Who can get over the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia? It makes all of us wild, and every one of us emerges from the car absolutely overcome, as if we'd just had a time-travel experience in a nuclear-powered Hot Wheels, some kind of amazing amalgam of sports car, child's toy and science gizmo.
Can the Ferrari 458 really be that much better than every other sports car on the planet? Is this really just a Ferrari sports car, or is it something else — something more like the Ferrari Enzo, an extreme experience of speed and style?
We've got some pretty reputable sports cars here just to help us come to grips with this question: the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and Porsche 911 Turbo. By rights, this is the competitive set for the Ferrari 458 Italia, a group of cars that represents the same kind of performance profile.
And in measuring the Ferrari 458 Italia against these cars, will we discover that Ferrari has ratcheted up our expectations of what a street-legal sports car can achieve? Is this Ferrari a sports car or a supercar?
Can we ask more questions?
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage puts out 510 horsepower in a relatively calm fashion. To save you the math, that's 86 hp per liter, a fairly prodigious amount. Shame they didn't simply make the hood transparent so you could count the cylinders one by one with a trembling voice and a shaking hand. After all, you only really notice the engine's voice when you back off the throttle and hear the salute from the exhausts. When you do deploy the power, the countryside smudges beyond the windows and you really don't need 3-D glasses to feel like you're plunging into the view screen.
At the first corner you're well aware that the V12 engine is definitely in the front of this car, although the suspension has been firmed up by 45 percent compared to the V8 Vantage, including a lower ride height and massive antiroll bars. At 3,594 pounds, the V12 Vantage isn't that heavy, but it carries a lot more of it on the front tires than the V8 Vantage. The rear bar is particularly thick to unstick the rear tires and make the cornering balance livelier.
"Isn't she beautiful; she's really feminine," says a woman of not inconsiderable taste. We can see Aston-shape stars forming before her eyes. Certainly the Vantage is one of those cars you look forward to washing by hand. If this comparison were a measure of elegance, the Aston Martin would have walked away with the prize long before the others even found the podium.
In terms of pure performance, however, the Aston is well off the pace of the red devil from Italy. Beautifully balanced on the road, the V12 Vantage maintains a certain British reserve, even though it represents the largest engine in the smallest package among these cars. But then isn't an Aston Martin all about sipping your drink rather than knocking back a single shot?
Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
The most dramatic of our foursome has to be the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. Our female Aston Martin enthusiast proclaims, "That's a car for Batman." Here you wonder that if you were to scribe the curves in the same way as you would with the Aston, you might actually cut yourself.
You floor the throttle and all the visual stealth is transformed into a good old-fashioned missile.
Much of the reason can be seen behind the rear window, a 5,204cc V10 that's capable of 552 hp. It revs to the sky and delivers dollops of power, something that can be achieved progressively in a high gear or violently in a lower one simply by dropping down two or three ratios with the shift paddles mounted on the steering column. It's at low and medium revs, however, that the new adoption of direct fuel injection is felt in the V10's stronger response.
The Graziano-built single-clutch automated manual transmission has improved software to make it more tractable at restrained speeds, but it never can quite match the friendly behavior of the Ferrari's Getrag-built dual-clutch automated manual. We'll just have to wait for the redesign of the Gallardo before we can expect a dual-clutch in this car or the Audi R8, as there's not enough packaging space right now.
One thing the Lamborghini has that the Ferrari does not is all-wheel drive, and the Superleggera's torque split of 30 percent front/70 percent rear ensures the car still has a lively, sporting feel. This is like having your mozzarella and eating it, too, as they say in Emilia Romagna. So although the Gallardo lacks the tiptoe deftness of the 458 Italia, it does deliver a much greater level of usability. After all, you might think twice about driving the Ferrari any great distance in a rainstorm.
Porsche 911 Turbo
The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo has gone all Dopplekupplung on us. Although we say this in jest because Porsche was the first to experiment with a dual-clutch (dopplekuplung) transmission clear back in the 1980s with its Porsche 962 racing car. It's a reminder that the popularity of super sports cars these days has a lot to do with the newfound ability to drive them in everyday life that these automatic-style transmissions have brought us.
