458 coupe vs 458 spider: pros and cons

I've only driven my 2013 spider an hour or so but I have some observations about the differences between the two. And, there are some pluses and some minuses.

I think there's been a lot written already about the coupe. The motor, the brakes, the steering, and the gearbox make it just incredibly fun to drive. And, it's an easy car to drive with this amazing dual personality when you put your foot in it. So, I'm not going to go into that and concentrate manly on the new spider.

The Spider:

The spider is a completely different kind of driving experience than the coupe. Inside it looks so similar to the coupe but with the top down, it's remarkable the difference. No way this appears to be a targa when you sit inside. It's as open as the F430 with the top down.

The biggest difference is that the motor and exhaust is much, much louder when you get on it and quieter than the coupe at low RPM's and you don't. When driven hard, the noise is remarkable --- and additive. It's easy to get carried away.

When you drive this car aggressively, the car just oozes it's racy personality. In fact, I would argue much more than the coupe. On the flip side, when you drive it around like a normal car, it seems more like a normal car.

I haven't seen any cowl shake but I have not driven it much on rough surfaces. To me, the magniride is a little softer in Bumpy Ride mode than the coupe. The ride quality in bumpy ride mode is excellent.

Verdict about going topless: Huge, huge plus. Worth every penny if you don't mind driving in the sunshine. Frankly, I love it.

That being said, in "sport" mode the exhaust is quieter than the coupe. I can see why they did it because with the top off, it could be rather obnoxious on a long trip.

But, the quieter exhaust can be a "minus". I believe a lot of aftermarket exhausts will be sold over it.

The gearbox is different than the 12 coupe I owned. It does not have that "kick in the pants" shift in race mode. To some degree, I miss it. On the other hand, it's a lot easier on the body to drive it hard. It does have a little of it but not as much.

Verdict on the gearbox change: Not sure. If you never had a 12, you would not miss it.

The engine works exactly the same as the coupe. In race mode, the car still burbles and pops at high RPM downshifts. In sport mode, it's pretty difficult for that to happen.

The car attracts a lot of attention. Much more than the coupe. I've always noticed that people talk to more when you are driving in a car with top down.

What surprised me is that the visibility out the rear 3/4 is not bad at all. I was worried that the rear pillar would block the view. It's a little worse than the coupe but certainly manageable.

I love the way the top goes up and down. It's fast and very quiet. It seems to latch on really strongly. The bad part is you have to hold the button UP and it's a little tough on your fingers. But, at least it's fast. On the down side, when the top goes down the windows go up. So, you have to lower the windows again. I going to see if this can be re-programmed but I doubt it.

I love that you can lower the rear window up, down, and in the middle with either the top up or down. There's a button next to the "top" button that controls it.

With the window down, there's a lot of buffeting and noise at speeds over 65 MPH.

Disappointments:

Well, nothing is perfect but there are some things that should be better

AC: The blower motor at high speed is totally inadequate for driving topless in the heat. It should blow a lot stronger. In traffic, the amount of cold air on a hot Vegas day is inadequate. However, last night in the cooler air it was excellent.

Whine noise from front of car: Running the AC all the time there is a whine that seems to be the fan to cool the AC condenser. It's annoying. I don't remember it on the coupe. Maybe it's because the spider's exhaust is quieter or maybe because the top off.



Some differences of the options I chose this time:

Racing seats. Extremely comfortable but do take a little getting used to. The seat is a bit lower in the car so my elbow doesn't rest on door as easily. Then again, I'm not very tall.

Back up camera: The quality of the image is excellent in daylight. I think it's a worthy option.

Front parking sensors: I added these because in my GF's garage, it's a pain to see where the nose is when pulling forward into a tight space. What's interesting is that there's a button to decide if you want them on all the time (at least all the time above 7 mph) or just when you really want to turn them on.

Outside auto dimming mirrors: I tried these last night and they do help cutting glare from SUV's just behind you.

Cf interior: Amazing stuff. It's a definite upgrade from the Die Cast. Expensive but worth it in looks. I would do it again.

Well, that's my quick review. This thread is for those who also have found subtle differences between the too so that if people are trying to chose between them, they can get some facts.

 

I've considered this. I might try it.

 

I just got the racing package which gets you the dash, the center console, the steering wheel with LED's, the instrument cluster, and the paddles. The only other CF I ordered was the B pillar on the outside next to the rear of the side windows.

If you order the racing package you must order the a racing seats which are also CF.