In the last 3 weeks, I've:

1. Driven a 458 Italia.
2. Passengered in a 458 Italia.
3. Passengered in an Aston Martin Vanquish
4. Passengered in an Aventador LP700

By FAR the best was the 458 in my opinion.

Driving impression aside (i.e just comparing as a passenger), it FELT the quickest... and although the Lambo is quicker to 100, the 458 at a couple of tenths slower felt quicker as it was more frantic and quicker to shift.

Also, the best way I can describe it is, the 458 actually did everything perfectly. In race mode, it was a race car. In normal mode, it was very compliant and driveable, and quiet. It was tight, and high quality, and did everything very purposefully.

The Aventador was lacking and uncomfortable in normal mode as a normal/daily drive, but super brutal in race mode, which is what you really want in that mode of course. The Aventador had the most road presence, and a nice aircraft style interior... but the interior door handle were befitting of a $20k Impreza, they were plasticky and shit.

The Vanquish was just "soft" compared to the 458 and Aventador, and the seats sucked.. although still quick, felt really slow compared to the other 2. It was the most beautiful out of all the 3 cars too.

Both V12s (the Aston & Lambo) sounded super refined rather than angry, and the 458 sounded like a race car in race mode, and like a pair of 4 cylinders in normal mode (flat plane crank and exhaust flaps closed create that sound). I liked all of them equally in their own way, in regard to how they sounded. 458 revved the hardest of course, which was nice.

Such an experience.. and has tainted the way I feel about cars. It's almost weird to be disappointed about how slow the Vanquish was, because the 458 was so frantically quick in comparison.