Test drove a Clifornia and it is smokin!!

I bought my California in La Jolla from Fernando. Great car. Nice people.

 

I agree the Cali is smokin'! It's good enough that since I bought my Cali I've put about 4K miles on it and maybe 600 miles on my F430, which rarely leaves the garage now.

 

I have my california for 2 months and have driven everyday to work and virturally anywhere I can ,including 2 400 mile trips (round trip) absolutely the most fun car I have had.
Not the fastest or most track worthy but absolutely the most fun... by the way I have had hundreds of pictures taken of the car while I am driving..... feel kinda like a rock star even get special parking where ever i go

 

I currently have a 08 F430 red/tan coupe but have been considering the California. To be honest I did not care for the Cali's looks when it first came out but now I love it, strange how that happens with cars. So for you guys with F430's, does the California have a smoother and better gearbox? How is the stereo? Does the Cali seem as fast as the 430 or slower?

 

My California is my favorite Ferrari I have owned. With the California I get the enjoyment of driving a Ferrari every day with no compromises. What could possibly be better?

 

I have an 07 F430 F1 Coupe and a 2010 California GT.

There is no comparison between the F1 transmission and the Dual Clutch transmission. The California's shifts instantaneously and silky smooth. The snarl with each shift of the Cali is amazing too, and there are 7 gears, not 6.

When I get back in the F430, the shift lag feels noticeable now - which is incredible when you think about it - 100ms difference is a huge difference! The F430 also engages 1st gear more abruptly than the Cali.

The Cali is deceptively fast, while the F430 feels has a more visceral feel to pace. The Cali is higher, you are behind a long hood, it has body roll in corners, etc. The F430 is comparatively a slot car. That said, the Cali is very fast - maybe faster to 60 than the F430, and more comfortable and a little more subtle for daily driving and parking.

While the Cali has tremendous brakes, the pedal travels farther which makes them feel like they are less strong than the F430, but I think they are actually the same or better. I'd be curious though what others think about comparing the carbon ceramic brakes between the two models. To me, they are too different in feel. I wish the Cali had the F430 feel. Also, it seems to me it takes more to get heat into the Cali's brakes and that they perform more poorly when cold than the F430s, leading to some exciting times at the first couple stops leaving my neighborhood.

Having a trunk and back seat is also great for me - I can take the whole family and do the things we like to do. Sometimes the lexus stays home and the cali goes out for family adventures - something I could never say about the F430.

Stereo - it's ok. Not sure any ferrari shines here. I can listen to music and the news, but it won't blow you away with volume or quality and it has plenty of quirks with iphones, etc. It's relatively easy to use, but the real music is the bark from the back when shifting.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the comparison. I really love reading owner reviews vs. the media.....One more question? Does the Cali feel heavy? The car itself is much larger looking next to a F430. I know the F430 is more nimble but was wondering if the Cali is at the top of GT cars as far as handling?

I think I will actually like the more refined interior and dual clutch tranny. The F430 shifts great under heavy throttle but around traffic etc..its notchy to me. Either way they are both amazing cars but the Cali has grown on me in a big way.

-Ryan

 

In regards to the stereo and nav system, the Cali's system is a huge improvement over the F430.

The large touch screen in the Cali is much more advanced and easy to use.

The standard radio and speakers are better too. (The premium option may not be worth it though)

Storing CD's and MP3 on the HDD using the cd slot or usb is really convenient.

It has a nice AUX port so even if you didn't buy the Apple IPOD option, you can play MP3 from your mobile device be it ipod, mp3 player, iphone, other phone music player.

The sat radio is really nice too.

 

This is completely true! The F430's interface is archaic.

I'm not enough of an audiophile to compare fidelity of the two cars, but neither sounds comparable to my home audio systems.

I do the same in my F430 using an 8 GB CF Card. A little known feature is that the CF Card slot normally used for the nav system can be replaced with a CF Card full of music. I don't actually have the Nav system in my F430, so the slot was empty. I loaded up a bunch of music on a card, stuck it in, and it's been there for years. I agree that it is a great feature in the Cali - though some UI features are strange - like you can't list artists then albums by that artist (you get all the songs). Unless I've missed something...

The ipod adapter has issues in the Cali. iPhone4s when plugged in give the "incompatible device" message, though at least in my case it seems to be accessible from the radio interface (for music and address book), and it does charge.

The bluetooth for an iphone4 also seems to be okay for me, but if you poke around this board, others have had lots of issues. Maybe I just use it infrequently enough that I haven't noticed them.

Agreed. Radio, +nav traffic is terrific!

 

The Cali definitely feels heavier than the F430, but it still handles great IMHO. I've driven it on a lot of twisty roads in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Tahoe, and it is a blast to drive. I haven't owned other great GTs to compare it with though, so it's tops in my mind!

Happy weekend!
Jim

 

AAAAh Sierra Nevada near Tahoe, sounds like heaven

 

Agree with most posts. I had an 07 430, traded in for '10 Cali.

1 - deceptively fast. May not quite feel like it, but every time i look at the numbers.....last winter on a rural road decided to push it a bit. Looked at speedo. Was 20mph faster than i thought i was doing.

2 - unbelievably comfortable. Use it all the time. In Southern California, have the top down frequently.

3 - I do feel the handling is looser....then i remember to just put it into sport and does that ever crank it down. Big difference on mine. (magnaride option)

Do i miss the 430 sometimes...sure..but all in all I'm extraordinarily happy with my decision. Will be 2 years in Jan.