160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 30
160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 34
160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 31
160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 41
Sam Charlwood31 Aug 2016
REVIEW

Ferrari 488 GTB 2016 Review

Ferrari’s first turbocharged mid-engine V8 since the F40 packs an almighty punch.

Ferrari 488 GTB
Road Test

The fifth generation of Ferrari’s mid-engined supercar has arrived in Australia. With renewed competition from McLaren, Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche, the new 488 GTB answers the call luminously -- but it’s a very different type of car from its 458 predecessor.

The start-up process is much the same as any modern Ferrari. Push the steering wheel-mounted button on the new 488 GTB and it roars to life with the kind of raucous, unapologetically brash tones that are synonymous with the Prancing Horse. The kind that scare small children and the elderly...

The evocative burble at standing idle is also strongly reminiscent of any recent Ferrari. It’s not until you start probing the accelerator pedal on the move that the real defining feature of the firm’s latest supercar comes to the fore.

The 488 GTB is the replacement for the venerable 458 in the Italian car-maker’s line-up. It has a huge act to follow, and in doing so Ferrari has reverted to a formula not used on this level of supercar since the F40 of the 1980s and 1990s.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 05


Shrouded within the 488’s evocative and masculine rear lines and plumbed into its newly downsized 3.9-litre V8 engine are two twin-scroll turbochargers, which each weigh 8kg and use a titanium-aluminium compressor wheel to speed up the response.

Squeeze the right pedal, and the faint huff and whistle of air passing through either unit provides an apt reminder that there is something different about our Rosso Corsa red number, aside from a wider front grille, active front splitter and larger side air intakes externally.

When Ferrari announced it was bringing turbos into the mix for the successor to the 4.5-litre naturally-aspirated V8-powered 458, there was some understandable conjecture. However, the new engine produces sets of numbers that are very difficult to argue.

First, the 488 offers up a startling 492kW of power and 760Nm of torque. It streaks 0-100km/h in 3.0 seconds dead, notches 200km/h from rest in 8.3 seconds and has a top speed of more than 330km/h. Drawing a line in the sand which shows Ferrari’s future will be dictated by tightening fuel consumption regulations, the 488 also consumes a relatively frugal 11.4L/100km.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 24


And yet, in daily conveyance during our recent Melbourne-based test, the turbochargers bring calmness and linearity to the mix that truly belie the 488’s potential. The engine is devoid of many of the highly-strung tendencies that usually blight modern supercars.

It's linear, smooth and easy to operate, with the exception of some lurchiness from the accompanying seven-speed dual clutch automatic upon taking off.

We could go on to say how remarkable the lack of turbo lag is and how seamless the seven-speed is once up and running, gently seguing through its seven cogs. But the take-away feature from the 488 is its fiendishly quick turn of speed.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 41


Up the tempo and the engine responds with almost maniacal forward shove. The race to triple figures is one thing, but even more impressive is the car’s in-gear acceleration. Any gear, any revs – the 488 will shuffle back a couple of cogs and obliterate its way to the desired speed. If most quick road cars throw your head back in the seat, this does that and then some, actively peeling back the skin on your face at the same time.

All the while there is a nonchalance to the 488 that is simply unshakable. Even as it rattles towards its 8000rpm cut out – 1000rpm lower than the 458's – you’d swear the tacho is still down in the mid-range. The seven-speed is equally unflustered, even though it cannot match the surgically-precise dual-clutcher fitted to the new Audi R8 V10 Plus.

Pricing and Features
160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 33


The same can be said of the 488’s dynamics. Fitted with the same crisp and precise steering rack and magnetically-changeable dampers from the 458 – well, when you’re a good thing, right? – along with carbon ceramic brakes lifted with the LaFerrari hypercar, it is simply unperturbed by signposted speed limits.

Lateral grip from the 488’s sticky Michelin rubber is never headed, and the 1525kg machine feels unchallenged in the way it clings on during high speed pursuits and slow, twisty stuff alike. The steering is taut and responsive, providing constant feedback to the driver while feeling controlled at high speeds.

Speaking of which, the standard carbon ceramic brakes are immense in their stopping power and are nicely modulated through the pedal, a challenging combination.

Garnering further confidence is the car’s brilliant SSC2 electronic support system, which now measures throttle, electronically-variable differential and damper rate parameters to allow the driver to explore the optimum level of controllable performance.

Cars like the 488 should not be so easy to drive; and it’s not as though it scares the wits out of you – it can, especially with the Manettino switched to Race mode – but it does everything so well, and makes the driver look like Sebastian Vettel in doing so. You can floor the accelerator from rest and know the car will track true, for example.

The magnetic suspension, while expectedly stiff, is surprisingly pliant – to the point where you can leave it in its firm setting on rural roads without shaking up driver or passenger. Only the car’s constant tyre roar takes away from the sereneness and ease of vision.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 09


The sumptuous leather-clad cabin is resplendent in buttons and switchgear in the dashboard which are hardly befitting of a car of this price and magnitude. There was also a persistent rattle in the dashboard of our test example.

It shows that, when it boils down to priorities, the folk in Maranello aren’t all that concerned with interior aesthetics and storage. Carbon-backed bucket seats look and feel the part, especially with their support during sporty endeavours, while the obligatory steering-wheel switchgear controls most of the vehicle’s major moving functions.

The 488 does all this while arriving to Australia with a moderate $75K price snip over its predecessor. At $469,988 (plus on-road costs), you get a dual-zone climate-control, keyless start, carbon ceramic brakes, Ferrari’s ageing but effective multimedia infotainment system with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth audio.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 14


As you’d expect, there is no shortage of options available, either – some $124,000 worth on our test car. They include $22,000 for red paint, $5000 for a reversing camera, $4000 for a titanium sports exhaust and $13,0000 for a carbon fibre engine compartment.

Then there’s the noise. Making a turbo engine sound like a classic atmo is a tough assignment. The 488 sounds good, especially as you approach redline, but it cannot emulate the rampant audible drama of the 458, which really encapsulated its own mechanical-powered and digitally finessed character.

160818 Ferrari 488 GTB 17


The 488 simply cannot match the same in-car crescendo, which will lead many to the conclusion that it loses a fraction of the 458’s aura.

And yet, all of that appears a moot point to discerning buyers. The 488 GTB is subject to a two-year waiting list in Australia, similar to the equivalent Spider which officially launches in September. Both are proof that, in keeping up with the times and its competitors, the Italian marque has produced some of its finest work.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB

pricing and specifications:
Price:
$469,988 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V8
Output: 492kW/760Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 260g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Lamborghini Huracan (from $428,000 plus ORCs)
>> Audi R8 V10 Plus (from $389,800 plus ORCs)
>> McLaren 650S (from $464,000 plus ORCs)

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
87/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
19/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
12/20
Safety & Technology
17/20
Behind The Wheel
20/20
X-Factor
19/20
Pros
  • Ferociously quick
  • Physics-bending dynamics
  • User-friendly and engaging on fast roads
Cons
  • Lacks the aural drama of the 458
  • Dull dashboard switchgear
  • Australian speed limits
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