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Andrea Matthews26 Sept 2016
REVIEW

Ferrari 488 Spider 2016 Review

Convertible motoring just got a whole lot more desirable

Ferrari 488 Spider
Australian Launch
Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Ferrari has blown the roof off its 488 GTB coupe to bring its latest Spider model to the road. The turbocharged V8-powered 488 Spider is a staggering car that drops the jaws of onlookers and causes passing motorists to pull out their camera phones (but seriously, please stop that). Desire is so strong for the new convertible that if you ordered a car today, it won’t be in your driveway until 2018. The good news, however, is that if you’ve already placed your order then your 488 Spider will be well worth the wait.

Our admiration for the Ferrari 488 GTB is already on record. Colleague Sam Charlwood reviewed the coupé last month, declaring it both ‘ferociously quick’ yet ‘user friendly and engaging'.

Having driven the drop-top Spider model now too, my review could simply read “all of the above.”

Ferrari has succeeded in creating a convertible model which mirrors the attributes of its coupe twin with no noticeable variance in performance or composure, which can't be said for the coupe to convertible transformation of many vehicles.

If anything, the Spider adds an even greater connection between driver and car as the engine noise, while muted in comparison with the naturally-aspirated V8 from the 458 Italia coupe is maximised once the roof is retracted.

The Ferrari 488 Spider features a clever two-piece retractable hard-top which can be lowered or raised in 14 seconds at speeds of up to 40km/h, meaning it's quicker to operate but not at the same speeds of some.

The retractable hard-top’s design effectively makes the roof slimline, taking up less room than a conventional retractable hard-top while reducing weight over a soft-top by around 25 per cent.

An adjustable electric rear window can open up the cabin to the engine noise while the roof is raised, ensuring the aural sensation of the V8 can be maximised, even with the roof up.

With the roof down, inhabitants are barely bothered by wind, even at high speeds. In fact, the cabin is so well protected from wind noise that a driver and passenger can hold a conversation without raised voices.

The Spider’s body itself is crafted from complex aluminium alloys which contain varying percentages of magnesium, resulting in a frame that has the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness as the coupe and improves upon the chassis performance of the 458 Spider by an impressive 23 per cent.

Powered by the same award-winning 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 as featured in the coupe, the Spider boasts the same headline figures. It generates 492kW and 670Nm and delivers a 0-100km/h sprint time of just three seconds flat.

Behind the wheel, the realisation of what those numbers really mean becomes evident. The Ferrari 488 Spider is blisteringly fast from standstill, but its accessible torque means that it just keeps pulling, bringing you close to licence-losing territory in a metaphorical blink of the eye.

None of the power appears wasted, however, as the Ferrari manages it so well that it fails to feel overdone or even overpowered. The chassis is so composed, and the road handling so confidence-inducing that at times it can be hard to believe you’re driving a supercar at all. After all, aren’t all supercars supposed to be monstrous to handle?

Ferrari’s launch drive route took in a variety of road conditions and speed limits. Our initial route out of Melbourne was the usual commuter fayre, with the added interest of damp roads and occasional showers.

Out on the open road and with the wet weather behind us, the Ferrari’s 'sport' setting was employed. There’s no ‘normal’ or ‘eco’ mode on the 488 Spider – sport is your default dynamic setting, followed by race mode.

In sport, the Ferrari is engaging and encouraging but the most surprising adjective that springs to mind is comfortable. Our run out to the Great Ocean Road included a huge chunk of freeway driving and an indecently long spell at a reduced speed limit of just 40km/h.

Ordinarily this is one of the most mundane parts of a test drive program, and what car companies seek to avoid as they like to get you to the good, quick roads as quickly as possible.

For this drive, however, it turned out that the low-speed stuff was the most illuminating. The 488 Spider surprised with its cruising comfort and it ability to absorb and eliminate bumps in the road.

To compensate for roads in even worse condition, such as the choppy tarmac we encountered on the rain damaged roads closer to the coast, the bumpy-roads suspension setting can by employed via the steering wheel control.

The 488 Spider features a computer controlled damping system that modifies the magnetic field in the dampers and works alongside Ferrari’s own software to communicate with sensors on the car body. New piston rods in the dampers reduce friction and all but eliminate the impact of bumps on the car, creating a smooth driving sensation that is unexpected from a sports car.

It’s this accessibility and ease of use that makes the 488 Spider such a staggering proposition. This is not just a Sunday afternoon sports car or track-only vehicle, this is a car that’s also effortless to pilot around town and even makes freeway driving fun.

Yes, its proportions make it a challenge to navigate tight spots but, equipped with the optional reversing camera ($4990!) and front and rear parking sensors ($2550!), at least you no longer need your passenger to leap out of the car and guide you into a parking spot.

Speaking of optional extras, the Ferrari list is one of the most extensive and expensive. Our test vehicle had a base price of $526,888, with $104,150 of added options including metallic paint ($22,000), 20-inch forged rims ($13,240), painted brake callipers ($2700) and premium hi-fi system ($10,450).

Ferrari says the average Australian buyer adds a further $65,000 to the price of their vehicle in added options through its personalisation program, which we trialled ourselves recently.

If you’re in the market for a $500,000-plus supercar, then options probably aren’t, in fact, an option, but if your heart is set on a 488 Spider and your order isn’t yet in the book then you’d better be prepared to be patient as you won’t be seeing your car before 2018.

If, however, you’re one of the canny buyers that signed up as soon as the car was announced then you should know that each and every day you waited will be rewarded a hundred times over. You have made a great choice.

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider pricing and specifications:
Price as tested: $631,038 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.9-litre eight-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 492kW/760Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 260g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

Also consider:
>> McLaren 650S Spider (from $511,000)
>> Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT Convertible (from $264,795)
>> Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 (from $470,800)

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Written byAndrea Matthews
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
90/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
19/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
15/20
Safety & Technology
17/20
Behind The Wheel
19/20
X-Factor
20/20
Pros
  • Stellar acceleration
  • Impressive damping
  • Traffic-stopping looks
Cons
  • Waiting list
  • Expensive options
  • Quiet exhaust note while cruising
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