Comparison of the Ferrari 458 to a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo S and McLaren 12C

Guest author Jwp98 from Illinois shared his experience on 6speedonline.com with three great, extremely fast sports cars. Below are his thoughts after logging several thousand miles on each car. These were sequential experiences, not in the garage all at once.

Visual appeal: 12C
The 12C just does not have a bad angle. The 458 does have some bad angles (mostly solved by the Speciale) but it has some inspiring angles too. The 991 versus 997 loses something, I'm afraid. The rear is so bland and fat, without even the pretense of a diffuser or a big wing to distract and intimidate. The front is improved and side view reveals a handsome, albeit less classic, smoother rake. Quartering away is just gorgeous over those muscular hips. I look over my shoulder when I walk away, like it was the only car on earth. Well, enough of the aesthetic stuff and on to the marginally less subjective.

Exhaust note: 12C (yes really)
Taking a 458 through an overpass at redline is smile inducing. I grew up on V8 Camaros and tractor pulls, not F1 metallic rasp, but I'm still smiling. The broken glass crackle on downshift is even better, and less likely to get police attention.

The 12C is underrated for this obligatory application, but more commonly when you are putting around in town you can hear the turbines lovely chu-chu-chuff, an unpredictable animal noise from right behind your head. It'd be hard to overemphasize this constantly pleasant event.

The 458 at "town" speeds has a flatulent ricer sound when the valves open at low rpm (2500 I think). Fail.

The 991TT has a new, surprisingly brassy baritone that the 997TT totally lacked. I'm not aware of a wastegate in any VTG system but turbine noises are always there on lift, and are entertaining without sounding artificial or intrusive. On overrun there is a predictable, out-of-character, deep crackle. Maybe it's piped in somehow. I don't like it at all. Oddly I much preferred the lively low splutter of the 997TT. More organic, softer. One might have to roll up the windows or even drive on snow to hear it, but wow do I miss it. Nostalgia for cars past.

Acceleration: 991TTS
Incredibly 550 hp is a knife to gunfight these days. Those numbers were offered at entry level by Ferrari and Lamborghini 4-5 years ago. Domestics too are seeing 600-700 hp stock, with a warranty and a bargain sticker. The lighter 12C will destroy anything at it's price point and above once it grips. Nonetheless, despite it's weight, I'm giving the 991TT the powertrain blue ribbon. It has minimal lag, rewarding gearing, smart auto modes, and sick torque. It's the nuclear roller skate you can take anywhere.

Fun: 458
Tough call. The 458 and 991 turbo are both very responsive. The 458 is quick as a video game. Most city driving is between 20 and 50 mph, for me anyway. The 12C is not geared for enjoyment at those speeds. Torque to the wheels is more important than torque at the shaft, and the 991TT is a genius at torque management. What the Porsche lacks in thrill it partly recovers in accessibility. One does not
have to fret about dragging the snout or parking 1/2 mile from gawkers.

Reliability: 991TTS
So far the Porsche takes it. Definitely not McLaren. modern Ferraris are fine IMO, if you enjoy jokes about Italian culture (no offense intended) and can tolerate a few electronic gremlins.

Tech: 911 TTS
Despite the ground-breaking use of active hydraulic suspension and carbon fiber tub on the 12C. All told, the 991TT offers a LOT of tech, most of it quiet and interesting to read about, with no need to learn or fear the action of differential couplings and computer sampling rates. Just drive as fast as you dare. It's efficient too, not that it really matters, but why embrace low-tech and waste? The small fuel tank  makes it seem to guzzle, but it does not. The start stop mode on the 991 I have tried once. If the digital gauge tells true, oil pressure comes up too slowly at take off. I know there's a microlayer of lube waiting there, but no. Just no. Fortunately it defaults to off. The keyless start on the 991 is embarrassing however. Lexus had push button start in 2005. Corvette had heads up display in the 90s I think. Are you there Porsche? It's me, clock radio. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Track potential:
I don't plan on tracking the car and am in no position to instruct on rear engine dynamics. The 991 turbo with ECU, exhaust, and sticky tires should be a force. Perhaps THE force, depending on the track.

Luxury: 991TTS
No contest. I don't have to tell anyone here about practicality either. This is the only supercar my wife wants to drive, and has single handedly made me a sunroof fan. Good audio but the seating position may not be as good as the 997.

Value and depreciation: 458
Porsche for great value, Ferrari for slow depreciation.

