- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
4.5i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
425kW, 540Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 13.3L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
2 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2012 Ferrari 458 Italia Review
2012 FERRARI 458 ITALIA REVIEW
Vehicle Style: V8, mid-engined, two-door coupe
Price: $526,950 (plus on-roads)
Fuel Economy claimed: 13.3L/100km | tested: 18.9L/100km
OVERVIEW
Setting a benchmark. Raising the bar. Head of the class... top of its game. It doesn’t matter how it’s expressed, you can attach the name Ferrari 458 Italia to it.
For premium sports cars, this car is surely the yardstick by which others are judged. It’s a masterful expression of the classic formula: low-slung, two doors, mid-engined layout, rear-wheel-drive.
Under the clear engine-cover lies a naturally-aspirated V8 which revs to a stratospheric 9000rpm. It produces a remarkable 419kW from just 4.5-litres of displacement. Considering AMG needs 6.2 litres to do the same thing, this is nothing short of remarkable.
But if you’re laying down more than five hundred large, it’d want to be good. So, putting on our best objective faces, we took a pragmatic look at this paragon of performance.
INTERIOR | RATING: 4/5
Quality: This is class. Open the door to the 458 and you’re greeted by an exquisite layout of sumptuous leather and perfectly sculpted carbon-fibre (and smarter in fact than the McLaren 12C).
Like the FF, the major controls are all found on the wheel, meaning that indicating into and out of roundabouts is, well, interesting. It’s a nitpick, but we don’t like it much.
Comfort: The 458’s low centre console and narrow sills means it feels quite spacious inside and unlike the narrow, offset footwell of the McLaren, you can happily rest your legs apart if need be.
The driving position is spot on and the beautifully trimmed sports seats are comfortable enough to sustain quite long journeys (we travelled around 300km in one sitting) without the need to shift around or fidget.
The Ferrari’s climate control also never puts a foot wrong, even in searing conditions. For a car that can reel off 11.3-second quarter miles, its premium comfort level is an unexpected bonus.
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