Did you sell your LFA? You have been under the radar for a while. Or is the honeymoon over with your LFA and now it's just an old marriage?

 

Definitely still have the car - actually washed it this morning! I've just taken a break from social media and also CL over the last couple weeks in order to refocus my internet/community efforts on more productive venues where I feel like I'm making more of a difference and my contributions are valued, especially as I was a bit busy with business. Also, since Lexus has discontinued all 'nonessential' support for the LFA, there just isn't that much stuff to post about!

In terms of driver experience, the LFA is still easily the best car I've ever driven, and I recently drove the Aventador for the first time as well as tracked the 458 Speciale and 488. None of those even comes close, although I'd certainly take the Speciale over the other two. (Not that I'd pay $400k for one, or particularly want to own a Ferrari.)

Also, I'll add that I'm greatly enjoying the Cayman GTS I picked up earlier this year. I wanted a DD that at least resembled what it feels like to drive the LFA, and could be something I drive every day. The GTS fits that bill perfectly; it doesn't attract any attention, and it offers probably 70-75% of the performance of the LFA and 80-85% of the dynamics, plus the novelty of being midengined.

Anyway, I'll be a little more active from here on out. Happy New Year!

 

Very nice updates. Congrats on the Cayman GTS. Would you mind sharing your experiences in the 458 Speciale, 488 and Aventador? Being an LFA owner of a long time, it would be interesting to hear your opinions on those cars. Thanks.

 

Glad to hear you're still feeling the love. I agree that this car is more special than any other car I have driven or been in.

I just traded a Cayman S for a Mercedes SL 63. I had the Cayman for two years and it was a fantastic ride. Handling was off the charts. For my DD it just a little rougher than I wanted, plus I wanted a little more juice on tap. However when you revved it out it did move pretty well. The GT4 has more HP and torque so I am sure it helps make it even more fun.

The SL 63 has almost double the torque of the LFA so is essentially just spins its wheels. Makes for fun slides though....

 

My assessment will be incomplete as I only drove the Aventador on the street and the Ferrari pair only on the track, and I didn't push the Aventador much as I didn't want to PO the owner. But the Aventador, like all Lamborghinis, makes me laugh b/c it's so over the top. Ridiculous amount of power, ridiculous styling, love the dash, etc. - and I think this is why it's sold so well and regarded so highly, because it's exactly what Lamborghini buyers want. But it's not very usable, not a good DD. I do think it's easier to get in and out of than the Murcielago, but that's not saying much, and I don't like the seating position and the visibility is poor. As in, so poor that I actually wanted to stop driving it at one point b/c I was so worried about damaging it b/c I ran into something/someone I couldn't even see.

Also, Lamborghini's ISR is case-in-point as far as showing how biased journalists/reviewers were against the LFA because it is in no way a better transmission, and its worst is far worse than the LFA (esp. jerkiness and violence of shifts). It didn't bother me and I still prefer it to dual-clutch - just an observation.

The 488 was much better than I thought it would be. The Ferrari engineers have done a really good job of hiding the turbo lag as much as possible, but if you look for it, you'll still definitely notice it - especially when driving it back to back with something like the Speciale. And that's what kills the 488 in my eyes. That said, the 488 obviously has more power and honestly it's a bit scary. Even on a track, at full throttle it's a little scary how fast it is. It's funny how, these days, even the "entry-level" Ferrari is probably well beyond my capabilities on a track, and I suppose that's mostly a good thing for owners (although I've obviously gone the other direction with my most recent purchase, preferring power levels that are actually usable on the open road).

I was also surprised that I thought the 488 in-cabin sounded a lot better than I thought it would. As I mentioned before though, I'd still definitely take the Speciale or even the Aperta especially because it'll be the last naturally-aspirated entry-level that Ferrari makes. (Of course, my feelings are obviously shared by many others and that's why a Speciale goes for $400k+ and an Aperta goes for $700k+, and there's no way I'm paying that much for either).


Ah, I was going to mention that I thought you had a Cayman but didn't see it in your sig. I got the GTS btw (since I wanted a DD so PDK), not the GT4... although I've found the Cayman so livable that should the 718 GT4 be naturally-aspirated (as many hope it will) I might put myself on the list.

 

Thanks for your detailed impressions. Great read.