The sound inside is nothing of note IMO. I'd also point out that cabin sound is nothing like external sound. Hearing a 458 or Aventador drive past at high rpm sounds nothing like the interior noise.
Sound is relative and subject to personal taste, in this regard everyone is right and all are wrong. The Harris report confirms to me the following: regarding performance capabilities the 488GTB opens a new dimension in its class and the V8 turbo engine fulfilled all the promises regarding drivability. Bravo Ferrari!
These two statement are damming if you ask me. Why, because if you loose the drama at low speed and need to absolutely drive flat out to find any sort of drama then I feel Ferrari have really gone the wrong way and attempted to simply chase McLaren at the expense of creating a car that feels special at the speed most people drive at. The EVO review in particular seems to be a very guarded one, yes its positive but its difficult not to read between the lines somewhat. Will any of this diminish the fact the 488 is a super car? Absolutely not but I for one find it a bit sad that it appears that while the numbers are greater the experience is not as visceral. Perhaps we need to head into an age where numbers are secondary to the experience.
You 've got this this the other way around. Peak HP is important, not a flat toque curve. That is what gives you the rush as the RPMs rise. A flat torque curve is anti-climactic. That's the reason that Ferrari limits torque in lower gears, in an attempt to give the sense of a linear N/A engine that gets more powerful as the revs rise. In higher gears though they allow for more mid range torque in case one just wants to cruise effortlessly. BTW, for the gents that asked. Peak power is between 6K and 8k RPM. The rev limiter is at 8K also.
Yes but... Either way, if having an engine like this means getting a chassis like this, its a sacrifice Im prepared to make. Sacrifice? Im afraid so, for the greater good. A moments reflection, dear reader, and grief. Yes, the new Ferrari engine is a Ferrari engine, but not quite as we know it. It still sounds extremely good. It still responds very well. And, Lord knows, it delivers. But it is just a wee bit less tingly and exciting than those that have come before it. If you like your engine in your cars middle, the closest alternative that will still give you that instant hit, that breathtaking response, is Lamborghinis Huracan. Its fortunate, then, that the 488 GTBs compensations are so intense elsewhere. 2015 Ferrari 488 GTB review | Autocar Engine feels less exciting than Speciale Ferrari 488 GTB review - prices, specs and 0-60 time | Evo The N/A V8 will be missed!!!
Look at what's on offer and people are still moaning? Sheesh! O.K. Let's try a little exercise. Image it was the other way round and the 458 was following the 488. How would this thread sound then. Oh, let's see... _______________ O.K. I know styling is subjective, but the 458 just seems, I don't know, neutered? Sure, it's a good looking car and I like they way they've tried to clean up the lines (no doubt, the 488 was a little fussy) but they've definitely gone a little too 'feminine'. The 488 was just so muscular in comparison. The new 458 just looks sort of weak. Maybe I just need to see the 458 in the flesh. The big one for many will, of course, be the sound. I'm struggling here. Sure, the 458's got a 9,000 red line and it does shriek, but it's a bit thin in comparison to the gorgeous baritone that the 488 had. And what's with that awful on/off thing it's got going on? Boy, does that get tiring quick! Now, I'm not saying the 458 sounds bad, far from it, but the 488 just sounds so much fuller in comparison. I know many feel the same as I do on this one. Of course, the above is subjective, so YMMV. What I can't live with is that giant hole in the middle of the 458's torque curve. What were they thinking?! It feels like something's broken compared to the 488. And, while obviously not a slow car, the performance is a massive step backwards. Come on Ferrari, the game has moved on, get with it. Is the throttle response faster on the new 458? Well, apparently. Can I tell the difference in 99% of situations? I'm not sure I can. And if I can (and it's a big 'if') I'll happily trade that for everything else that the 488 brought in return. And, dear God, why did they go and remove the Side Slip feature? That was brilliant! Just so much fun. But, more importantly, so much fun for people without the skills of Ken Block. Yes folks, that's me and you. All of you! There are some other tangibles that I'm scratching my head over, too. It's pretty obvious the very first time you sit in the 458 that the build quality has taken a step backwards from the 488. O.K. they kind of look the same, but it's obvious they they've been cutting corners. Again, it's no Toyota, but that old one about 'not as good as a Porsche' is definitely relevant again. There are rumours, too, that it might not be quite as reliable as the 488 was, but, well, it still comes with that big fat Ferrari warranty so I'm not sure I'm going to lose sleep over that. All in all there's just too much that I'm scratching my head over so I think I'm going to be sticking with my 488. All the same, good luck to anyone who's taking the plunge on the 458. Just pray you don't meet me at the traffic lights! Now, if only the 458 came with a manual gearbox...
