Would love to have a driving comparison between the 488 and the Pista. Anyone?
Just took delivery of my Pista a couple of weeks ago and finally had a chance to get some quality seat time on some fun back roads and the track. I echo everyone’s positive comments on the precision of the handling and suspension, especially under aggressive driving conditions. Power is plentiful in every gear and the “nannies” in Race mode are quite sophisticated. Compared to my 488 spider, gear shifts are smoother, feel faster, and are more controlled under heavy acceleration. Steering feels more precise and the car really dares you to drive faster on the track than the 488...and when you do, you can’t stop smiling. Acceleration on the Pista rarely leaves you wanting, unlike the 488 at times. Compared to my Scuderia...well there really isn’t a great comparison. The Scuderia is “raw” compared to the 488 and the Pista and is special in its own right. The exhaust note on the Pista sits between the Scuderia and the 488 spider...which is a pretty good place for back road driving. On the track, I would like a bit more Scuderia, but the Pista sounds much better to the onlookers than the passengers based on the videos my wife shot. As far as aesthetics go, the the Pista in person is simply stunning...from every angle. It is truly a masterful and balanced blend of art and engineering. Pictures never do any Ferrari justice, but IMO, this is particularly true for the Pista. It is a true head turner and I have gotten a lot of “most beautiful car I have ever seen” comments already, even from current Ferrari owners. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Interesting details from your drive time with that new Pista! Do you think the carbon wheels contribute a noticeable difference in the way the Pista drives compared to the 488? Great build spec.
Thank you. I’m pretty sure I’m not skilled enough to determine the specific impact of the carbon fiber wheels, but one thing I can say for certain is that they look amazing and everyone wants to talk about them, debate the merits, and then take a lot of photos.
I forgot to mention that the rear visibility is horrible on the Pista relative to both the Scud and the 488 Spider! And the rear camera is virtually useless...
2. I have paddles that move with the wheel on my Audis. IMVHO the Fcar is much better. I have to look down to see where the paddles are if the wheel is turned. Never have to do this with the Fcar. I always know where the paddles are. Thanks for posting . Stunning car. ciao bella.
Thanks, I love the car. I have them on my other cars where they are mounted on the steering wheel. I had my first track experience with the Pista and I am ok with the paddles, they are large enough and accessible even though I still prefer mounting on the wheel.
I've driven both on the track on the same day. They are closer than you would think; the Pista doing everything about 10% better. What's most noticeable is how much more playful the Pista is compared to the 488. The electronic nannies are much more prevalent in the 488 than the Pista.
I've extensively tracked the 488, and now the Pista more recently. Briefly, first session out in the Pista I beat my laptime by a second over the 488, and this with no track experience with the Pista. Also top speed down the straight was smashed with the Pista. Pista is faster, quicker, more dynamic - can definitely feel the weight difference between the two cars (I do have the carbon wheels). Torque delivery feels more linear, and redline is different between the two cars. Certainly less invasive nanny controls as mentioned above, I always drive with CT-OFF; there was one point where I had a moment of opposite lock over-steer, and...the ESC did not intervene. For certain the 488 would have triggered ESC in that instance. I assume it's the new version of SSC which allows the Pista to slide into a controlled over-steer without activating ESC prematurely. Braking has a better feel (must be the dynamic enhancer), and shorter stopping distance - and best part, no flashing alerts on the dash ...something I experienced regularly with the 488 under hard braking into slow corners. Pista feels more stable at high speed, probably due to the increased aero. I have the telemetry data from both cars, same track. I need to review the data in more detail to understand the changes. 488 is no slouch around the track (with the right tyres - I used to use Trofeo Rs), but the Pista is next level in comparison.
I am taking for granted that the Pista would be superior on most, if not all objective driving metrics. The real issue for me, is it more compelling and engaging to drive. Is the thrill , fun factor enhanced?
Mine did do the "flashing alerts" under hard braking on the track...I wonder why the difference? I drove only in Race mode and not CT-off; could it be the difference?
Yes. How does one configure this out? Is it a dealership operation or something in the set up that I can do myself?
It's in the car set up and can be turned off just in setting's, no need for dealer, 2 min job I did mine.
