[Z06] Comparison-Z06 and Ferrari 575M
09-30-2006, 11:29 PM
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Comparison-Z06 and Ferrari 575M
I've owned several Vettes, and most recently a 2006 Z06 since last Christmas. I've looked at/driven several Ferraris including the 360 and 430, and while great cars, they just did not have sufficient torque to satisfy my style of driving. But I recently drove a 575 and liked it a lot, so I bought one. (2004, F1 shift, 515 HP, 438 lb-ft of torque, V12, with a 7600 rpm red line). I have had it for about 1 month / 1000 miles.
So how do the cars compare? Both have lots of power/torque; both look great; both handle great.
Speed/Power
The Vette is clearly faster/stronger. However, because the Ferrari has much lower gearing (all the Ferrari gear ratios are approximately one gear down from the Vette - ie. 3rd in the Ferrari is like 2nd in the Vette), the Ferrari actually pulls a little stronger in each gear than the Vette in the equivalent gear. (It can spin its tires through all of first, and most of second - great fun!) Using my G-Tech, I have measured this and confirmed the seat-of-the -pants feeling. For example, the Ferrari in 4th gear pulls about .34-.37 G's compared to the Vette in 4th gear pulling about .31-.34 G's. By the way, I have been complaining that the Vette's gears are far too high for fun on the street, and the Ferrari's lower ratios have confirmed this to me - the Ferrari is simply a lot more fun to drive on the street - I can actually step on it, and shift up through third gear, before I have to back off for fear of losing my licence - in the Z06 once you shift to second, it's game over - you're going way too fast for the street. The F1 style paddle-shifting manual is very entertaining - far from perfect - pretty jerky, and occasionally un-natural in feeling, but still very cool and fun to drive.
Handling -
Again, both are excellent. The steering on the Vette is pretty dead and without much feeling, compared to the Ferrari that is exceptionally well connected to the wheels/pavement. However, that does not necessarily translate to better handling - just different. I find the much more precise Ferrari steering to be somewaht twitchy in corners, and overall find the Vette to be easier to drive fast and with confidence in corners. To be fair, I have had a lot more seat time in the Vette, including on the track, so it is possible that once one is used to it, both would be comparable.) Of course, the Ferrari weighs about 700 pounds more that the Vette, and it does not pretend to be a sports car, but more of a grand tourer (a really fast grand tourer!).
Looks/Fit and Finish
- No contest here. The Vette is perfectly adequate for its price point. The Ferrari is exceptional, but it does cost 4 times as much!! Having said that, the Ferrari's paint is fabulous, the the 100% leather interior (on every surface including the roof covering), is a work of Italian art.
Ride/Comfort
- Much to my surprise, the Vette wins out here. It has a much more compliant ride, soaks up bumps and cracks on the road much better - something I would have never expected in a Vette, especially the race-ready model! Many more creature comforts, like tilt and power telescoping steering, compared to a pretty useless manual version on the Ferrari, seats that retreat automatically so you can crawl out, cruise control to help you keep your licence, and the great heads up display so you always know how badly you are breaking the law! The Vette chassis is also much stiffer, with less creaks and groans, although I suspect that some of the creaks in the Ferrari is from all that leather rubbing together. GM's plastic seems to be quieter than the Italian leather.
Bottom Line
- The Vette is a great car, especially for the price. VERY fast/strong, reliable, fun to drive, suitable for daily driving and you can afford to drive it 10-20 thousand miles a year, even in rain and snow; but after driving the Ferrari, it feels kind of ordinary. The Ferrari is simply SPECIAL. Great fun to drive, looks like a work of art, one definitely feels a special experience when driving it (when I have a choice, the Ferrari keys are always the first ones that I grab). On the other hand it is best suited for driving only on special occasions - much improved but still marginal reliability, very expensive maintenance, and Ferrari owners tend to be pleased if they get to 50,000 miles, at which point the trade-in value is next to nothing, because nobody wants one with that many miles on it! (I was determined to buy one with no more than a few thousand miles).
