Ferrari 488 Compared to the McLaren 720s

I must feel a connection to the car/engine/road. In GTR's / Turbo S I just didn't feel that way. Fast cars, fun cars.... but nothing inside me just screams OMG I need that. The 488 after the first drive I couldn't stop thinking about it. Its raining today and I can't stop thinking about wanting to have drove it to work today.

Yes sound is important, but if it was MOST important I would have kept my 458.

 

If you track the progression of the 720S, u would know that Mclaren is taking that much praised steering rack from the 570S and placing it onto the 720S. The new engine is said to be as good as that in the 488. The chassis tuning from what I read, has been greatly improved to provide more feedback. Modern Ferraris don't even have much of a feelsome steering rack. The 458's rack is super quick, but hardly feelsome. I don't think the 720S is still suffering from any of the other areas of "feel". If u watch the video reviews, one thing stick out, that's the lack of aural drama. Our human mind has a way of playing tricks on us. That's the same issue the 488 is having to grapple with. It drives exceedingly well and sound pretty good for a turbo, but it doesn't provide drama like the 458. That every prod of the throttle and getting an aural feedback is 50% of the soul of a sportscar I dare say.

 

To each their own I guess. Never felt like that about a car, at least not not in recent memory. With the manuals gone, all current models being too quick to even use full throttle on a normal road, and modern TC pretty much providing 100% grip on a normal road at all times, I find them all very tame. I guess the thrill is gone for me in exotics. Now I just care how they look.

 

I don't disagree at all. For me my one exception (from a 'modern' car) is GT3RS. While maybe not an 'exotic', it still is the only car that excites me when I drive it. The rest may be faster, more expensive and have more 'panache', but I do get 'that' feeling in it.

 

I drive my 488 in CT Off or Fully off at all times, I slide the car every time I drive it. Manuals are fun but I do prefer the DCT. Just love the quick shifts. Looks aren't that important to me but I can't hate it. I think looks are what saved me from the GTR obsession I had for a little bit, the looks were meh. Good thing I drove one for awhile and quickly understood why they are terrible cars over all.

 

If it's just looks and sound pretty much.........Lamborghini should have a clear path slam dunk against the turbos and arguably as good looks......but that is not going to happen.


Cars:

2013 Ferrari 458 Spider
2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cab

Only 2 that I drive.

 

Hey, my dd is a tesla and it's extraordinary. Nothing less than brilliant. And I a the biggest sound lover next to Carlo!

 

IMO, whether a car is fun to drive (and own) does not boil down to any one parameter.

I think the acid test is to simulate driving it on your (full) typical fun drive and see whether it makes you feel like a (happy or unhappy) PASSENGER or the (happy) DRIVER. A car that is good match for you has to present some amount of skill challenge and reward. It cannot be too easy to drive but must still feel like an extension of your body when you drive it.

I suspect the problem with the 720S may be that it makes drivers feel too much like passengers - I had that problem with the 12C and 650S. At any rate, it may all be a bit moot for me as all 2018 cars are already sold, local dealer won't even have one on display till end of May.

 

These are your suppositions mate, but not many will agree.
Many reviewers said that the engine in the 488 is unmatched; can't comment myself as I haven't driven the 720, but this being a Macca-Riccardo engine I can see that being true.
What is a feelsome rack? A rack that tells you what the wheels are doing. Ferraris do that.
I insist that soul is much more than sound.

 

they've also invited some stupid youtubers to test drive the car... hope ferrari will not follow it..

 

Those youtubers have HUGE reach and are being invited to drive many many cars on press launches.

 

Anyone company with half a brain would do the same thing. Free advertising geared towards exactly what a company like Ferrari needs -- youthful buyers. Old people die. They need to be replaced. The sports and exotic car market isn't what it used to be. The new money is very different than the old money.

 

Tesla are good for a DD or commuter and make lots of sense. But as a weekend/sports/supercar... er, no.

 

Vblogger's may well be more prone to letting the truth slip more than the journos. Nothing wrong with the truth really. Plenty of vbloggers drive Ferrari's too and have passed positive and negative comment but when they all say the same thing - like whats happened with the 720 - and even worse if one has bought one, then maybe there really is truth in it.

 

I'm not saying soul is all abt sound. I'm trying to say the 720S has most of it except sound. They will never produce something that goes toe to toe with Ferrari unless they put in as much thought on sound regardless of how good the car is in other areas.

 

Vbloggers arent indicating that - appears more to do with the benign way the car drives overall....like a fast limo with a fishbowl cabin. I respect that the car appears bespoke - but in a very awkward way
- but ugly is ugly i'm afraid. No hiding from that harsh reality.

I bet if it wasn't badged up as a Mac, and/or, was not as fast as it is, the critics would really lay the axe into it.

 

Here is my take

The 720s just isn't very pretty. I'm sorry, it's not. Its not ugly. Its just "weird". But as an engineering and performance "tour de force" it's pretty amazing.

This car has 63 more HP and is 225 lbs LIGHTER than the new Ford Gt which has a V6 instead of a V8. That's like the Ford is carrying an extra passenger all the time.

It's also $170,000 cheaper than the Ford GT. Give me a break.. that's pretty impressive.

 

Agree from an engineering viewpoint it is amazing but there's weird and too weird and to my eyes it's a case of weird gone too far...to the bad end of the scale. Seems the greenhouse effect going on in the glass cabin is gonna cause some issues too. They may need to put an air scoop in the roof...

 

I have the same issue with the glass roof coming from Nevada. I've had glass tinted roofs before and after a while you want to pull back the screen in the sunroof.

The Corvette C7 has a glass roof option. No one orders it.

 

The only way I can see this is if someone didn't want to be on the 488 waiting list. Mac says the first year is already sold out of the 720s -- but we know that means the dealers have ordered them.

 

I agree I drive my 675LT that way, it's really the only way to feel what these cars are capable of (not for everybody). It's not till then when you really feel what you're paying for.

I ordered my GT3 in manual for the really stupid low speed stuff.

 

I hear you - it gets hell hot here too! Unfortunately with all that glass air cond can only ever do so much. I'm surprised 720 has no means to screen out the sun. Crazy how the engineers forgot about the pilot...

 

They didn't forget about it they just didn't announce it yet. There's a carbon roof option, maybe painted I'm don't know. I agree the sun gets to be a bit much. For glass you'll need to apply uv film that will help A LOT.

 

With cars 600hp and up, I think one of the biggest challenges for engineers in the future is finding a way to make them interesting in everyday city driving. Because now, every car is fun at 180, try to make one fun at 35 mph.