mclaren vs ferrari 2017 New look (Wonderful) Find out for yourself

mclaren 2017 vs ferrari 2017 New look

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There is currently a wait list of over five years for the 2017 Ferrari 488 Spider. If you are considering a purchase, that means every minute you spend reading this review could mean a few more people jumping in front of your place in line.

So, to save you time, I’ll summarise it quickly: it’s very very good. Now, get on the phone and slap a holding deposit on the Centurion right away

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For the rest of us, who have resigned ourselves to waiting a bit longer than two years for our own Ferrari, read on…

The $526,888 (before options and on-roads costs) 488 Spider is Ferrari’s latest mid-engine V8 toupee fan.

Like its coupe sibling, the 488 Spider has ditched the 4.8-litre V8 of the 458 and gone for a smaller 3.7-litre powerplant with twin IHI ball bearing turbochargers

Power is up 75kW to 491kW and torque has grown a whopping 227Nm to now 750Nm. For some context, this gives the 1415kg 488 Spider a power-to-weight ratio the same as the monstrous 599 GTO
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So you can impress your friends at the next BBQ, it’s called the 488 because each cylinder has a 498cc displacement. You’re welcome

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But a Ferrari, particularly a convertible one, isn’t just about outright performance. The 488 Spider truly is a thing of beauty

This might be billed as the most refined and luxurious model in the McLaren range, but make no mistake – the McLaren 570GT is still a ferociously fast car capable of mind-blowing performance.

The 570GT is part of McLaren’s ‘Sports Series’, which also boasts a couple of equally spectacular exotics; the 550C and 570S, with all three powered by slightly different versions of the same Ricardo-built 3.7-litre twin-turbo petrol V8

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In the GT’s case, the numbers are truly impressive despite its relatively modest engine displacement. But that’s the same with all McLaren road cars – the sheer grunt their engineers are able to extract from a small V8 is just extraordinary.

Unleash all 416kW and 700Nm of twist, and the 570 GT is capable of smashing the benchmark 0-100km/h dash in a blistering 3.6 seconds. Push on, and the 300km/h mark comes up in a g-force-assaulting 9.8 seconds flat. To me, this is still a big-league supercar, no question.

Those power and torque figures for the GT are identical to the marginally quicker 580S (3.1 sec); the main difference attributed to the 36kg weight penalty carried by the new luxury version. That said, there isn’t another fully-fledged supercar-grade grand tourer within coo-ee of the McLaren, when you consider its $408,800 (plus on-roads) price tag.

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Leave the Manettino switch in Sport (essentially the standard setting), tap the ‘bumpy-road’ suspension button (best function name ever?) to soften the magnetic dampers, drop the F1 gearbox into automatic, and the prancing horse lopes along with a relaxed trot

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The exhaust is quiet, the ride comfortable and even the radio clear and easy to hear. You can raise and lower the top at speeds up to 45km/h too (it takes about 16 seconds), so you can easily go from sun-tan to sun-smart while on the move

To keep your coiffed locks in check, too, you can raise and lower the little glass window behind the seats. It moves all but a couple of inches in each direction, but is enough to keep the wind a bay at

There are no controls within reach of the passenger to adjust the music selection nor navigation destination. In fact the only job they have is tweaking the dual-zone climate control, and looking good.

Speaking of those infotainment controls, though – if there is a minor gripe with the Ferrari’s cabin, this is it. A panel to the right of the instrument binnacle houses three buttons and a D-Pad style controller for moving and making selections

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Ergonomically it works, but intuitively it doesn’t. The buttons require too much force and time to press, and a system like the proximity sensitive preset buttons in a BMW would be much better

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We like the 570GT’s digital instrument display, too. It’s not as sophisticated (or as graphic) as Audi’s latest Virtual Cockpit display – more like a fancier race car-style module incorporating a large tachometer with digital speed counter

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But let’s face it, you don’t buy a McLaren – even a luxury-billed McLaren, for its interior appointments. In fact, they may not figure in the overall purchase decision whatsoever

Exterior styling, though, is definitely a key consideration. And while it’s fair to say McLaren is still evolving its very own DNA in this regard, the 570GT is perhaps one of brand’s most handsome designs to date

We particularly like the rear end treatment. It’s clean and uncluttered compared to the 570S, and all the better for it, in my opinion

But just like Ferrari, McLaren is a sports car marque born out of racing (most notably Formula One) and performance and handling are key brand traits, and vital to its ongoing sales success.

Oddly enough, it’s not the power play that first comes to mind as you climb aboard for the very first time. It’s more the refinement and general cabin insulation that impresses, at least initially

Ride comfort was always a strong selling point for the original McLaren MP4-12C road car, and thankfully, that characteristic continues with the Sports Series