Used Cars Review

Those seeking a street-legal racecar from Ferrari need look no further.

The Ferrari I found myself encapsulated within was launched at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show as a faster, more compelling version of the 458 Italia â€" the automakers range-topping V8 model. Targeting uncompromising enthusiasts with a proud nod to the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia (its noted predecessors), the low-volume model relinquishes amenities and adds capability in pursuit of agility and speed. Those seeking a street-legal racecar from Ferrari need look no further.

To reduce mass, the cockpit of the 458 Speciale does not contain an audio system, navigation, cruise control, glovebox or armrests. The seats are covered in mesh fabric and the door panels are paper-thin carbon fiber. There is no carpet, with only coldly textured aluminum plates on the sills, kick panels and underfoot. Also gone is the center console, with its three obligatory transmission buttons now elegantly suspended on a featherweight carbon-fiber blade. The cabin is minimalist, yet it has lost none of its visual impact.

With a bit of justified arrogance, this Italian relishes attention, yet all it really wants to do is run free.

To increase power over the standard Italias 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, the 4.5-liter V8 in the Speciale is fitted with shorter intake runners, higher-lift cams, new intake ports and modified piston geometry that boosts compression from 12.5:1 to 14.0:1 (the pressure inside the cylinders rises by a whopping 145 psi). While maximum torque remains the same, its spread more widely across the engines operating range and output rises to 597 horsepower. The standard seven-speed F1-inspired dual-clutch gearbox has been remapped for 20-percent quicker upshifts and downshifts are now 40-percent more rapid. Gone is the three-pipe exhaust system, replaced by a high-flow, twin-pipe setup with weight savings and improved packaging in mind.

This Ferrari has a difficult time fitting in with more mundane vehicles on the road. The issue isnt just its iconic, bright-red paint (which looks wet up close), but its implausibly clamorous exhaust note â€" the Speciale sounds like a track-only 458 Challenge thats escaped the paddock. Neighbors are awakened at night and dogs bark during the day as it roars by. Everyone turns their heads. With a bit of justified arrogance, this Italian relishes the attention, yet all it really wants to do is run free.

I do what any warm-blooded enthusiast would do â€" I mash the throttle to its stops.

Enthusiasts will recognize the Speciale from a distance. Its signature stripes are a dead giveaway, but so are its new front, side and rear fascias, all tuned to carefully balance downforce and reduce drag. While keeping the coupe planted is crucial at circuit speeds, there are active motorized flaps in the nose and at the tail that reposition above 140 mph to reduce drag. Thus unburdened, the 458 Special will run to more than 200 mph. Even its tail has been sculpted a bit taller to properly manage the wind.

Finally free of the congestion, and with nothing but empty Southern California coastal canyon roads in the windshield, I switch the Manettino to Race and toggle the gearbox to Manual mode. It takes but a second for the Ferrari to clear its throat and resume its audible barrage. I do what any warm-blooded enthusiast would do â€" I mash the throttle to its stops.

Some supercars are elegant, but this Ferrari is purely, thrillingly savage.

According to Ferrari, the Speciale is 200 pounds lighter than the standard Italia. Some of this weight loss is attributed to the aforementioned removal of passenger amenities, but the model also sports gorgeously thin forged wheels, a lighter roof, a carbon-fiber intake, thinner glass and a plastic rear window.

In the city and on the highway, the Speciales lack of insulation and lighter construction understandably translates to a much more audible driving experience. The engine wails, the wind rushes and the tires howl. Every noise is transferred directly into the passenger compartment seemingly unfiltered. While this can grind at the senses over time, none of the cacophony is unwelcome in the canyons or on the track, when the clamor signifies additional agility and faster speeds.

The Speciale will hang out its tail and power out of each corner with the gracefulness of a jet boat on a glassy lake.

There is more to its cornering prowess, too, with the magic arriving in the form of electronic chassis management that Ferrari calls Side-Slip Control (SSC). The system uses a complex set of algorithms to determine if the driver is seeking agility or stability, and it manages the electronically controlled locking differential accordingly. What this means in real-world driving is that the Speciale will hang out its tail and power out of each corner with the gracefulness of a jet boat on a glassy lake. The driver must possess real skill to use SSC to its fullest, but add talent and the results are positively Biblical.

