360 handling vs. 550

Drive them both, and choose the one you like best. Only YOU will know what you like.

Ernesto

 

only you can decide.

VERY different animals, vanimal

doody.

 

You really, really need to drive both, back to back if at all possible, if you haven't already. I have owned both - the difference in all respects truly surprised me.

As a track junkie, I also question your use of "occasional." I'd rather have a 360 for track use, as it feels so much lighter to me than a Maranello. I also much prefer the seating position and many other attributes of the 360 for the track.

That said, I'd sign up for a 575 Stradale in an instant.

Nice problem to have, eh?

 

First of all, all my predecessors are right. Make you your own opinion if you have the chance to get a decent, relevant and comparable test drive.

My opinion (355 owners, 550 buyer, drove 360 & 575 back to back on a track for two days) is that ... it is just not comparable.
The Maranello is a car, mid-engined V8s are go-karts. No inertia at turn in or in chicanes, much less body roll, much more agility. A different league, period.
Yes, the mid-engine V8s will forgive less if you make mistakes (such as hitting the brakes while changing direction), but this the price to pay for an agility which is truly stunning and highly satisfying. These things just don't know the meaning of body roll. I truly love Maranellos ... because I have a 355 too

Never drove a 348 but all I read said unanimously that they are nasty & snappy at the limit.

 

ze_shark....

I've owned a couple of, and have spanked the living tar out of the 348 Challenge Car, and I'm of the exact opposite opinion. I found them to be extremely predictable and very easy to handle at their limit. I'm not Schumi, but I would guess that in the hands of someone who doesn't have much track time, it may be a handful.

 

Just stumbled on another similar opinion.
CAR Magazine (UK), Dec 2003 issue, p79.
"Angus McKenzie, 20 years of road testing ... His biggest disappointment ? His first Ferrari, a 348. 'It was an evil-tempered ***** of a thing'"

Judging from the quote, the car is a handful, even for the most experienced.

 

i've heard the exact same, as i recall even from sources within ferrari. the quote i read went something like: no matter what you did (throttle, brake, or neither), once the rear end started coming around, nothing was going to stop it...

ernie

 

had a 360
have a 575
Lots of track time?=360
Mid range or long distance touring?=575
They are completely diff machines.
360=tossable- lighter-great fun-sexy
575 )or 550)= rock solid, more comfortable-classic looks-amazing torque.
Can't go wrong with either one.
Drive them both and decide.

 

Vanimal, is it a little voice in your head talking about mid engine and balance that makes you nervous? Loads of people that have never driven mid engine are given the stigma of a fishtailing fiero that has no traction in the rain... blah blah blah. Don't go into it feeling weird because of where the motor is, my g/f gets all freaky in mid engine cars, and gets hypersensative. Chill out and drive one.

The balance in the 360 is delightfully sublime, very responsive, loving the curves. As a 550 owner, I love the feel of the car, I feel alot more comfortable over distances, and the cabin noise is less.

If your zig meets your zag the 360 is worth a test. If your future is flat and freeway, the 550, but to ditto the responses, drive them both see what you think. The 360 may awaken your inner beast.

If a convertable suits you, go 550 Barchetta, I will not even say that 'other' models name. lol

 

360 are amazing cars and for twisties are the best. Mid engine, wow! Now the 550 is a beast and feels heavy and not as agile, that was my impression until a 550 owner came and showed me that the car was meant to slide through the curves and that changed everything. 550 all the way!

 

16 year old thread?

 

Interesting to see how language and online posting culture has evolved in those 16 years, although maybe not by as much as I would have thought.

I wonder where the OP is now. Not seen on Fchat since the 599 was a young car.

Good point though that Maranellos feel like they are not made for twisties until you push them to the limit and they show their pedigree. Unlike Astons of the era which just fall apart.