What does it cost?
Ferrari 458 Coupe full 9 point review
-
Performance
It's fast. With a 570bhp 4.5-litre V8, of course it's fast, and the seven-speed twin-clutch semi-auto gearbox is more than capable of keeping up with the engine. However, it's the breadth of ability that really gets you. With the gearbox in full automatic mode, it will dawdle through town at 35mph in seventh gear. Seventh! Astonishingly flexible.
-
Ride & Handling
Ferrari has opted for multi-link rear suspension in place of the double wishbones it has traditionally favoured, and there's incredibly direct steering (two turns lock-to-lock), magnetic-fluid suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes and an evolution of the Formula One-derived traction and stability controls. The result is a car that grips, turns and stops like you wouldn't believe, rides well for a 200mph-plus supercar, and lets you choose how much electronic assistance you want.
-
Refinement
It depends what you mean by refinement, really. Floor the accelerator and the decibel count rises significantly, although anyone with the remotest interest in cars will find the sounds soul-stirring rather than irritating. At low speed or when cruising the 458 is actually reasonably quiet, and the engine/transmission are very smooth. There's considerable road noise on coarse surfaces – a legacy of the fat rear tyres – but little wind noise at UK-legal speeds.
-
Buying & Owning
Of course, the 458 is fantastically expensive to buy, and running costs will be just as astronomical. If you’re wealthy enough to even consider buying one, though, this won’t matter a jot – the lengthy waiting list proves that. On the plus side, a four-year warranty is standard, and you won’t have to worry about the strength of the Ferrari’s resale values.
-
Quality & Reliability
Buy an Italian supercar – expect trouble. Sorry, but it doesn't work like that any more. Ferraris are every bit as reliable as sports cars produced over the other side of the Alps, in southern Germany – and every bit as well-made and finished. The 458's interior is just lovely to look at and touch.
-
Safety & Security
The 458 makes it unlikely you'll have an accident in the first place. With a versatile traction and stability control system, you can tailor it precisely to your own abilities and where you are driving it – on-road or on-track. The car's aluminium skeleton should provide superb crashworthiness, and there are all the expected passive safety features. A NavTrak system is part of the security armoury.
-
Behind The Wheel
Many of the controls – lights, wipers, indicators, damper adjustment, engine stop/start and traction control switch – are on the steering wheel itself, echoing the style if not the content of a Formula One car. This takes getting used to, the indicators especially. Also, the visibility at angled junctions is pretty awful.
-
Space & Practicality
The days when you made yourself fit in a Ferrari as best you could are long gone. The cabin is spacious and light, and there's room for light luggage behind the two seats to supplement the deep, if a little narrow, storage area under the bonnet.
-
Equipment
Standard kit includes leather upholstery, air-conditioning and a stereo system, but buyers will be far more interested in what they can add to personalise their car. A lot, is the answer, but none of it comes cheap. There’s the usual stuff – parking sensors, electric seats and sat-nav – and more off-the-wall stuff such as a bespoke luggage set that costs thousands of pounds.
What Car?
is brought to you by
Haymarket Consumer MediaWhat Car? is part of Haymarket Motoring
© Haymarket Media Group 2012