Of course, the shape of the Porsche 911 has been with us for decades and it's become part of the landscape. On the one hand this is reassuring proof of the rightness of the original design, but on the other you could begin to wonder whether Porsche is lacking in the originality department. It's also a bit disappointing that the new Turbo is a lot more discreet than the original 1976 Turbo. The rear wing is a little on the apologetic side and the car generally feels like much less of an event.
Some things don't change, however, such as when you floor the throttle and all the visual stealth is transformed into a good old-fashioned missile. The twin-turbo engine feels like a turbine, producing pure unending thrust right from the bottom of the tachometer. Add the PDK transmission (now available with optional shift paddles, which make the PDK seem like more of a manual transmission than the standard steering wheel buttons, which make it seem like an automatic), and you really wonder whether you're actually driving the world's fastest CVT-equipped car, since the slight squat in the back that you feel as you start to accelerate is maintained all the way up to 186 mph.
The feeling of omnipotence is further reinforced by the 911 Turbo's all-wheel-drive system, which makes weather conditions essentially irrelevant. This is the ultimate GT car, something you can take to the limit on the track and then drive to the ski slopes on holiday. The Porsche 911 Turbo might be the best attempt yet to persuade us that a gazillion-dollar sports car is not a frivolous trinket but instead an essential tool for life.
Ferrari 458 Italia
So, which bee exactly has stung the Cavallino for it to rear up with such energy this time around? Normally, Ferrari condescends to allow its rival in Sant'Agata to lead the way in the horsepower stakes, but this time the Ferrari 458 Italia is right in the thick of the horsepower race, only 10 hp shy of the Gallardo LP-570-4 Superleggera.
The Italia's bodywork has movable aero whiskers at the front and there are lots of other small details like this that bear witness to the hours spent in the wind tunnel. Ferrari's midengine sports car really has morphed into something that is genuinely intriguing from a visual perspective, evidence of an inspired creative regeneration. It is a perfect blend of the functional and the beautiful, the aggressive and the elegant.
The acceleration is pure electricity, and the dual-clutch transmission ensures that there is no letup in the power delivery, much like the Porsche 911 Turbo. The difference here is that you get to savor every last decibel. Meanwhile, the chassis seems to anticipate your every wish, and there's no delay between your command and the response from the car. You think about where you want to go and the car simply responds, as if it is hard wired to your synapses. Bearing this in mind, you've got to stay on your toes if you want to stay out of trouble. The Italia is more than happy to let you cruise along a sunny coast, elbow resting on the window sill, but it will also instantly go down the rabbit hole and into an altogether different world if you're not careful.
Though initially the Ferrari strikes us as less hard-core than the LP570-4 Superleggera version of the Gallardo, the 458 Italia is still able to hold its own, and once the inevitable Scuderia version of the 458 appears, there will be no question of this Ferrari's ability to prevail against not only the Lamborghini but also the Porsche 911 GT2 and Porsche 911 GT3.
The reason the Ferrari 458 Italia can do this is the sheer range of electronic adjustability built into every mechanical aspect of the car: engine performance, throttle action, shifting speed, differential action, damping calibration and stability control. Thanks to these features, a pure-bred performance car can be driven daily as if it were a GT. The Ferrari 458 Italia is the world's most comfortable racing car.
Italy vs. the Rest of the World
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage pounds away. The Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera use dynamite. The Porsche 911 Turbo is a hurricane. They all go about things in different ways, but one thing is for sure: They all smash pretty much everything else on the road to pieces.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is less discreet than the Porsche 911 Turbo, less spectacular than the Lamborghini Gallardo and less distinguished than the Aston Martin. It is less aurally explosive than the LP570-4 Superleggera and less musical than the V12 Vantage. It is less weather-friendly than the 911 Turbo and Gallardo. And yet the Ferrari 458 Italia trumps them all because sports-car performance is so intense. The 458 Italia is the car you want to use to wear out a racetrack, and that's the deciding factor.
