Drove the 488 today.. thoughts, photos and videos

Second that: wonderful feedback, thank you Garak!

 

I think that's a very real possibility though I have no information on which to base that opinion. Just looking at how things are changing and how those changes are being received, the conclusion that I come up with is the same. 488 replacement = V8 + KERS. I can tell you that I took the 458 SA out for a short spin today and the engine sound was glorious with the top down running her on 100 octane race fuel.

 

Thanks for the write-up. You sound like my kind of Fcar owner.

Best

 

I echo thanks for a fine review. A post like this is so much more real than most "journalists" produce.

As for these two particular parameters, they don't impress me as "improvements." I like the slightly raw and a bit uncivilized nature of my 458. Silky smooth shifts and ride quality do not a sports car make.

 

I just got back from driving the 488 in Monterey as well. I had my concerns about being disappointed because I had just driven my 700hp 911 Turbo s with race exhaust 250 miles from LA to Monterey. It's hard to imagine any street legal car being fasted than my TTS, and the way it handle the canyons is beyond crazy. Also, contrary to what most Ferrari owners think, I love the way my TTS sounds. Never find it boring.

So, what did I think? I absolutely loved the 488!!! I agree with many of the points made by Garak. You have to keep in mind that I also owned a 458 for 4 years which is now gone. I was looking to see if the new 488 GTB would be an exciting replacment. With all the hype about the sound, would it let me down? Will the performance seem dull compared with my monster TTS, witch crushed my 458 easily.

My conclusion is quite different. I think the car sounds incredible! Yep, I loved it! The acceleration is mind blowing for a factory stock car. It pulls like a freight train. My guess is my 700hp TTS and 488 would be close race.

The only thing I don't get and found very frustrating is the rev limited kicking in at 7500. Just when the car is at its peak acceleration, the fricking rev limiter kicks in. I don't get it. If the rev limiter was set to 8250, the experience would be totally different. My TTS red lines at 7000rpm, and the rev limited kicks in at about 7200-7300. Something just seems off with this issue. I just wonder if it's a function of these cars being test mules. If not, I hope Ferrari is listening.

Other than that, I can't wait to get my car configured next week.

 

IMO, Ferrari just won't last long with the turbo. Next V8-mid definitely will be NA+hybrid. The 488 is a car that not everybody wants, some more it's a successor to one of the best Ferrari ever made, the 458. Maybe first order batch we would see high demand for those who don't mind about sound or those who usually put back to the market with premium after just few hundred miles, but then the real demand shows up.

 

Thanks for the kind words guys, I'm glad I could be of service.

 

You are probably right. 488 values may plummet when the next car is announced. It's a risk. For some the money is no big deal.

 

Beautiful write up garak!
Thanks.

 

Normal. It's not a risk at all. It's a knowen fact. All new cars depreciate. Can't get away from it. However there have been a very few acceptors the ford gt as an example.

 

Thanks for the review Arnie! It's great you're able to test drive the 488 in Monterey and that you're getting one of the first allocations. Sounds like you were really impressed except for the early rev limiter. Hopefully Ferrari on purpose did this to protect these early demo cars and the customer cars will have the rev limiter kick in closer to redline. It seems, though, I get the feeling that a lot of current 458 owners are going to hold on to their car. That won't be good news for Ferrari who are probably hoping for 458 owners to trade up. I'll be interested to see how strong the demand is after the first year of initial deliveries. Congrats on getting an allocation so soon! I'll be looking forward to a more thorough review when you have your 488 in your garage.

 

+458

 

A man who stands for engine power!
Grazie mille for your write up.

Ferrari communicates 670hp at 8000rpm. IMO it is self-explanatory that the rev limiter at 7500rpm does not match the final status (maybe a run-in provision).

How do you compare the 700hp in your 911 with all-wheel-drive and the 670hp from the GTB with its rear-wheel drive?

 

Can't wait to see - and hear her!!
Betcha you don't run her on anything else than 100 octane now LOL!

 

Glad you enjoyed her Arnie and that the poor 488 has it's advocates!

After all she does not deserve such harsh beatings, even though imho the limiter kicking
in at 7.5K is the cherry on the icing on a new offering from Ferrari that is to me proving beyond pathetic

 

Ferrari will never step back to a NA/KERS solution with their V8 products.
Maybe an ERS-H and K system, but then for sure in combination with a turbo engine (MGU-H!). So hard the reality can be...

 

Looks like the test cars are artificially limited as Ferrari have given a figure of 8,000.

 

I hope you mean 120 mph, not kph.
But what baffles me is the notion that anything above 80 mph constitutes track speed. Over here the commute to work is faster than that... Thus, the 488's greater performance is usable on the road too.

 

Impossible to have a real fact about the rev limiter. I ve driven the car on the Paul Ricard track and nobody was able to give me a good information about this.
I don t understand why a communication based on 670 hp /8000 rpm if it s not the case ???

 

What if the turbocharged is not selling well? Does Ferrari want to hit the wall by keep pressing on with turbo?
Don't tell me impossible, because it's already happened with Cali T.

 

Yes, somewhere between 80 and 90 is most people's cruising speed. On the odd occasion that I stick to the 70 limit I'm pretty much the slowest thing on the road.

 

what do you know about cali t sales?

 

+1. Great reporting Sir ! Very thorough and enlightening. Thanks.

Cpiguy thanks for your input as well.

 

It's not selling well. People only ordered when first launched, then no more.

 

You're so right! The 100 octane makes her sound amazing. Sorry, back to the thread