Ferrari 488 GTB review, test drive

Ferrari forays into turbocharged territory with a smaller, twin-turbo V8 in the new 488 GTB. Hormazd Sorabjee gets in the driver’s seat.

Published on Aug 18, 2015 08:00:00 AM

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Dynamite dynamics

If there is one thing that can’t be faulted, it’s the handling of the 488, which is now at another level altogether. The 458 was one of the finest-handling sportscars of all time and the 488 is even better. The big revelation is how forgiving the 488 is, which makes it easy to exploit the extra power and torque, even for the average Ferrari driver.

The steering, which is borrowed from the 458 Speciale, is very quick but has a consistency and feel that lets you point and place this fairly wide sportscar with inch-perfect accuracy. Slowly building up speeds and digging into the vast reserves of grip, you discover how neutral and well-balanced the chassis is. What’s most impressive is that the sabre-sharp and agile handling doesn’t come at the expense of ride quality. Sure, the ride’s firm and there’s very little wheel travel, but switch to the ‘bumpy road’ setting for the dampers and the 488, on some very uneven, rural Italian roads peppered with rough patches, felt shockingly pliant.

The key to Ferrari’s subliminal ride and handling are the magnetorheological dampers, which, on the 488 GTB, have been improved to better absorb rough roads. The 488 GTB also comes with an updated or second-generation version of the Speciale’s Side Slip Control which, you guessed it, is called SSC2.

The good thing about SSC2 is that it not only optimises the electronically controlled limited slip differential, but also softens or firms the dampers subtly to put the power down better, especially on an uneven surface. This bodes well for Indian buyers who won’t have to contend with a skittish, bone-jarring ride on our poor roads.

We get back to Fiorano in time for a couple of hot laps to explore the GTB’s limits, which can only be done in the safe confines of a race track.

Rotating the Manettino to ‘CT Off’ mode, which disables the traction control but lets SSC2 do its job, accentuated the forgiving nature of the 488 GTB. I don’t usually have the guts to get the tail out in a supercar, not even on the track, but in the 488 GTB, such antics are exceptionally easy. The handling is remarkably neutral with just a hint of understeer in the tighter corners and when the rear wheels break traction, the slide is so progressive and easy to control. I can’t think of any other supercar that makes you feel more of a hero.