IMHO the 488 is everything it should be. I still prefer my 458 for my own subjective reasons- but the 488 is going to do very well. That should come as no surprise. Ferrari writes the rules to this game.
Two days ago I drove a 458 Speciale; what a beautiful car, what a beautiful screaming engine! And now the good news: this cars will not disappear from the planet, this car is real and will always be real. Now let us be open to the 488 GTB; its task is to provide new driving experiences to the Ferrari community and to set the new benchmarks in its market segment. And when I'm watching the videos then I may confirm that the 488 delivers for 100%. The 488 is not an enemy, the 488 is just a further Ferrari toy with insane performance figures which can be purchased from now. I like it!
No I really don't. A flat, big area of torque is what you want for a high performance track driven car. High HP is obviously assumed given the discussion. You shift to keep the car in the range of peak torque, since that is what pulls you out of corners. Just look at a 360 or 430 dyno. Torque is flat from 4-5k or so to redline.
ouch... "At very low revs its quiet, while at medium speeds, where most owners will do most of their driving, it has a muffled and flat note like a frog in a sock." "Engine behaviour in the lower gears is carefully manipulated by restricting torque to mimic the character of a naturally aspirated V8. That works on the track, where the throttle is mostly fully open or shut, but on the road theres an artificiality about the response." "It will be poorly judged by history, however, purely because its aural qualities lack the pure stridency of the 458 and the looks, while functionally clever, are a step back. "
As a designer I'm always looking for the essence of things and trying to figure out why I get somethings and don't get others. Obviously, the side scoops are dividing people and a photo of them in one of the reviews made me take a harder look at them (from one angle, at least). When you boil it down and strip away all the superfluous there are some lovely flowing lines in there. I think these scoops will work very well when seen in the flesh rather than in pictures. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Time to watch the Chris Harris review. He says it feels NA and sounds the same as the 458. As he puts it "Ferrari just reinvented the turbo charged engine".....
Now, I'm not one for a conspiracy theory, but... At the time Harris was driving the 458 he was persona non grata at Ferrari, having had a very public falling out with them after calling them out on some of their ridiculous behaviour when it comes to test drives. And now, here he is, back in favour and, what do you know, he thinks this car is the second coming... Now, as I say, I'm not one for a conspiracy theory...
I wonder if there is a functionality about the divider on the side scoop that we are not aware of. In other closeup pictures of the scoop, I noticed that the wire mesh on the top of the divider is different then the wire mesh on the bottom of the divider. Possibly two different air flows or purposes inside the engine bay?
I think I remember in one of the show walk rounds someone saying that the airflow is, indeed, split and goes different places. Can't remember the detail, though.
I guess I'm not familiar with the elements of a joke... Plus he has delivered a lot of positive reviews since then - Speciale, F12, LaF...doesn't really make sense. He also never criticized the cars, just the overly-controlling manner in which Ferrari controls testing.
Keanu Reeves Drives 488 GTB and California T He has been known to be a car and motorcycle guy. From the article: Its not just the specifics of any Prancing Horse that stand out, but also the way Ferrari handles its customers. They have a special something put aside for every single sportscar buyer; its a culture they build around fast, luxury and classy autos. That is why when a Hollywood A-lister like Keanu Reeves visits the Italians headquarter hell spend the day. 7 pictures and full article . Image Unavailable, Please Login
According to evo magazine: "The 488 GTB laps Fiorano in 1:23, half a second quicker than the Speciale and 2 seconds up on a 458 Italia. The Enzo needed 1:24.9 to complete the same lap." Is that Enzo time correct?
