458 review, 2 weeks in
Jul 29, 2013 | 06:52 PM
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458 review, 2 weeks in
I thought after 1500 miles it is now time to write down my thoughts on the 458. Amazingly you might think, I have found foibles with the car. Lets start with them.
1. The radio hardly picks up any stations anywhere. I suppose hardly anyone bothers to turn the thing on in the first place considering how poor the stock system is. Trouble for me is after investing so much In a system it would be nice to be able to use it.
2. The Bluetooth is not currently picking up my phonebook. This means I can accept calls just not make them without picking up the phone. Ferrari blame apple, the IT department blames Ferrari. I have left them to get together to try to sort this out.
3. The computer is nigh on impossible to use. I am having to schedule an hour with the service department to teach me what does what. I have fiddled with it by myself and think the main issue is menus are not here you expect them too be, there are too many menus and to few buttons.
4. The steering wheel buttons. There are too many. Just way too hard. Found more on the back of the steering wheel the other day. Madness. Even Ferrari seemed to be having difficulty last time I brought the car in.
5. There are a couple of minor squeaks from the dash now. Seems the where the leather meets the carbon fibre air vents, when you are gunning it they rub. Not so bothered about this, shows handmade charicter to me.
6. The iPod does not have an easy search function for tunes if you have a lot of them. To get round this I am having to make a few playlists which would be easier to find in a sub menu. Means a real fiddle though. Ergonomics!!!
Now the good bits!
It looks amazing, it is something very special, something very aspirational that causes a lot of attention however so far all positive. I have to say I was expecting wanker signs and 'rich twat' shouted at every high street however it turns out the attention it gets is exactly the opposite to that. At the petrol station everyone wants to be your friend, I have had people coming over introducing themselves then shaking my hand and saying congratulations ! They ask questions, say what a nice car it is and give a thumbs up. Driving down the high street it's "nice car mate!" And thumbs up all round. When my brother had a phantom cab it was the total opposite, for that reason he lasted less than a week with that car. People love the car and the brand, are genuinely interested and want to be a part of the experience. This is a big change from the RS, which deserves at least as much attention, yet never got it. I now need my social hat on every time I get out the car! Something to get used to, but all part of the experience, and to be honest nice to share. If I was in their shoes, probably would do exactly the same thing.
Personally I thin the car is both pretty and elegant. The lines, detail and shape ooze budget Supercar. It could be nothing else than a Ferrari and in black I believe makes it very stylish in sports car terms. A fashion piece, or art. The specialness real does give you a sense of pride of ownership I have not had with another car. You care about a Ferrari, you worry about where to to park it. It is all part of the experience - which again makes it special.
The cabin is possibly even more special than the outside of the car. The materials and stitch colours are perfect. Class a cow, class a carbon. All the detail and laid on pieces to the dash are not what you find in a German car. It is not a one piece mould, it's a few moulds wrapped in different leathers or alcantara's or carbon held together by a red stitch. 458 italla and Ferrari badges on the inside further add to experience. The racing seats are sensational. so many parts to them that need to be wrapped in leather and alcantara. as Someone in the fashion business i can see the costs involved in all this detail and its outstanding. As I have said previously, it's like being inside a balenciaga handbag. No better cabin around IMHO.
Then there is the engine. I have never been in an engine so responsive. So much power anywhere in the rev range. Even in the Porsche there were times where I wished there was just a bit more power, or I felt the delivery a bit lazy. The 458 I never feel that. As soon as you commit to putting your foot down the engine delivers such a silky linear experience with no holes in the rev range whatsoever. It is so ****img fast, i read faster to 100 than the might macca f1, however its not just the speed its how it delivers it in such manageable yet exciting way. i have alot of time for the gearbox too now. in the m3 i find the paddles a waste of time, might as well drive them in auto. in the 458 they feel like real race paddles. yes they are very fast by put they kick you in the back and add analoge excitement to the process. i never expected this out of a twin clutch box. The noise it makes is a little synthetic at low revs, but ring it's neck and it howls like nothing else, get off the power and it coughs, cracks and spits. It's totally raucous. It drowns everything out, as the Brighton crew with testify, the poor zonda couldn't get a word in
The ride is one of the most impressive traits. There are 2 suspension settings, race and comfort. Comfort is what I use the majority of the time as it soaks up potholes and bumps with ease. In fact it almost feels like a very well sorted and balanced normal car in this setting. Very usable for everyday or for wig swift progress down a sweeping bumpy back double. In hard mode you can feel straight away the car sets its claws in to the ground. It tucks in and takes it, so much grip out of shitty tyres. Easily can cope with what the rs could on cups. It stays so damn flat too. I have noticed though that the tyres go before the chassis does. Some stickier tyres and a geo I believe will help, doing a geo sat.
Another feat of brilliance they have managed is the steering. 2 locks and a perfect steering wheel brings a lot of excitement to every corner. It loads up nicely and is so quick it can make you quite a brilliant driver when it gets a bit slippy. So much fun.