In any kind of purely OBJECTIVE comparison: performance, value, comfort, features, the Vette would win out. On the other hand, emotionally and subjectively, the Ferrari is definitely the more interesting and rewarding car, and I am thrilled to have owned one, but if I could only own one car, the Vette would be it. (My other daily driver is a Mercedes AMG 55, and since I got the Vette, I've put about 10,000 miles on it, over 1000 on the Ferrari in just 3 weeks, and less than 2000 on the AMG in 9 months! But the replacement AMG 63 just arrived, so maybe I can give the other two a bit of a break, especially now that winter is approaching!) By the way, the AMG E63 has a 6.2 litre V-8 with identical horsepower and torque as the Z06, and a seven speed automatic tranny, but unfortunately it weighs over 4000 pounds.
So how do the cars compare? Both have lots of power/torque; both look great; both handle great.
Speed/Power
The Vette is clearly faster/stronger. However, because the Ferrari has much lower gearing (all the Ferrari gear ratios are approximately one gear down from the Vette - ie. 3rd in the Ferrari is like 2nd in the Vette), the Ferrari actually pulls a little stronger in each gear than the Vette in the equivalent gear. (It can spin its tires through all of first, and most of second - great fun!) Using my G-Tech, I have measured this and confirmed the seat-of-the -pants feeling. For example, the Ferrari in 4th gear pulls about .34-.37 G's compared to the Vette in 4th gear pulling about .31-.34 G's. By the way, I have been complaining that the Vette's gears are far too high for fun on the street, and the Ferrari's lower ratios have confirmed this to me - the Ferrari is simply a lot more fun to drive on the street - I can actually step on it, and shift up through third gear, before I have to back off for fear of losing my licence - in the Z06 once you shift to second, it's game over - you're going way too fast for the street. The F1 style paddle-shifting manual is very entertaining - far from perfect - pretty jerky, and occasionally un-natural in feeling, but still very cool and fun to drive.
Handling -
Again, both are excellent. The steering on the Vette is pretty dead and without much feeling, compared to the Ferrari that is exceptionally well connected to the wheels/pavement. However, that does not necessarily translate to better handling - just different. I find the much more precise Ferrari steering to be somewaht twitchy in corners, and overall find the Vette to be easier to drive fast and with confidence in corners. To be fair, I have had a lot more seat time in the Vette, including on the track, so it is possible that once one is used to it, both would be comparable.) Of course, the Ferrari weighs about 700 pounds more that the Vette, and it does not pretend to be a sports car, but more of a grand tourer (a really fast grand tourer!).
Looks/Fit and Finish
- No contest here. The Vette is perfectly adequate for its price point. The Ferrari is exceptional, but it does cost 4 times as much!! Having said that, the Ferrari's paint is fabulous, the the 100% leather interior (on every surface including the roof covering), is a work of Italian art.
Ride/Comfort
- Much to my surprise, the Vette wins out here. It has a much more compliant ride, soaks up bumps and cracks on the road much better - something I would have never expected in a Vette, especially the race-ready model! Many more creature comforts, like tilt and power telescoping steering, compared to a pretty useless manual version on the Ferrari, seats that retreat automatically so you can crawl out, cruise control to help you keep your licence, and the great heads up display so you always know how badly you are breaking the law! The Vette chassis is also much stiffer, with less creaks and groans, although I suspect that some of the creaks in the Ferrari is from all that leather rubbing together. GM's plastic seems to be quieter than the Italian leather.
Bottom Line
- The Vette is a great car, especially for the price. VERY fast/strong, reliable, fun to drive, suitable for daily driving and you can afford to drive it 10-20 thousand miles a year, even in rain and snow; but after driving the Ferrari, it feels kind of ordinary. The Ferrari is simply SPECIAL. Great fun to drive, looks like a work of art, one definitely feels a special experience when driving it (when I have a choice, the Ferrari keys are always the first ones that I grab). On the other hand it is best suited for driving only on special occasions - much improved but still marginal reliability, very expensive maintenance, and Ferrari owners tend to be pleased if they get to 50,000 miles, at which point the trade-in value is next to nothing, because nobody wants one with that many miles on it! (I was determined to buy one with no more than a few thousand miles).