So I can now begin to answer this. Felt best to piggyback on this thread with my own first impressions rather than starting a new thread. Echo all earlier sentiments as very accurate. Backdrop, coming from 458 and 488. Only drove pista 15 miles from dealer to detailer but easily able to tell many differences. Looks- I have read EVERY page of the Pista Picture thread and enjoyed it all. I have seen a few Pista's in person. And yet, it hardly prepared me for seeing my own Pista in the flesh. I got the same color as my 488 and thought I would regret the "sameness". OMG, hell no! The Pista is SO much more aggressive with it's swoops and curves and holes and carbon. Really, you just keep walking around it going... oh my! I didn't take a lot of pictures as it is going to the detailer now but intend to once it returns. Interior with a non-black color is totally the way to go. I went with dark blue, and white CLDT and the contrast is so gorgeous. Between the carbon, leather, alcantera, and cloth, it creates interest, textures, and variation everywhere and it just works. Also, stupid detail but the quality of the leather on the steering wheel is buttery soft, not like the hard plasticy crap on the GT3 and frankly, quite a bit better than on the 488 as well. Steering- As others have suggested, incredible feel. I would compare it to a Lotus Elise/Exige which as many know, is basically a go cart with incredible feel and responsiveness (though awful in terms of comfort on B roads). The Pista is a slightly heavier, more grown up version but immediately within a block of leaving the dealer, I can feel the difference over the 488. You can feel the castor as the weight of the wheel builds up off center, feeling the texture of the road without too much harshness. Less of the two fingers on the wheel, overly boosted Ferrari feel which is really typical of most of their modern road cars. Lovely. Acceleration- Ferrari has worked hard to minimize/eliminate turbo lag and an interesting thing has occurred. To my butt, the 488 didn't have lag per se but was so dialed down at part throttle positions as to be quite unexciting until you bury the throttle, then it's woah, off like a shotgun. In the Pista, it feels like a much larger displacement engine. The difference to me is like a Lancer Evolution (2.0l, high strung 4 cyl, with massive turbo lag and sling shot acceleration) vs M5 (hammer like V8 that is ready to pounce anywhere, anytime). It is that dramatic. It is not just 50 hp. It's the way it's delivered. It feels just delicious. That's how it starts. When you bury the throttle in the Pista, it still creates that same, "whoa" as it takes off like a sling shot but "this one goes to 11", not 10 like the 488. Sound- I loved the 458, I liked the 488. I found the 488 with a forza controller really added back the excitement and was disappointed to hear that there were some technical problems to overcome in using it on the Pista (I know Steve is working on it). However, I am not sure it will be needed. Idle is sufficiently louder and there is much less of the on/off, quiet/WAAAAAHHHH that you would get with the 458 and to a lesser extent, 488. I agree that somehow, the sound always seemed to be just about right (race mode). The pitch is definitely higher that the bassy 488 but of course, not quite as tenor as the 458. Still, extremely engaging and exciting. The whoosh of the turbo and the blow off valve is loud and adds to the excitement. Road noise is quite loud with the tires but you simply have to accept this to get all of the other sound goodness. Shifts- Still need to drive more but do seem to be firm, decisive, and satisfying. Very aggressive on full throttle acceleration. Appropriately less so at lower throttle percentages. Excitement factor and overall impressions: While I love the look overall of modern midengine V8 Ferrari's, I almost gave up recently and went back in time (drove a wonderful 328 that ticked a lot of boxes). I was all set to sell the 488, cancel my Pista order (which I have waited 2 years for), and just buy the 328. This was partly because I felt like I needed to drive much faster than I felt was safe on the streets to get that excitement factor. I know, take it to the track, and I do track a different car but I want to be able to have the Ferrari be exciting on the street and not go to jail. I really feel the Pista is going to be able to (mostly) accomplish this goal. Not because it won't get you to jail territory in less than 4 seconds (it will) but because the incredible feel of the car at less than 10/10 is so damn satisfying that I don't feel the need to always go balls to the wall to get that excitement. Dare I say that it almost 'feels' like an older car, just with the amazing capabilities of a newer car. So yes, this is a super long winded answer to your question. The thrill is BACK!!!! If you are a doubter of the differences and worthiness of the Pista, before you point out the specs, I would implore you to drive one. Even the most jaded supercar owner will be surprised. I suspect that while the F8 will put up similar performance numbers, it will feel, to the seat of the pants, dulled and muted compared with the Pista. That 'excitement' and 'edge' is the reason I drive a Ferrari at all so more goodness is simply, more goodness. Overall, I am super happy with the car and despite my recent concerns of whether this car would be "worth" it, I am now 100% convinced that the answer is, "worth every penny", even though it is basically double the price of a used 488. This car is absolute nirvana! So much thanks to Ryan (my sales associate/crack dealer) for getting me one in the first place and the whole gang as FCNJ. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great write up and thanks. Our specs are very close. Mine is in production and you just added to the excitement. Enjoy!
Congratulations. You will find that as the miles add up it gets even better so if you are happy now wait until you have more miles on it.
Congratulations! The car gets much much better with miles- the exhaust seems to break in after ~150 miles. Once you have the engine broken in, you will likely be shocked at the power in the upper half of the rev range. Try stomping on it while you're on the go, say 4,500 RPM, 3rd gear- just be pointed straight. Also, make sure the tires are warmed up and the road is warm too, the tires are more temperature sensitive than most others.
It is much faster. In numbers 6 seconds faster from 100-300kmh. But you will only notice it on the speedo, since the torque numbers are almost the same. Since the Pista's noise levels are lower while driving compared to the GTB and the sound has been somehow restricted (no more low-rev crackling or missfiring), the emotional aspect has been reduced a bit. The transmission shifts better and smoother but with more lag. The steering is noticably stiffer over the 488. Also interesting: The Pista has more movement of the chassis while cornering due to the more road focussed dampers compared to the Speciale as it's predecessor. The looks of the Pista make the GTB a boring car in a direct comparison. So all in all - it's an amazing machine.
