Ferrari 488 Compared to the McLaren 720s

If all things are similar and I'm looking at two cars and one has a history of losing 100-130k value in 2 years and the other has 10-13k value loss, you better believe it's gonna weigh on my decision. I can afford to piss money away but why when I don't have to.

You can tell me all you want that's it's gonna be different with the 720 but until it actually is different, color me a bit skeptical.

 

Seriously? I doubt that.

And no i don't believe the 5 series Mc was all known. The mags and journos didn't talk about it at the unveiling of the base model.

 

Have to agree. Well done.

For me there is not much of a choice...no Mac dealer for hundreds of miles.

The performance may be significant but doubt if l could tell. You'd have to be a real pro to tell the difference. I rarely drive at the limit.

Doing stuff with the Ferrari club is part of the enjoyment of owning the car. I would miss that indeed.

All things being equal looks is important to me. Beauty is in the eye the eye of the beholder. But the Mac looks like something only a mother would love.

The Mac depreciation scares me.

 

720s.....is too much for me...too much from the exterior...it will attract attention similar or more to Lambos

 

I don't know about annihilate but generally the 488 improves greatly on the 650S and the 675LT is definitely a much better car than 488.

However the 720S (I've driven all four; 650S, 675LT, 488 and 720S) is vastly superior to the 488. It improves so much on the 650S that (if all the branding were removed) behind the wheel you might think it was a Ferrari in terms of responsiveness and driver engagement. It takes the 488 up a few notches.

But all this should be expected. The 650S was really a very lightly updated 12C which came out not long after the 458. It wasn't a proper new generation model like the 720S and McLaren learned a LOT about making cars more exciting for their drivers while developing the cars they made in between 12C and 720S (P1, 570S/GT, 675LT)

 

Vegas is getting a dealer which will really help the Rocky Mountain states. Right now it's Chicago and Newport.

They still need to work on a US parts supply chain.

 

Both really excellent posts.

I have a friend who works at the Mclaren factory who manages pre-prod cars and prototypes. He waxes lyrical about the Mclaren being 'better' than the Porsches and Ferraris because it is 'faster' and with better performance numbers than any of them. He discloses that the target for Mclaren is to better the comparable model from Porsche or Ferrari in every performance dimension.

And I say, "so what?"

At the £75-125k mark, performance numbers matter. It is such a hotly contested marketplace, that comparisons between all the major manufacturers give bragging rights inter-model. At the price of a 488 or 720, it is expected that the performance of both are superior to anything else. And they are.

But what many journos and petrolhead punters forget is the ownership experience when paying over 200k for a supercar. Definition of a Supercar has far less to do with relative performance numbers, as it does with looks, experience, and pride of ownership. The 488 and 720s provide performance numbers that differ by the square root of zero in regular driving. So what matters?

Mclaren's dire reliability on electrics matters. Windows that regularly go down, but not up. Cars that don't start. Doors that don't open. The list goes on.

Mclaren's limited service centres and long delays with service matters. In the South of England, service is ONLY offered through their Ascot dealership which is tiny. Just not good enough. At least Ferrari bring you into their family with all the hospitality that makes being part of the family, family.

And finally: performance and looks of the car. Pardon the crass analogy - but when you are paying top dollar for sex, you expect the sex to be good. Importantly, you're paying top dollar because they LOOK sexy and drop dead beautiful. And in this case, Mclaren's 720 looks like a cheap toothless hooker that offers the same sex, but costs that of a supermodel.

As far as I am concerned, Mclaren are Emperor's new clothes. People in England buying them for nationalistic pride. People worldwide buying them on the promise of F1 heritage. But as a supercar up against the likes of Ferrari, Lambo, et al - Mclaren have a LOT to learn.

 

I guess you're not buying one. LOL.

 

And it's also the driving experience that is just mind numbingly boring in a Mclaren.

From the moment you get into their recent model cars, they just seem... boring? The fit and finish is poor: rattles and squeaks are common, and the 570 I recently test drove from their dealership had trim rattling all over the place. Can you imagine if they didn't have a rigid carbon tub?

The slowish steering and long throttle pedal is also the anethema of Ferrari responsiveness. I've never driven such a fast car that actually felt so slow from behind the steering wheel. Handling wise and dynamics were absolutely spot on for fast road driving. But it just didn't excite. It didn't fizz your senses like a supercar should.

Mclarens have drama and theatrics in abundance - the doors, the badge that elicits gawping teenagers. Top Trumps are perfect playgrounds for Mclaren, but they aren't what you'd call driveway beautiful. And when paying over 250k for a car (720s will probably average 275k I reckon), the car HAS to be beautiful on the driveway and garage. A 250k supercar has to make you think lustful thoughts as you drink in the lines of exquisite beauty...

Sadly, the 720s just looks like your MiL's skull with vacant eyes and a dirty arse.

