ISUK:
Another colour from the 50s/60s range - Grigio Scuro. The grey wheels give it a more modern look IMHO.
contrary to what a lot of people have said i really like how the different shades of grey work on this car. specially this color and grigio silverstone.
13.04.2010 18:12:25
I wish that was my car Stefan That's the first good pic I've seen of the grey sport wheel option. I'm glad I went for it now.
I was advised earlier today that all UK cars are on a 4 week delay. On top of that the DATR carbon dash insert option is currently unavailable (even though I saw a car in the Atelier with it) and there is no indication when it will be available to order.
Looks like I won't get my car now until late September
I'm toying with the idea of a GTO style stripe for my car when it arrives to make it look like this
Enmanuel:
ISUK:
Another colour from the 50s/60s range - Grigio Scuro. The grey wheels give it a more modern look IMHO.
contrary to what a lot of people have said i really like how the different shades of grey work on this car. specially this color and grigio silverstone.
I also think this color looks interesting because it is "differerent" / unusual.
Don't know what it would be like to have to live with it for a year or two, though.
fritz
Rossi:
KresoF1:
Iain, Spetember? Not that bad... How about info that I got? March 2010... I think that I will cancelled my order.
I guess you mean "2011"?
Stefan, yes March 2011-production! That means delivery late April 2011 in best case scenario...
ISUK:
Don't cancel Kreso. The car will be worth the wait. Get a cheap run around in the meantime..... a 997 Gen2 turbo for instance
Iain, hmm... I already have pretty decent drive... New thread about "fast fleet" soon...
BTW, talked yesterday directly with McLaren, got few interesting infos...
Drove 458 also... Not as long test drive as I wanted(privately owned car in Italy)... Impressions? Hmm...
Need to think very hard about 458. I liked some things on my test drive and in full honesty I totally did not liked some things.
Short test drives can make some cars appear disappointing as it can often take more use to become accustomed to them, especially if you are used to performance car driving.
What aspects of the car didn't impress you Kreso?
ISUK:
Short test drives can make some cars appear disappointing as it can often take more use to become accustomed to them, especially if you are used to performance car driving.
What aspects of the car didn't impress you Kreso?
Huh... First, I expected apparently little bit too much from 458 since I liked the car so much.
Design... Unlike on pics car look in person not so good IMHO. I totally hate too high rear tires side walls(295/35-20 strange, strange size). Also, rear wheels are too narrow(only 10.5", most competitors use 11" at least on 305 tires). I can not imagine front licence plate holder that will look good. That's it.
Interior... Too small for car size and definitely smaller then F430. Driving position and seats are better in both Audi R8 and 997.2 Turbo. Indicators on steering wheel is plain wrong idea.
Performance and engine... Throttle response too keen for parking speed and slow smooth driving-I can live with that, more adjustment from driver is needed. Good low end torque although I think that car feels less powerfull in low end then R8 V10 for example that has not as much torque on paper. 458 engine remainds me in power delivery to R8 V8 engine with more power. Too feel that 570hp you need to rev it very hard. Engine sound is nice but, not as refined as I hoped. Now, what I will wrote will get big response from die hard F fans(NOT from actual owners since many of them knows the truth)-458 is slower in 100km/h-240km/h then 997.2 Turbo PDK Coupe. I was shocked with that. Owner of that 458 also. He pushed as much as possible and Turbo PDK is faster.
DCT... Very good. I think that DCT is actually almost as good as it gets. Better then PDK in 997.2 Turbo? NO. Why? PDK D programms are way better. There is even some small jerkiness in fastests setting.
Rest of the thing like drive dynamics are great but, I doubt very much that 458 can leave 997.2 Turbo PDK even on short track. My point is that after driving R8 V8 and 997.2 Turbo PDK I expected much, much more from 458. Dissapointed? NO, not at all. It is a masterpiece. Just, I am not blowen away.
Car that I drove is with 4800kms on clock and is in Rosso Corsa with Nero interior and optional sport wheels. I will ask the owner to give me the clearance to post some pics that I took.
The high sidewalls on the rear tyres do look a bit strange at first but you become familiar with them after a little while and they don't look so unusual.
I think I've posted before that the cabin feels smaller than a 430. The front trunk is also smaller so I'm at a loss why this should be on a car that is actually slightly longer and higher than a 430 according to the dimensions in the brochure Part of the issue is down to the teardrop shape of the roof which starts to drop down qucker over the cabin than it did with the 430. This results in the roofline being lower above the rear of both doors which makes entry and exit more difficult for taller drivers.
Did the car you drive have standard seats? I found the race seat option gives greater room in the cabin and also seems to be much more comfortable.
I'd heard that the throttle is quite sharp in terms of response. My dealer said it takes a little getting used to but can be driven smoothly. I think he said it alters slightly with the manetinno setting but I may be mistaken.
The performance issue against the Gen2 turbo doesn't surprise me. These cars are all now so quick that it really takes a lot of development money to make any real difference in this area and start shaving noticeable time off acceleration on cars set up for everyday road use. The days of being 0.5 of a second apart have long gone. If straight bang for buck was all that mattered we'd all be driving Nissan GTRs
14.04.2010 15:47:59
Kreso - your comments on the Ferrari 458 Italia's throttle sensitivity remind me of the initial feedback from Chris Harris at Evo...