Mounted inside each wheel is a massive carbon-ceramic drilled brake rotor clamped by a multi-piston Brembo caliper. Initially, the oversized pads need a bit of heat to operate optimally, but once at temperature, they are very easy to modulate and theres no hint of fade. As is often the case with exotics, the Speciale has more braking capability than grip, but the anti-lock braking threshold is surprisingly high, the chassis tracks straight and stopping distances are remarkably short.

For the first time in print, I will call a dual-clutch gearbox in manual mode emotionally rewarding.

Corner after corner, I weave the Ferrari along the wandering asphalt with its signature exhaust note wailing off the canyon walls. The steering is telepathically communicative, with a very quick ratio, requiring only the slightest movement to alter trajectory. Even in the tightest of corners, my hands never leave the wheel and my arms never cross. The accuracy is spot-on, so putting an errant wheel off the line is nearly impossible â€" the tires only cross the painted yellow stripes as I slow to make ample room for avid cyclists (who offer smiles, not curses, as the Ferraris exhaust note rushes over them).

This two-seater is equally as capable on the straights, even when the pavement is less than optimal. Ferrari offers a comfort mode with its electronic dampers (termed "Bumpy Road"), but it didnt prove necessary, even when soaring over broken concrete, cracks or seams. The chassis is drum tight, and even though body roll is almost imperceptible, the wheels absorb everything without a crash transmitted to the passengers. Never once did I bottom out or scrape its front splitter, regardless of how challenging the sections were.

A single drive proves that its astronomical pricing is completely justified.

It is difficult to not be infatuated with the 458 Speciale. As the world of supercars accepts all-wheel drive and hybrid powertrains as its norm, the Speciale is old-school traditional â€" there is nothing else with a naturally aspirated powerplant and rear-wheel drive that can touch its specific output, track performance, on-road driving dynamics or sexy appearance. It will never be accused of hiding behind the Prancing Horse on its nose, and a single drive proves that its astronomical pricing is completely justified.

Sadly, Home Depot was uncharacteristically out of Gorilla Glue, forcing me to climb out of the drivers seat and hand over the keys when Ferrari came calling just a few minutes later. But, Ive learned my lesson and ordered a small bottle for a future rendezvous. Next time, Im not giving it up.

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Overall, the new Golf looks much more mature than the previous generation.

For 2015, the Golf finally employs the kind of exterior styling weve been seeing on other models in Volkswagens line since 2010. Like the Jetta and Passat, the Golf has a completely new front fascia, with noticeably sharper headlight clusters, available LED running lights and a more compact grille. Other tweaks to the hatchs looks include a more steeply sloped hood, a conspicuous character line running down the side to the taillights, and front wheels that sit 1.7 inches further forward, which lend the car a subtle "cab backward" look.

The car has also grown in every direction except up. Length has increased by 2.1 inches and width has grown by 0.5 inches. Height, however, has been lowered 1.1 inches. The new dimensions give the Golf a sportier stance and the appearance of having a low center of gravity. Overall, the look is much more mature than the previous generation. Volkswagen hasnt changed enough to make the car unrecognizable, opting to maintain the overall shape and certain design elements like the C-pillar and roofline, which frame familiar Golf side windows. But the look is unmistakably subdued â€" surely the result of an effort to appeal to a broader range of buyers. Its a good-looking car, but arguably not as striking as a design like the Mazda3, one of its main competitors.

The cabin has a noticeably more premium feel, keeping in mind that the last Golf already boasted one of the better interiors in its class.

The new Golfs cabin has a noticeably more premium feel than before, keeping in mind that the MkVI car already boasted one of the better interiors in its class. Hard plastics are a given in this segment, and theyre present in the Golf, but theyve been minimized in favor of more soft-touch materials and paint, as well as trim pieces that can come in chrome, aluminum, and piano-black finishes. The center stack is angled towards the driver â€" a trait usually reserved for more performance-oriented vehicles. Controls and knobs have been repositioned to improve ergonomics, too.

The new infotainment system, which includes a 5.8-inch touchscreen, functions as advertised. We were impressed with the inclusion of a capacitive-touch sensor, which allows for the swiping and pinch-zooming motions recognized by modern smartphones, but the graphics and overall aesthetic feel dated and less premium than the rest of the cabin. VWs excellent Fender-branded audio system is an available option â€" one that audiophiles will surely appreciate.