This is a very exciting period in which to live, as the boundaries of automotive performance seem to be expanding every day.
Portions of this content have appeared in foreign print media and are reproduced with permission.
Add A Comment »
rlyon says:
01:05 PM, 08/03/2010
Where are the Aston and more importantly the Lambo pics? I mean Ferrari got like 10 pics and we can't get any Lambo interiors?!?? The missing images made me mad so I won't even bother reading about things I can't see. I'm bummed now.
vikasdesai says:
08:25 PM, 08/01/2010
Ferrari wins again, lambo is damn close though, but unlike the f430 this ferrari looks amazing, a true future car that actually looks good and doesn't leave us longing for old school daytonas , californias and gto's this car is right there with the styling and has amazing performance to boot. truly a wonderous engineering achievement to be enjoyed by those who probably are douchebags
coloradosilver says:
11:46 AM, 07/30/2010
Great article. But how can you do this sort of comparo and not have a video to go with it?
If you're reviewing the best performance cars in the world, just having pictures doesn't cut it.
Thanks for the article though.
beermagazine says:
10:35 AM, 07/30/2010
I saw a 458 the other day and it's simply stunning in person.
hn4u says:
10:00 AM, 07/30/2010
i know this is the ultimate luxury plus performance comes at one but where is the Nissan GTR, it will smoke all of those cars that are valued so high. if a car can go faster then all of those i wonder why its not features with them and its even cheaper, but from personal openion i dont like how the GTR LOOKS. its fast though.
zackd44 says:
08:09 AM, 07/30/2010
idk why but the ferrari doesnt do it for me. I thik it should be a video game car. I would love to own one dont get me wrong but it wouldnt be my first choice. I'd take the aston out of this comparo but i would also take an f430 over the italia
cmike2780 says:
07:23 AM, 07/30/2010
zackd44 says:
"i know im going to get bashed for this one lol but...
in the last pic on the 2nd slide where the Ferrari and aston face eachother
doesnt the ferrari from the rear quarter window back look like an altima coupe?"
-NO!
cmike2780 says:
07:18 AM, 07/30/2010
The 911 looks so out of place. The 458 is one of the sexiest car to come out in the last decade if not longer.
The GTR & Corvette are monsters in the performance department, but it would be like inviting Larry the Cable Guy to a formal dinner party. Sure it would be entertaining, but this guest list is only limited to the refined. This wasn't a real performance comparison anyways.
steveo2 says:
07:10 PM, 07/29/2010
Why no GTR? While it may have great performance, it isn't much of a looker and lacks the pedigree these cars have.
bearsdkillz says:
06:44 PM, 07/29/2010
There's no GTR in this comparision, because it would humiliate all of these cars. That is why there is no GTR.
alexstore says:
05:59 PM, 07/29/2010
In my opinion, R8 v10 was not included because it is essentially Lamborghini Gallardo in Audi trim.
Like some previous posters said if I had money I will take all of them , but than again if i am buying all 4 , I will have enough cash for Veyron SS. I work right next to a dealership , which sells all these cars except for Ferrari and I think all of them are beautiful in their own way.
Porsche's design needs a significant change ( look at Jaguar). To an untrained guy all their cars look the same. They might be some of the best performance cars on the road, but common guys its 2010 and this car can trace it's design back to 1940's.
cr_driver says:
05:28 PM, 07/29/2010
After reading yesterday the comparo between the Audi R8 V10, SLS AMG, and 911 Turbo of Motor Trend and then coming here to read this one, I gotta say, this steak barely had any meat!!