...Chris calls it "sneeze factor"...
Ferrari-458-Italia_Evo-link / Evo-TV_YouTube-link
Iain, standard seats. Yes, cabin feels small. 458 is in feeling of drive dynamics like R8 with RWD which is actually a very good thing.
Regarding engine specs 570hp/540Nm after my test drive I have my doubts in that numbers. Car simply do not feel any faster then R8 V10 and actually feels less torquey then R8 V10, specially at lower revs. Of course that nice DCT compensate most of the time this feeling.
Do not get me wrong-458 is an excellent sportscar. BUT... These days competitors are also very, very good indeed...
Also, one other thing-458 can not be used as daily driver. 997.2 Turbo PDK or Turbo S can.
My point is-I expected to be blowen away by 458. I wasn't.... That is my problem.
Emotional content? 458 delivers that in spades! BUT also R8 V8 manual IMHO. IMO R8 V10 manual delivers same emotional content as 458 and that is the problem again IMHO. I am not talking about Ferrari myth or heritage here-point is what emotions car delivers to me.
Is 458 Italia currently the best sportscar on the market and most advanced one? YES.
Until McLaren MP4-12C hits the road in March 2011. Whatever you like MP4-12C design or not this car will beat 458 in every regard. I can even bet here.
So, to cut the story-cancell my order? No. I will wait for the car and see what happens.
shin:
Hmm.. Kreso, aside from the rear tires and front plate, you have any other problem with the looks of a 458 ? Does an LP560-4 completely destroy it in terms of looks ?
NO. 458 design wise is a stunner for most people and total stunner for F fans.
458 looks better then LP560-4 IMHO.
I suspected this would happen. The 997.2 Turbo PDK is lightning on wheels. I also will surmise that its Ring time will be faster or at least as fast as the 458. So one has to ask what does the 458 offer over and above the PDK Turbo? Certainly not reliability, quality of construction and performance/value.
After options, the 458 will cost over $100,000 more than a fully optioned Turbo. I suppose the difference is the unique Ferrari styling and restricted production. In the past, I always justified the Ferrari purchased based on the resale value. In today's economic environment, I am not sure any car resale value will hold up including Ferrari.
That said, like Kreso I am not making a decision until I get the call to order one. This much I will say, I have not being pestering the dealership for the call.
For the road, probably yes. For the track, still the Scud is better. Anyway, leaving that aside, my main issue with the car is still the looks of it. That's why I canceled my order and I was first on the list. But we can agree on everything else as usual Turbo is THE car for daily road usage, the new McLaren is a VERY tempting proposal (I am still trying to resist...), etc
PS Also to me the 458 lacks a little the WOW factor that it's a must when you buy something with your heart&soul not with your mind. Looks japanese, sorry
--
There is no try. Just do.
ISUK:
The high sidewalls on the rear tyres do look a bit strange at first but you become familiar with them after a little while and they don't look so unusual.
I think I've posted before that the cabin feels smaller than a 430. The front trunk is also smaller so I'm at a loss why this should be on a car that is actually slightly longer and higher than a 430 according to the dimensions in the brochure Part of the issue is down to the teardrop shape of the roof which starts to drop down qucker over the cabin than it did with the 430. This results in the roofline being lower above the rear of both doors which makes entry and exit more difficult for taller drivers.
Did the car you drive have standard seats? I found the race seat option gives greater room in the cabin and also seems to be much more comfortable.
I'd heard that the throttle is quite sharp in terms of response. My dealer said it takes a little getting used to but can be driven smoothly. I think he said it alters slightly with the manetinno setting but I may be mistaken.
The performance issue against the Gen2 turbo doesn't surprise me. These cars are all now so quick that it really takes a lot of development money to make any real difference in this area and start shaving noticeable time off acceleration on cars set up for everyday road use. The days of being 0.5 of a second apart have long gone. If straight bang for buck was all that mattered we'd all be driving Nissan GTRs
agree with you lain.. on another note, i am keeping my gtr along with the 458. i am simply in love with that car, and it just kills every other car on the road, including the new turbo, but of course my car is modified with around 620hp
2010 Ferrari 458 Italia (April)
2009 nissan GTR
2007 BMW M5
14.04.2010 23:51:18
nberry:
I suspected this would happen. The 997.2 Turbo PDK is lightning on wheels. I also will surmise that its Ring time will be faster or at least as fast as the 458. So one has to ask what does the 458 offer over and above the PDK Turbo? Certainly not reliability, quality of construction and performance/value.
After options, the 458 will cost over $100,000 more than a fully optioned Turbo. I suppose the difference is the unique Ferrari styling and restricted production. In the past, I always justified the Ferrari purchased based on the resale value. In today's economic environment, I am not sure any car resale value will hold up including Ferrari.
That said, like Kreso I am not making a decision until I get the call to order one. This much I will say, I have not being pestering the dealership for the call.
sounds like a gt-r guy talking about porsche and now there are porsche guys talking about FERRARI.