Safety should be a big selling point for the Golf.

All the pieces of the Golfs new interior amount to a cabin that virtually eliminates driver fatigue. The seats offer enough support and cushion to make long distance trips comfortable, the ergonomics make controlling the infotainment and HVAC a breeze, and the sound dampening mutes road and wind noise to near-luxury levels. If youre prone to taking road trips over other forms of transportation, the cabin alone makes this car a great option for you.

Safety should be a big selling point for the Golf. In fact, the car was just recently designated as a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. Standard features include six airbags and automatic post-collision braking. On higher trim levels, safety systems like forward collision warning and park distance control are available.

The low-range torque plateau can carry you smartly from gear to gear.

The Golf TSI employs Volkswagens 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (replacing the low-revving 2.5-liter five-cylinder found on the previous generation) and the new engine offers a lot of improvements. It weighs just 290 pounds, a feat achieved through the use of super thin casting, a reduction from eight to four crankshaft counterweights, the use of smaller diameter main bearings and numerous other small weight-saving tweaks.

Its smaller size doesnt come at the expense of performance, however. The new engine produces 170 horsepower at 4,500 rpm, the same output as the 2.5-liter, and torque has been increased to 200 pound-feet (up from 177 lb-ft with the 2.5). All that torque is available much lower in the power band, starting at 1,600 rpm â€" a whopping 2,650 rpm lower than the previous engine. The upgraded engine also delivers better fuel economy â€" the Golf now achieves 26 miles per gallon city and 37 mpg highway â€" and offers better acceleration off the line. Weirdly, its still pretty entertaining to drive the car economically, shifting at a lower rpm, since the low-range torque plateau can carry you smartly from gear to gear.

The ancient five-speed manual could use some improvement.

The new powerplant is mated to either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. The ancient manual gearbox could use some improvement, and not just by adding a sixth gear. The shifter contains noticeable physical resistance, making the throws a bit more laborious than expected, and clutch pedal travel length is too long. The six-speed automatic â€" an $1,100 option on S trim and standard on SE and SEL models â€" is solid, offering crisp shifts with minimal drama.

With its new chassis and 79-pound reduction in weight, drivers can have a darn good time pushing the Golf on twisty roads. The chassis has ten percent more torsional rigidity and the car comes with an all-new strut-type front suspension in the front and a multilink arrangement with coil springs, telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar in the back. As a result of the mechanical updates, body roll is minimal and the car remains balanced and firmly planted to the pavement when tackling both sharp corners and long, gradual bends. The brakes have a nice sharp bite to them and the electronically assisted steering is blissfully responsive, eschewing the numbness found on less enthusiast-minded cars in this class. Further enhancing the Golfs drivability is the inclusion of Volkswagens XDS brake-based cross-differential system â€" a feature found previously only on the GTI. XDS improves the cars stability and really allows you to confidently push it through corners at speed if youre feeling cheeky, though admittedly not as well as a true mechanical differential might.

VWs little hatchback is undeniably towards the front of the pack in the small car segment.

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf is available as a three-door or a five-door hatch here in the States, and starts at $17,995 (plus $820 destination) for the Launch Edition. This limited-edition early model is pretty bare bones, coming only in a three-door configuration with the five-speed manual. After that, the three-door Golf S comes in at $19,815 (including destination), the five-door SE starts at $25,315 and the top-of-the-line SEL sets buyers back $27,815. The Golf is a bit more expensive than some of its competition â€" the Ford Focus hatchback starts at $19,115 and the Mazda3 hatchback comes in at $18,495, for instance â€" but its not so egregiously pricey that its MSRP should be a deterrent.

Volkswagen needs the Golf to be a big seller. Sales have drastically slowed in the US for the German automaker, a development that has surely soured the mood in Wolfsburg just a few short years after the automaker laid out super ambitious sales goals for the American market. By all accounts, the Golf should be a success, as the little hatchback is undeniably towards the front of the pack in the small car segment. But American car buyers are a fickle and complicated group, and its solid performance in the hands of car reviewers like us doesnt necessarily translate into what matters most: sales.

Perhaps the Golf will surprise us one more time.