2011 Ferrari 458 Italia

Summary:

Satisfied

General Comments:

Personally I do not own this car. I rented it from the hotel. The last car that I rented was the Ferrari F430, but now they've got a new car, the 458 Italia.

My first impression of the car is the looks. It looks sleek and clean, however I personally dislike the exhaust and the headlights. Anyway, as soon as I got inside, I was surprised that entire parts of the interior are very different from the last car that I tried. They say the car has different color options for the interior; the one that I rented was two tone black and beige.

For a starter like me, operating the car could be quite confusing. Most of the buttons are gathered on the steering wheel, and could be quite confusing.

At the steering wheel, there is a switch that changes the car's behavior. There's the comfort mode, which makes the steering feel somehow light and the road noise more silent. The sporty modes make the car's steering wheel feel heavier, but it feels so nice at high speed. I also could also hear the road noise really loud.

The car is easier to drive than the F430 that I tried. It's more user friendly, and it's surprisingly very comfortable in comfort mode. Giving signal lights could be quite difficult sometimes, as it's located on the steering wheel. Imagine doing that when you're turning the steering.

Like the F430, the car is fast, really fast, and I think it's faster than the F430. The sound is very loud in sport modes. There is this weird feeling when I shift down the gear, it's like there's this addicting crunchy engine sound coming out from the engine.

I also love how it handles in the sporty modes. The steering wheel feels sharp, accurate, and nimble; perhaps more nimble than the F430 as far as I can remember.

If there's one thing I don't like about the car, it's privacy. I saw many people pointing and taking pictures of the car, which sometimes made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. The fuel, well, not exactly what you call eco friendly. The fun ride is paid with the price of the fuel.

Overall, it's a nice experience driving this new Ferrari, and I think I would rent another Ferrari when I stay at Marina Bay again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th September, 2011

22nd Sep 2011, 01:20

You test drove a Ferrari in Singapore?

1st Feb 2014, 05:00

A cool deal in Singapore - Marina Bay Sands.

For about $300 you can drive a Ferrari for about 20 minutes - on public roads - with a "minder" sitting in the passenger seat.