Ferrari 458 vs. Ferrari 488: Aspirated vs. Turbocharged

With tighter emission regulations it was inevitable that Ferrari’s highest selling model would go the way of forced induction. It wasn’t until February 2015, at the Geneva Motorshow, that Ferrari confirmed our worst held fear- their flagship model, the 488GTB, would be joining the legions of manufacturers utilising forced induction in the way of bigger, thirstier naturally aspirated engines.

The styling of the 488 was not a complete departure from the styling cues of the 458 Italia, in fact, side-by-side it would take most people a long time to figure out which is which. Whilst the visual changes are difficult to extract, the engine changes are far more obvious. The 488 GTB has discarded the 458 Italia’s legendary naturally aspirated V8 engine in favour of a new, 3.9L twin-turbo V8.

The 488 GTB is one of the most rapid supercars on sale today. Its 3.9L twin-turbo V8 propels it to 100km/h in 3.0sec- 0.4sec faster than the 458 Italia and level with Ferrari’s valediction to the naturally aspirated V8- The top of the range 458 Speciale. Whilst the outgoing, naturally aspirated, 458 can’t compete with the Torque and low-down power of the new 488, it is a more theatrical drive- and isn’t that what supercars are all about? The question must then be asked; has pursuit of power, lap times and measurable performance metrics made the new crop of supercars less involving than their predecessors?

There is no disputing the outrageous and usable performance of the new 488GTB. An abundance of low down torque, refined driving space and a more sedate engine note make the 488GTB the most usable Ferrari to ever roll out of Maranello.

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