So, Im gonna answer like this review deserves, barely some words:
Ferrari 458 Italia for me, thank you.
sportyaccordy says:
04:41 PM, 07/29/2010
I can't say no to a modern MR V8 Ferrari. The Rambo is the only car that comes close, and in person it looks like an upside down saucer. It doesn't have the intensity of a Diablo, the presence of a Murci or the sexuality of a Frrrrrri. The rest of the cars, as great as they are in isolation, are flawed in comparison to the 458. Can't wait for the uncapped Scuderia, though I do hope it captures the magic of the 360 Stradale... the Scuderia was great but it didn't have the magic of the Stradale...
GREAT article by the way, I've been waiting to see the Ferrari go against the world's best. Glad to see no GT-R here as well...
coolb944 says:
03:28 PM, 07/29/2010
I saw a 458 Italia on the road for the first time out here in LA. Truly stunning in person. I'd take it or the Lamborghini before the other two. They may seem loud and obnoxious to some ( I mean the styling, not the engine notes), or douchebag to others, but their styling still conveys supercar far more than the 911 or Aston, which scream GT. As far as I know, I'm not what one would consider a douchebag, but the italians have a style that says speed. Plus, you want something that costs you $200k to look like it does. I mean, you don't buy an Audemars Piguet for $20,000 with the intention of it looking like the $20 Timex from Rite Aid. I made the money, I spent the money, I want the car to look like it cost that much, not just drive like it. If I want a car that drives like a $200k car but doesn't look or cost that much, I can go get a ZR1 or GTR and be done with it. That's not the point here.
I can appreciate the beauty of the Aston, and would not be at all unhappy owning it, but seriously speaking, I'm surprised that Aston has been able to get away with such significantly lower power ratings from its V12s than the competition. This is the same V12 from the DBS, and their top model should be making over 600hp to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. Obviously the same people don't necessarily shop those cars together, as they have decidely different missions. But still, Aston's engines are getting left in the dust. A V12 with 490 in the DB9 and 510 in the DBS/V12 Vantage? Mass market cars with V12s are making more, like the BMW V12 or Mercedes V12 (yes, I know it's turbocharged, but still).
cargeek5 says:
03:11 PM, 07/29/2010
Is the 458 Italia beautiful or what?
alex38 says:
02:46 PM, 07/29/2010
@ zackd44
"skip the Bentley and range rover. Get something limited production: Zonda, ssc ultimate aero, Koenigsegg CCX"
Nice..
zwiedower says:
02:13 PM, 07/29/2010
Wheres the GT-R in this comparo? Lame....
dc325ix says:
01:57 PM, 07/29/2010
really.....no R8 v10 - aside from that loved the article, being a car guy I'll take any one of these as to me they're all amazing cars.
bxdriver says:
01:23 PM, 07/29/2010
The Ferrari 458 is the only car out of this group that I would truly consider to be "exotic" and special. Today these "new" Lamborghinis and Aston Martins are all over the place and can be had for a mere fraction of there orginial purchase price on the used car market. Cant say the same for a Ferrari F430.
IMO nothing on the road today says "pure sportscar" like the F458. This thing looks like it was designed from the headlights to the taillights to be nothing but fast and furious. Yet at the same time it is a very classy and clean design like the Porsche Cayman. Without a single touch of "retro" Ferrari has a 21 century car that clearly show it lineage to the orginial mid-engineed Ferrari the 206 Dino.
The Vantage is a car that with the exception of its exhaust note, just isnt anything to get excited about. It looks nice but it also looks about as "rich" as a G37 coupe (on the outside). Lets not forget that the V12 stuffed under the hood began life as two Ford duratec V6s mated together. The origins of the engine speak a great deal about the brand and the car, brand name before engineering.
The Gallardo is the Bentley Conti of Italian Sportscars. This is the true douchebag car! I get the impression that Lamborghini is giving these things away. When you see Italian "exotics" with oversized chrome rims and stylized chrome license plate frames you know something is just plain wrong. The description of Batmobile is dead one for the Gallardo. I could care less how fast this thing is or what it can do on the road, cause nothing screams no taste/ no class louder either Lambo model.
