Meet the two new prime specimens in the supercar league; first up, there's Ferrari's brand new replacement to the already perfect 458 Italia, the
488 GTB. Then, in the McLaren side, the much accessible but soon to be a classic
570S. With two new cars already arrived at the hearts of many car enthusiasts, everyone's going to be extra jealous, wishing they want to have a go in one of these.
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| 2016 McLaren 570S |
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| 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB |
First, let's take a look at the Ferrari 488 GTB, the latest replacement to the 458 Italia. At first glance, it looks nearly identical to the old 458 but with the LaFerrari-inspired nose, you can't really tell the difference between them. On the inside, it remains the same old Ferrari lunacy because there are buttons hidden in the back of the steering wheel, which makes the driver harder to memorize where the windscreen wipers or the headlights or any other stuff are.
The inside job wasn't the least of the problem here because under the hood lies a newly developed 4.0L Twin Turbo V8 engine and before you can say sacrilege, this powertrain makes the 488 the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the legendary F40, which means it's got form. When you get the car running, you will notice how weak the exhaust note is unlike the sound from the 458. Despite all the turbocharging involved that resulted to its 670PS of power output (more than what you get from the Lamborghini Huracan and the McLaren 650S), you will still notice a faint hearing of the exhaust notes. Sounds good but there's no hint of snarling like most supercars do.
While you're still moaning about the noise of the 488's V8 twin turbo engine makes, you should know that with all that power and the Formula One-inspired 7-speed double clutch gearbox, the new 488 goes from 0-100kph in less than three seconds and onwards to over 330kph. This is a definite point why Ferrari still is the king of the supercar realm and whoever tries to dethrone it, will dethrone its rivals in retaliation.
With all that retaliation against McLaren's 650S and Lamborghini's Huracan, its Formula One-inspired dynamics really employed in the 488, delivering a racecar-like feel when used on the track and as a result, this is probably one of the best V8-powered Ferraris to drive if you're not complaining how weak the new V8's noise is.
Now what about McLaren's new baby supercar, the 570S? Well, this is the baby McLaren everyone's talking about and it slots below the 650S in the lineup. It still has McLaren's 3.8L V8 Twin Turbo engine but it produces a titular 570PS of power and 600Nm of torque. It will do 0-100kph in 3.2 seconds and onwards to 328kph, two less than the 488, but let's remember that the 570S weighs 57kg less than the 488,
When you pit these two in a drag race, you will see that it's going to be a close one between the McLaren and the Ferrari. And if by close one, I mean of course, an exciting one presumably.
What about dynamics? Well, with all the race-inspired tech that embraced most McLarens for decades, the 570S is no-brainer. It sure loves to slice through corners like a sharp scalpel with surgical precision and when it comes to fun, well, it's not half bad to have one a go. It maybe not as sharp as its big brother, the 650S, but for a baby McLaren, the 570S loves to rise from the challenges set by the track gods. Despite looking shoddy in terms of design, the 570S is a serious performer on the road and on the track. With all that tech implied, this feels like it's set from the futuristic world.
So, do you have a choice between those two? Well, for a recap, both the 488 and the 570S are well honed on the track thanks to its motorsports roots implied but because decisions can be as complicated as your social status quo, it's up to the drivers to decide which one is the best but under Ferrari's right, best to aware that the 488 holds no substitutes because Ferrari knows there's no turning back now when it comes to retaliate against the supercar oppositions.