In any kind of purely OBJECTIVE comparison: performance, value, comfort, features, the Vette would win out. On the other hand, emotionally and subjectively, the Ferrari is definitely the more interesting and rewarding car, and I am thrilled to have owned one, but if I could only own one car, the Vette would be it. (My other daily driver is a Mercedes AMG 55, and since I got the Vette, I've put about 10,000 miles on it, over 1000 on the Ferrari in just 3 weeks, and less than 2000 on the AMG in 9 months! But the replacement AMG 63 just arrived, so maybe I can give the other two a bit of a break, especially now that winter is approaching!) By the way, the AMG E63 has a 6.2 litre V-8 with identical horsepower and torque as the Z06, and a seven speed automatic tranny, but unfortunately it weighs over 4000 pounds.
10-01-2006, 12:19 AM
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Very nice writeup! I actually considered a used 575M as an alternative to a less expensive, new Z06 but I needed the car to be useable every day. Having sold my testarossa I was experiencing Ferrari withdrawal but with maintenance costs being what they are and Ferraris being so needy I just couldn't see it and also paying a lot more for the Maranello. In the end I also sold my Supra Twin-turbo and was just able to cover the Z06 using the proceeds from the two cars. Also, there's nothing quite like being the first owner of a brand new car. The Ferrari sure is beautiful though.
Pat
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10-01-2006, 10:29 AM
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St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16
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Great writeup. I completely agree too. I was lucky enough to drive a few 550's. 
Also...I 1000% agree with the gearing on the Z comment. It's too much to be fun on the street. Banging through the gears is fun and I just can't do that legally...even on the parkway.
Also...I 1000% agree with the gearing on the Z comment. It's too much to be fun on the street. Banging through the gears is fun and I just can't do that legally...even on the parkway.
10-01-2006, 06:41 PM
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Several years ago I had the opportunity to drive a Ferrari owned by my friend who owns TEAM Chevrolet in Vallejo. I took it out on the freeway, sides streets, etc. It's a very exciting car to drive. At the time we had our C5 vert so I had the ability to compare the feel of the ride.
When I brought the Ferrari back he asked me what I thought. I told him it's a real head turner, that's for sure. I liked the overall experience for a little while, but I didn't think it would be good for any kind of distance driving or as a daily driver.
He said he felt the same way. He also said if you have a date you could really impress her by picking her up in the Ferrari. But then you'd be better off driving it home and swapping it for the Vette for the rest of the evening.
When I brought the Ferrari back he asked me what I thought. I told him it's a real head turner, that's for sure. I liked the overall experience for a little while, but I didn't think it would be good for any kind of distance driving or as a daily driver.
He said he felt the same way. He also said if you have a date you could really impress her by picking her up in the Ferrari. But then you'd be better off driving it home and swapping it for the Vette for the rest of the evening.
10-01-2006, 07:07 PM
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What a great writeup! I love these comparisons, especially when they are so a) informative and b) well written!
Interesting about the gearing and street fun factor. I suppose some of that is to help keep the gas mileage up.
Interesting about the gearing and street fun factor. I suppose some of that is to help keep the gas mileage up.
10-01-2006, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by SW
Exactly my thoughts. Nice right up!
SW
SW
Great photo. The black pair looks fabulous!. You're a much better photographer than me - the pictures I took turned out faily poor, so I did not post them, besides which I have yet to figure out how to post them. If someone can educate me on posting, I'll put up my lousy pictures!
10-01-2006, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by mousecatcher
What a great writeup! I love these comparisons, especially when they are so a) informative and b) well written!
Interesting about the gearing and street fun factor. I suppose some of that is to help keep the gas mileage up.
Interesting about the gearing and street fun factor. I suppose some of that is to help keep the gas mileage up.
