Ferrari 488 GTB – Interior and tech
Impossibly fast when new and still has all the performance you could possibly use on the road today
In terms of driving position the 488 GTB is pretty much spot on, although some may find they are perched a little cab-forward with a sense of being sat on top of the car rather than in it. But comfort is not an issue; the steering wheel adjusts to meet you with perfection and, impressively for a car that ticks every supercar design stereotype, you can see out of it too.
The design of the dash architecture comes down to a matter of taste. Some love it, others think the controls either side of the instrument pod are haphazard and not as ergonomically friendly as they could be. And the carbonfibre finish is all a bit glossy and plastic looking for our tastes. But we’re nit-picking. To be sat in any Ferrari is an occasion and within less than a mile you’re far more concerned with enjoying that thunderous powertrain than worrying about changing the radio station.
It’s not a new thing on Ferraris, but the VDA (Vehicle Dynamic Assistance) display is still a great piece of technology. The small screen to the left of the dials shows the temperature of a few key items such as tyres, engine and brakes in an easily digestible diagram looking down on the car from above.
Blue means things need warming up, green means you’re good to go and something considerably more vibrant means that things need cooling down. Knowing that the rear tyres have cooled down can be surprisingly useful information…! The only disappointment is that this display is only available in Race mode and above.
We also like the screen that shows you how the settings of various things such as F1-Trac and the E-Diff change as you ramp up the settings with the Manettino. The satellite navigation system is housed in the other screen to the right of the dials. The graphics feel like an improvement, and it’s relatively intuitive to use, but the rotational knob (a bit like a miniature version of BMW’s iDrive) can feel a little fiddly.