The Porsche 911 Turbo is a paradox today. Like it or not Nissan has given this model one hell of a b-slapping with its GT-R. Which is the better performer can be debated all day long BUT the GT-R does show that Prosche has NOT been "thinking outside of the box" for a very long time. I mean come on; what would the GT-R be like IF it shared the same list price as a 911 Turbo? There was once a time when the Ferrari 328 was the POS pretender and the 911 Turbo was the real deal. Now it appears that the 911 exist simple because there must be a 911 in the world.
zackd44 says:
12:52 PM, 07/29/2010
but stretched a little bit obviously
zackd44 says:
12:50 PM, 07/29/2010
i know im going to get bashed for this one lol but...
in the last pic on the 2nd slide where the Ferrari and aston face eachother
doesnt the ferrari from the rear quarter window back look like an altima coupe?
bearsdkillz says:
12:44 PM, 07/29/2010
@ varien
Yeah, I know VW has a big part in the lambo mainly the drivetrain, but the 911 was derived off the beetle, and it still to me looks like a stretched beetle. I would never pay my money for it.
jguan says:
12:26 PM, 07/29/2010
@alman08
You got me there, I was thinking back to my younger days when "Cuz" was used.
andrew20 says:
11:28 AM, 07/29/2010
Dials that turns counterclockwise is beyond me.
Aston Martin has one.
desmolicious says:
11:08 AM, 07/29/2010
The Audi R8 v10 should have been included in the test.
And the Porsche they should have picked would be the GT2Rs, which is comparative to the Ferrari in price.
Basically the cars in this 'test' were picked to favour the Ferrari. I'm not saying that the Ferrari would not have won anyway, it ju.st would have been a more relevant victory
aston_dbs says:
10:25 AM, 07/29/2010
As you may know from my name, I'll take DBS's little brother anytime.
Gallardo is next, but it's so low I don't think I can drive it everyday.
Since the 1st time I saw 458, I just don't get it...
It may be a Ferrari, but IMHO, it looks like a bloody mess.
F430 is the last Ferrari that I LOVE...
911 T looks like any other 911 out there with all the make-up.
But Aston? It's just Stunningly SUPER SEXY!
alman08 says:
09:48 AM, 07/29/2010
jguan, do you know the word "cause" and the word "because" have different meanings?
exnevadan says:
09:33 AM, 07/29/2010
Vantage - I'm old and staid, and it's the most beautiful and usable, has a real gearbox and clutch and sounds amazing
Gallardo - next
458 - after Lambo
911 turbo - last, and it'd be a GT3 over the turbo, GT3 sounds amazing and has a real gearbox and clutch
no R8 V10 or (or heaven forbid an American) ZR1? if it's all about performance for 100k-300k, can't leave them out whereas one can leave out the Aston.
jguan says:
09:01 AM, 07/29/2010
@kring5
That's what is so great about the 911 Turbos/GT3/GT2, only true enthusiasts would be able to tell the difference and recognize what is so special about each model. I'm sure more than half of the people who buy the GT3 or Turbo buy it for the way it drives, not to stand out on the street.
I personally wouldn't want a Ferrari or a Lambo cause it just screams, "Look at me! I'm rich! I'm probably a douce too!"
Styling wise, I'd say the Aston is the prettiest, but that of course is my opinion. To me, the 458 seems to try to look beautiful, yet flamboyant like a Lambo at the same time. And that just does not work. It looks like the back end is smashed in and the the nose got pancaked .
kring5 says:
08:19 AM, 07/29/2010
Porsche is just so dated - not even in the running, the style is old and nothing distigushes it on the road, can't tell if it's a base 1994 911, or a loaded 2010 911 TT. If I drop $60K over the base model I want it to stand out... actually there shouldn't even be a base model to be in this group. you don't have an option to get a $59K Lambo.
Lambo to me is hideously lined and is not pleasing to the eye at all. feels very dated and modular. Does it have a tow hitch? sure performance is great but in today's world it's not just how fast you took me to 100mph, but in what style did you get me there.