I thought this car was expensive when I first bought it, well it still is but it's certainly not over priced. I think there is real bang for your buck in this car and out of everything I have driven there was simply no comparable out there. Nothing to choose between. This was and is the car for me
1. The radio hardly picks up any stations anywhere. I suppose hardly anyone bothers to turn the thing on in the first place considering how poor the stock system is. Trouble for me is after investing so much In a system it would be nice to be able to use it.
2. The Bluetooth is not currently picking up my phonebook. This means I can accept calls just not make them without picking up the phone. Ferrari blame apple, the IT department blames Ferrari. I have left them to get together to try to sort this out.
3. The computer is nigh on impossible to use. I am having to schedule an hour with the service department to teach me what does what. I have fiddled with it by myself and think the main issue is menus are not here you expect them too be, there are too many menus and to few buttons.
4. The steering wheel buttons. There are too many. Just way too hard. Found more on the back of the steering wheel the other day. Madness. Even Ferrari seemed to be having difficulty last time I brought the car in.
5. There are a couple of minor squeaks from the dash now. Seems the where the leather meets the carbon fibre air vents, when you are gunning it they rub. Not so bothered about this, shows handmade charicter to me.
6. The iPod does not have an easy search function for tunes if you have a lot of them. To get round this I am having to make a few playlists which would be easier to find in a sub menu. Means a real fiddle though. Ergonomics!!!
Now the good bits!
It looks amazing, it is something very special, something very aspirational that causes a lot of attention however so far all positive. I have to say I was expecting wanker signs and 'rich twat' shouted at every high street however it turns out the attention it gets is exactly the opposite to that. At the petrol station everyone wants to be your friend, I have had people coming over introducing themselves then shaking my hand and saying congratulations ! They ask questions, say what a nice car it is and give a thumbs up. Driving down the high street it's "nice car mate!" And thumbs up all round. When my brother had a phantom cab it was the total opposite, for that reason he lasted less than a week with that car. People love the car and the brand, are genuinely interested and want to be a part of the experience. This is a big change from the RS, which deserves at least as much attention, yet never got it. I now need my social hat on every time I get out the car! Something to get used to, but all part of the experience, and to be honest nice to share. If I was in their shoes, probably would do exactly the same thing.
Personally I thin the car is both pretty and elegant. The lines, detail and shape ooze budget Supercar. It could be nothing else than a Ferrari and in black I believe makes it very stylish in sports car terms. A fashion piece, or art. The specialness real does give you a sense of pride of ownership I have not had with another car. You care about a Ferrari, you worry about where to to park it. It is all part of the experience - which again makes it special.
The cabin is possibly even more special than the outside of the car. The materials and stitch colours are perfect. Class a cow, class a carbon. All the detail and laid on pieces to the dash are not what you find in a German car. It is not a one piece mould, it's a few moulds wrapped in different leathers or alcantara's or carbon held together by a red stitch. 458 italla and Ferrari badges on the inside further add to experience. The racing seats are sensational. so many parts to them that need to be wrapped in leather and alcantara. as Someone in the fashion business i can see the costs involved in all this detail and its outstanding. As I have said previously, it's like being inside a balenciaga handbag. No better cabin around IMHO.
Then there is the engine. I have never been in an engine so responsive. So much power anywhere in the rev range. Even in the Porsche there were times where I wished there was just a bit more power, or I felt the delivery a bit lazy. The 458 I never feel that. As soon as you commit to putting your foot down the engine delivers such a silky linear experience with no holes in the rev range whatsoever. It is so ****img fast, i read faster to 100 than the might macca f1, however its not just the speed its how it delivers it in such manageable yet exciting way. i have alot of time for the gearbox too now. in the m3 i find the paddles a waste of time, might as well drive them in auto. in the 458 they feel like real race paddles. yes they are very fast by put they kick you in the back and add analoge excitement to the process. i never expected this out of a twin clutch box. The noise it makes is a little synthetic at low revs, but ring it's neck and it howls like nothing else, get off the power and it coughs, cracks and spits. It's totally raucous. It drowns everything out, as the Brighton crew with testify, the poor zonda couldn't get a word in
The ride is one of the most impressive traits. There are 2 suspension settings, race and comfort. Comfort is what I use the majority of the time as it soaks up potholes and bumps with ease. In fact it almost feels like a very well sorted and balanced normal car in this setting. Very usable for everyday or for wig swift progress down a sweeping bumpy back double. In hard mode you can feel straight away the car sets its claws in to the ground. It tucks in and takes it, so much grip out of shitty tyres. Easily can cope with what the rs could on cups. It stays so damn flat too. I have noticed though that the tyres go before the chassis does. Some stickier tyres and a geo I believe will help, doing a geo sat.
Another feat of brilliance they have managed is the steering. 2 locks and a perfect steering wheel brings a lot of excitement to every corner. It loads up nicely and is so quick it can make you quite a brilliant driver when it gets a bit slippy. So much fun.
I thought this car was expensive when I first bought it, well it still is but it's certainly not over priced. I think there is real bang for your buck in this car and out of everything I have driven there was simply no comparable out there. Nothing to choose between. This was and is the car for me
