458 vs Turbo S
I was gonna use my RS 4.0 for this test this weekend, but the weather was quite bad on the way there and my Cup tyres are pretty badly worn, so I decided to take my Turbo S instead and I think it was the better choice, clearly for road driving but also to compare it to the 458.
This was my first drive of a 458, finally! And it tuns out it is more Turbo S than 4.0, so we got lucky!
In a few words, I loved it! The steering is much better than the very poor 430 Scuderia, the power is amazing, the noise is great, although a bit too noisy at high speed motorway cruising, with the valve opened, the noise is unbearable.
Looks are suggestive, I love the rear and the profile, the front is ugly with its japanese style and its silly moustaches (I think black and dark grey like this one are the best colors bc they hide the front details) and even worse, I realised the Ferrari sign is a cheap piece of plastic, disappointing.
The gearbox is fabulous, like the California in normal driving but more aggressive in race mode. The good surprise here was the Turbo S actually, I never drove the car before in manual mode in Sport Plus and the gear changes are just as good, driving both cars back to back.
Character are different obviously. The F car is more in "in your face" whereas the Turbo is more discreet but don't be fooled, what it lacks in high rev power it makes up with really ridiculous amounts of torque.
The Ferrari feels quicker thanks to its noise and snappy gearbox in race mode but the Turbo S is more efficient, I'm sure it's quicker in numbers.
Surprisingly, the Turbo is stiffer in suspension in both modes, and yet more comfortable thanks to its adaptative sports seats.
I thought the 458 bucket seats were great but set too high, and I'm only 6ft! I can only imagine how bad it must be with the standard seats. The interior is great, very futuristic and high tech, I love it. The switches on the steering wheel are pointless but easy to adapt to.
In terms of handling, I'd say there's on par, I expected to 458 to feel nimbler but it actually feels just as heavy as the Turbo S, the steering is much better than the 430 but it's also very quick and sharp.
To sum up, amazing sports car, best Ferrari today I'd say. Not as feelsome as an RS 4.0, but more fun than a Turbo S without being faster. A great all round sports car!