So it comes down to Aston and Ferrari. and that's going to depend on it's use. if this is your everyday driver then get the Aston. but if you drive a Porsche (or Toyota) everyday and you want a weekend thriller. it's the Ferrari.
IMO the Ferrari is the best they have ever made on all aspects. Individually it beats every car hands down in every category (style, engine, tranny), it's short coming to me is the interior, a little to stock-car designed for my taste.
fuhteng says:
06:58 AM, 07/29/2010
I still think the 458 looks like a snake. I don't know if that is a bad thing or not, but every time I see it I think snake. I would still prefer it over anybody else here though. I wonder what its reliability will be with all those electronics. Probably not good.
stingray454 says:
06:39 AM, 07/29/2010
"This is the ultimate GT car, something you can take to the limit on the track and then drive to the ski slopes on holiday."
Ski slopes? Yeah, I'd like to see that with the summer tires it comes with. Even AWD won't overcome how bad wide summer tires are in the snow. Not to mention the car has what, 2 inches of ground clearance? Yeah, that works well in the deep stuff. And who exactly will drive their $150k+ sports car through salt, slush, sand, and grime they put down on snow covered roads?
Makes sense on paper, but in reality its a big fail.
kacobra says:
06:34 AM, 07/29/2010
The choice is easy:
You kiss French
Dress Italian
DRIVE GERMAN!
Porsche!!!!!
Yes I know the Aston isn't French, but the saying doesn't account for the English and their cars:)
zoomzoomn says:
05:44 AM, 07/29/2010
It's like trying to choose between four incredible super models. Each will more than stir the senses, but which one do you really want to wake up next to every morning. For me, that car is the Aston!
hero_sina says:
05:07 AM, 07/29/2010
@dynasty929
It's big boys game , Kids can't join them.
mrbacon says:
04:16 AM, 07/29/2010
I really feel like the 458 would be better with a third pedal and a gated shifter to go along with it.
*sigh*
dynasty929 says:
03:57 AM, 07/29/2010
Where is Audi R8 GT??
scottyscooter says:
03:10 AM, 07/29/2010
Man, wealthy people have it pretty rough; could you imagine actually having to make a decision as tough as choosing among these cars? I would probably end up driving away in the Ferrari. That, or else just make even more money so I could buy all 4! Wait...how am I going to drive away in 4 cars at once? I'll have to plan on saving up a little extra so I can hire 3 drivers...
cino_iconic says:
03:03 AM, 07/29/2010
Minus performance category, I would take any of them except Ferrari 458 Italia.
zackd44 says:
03:03 AM, 07/29/2010
skip the Bentley and range rover. Get something limited production
Zonda
ssc ultimate aero
Koenigsegg CCX
alex38 says:
02:14 AM, 07/29/2010
Having these 4 cars in a garage would make for a pretty sweet garage.. Add a Bently, Range Rover and Audi R8 and you'd have a nice portfolio of rides for every day of the week..
varien says:
10:42 PM, 07/28/2010
@bearsdkillz: a stretched beetle? because of the original beetles rear engined design, or because volkswagen auto group has a hand in porsche? i only ask because i feel the need to point out that volkswagen also has a hand in that lamborghini too ;P
bearsdkillz says:
10:07 PM, 07/28/2010
It's between the Aston or Lambo for me. Can't lose with either choice.
jguan says:
10:03 PM, 07/28/2010
Aston all the way. Cause you know every rich CEO/Banker/Financial Expert/Movie Star/Real Estate Dude/Etc. will get the Ferrari and/or Lamborghini.
bearsdkillz says:
09:53 PM, 07/28/2010
That Ferrari is the ugliest i've ever seen.
The Aston is the looker of the group, no doubt, but not really great performance like always.
The 911 is and always will be a stretched out beetle with turbos.
I'll take that LAMBO.
;-)
luxurycarlover says:
09:32 PM, 07/28/2010
I would still rathe have the Aston Martin V12 Vantage...just so unbelievably nice...that Ferrari is also amazing to tho