Another sleepless night has arrived. At the same time, I got to drive two dream cars that I have longed for...
Let me briefly describe the driving experience of these two cars. The M6, a luxury GT coupe. By luxury, I mean it should be defined as having a small pile of high-tech electronic equipment, an excellent V10 engine, and the best suspension system, SMG gearbox technology, etc. Both inside and out, it doesn't differ too much from a regular BMW. The actual driving experience can only be defined as a coupe, with comfortable seats and a luxurious space. Uninterrupted power... However, since it's still a BMW, it's rather subdued. The exhaust sound compared to the F430 can only be described as gentle... Due to its larger size, it shows clumsiness when taking turns. To put it bluntly, this car lacks the soul of a supercar. However, it can meet your need for "high speed" and safely achieve high-speed driving... Even at 200km/h, 250km/h, 260km/h, 270km/h, or even higher, it still gives you a sense of security... I believe this is what BMW aims for. After all, making a fast car is easy, like a bunch of Japanese modified cars. But making a car that makes you feel safe and challenges its ultimate speed is difficult. In this aspect, the M6 has achieved success. The finer details will be organized later; tonight's theme is not this...
Now talking about the F430, ever since the F430 was launched, I've fallen in love with its appearance. I think it's Ferrari's best car. What does 0-100km/h in 4 seconds feel like? Haven't believed it until today. Hehe... Under full throttle in second gear, the F430 clearly provides more thrust and speed sensation due to its low body and roaring exhaust... Describing the F430's exhaust roar as a roar is not an exaggeration. This sound is very pure and primitive, without any embellishment, directly hitting your ears. You might find it unpleasant, but this kind of sound will definitely make you calm down... This is truly a real sports car...
Both cars' gearboxes come from F1 racing technology, both having automatic mode and paddle shift modes... In practical driving experience, they are quite similar. Getting used to F430's gearbox means getting used to the M6's, and vice versa... However, there are significant differences in detail... Let's talk about the automatic mode first. The M6's automatic mode involves moving the SMG gear lever to the left until the screen displays 'D'. Although there are five gearshift speed adjustments, none of them satisfy me... The D1 mode has too long gearshift times, causing the body to sway naturally. D2, D3, D4, D5 only differ in the duration of swaying. By the time you reach D5, the swaying time decreases, but the gearshift impact increases... Of course, this gearbox is originally a manual one with just an automatic mode added. I believe most people would choose to use the gear lever to shift gears, after all, this is the true way of the M6. Thus, criticism of it becomes nitpicking... But BMW, is this really the best you can do with the automatic mode? Is this the pinnacle of today's highest gearbox technology? The answer is NO. After driving the F430, it's clear that Ferrari lags behind BMW in this aspect. The F430's automatic mode is activated by pressing an 'auto' button in the middle. Once pressed, the instrument panel displays an 'auto' mark, putting the car into automatic mode... From the start, shifting from 1st to 2nd, then to 3rd continuously, the first impression is that it's much better than the M6... Although there is still some swaying, the timing is significantly shortened... Talking about the paddle shift experience, the M6's paddles have a strong plastic feel, and are relatively stiff. Compared to the F430, the metallic feel is weaker. There is a small paddle shift sound every time you change gears, which sounds nice... The F430's feel is better than the M6's...
Using the paddle shifts, in detail, the F430's gear changes are relatively direct and fast, providing the driver with a longer unique experience... Of course, if using the strongest CST fully closed mode (commonly known as 'death mode'), similar to the M6's S-6 mode (rocket launch mode), there's no comfort to speak of, but the strong impact (including the impact between the body and the seat, and the metallic clanking sound of the gearbox) brings intense driving sensations. The most direct feeling is "this is truly an incredibly exciting acceleration show... A perfect and flawless super-speed experience..."
Let me introduce the F430's mode selection: The driver can change the driving mode in any situation through a selector button on the left side of the steering wheel. There are five modes to choose from: 1. Snow Mode, choosing automatic gearshifts, reducing gearshift smoothness, stability, and traction control optimized participation; 2. Road Grip Mode, allowing gearshifts with paddle shifts, other settings basically maintaining the level of snow mode; 3. Sport Mode, the suspension adopts a more dynamic setting, CST (Ferrari's ESP-like electronic device that can control engine output) no longer overly interferes with driving wishes; 4. Race Mode, usable only on the track, faster gearshifts, CST controls the engine only when absolutely necessary; 5. CST Fully Closed, the final mode, leaving only ABS and EBD...
The F430 also has two details worth mentioning: One is that the exhaust pipes spray water... Yes, every time you accelerate under full throttle, during the gearshift instant, the two middle exhaust pipes among the four will spray blue water flames. Under the glow of daylight, it looks particularly good...
Another detail is, after a few laps, the entire F430 body heats up... Yes, any part of the body feels scorching when touched by hand. Even the bottom of the car is the same... I'm not sure if it's Ferrari's heat dissipation treatment...
To be honest, returning to the main point, tonight's theme is the 200km showdown... Actually, writing this article now is too early... Because the Ferrari hasn't gone through its initial break-in period yet. Therefore, considering engine protection, we didn't use the strongest RACING mode, but instead used the SPORT mode. Fortunately, the M6 didn't use the S-6 mode either, but the S-5 mode. Neither car turned off the electronic assistance system. Due to the restrictions of tonight's venue and the driver's self-awareness of their own skills. Hehe, personally, I think these two cars are better than the drivers... Since we are not professional drivers, and the venue is not a race track... So, tonight's showdown is just the beginning, a warm-up match... Even so, through this competition, I have gained a deeper understanding of these two cars... The process was brilliant, and the result was unexpected... Due to the interference of the electronic system at the starting point, we still adopted simultaneous steady progress for 5 meters, then simultaneous acceleration... We did this 5-6 times, and when the F430 performed well, it led ahead, but the gap was only half a car length to one car length... This continued without being able to widen further... Then, after reaching 150km/h, the M6 began to show its power, gradually widening the distance... Finally, after 190km/h, it overtook Ferrari... When the M6 performed well, it took the lead at the start, was slowly overtaken, and then gradually caught up again...
In summary, under this mode, both cars gently accelerated to the redline before shifting gears. Ultimately, disregarding the driver's skill, the F430 was faster in the second half, while the M6 had the advantage of greater horsepower and displacement, leading to the M6's success in the latter stages...
For the 0-100km acceleration race, everyone knows the F430 takes 4 seconds, and the M6 takes 4.6 seconds... So, the focus is actually in the first half... Personally, I think if both were using their strongest modes, the F430 would lose... Just looking at this "death mode" nickname is enough to scare someone... Ha ha... With this suspense, there will be even more excitement next time!!!
Dedicated to friends who love these two cars just like me...