 

I had the exact same feeling when driving the 12c after owning a 458 coupe. But MarkNC has driven one and he likes it. I and others here have a lot of respect of his opinion that the new Mac is less "boring" and more driver engaged.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the driving experience issue.

 

I had a 650s and found it far quicker than my 458 Italia or Speciale, but also so boring to drive. I find the 720 looks stunningly beautiful, but if it drives like a 650 and sounds like a 650, I don't want one.

 

Ford! Chevy!

I feel like I'm 15 again reading this thread, lol

Congratulations to us all for the good fortune to change argument from Ford VS Chevy to Ferrari VS McLaren

Two wonderful brands, drive the one (or both) that excite you.

 

The Mac sounds terrible also and has massive turbo lag, I assume they will fix the turbo lag with the new car. The 488 has lost a lot of the greatness of the 458 however it still sounds better than the Mac

 

Ferrari and Mac need to hurry up and get the hybrid electric going in that 200k-300k category to change the game completely.

 

That's perfectly fair. There's nothing wrong with liking one car over another not because of specs on paper but simply because you like the brand better, the looks better, the noise better, even the way it feels and I think Ferrari has been the winner in many of those areas for many, many years. I loved my 458 but I enjoyed driving my 650S much better. I really enjoyed the 488 because it brought some of the qualities of the 650S to the Ferrari brand. But having now driven the 720S I can tell you might very well be SHOCKED at how good it is even in the areas Ferrari previously owned. It sounds great. It has great linear torque delivery as they also adopted twin-scroll turbo chargers to tune for throttle response just like Ferrari did but they added them to an engine with more power and torque than the 488 has in a with 400 pounds less weight, a better suspension, better tires and equally good steering (yes, for real!), and a stronger chassis. They also made a much nicer, roomier interior with more storage space, nicer finishes and far nicer gadgetry.

Again, you're more than welcome to just prefer Ferrari but I've driven both cars (488 and 720S) and the power delivery advantage accrues to the McLaren this time. Also I don't see anything that makes Ferrari's engine more special than McLaren's.

 

Its so funny reading this stuff, all emotion and no fact. Few people rate the 488 over due to looks, character, n/a etc. So while F has gone sideways Mac goes forward everymtime and quickly. And not just as dragsters. I have had 15 Ferraris, adore them, 675 whipped the mid engines on every measure, noise, feel, blah blah. Felt more technical.

720, can barely comprehend as 675 was terrifying quick. Forget what the data says.

Can't wait for 488 VS, with the pressure on I am sure it will be amazing and thank Mac for that.

I still predict a stock 720 will be better than the VS.

 

And so it often is when buying cars at this level. There are very few rational reasons to drop over quarter million on any car. If only factual performance numbers mattered, there are cheaper and faster tuned cars that could outperform or outdrag a 720.

 

very true. if you buy these cars for performance numbers you're missing the point. There are cars that cost 1/3 the price that will take your lunch money at a stoplight, drag strip, or local track.

 

But it isn't.

I didn't have a picture of James Hunt driving a McLaren on my wall as a young man, I had a picture of Enzo giving Mario Andretti a finger waggle.

I respect McLaren, and I'm glad they're in the game pushing Ferrari. But no, they are not on the same page. Most people don't plunk down $300-$400K for a new Ferrari just for the .1 of a second that it beat the last version. We do it for many more reasons, yes heritage counts. People pay for stories, they pay for brands. These are emotional, not rational decisions.

It will take a long time, if ever for McLaren to get near that level of emotion with many potential customers. Maybe they will, but not because of the 720, have them kick MBZ ass in F1 instead of riding around in back, that might help.

 

Whose we?

 

LMAO! Brutal but you make good sound points!!

To my eyes, it looks more like some kind of weird praying mantis bug on wheels (sans wings) than any hooker of sorts. Maybe 720 gen 2 will fix that face up....something needs to give there for sure.

 

Everyone on the McLaren forum knew about it and were talking about the GT version way before the 570 even debuted.

The only people who don't know these things are the ones who don't care to, and those people also don't care about depreciation. They want an exotic car and they buy one.

 

I feel like so many people boast their opinions about the Mac vs the Ferrari and have not driven both or some not even one. One has lag and the other doesn't, ummmm okay, way to read through the thread and repeat what people have said,lol. With that said,I think it is all a matter of taste and feel, but I like the fact Mac is pushing the battle and making it more interesting. Don't think for one minute Ferrari doesn't notice and that it isn't pushing them to do even better.

 

And yet with all of the above I would rather have a Huracan Performante. Something about an NA engine

 

i love na engines too but the last top gear that compared spider to ptts cab had ch and ml both pick the Porsche. I know, tg is just for fun but that still bothers me re performante. that and I always hated driving gallardos. no experience with huracans