CaliT when in neutral may be delivered by the exhaust management system because the gears are not engaged and the car is not in motion - there is no turbo boost to disrupt the exhaust. I prefer the nervous feel of the older car because my Dodge RAM is already very composed and refined. It makes the older car more of an occasion for me to experience.

    The CaliT feels like it has a huge V8 when it actually doesn't. Ironically, the bigger NA Ferrari V8s (from the F430 and Cali) do not even feel like V8s to me... because they are NA flat-plane engines compared to the cross-plane V8s I was used to. When I test drove the older F430 and Cali I immediately realized these engines need to be revved a lot to truly experience them as they were designed. They are OK above 2,500 rpm but if you really want to play, you must rev above 4,000 rpm and keep the revs up and let the engine scream. Not so with the CaliT, it pulls with effortless torque from the get-go and the progression is linear. This makes the CaliT a winner when it comes to power, it feels like a honking big cross-plane V8, effortless low end torque plus a bonus of power right through the rev range from the well-executed turbo engine design. However, if you are after the high-rev wails and NA V8 response, the older engine does a better job... so long as you keep the revs up.

    I'm not clear on the handling part because I wasn't allowed toss the new car around on public roads during my test drive but the new car does feel sure-footed. Neither car delivers as much steering feel as I was used to from BMWs but steering in both feel pretty neutral and I got used to the Cali30's steering over time. I think road feel is improved at the cost of adding some understeer which can probably be dialed in but I think most enthusiasts want a neutral steering so they can more easily play with the tail if so desired.
     
  10. Tireman

    Tireman Karting

    Nov 13, 2011
    200
    Canada
    #10 Tireman, Jan 13, 2015
    Michael, you are spot on!
    To add a little more, I suggest that the CaliT is a "better" DD but IMO while it is a more car on many fronts and the power from the new turbo engine is so strong that you can drive it all day and never leave 3rd gear, you do lose some of the excitement that the earlier Calis provided.
     
  11. keithos27

    keithos27 Formula 3

    Oct 26, 2012
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    Keith
    #11 keithos27, Jan 13, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Here are some photos (taken with my iPhone so unfortunately it's not in the photo but you can see where it would reside).
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  12. keithos27

    keithos27 Formula 3

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    Keith
    #12 keithos27, Jan 13, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  13. Lime1

    Lime1 Formula Junior

    Nov 18, 2014
    336
    #13 Lime1, Jan 13, 2015
    Will the larger iphone 6 or 6 plus fit in okay?
     
  14. keithos27

    keithos27 Formula 3

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    #14 keithos27, Jan 13, 2015
    I have the 6 plus and it fits just fine :)
     

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