CIRCULATING IN WANGARATTA, BENALLA, MYRTLEFORD, BRIGHT, MT BEAUTY, BEECHWORTH, YACKANDANDAH, RUTHERGLEN, CHILTERN AND DISTRICTS
NORTH EAST
March 20, 2015
available online - wangarattachronicle.com.au
PRINTED FORTNIGHTLY — VOLUME 469
All-rounder Mazda3 diesel Storypage3
The ‘soft’ Ferrari … apparently.
California dreaming W
hat better way to celebrate the first anniversary of the announcement of the California T than to spend a sunny weekend in one? We couldn’t think of a better way either, so settled for just that. It gave us the chance to see what Maranello has done to address the complaints about the first car while also previewing what’s in store for the future - forced induction V8s are going to be a big part of the coming models, the 488 GTB in particular. Yes, well. There’s no getting away with it, this is a small apartment’s worth of car, with the ability to upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment if you cut loose in the options. It’s obvious that anyone with this kind of money to spend isn’t super-bothered by the dangers of personalisation, so getting upset about option prices is as useful or relevant as telling someone under twenty to have a Bex and a good lie down. The basic price is $409,888. This buys you that prancing horse badge, dual-zone climate-control, beautiful leather interior, remote locking, cruise control, auto-
By PETER ANDERSON folding heated rear vision mirrors, 19-inch alloy wheels, 6.5-inch screen with DAB radio, sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors, auto wipers and headlights and you even get a car cover thrown in. There was a huge range of options added to the test car, bringing the total to $549,387. Highlights were the stunning California Rosso paint ($20,500), Ferrari shields on the bodywork ($3000), magneride suspension ($8970), carbon fibre steering wheel with LEDs ($12,500) and Apple CarPlay ($6790). The new California is a far more Ferrarilooking car than the first attempt. Front and rear look like they belong together and there’s a more tapered posterior. The interior has had an update too, with a new screen and various bits and pieces. Our test car had a number of optional carbon fibre trim pieces including the central bridge that houses three control buttons (launch, auto mode and reverse), custom stitching and alcantara trim. While the interior color may not have been
to everyone’s taste – or the carbon fibre pieces – the quality is unmatched. The twenty-inch wheels ($10,050) also gave the car an even lower-looking stance. The California loves big wheels. There’s no ANCAP rating, but the California has four airbags, ABS, traction and stability control. Our California T had Apple’s CarPlay fitted. If you’re in possession of one of Cupertino’s finest, plug in via the dedicated USB hidden in the console and ensure your phone is unlocked. The onboard screen displays the apps that are compatible with the systems, such as Google Maps and Spotify. The car will read your texts to you and allow you to reply with Siri. It makes finding your music much more like the phone, too, with a simple touch interface to find what you’re looking for. Naturally, there’s Bluetooth and standard USB for other devices, with good call quality even with the hardtop stowed. The V8 is now twin-turbo powered. This is obviously big news for a lot of
reasons - it’s the first Ferrari road car since the F40 to have forced induction and is a preview of what’s to come for the 488 GTB. The 3855 cc V8 gets a flat-plane crank and three piece exhaust to help combat the sound-deadening of two turbos. Power and torque are up to 412 kW (up 46 kW) and a quite staggering 755 Nm torque. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is familiar to Ferraristi and has had the requisite upgrades for the extra mumbo. Ferrari claims 10.5 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, but with our right foot, we saw much closer to 15 L/100km, which is still incredible going, really. What sets the California apart from the 458 and F12 (except price, obviously), is the way you can just puddle about without raising your or your passengers’ heart rates. In comfort mode, the damping smooths out all but the deepest potholes and manholes and expansion joints are pleasantly muffled. The steering, which is always light, cuts down on the chatter and can leave you wondering what all the fuss is about.
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