Safety: 991TTS
Not very exciting to discuss but if the car does not have confident brakes, grip, and headlights, this is a fun killer, if not a man killer. Bearing witness, lots of turbos are daily drivers (mine is not). Porsche is the clear winner here, and has been for years. Visibility/seating position matters too when you're threading 18-wheelers in the rain.

Handling: 458
Twitchy, quick, alive, if not the grippiest on stock tire options. Porsche is strong here though. It's nimble and doesn't feel like a heavyweight. Easy to place, as they say. The 4-wheel steering is not so noticeable to me, except in parking lots and torque vectoring, is just as innocuous.

The Ferrari steers so jittery, snappy and the rear steps out on a whim. The 12C offers more feedback.

The Porsche's steering is a little, well, different. The extent of wind effect and tram lining are disturbing. Happily there is less of the creepy rear end twitch than in the 997. It's less telepathic than its peers and not as light in the nose of course. It's not the "snap out of your hand" wiggle of previous gen cars. But it's not really numb either. There is just something odd. Almost as if the less I consciously steer the better line it delivers. It likes inputs of pressure, not motion. That kind of feel flatters neither my driving nor the 911 pedigree. But, as I read reviews of the 918 and its competitors, no one is talking about feedback. Reviewers use vague words like "rewarding", "precise" or even "heavy", which sounds an awful lot like "numb", interesting. Whether it's the electric motor impact I don't know, I've read there is no difference between the 991TT and the 991 GT3 except software (and AWD). The new steering will take some getting used to. I am wondering about the impact of a yet to be announced software flash and different tires.

Transmission: 2014 Porsche, 2012 Ferrari, 2013 McLaren
One wants consistent creep with predictable light throttle response on the street. On the track, lighting speed without chassis jump or power interruption. All can deliver the latter, durability being the unknown. All are also viscous dual clutch packs. Graziano may have supply similar hardware for the mid engine cars, but the software is quite different. This has been extensively debated elsewhere. I suspect some combination of durability and versatility was ultimately sought compromise, in other words. My McLaren’s 1-2 shift was needlessly choppy. It also allowed a lot of slip before hooking up. Not good when you’re trying to feel for traction or get out of someone’s way on the 8 lane rush home. Mode control does goes to McLaren for not using silly words like “race” and for logically and completely divorcing drivetrain and suspension settings.

Perhaps its unfair to compare different years and software iterations, particularly to the 458. Of the three the Porsche feels most like an automatic yet not soft. Interestingly it has some clatter, some gear slack you can hear when I assume bits are turning at equal rates more or less, or disengaged, with no load. Not annoying like reported in the GTR but more a throwback to light flywheel manuals. The crisp bark on upshift goes to Ferrari, referencing the exhaust note mentioned earlier. Sounds like something unique and violent is happening in there, to wow onlookers, to propel you forward, and harness the inertia of those between- gear RPMs.

Comfort: McLaren 12C
Once you're in. I'm not a fan of NVH, especially that whump of air the 911 sends into your skull on crossing an expansion joint. Any tech to get rid of it is worth an investment. The 12C suspension is almost as good as they say, but not like a sedan. It's doors are a huge PIA though. I'm 6 feet
tall and reasonably flexible. And imagine a pregnant women shoehorning in then the door failing to close, or making wind noise all day. Yup, it happened.

The Ferrari was versatile enough for short trips but I don't recommend driving it 400 miles with a hangover. The 991 ride is not much better than a 997. I've deflated tires, changed modes, considered the speeds and road surfaces, considered the deceptive softness of the seats. It is harsh. I'm reporting here as one who logged many road miles in 997 GT3 and GT2 cars. Noise level is high too, but such is life in the big league and part of the experience. Until it's not, and then we admit it sucked.

Summary: I'm happily sticking with my Turbo S for the foreseeable future. Even getting a child seat. The three cars above aren't perhaps direct market competitors but I hope these notes are useful to anyone shopping or thinking of a change. I should mention I'm not brand loyal and have low confidence in any company to build and support a reliable super sports car using cutting edge tech. It is apparently too tall an order. I'd love to be proved wrong. If I had to give money to one of the big manufacturers in the future it would probably be Ferrari. But again, this hypothetical car isn't a daily driver. So far, have all been delights in one way or another. You get your money's worth, particularly in the preowned 12C and turbo markets.