One of the few criticisms aimed at the Spider's coupé sister, the 488 GTB, is that it doesn’t sound as good as the 458 Italia it replaced.
It's partly down to the fact you can drop the roof or lower the rear screen so there’s less of a barrier between you and the engine. However, our test car was fitted with an optional titanium exhaust, too, which makes the 488 Spider sounds like a V8 Ferrari should, even when the roof is up. The engine fires into life with a suitably dramatic bark, and it howls addictively when you put your foot down.
At the same time, the 488 Spider mimics the GTB in the way it builds speed; acceleration is ferocious yet progressive. There’s virtually no delay between you depressing the accelerator and the car responding, and while the engine pulls strongly from low revs, it also loves to be pushed to the redline – something that's rarely the case with a turbocharged engine.
Ferrari’s Side Slip Angle Control system is standard, subtly intervening to help the car turn into bends and then helping you stay in control once it has. The result is a car that flatters the driver, capable of making Kim Kardashian feel like Kimi Räikkönen, although the steering won’t be to all tastes; it’s incredibly quick to respond, even by supercar standards, which can be quite draining when you’re in less of a hurry.
In addition, the loss of the fixed roof has resulted in the 488 Spider feeling less stiff than the GTB, with larger bumps and potholes sending shudders through the steering wheel. As a result you can’t always place it with the precision that you can the GTB, or indeed a McLaren 650S Spider.
Overall, though, the Ferrari 488 Spider is still a thrilling car to drive, plus it rides bumps a lot better than you’d expect and keeps wind buffeting to a minimum when the roof is down but the side windows up. It’s surprisingly easy to live with for such a focused machine.
Many of the controls – lights, wipers, indicators, suspension adjustment, starter button and traction control switch – are located on the steering wheel itself, echoing the style, if not the content, of a Formula One car. Unfortunately, this arrangement isn’t particularly user-friendly for road driving and takes a bit of getting used to.
Similarly, the two digital screens, which flank a large analogue rev counter, are far from intuitive. They can display everything from your speed to the navigation and stereo info, but you have to switch between their various menus using fiddly buttons and knobs.
On the other hand, the separate air-conditioning controls, which are positioned in the centre of the dashboard, could hardly be simpler to use.
The basic driving position feels just about perfect, while visibility is good for a low and wide mid-engined car.
Ferrari offers a choice of seats, with the lightweight, manually adjustable items in our test car holding you tightly in place through corners and proving surprisingly comfortable even after a long stint behind the wheel.
Perceived quality still leaves a little to be desired, though; the interior of a McLaren 650S feels more substantial, as does a Porsche 911’s.
Of course, there are only two seats in the Ferrari 488 Spider, but there’s enough head and leg room for a couple of adults well over six feet tall, and they won’t be clashing elbows.
Oddment storage is decent, too; Ferrari has provided a glovebox, cupholders and a handy central tray, while a shelf behind the seats gives you somewhere to stow a handbag or laptop case.
True, there’s no luggage space behind the cabin, because that space is entirely taken up by the turbocharged 3.9-litre engine, but the well in the nose of the car is capable of swallowing a couple of overnight bags.
