Weighing FF options | FerrariChat

Weighing FF options

Discussion in 'FF/Lusso' started by sisiay, Feb 19, 2019.

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  1. sisiay

    sisiay Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 8, 2019
    34
    Encinitas, CA
    Hi all,

    This is my first post, so excuse me if I'm doing it all wrong...

    Looking at [finally!] purchasing my first Ferrari, and want an FF. Planning on using it as my daily, including dropping my two 5 year olds off at school.

    My question is around options (aside from interior/exterior colors):

    In my head, I've committed to pano roof, suspension lifter, and ideally CarPlay.

    Currently I daily an AMG GTS, and I love the glass roof on that, makes the car feel very spacious (I'm 6'5") and I've also scraped the front WAY too many times...honestly, I don't mind the scuffing on the underside and just replacing the lip ever so often, what I hate is being the guy in the nice looking car making that awful scraping sound so that everyone turns to look at what an idiot I am ;)

    For people who have them (and drive them in less-than-ideal environments) how important is the lift? I've seen some people say not very, but I feel like it must give a lot of peace of mind (remembering this is my first Ferarri) and make it that much more daily-able.

    Additionally, if there are any options not listed that you would consider essential (or at least highly desirable) I'm curious about that too.

    Thanks!
     
  2. TurboDoc

    TurboDoc Rookie

    Apr 8, 2018
    34
    Full Name:
    BKB
    I daily drive my FF. I have Car Play and really like that option. Although I have lift on my McLaren and use it frequently, I don’t have lift on the FF and haven’t needed it. I wanted a FF with lift but they are hard to find and the right car appeared locally without lift so I compromised and haven’t regretted it. It’s a fantastic daily driver and I too take my kids to school in it.

    Lift works well if you know the road well and activate it in advance of the need. However, if you don’t know the area you will have people staring as you pause at a ramp and wait for the car to raise.
     
    sisiay likes this.
  3. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 22, 2002
    18,767
    if you want to absolutely be sure you never scrape the bottom, get the lift. if you are ok not scraping it 90% of the time you dont need it. i had one specific location and my kids school that forced me to use it every time i went there.
     
    sisiay likes this.
  4. PJ72

    PJ72 Karting

    Jun 1, 2017
    60
    I agree on the Car Play. I have Pano Roof which looks cool but some people complain makes the car too hot. I live in So Cal and personally I dont think so but it is a personal preference. I also have the lifter which I use very rarely, the car clears pretty much everything.
    Mine is a 15 and the entertainment system is comically bad but I dont care so much, the best sound comes from under the hood...:)
     
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  5. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    #5 otakki, Feb 20, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2019
    Inside the car, pano roof really makes no difference to the driver. Front camera will help you avoid scraping the chin against the curb or parking stop, if you are parking 90 degrees relative to them. If you have to park at an angle, the wide angle front camera view really wouldn't be able to help. Lift...better to have it and not need it, than vice versa. Of course, having the lift also means having more things to potentially break.
     
    sisiay likes this.
  6. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 22, 2002
    18,767
    If u have the lifter and it goes u dont need to fix it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  7. sisiay

    sisiay Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 8, 2019
    34
    Encinitas, CA
    Thanks so much for all the replies. Eliminating the pano roof from "must haves" definitely widens the search net considerably, and PJ72 I'm in San Diego so the SoCal heat consideration applies to me for sure. Allegedly getting covered parking at the office by time I'm likely to have the car, but really if it doesn't change the feel of the cabin that much for the driver, I can definitely bump it to the "nice to have" list. As for the lift...just scraped my GTS again on a lunch run, so thinking that's probably going to stay in the "need" column, though ttforceted I like your attitude (and have learned a lot from your other posts on FF ownership so thank you)! Maybe by the time if/when it breaks I won't quite be so star-struck by my own car and can just let it ride (or my kids will have had their way with the backseat to the point that a few scrapes don't even register anymore).
     
  8. MedinaCustomClassics

    Dec 7, 2006
    210
    Medina, Washington
    Full Name:
    Mark H
    Get the pano roof and the lifter for sure. Not only for you, but for when you go to sell it. FF's without those options are less desirable.
     
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  9. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 22, 2002
    18,767
    great thing about the FF is once you get it and start driving it you wont want to treat it like a trophy. you will just want to drive it everywhere and enjoy every knick and scratch.
     
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  10. ml321

    ml321 Formula Junior

    Aug 26, 2008
    254
    London/Munich
    I don’t have lift - mostly don’t need it, but sometimes did bottom out in the middle due to the long wheelbase and had to reverse out of garages again after a nice crunchy sound. At the front I don’t think it is an issue.

    I drove pano GTC4 and my FF without it back to back and imo - from the drivers seat - it makes no difference

    Parking sensors are kinda useless as mostly you are into solid beep territory - the rear camera is quite helpful (don’t have front, but would like to have that - probably the only option I kinda miss)
     
    sisiay likes this.
  11. sisiay

    sisiay Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 8, 2019
    34
    Encinitas, CA
    @ml321 Thanks for the reply. Helpful info about the lift. I think I'd rather scrape the front than the middle...

    Slightly off-topic, and I've read the other threads where this is discussed, but how did those two compare for you? Have expanded the search into Lussos since they seem to be better optioned than most of the FFs listed right now (at least in terms of what I'm looking for) even though personally I prefer the overall look of the FF.
     
  12. ml321

    ml321 Formula Junior

    Aug 26, 2008
    254
    London/Munich
    To me they felt very similar, GTC was quieter in normal driving I’d say.

    Not a fan of the touch screen and no longer having buttons for certain functions. Best upgrade for me is that It now shows the speed limit (and did not try it, but probably also the adaptive cruise).

    I prefer the rear of the FF, on the front I am ambivalent - I like both.
     
  13. deltona

    deltona Formula 3

    Aug 7, 2009
    1,386
    UK
    Full Name:
    Justin
    I didn’t have an lifter on my FF and never grounded the car or hit a speed bump. Personally I’d find a front camera more useful than a lifter.

    The pan roof is great for rear passengers but other than letting in more natural light to the cabin, the driver doesn’t get much benefit.

    I didn’t have CarPlay but I think it’s useful especially for Waze etc. It become available on 2015 model year cars.

    Later FFs have smoother gearboxes at low rpm which I’d consider important.

    They are great cars and incredibly good value.
     
    sisiay likes this.
  14. MedinaCustomClassics

    Dec 7, 2006
    210
    Medina, Washington
    Full Name:
    Mark H
    Hi Sisiay,

    You and I are in the same boat, I'm 6'5" as well. As you know, we struggle with headroom, so It's Gwagons and FFs for me ;) My advice, and this is just me, is to pick the options you want and stick to them and wait for your vehicle to surface. I (and probably many others) have bought a vehicle without all my "needs/wants" only to have the exact car surface 6 months later (at a lower price, haha) and then thought, ffffaaaakkkkk, why didn't I just wait.

    There are quite a few FFs out there and I believe will continue to be, so I would be patient.

    For me, the pano roof was important. Aesthetically, I like the way it breaks up the roof and adds some interest to the body. The FF has a lot of surface area, so having the pano roof (especially on lighter colors) adds some uniqueness to the overall look. From a practical standpoint, I feel is adds volume to the cabin, gives the cabin a bigger feel, and for us big/taller guys that's nice. Also, it does add headroom as the glass sits at the roofline and a non-pano FF has a headliner.

    As for the lift, obviously no aesthetic value, but from a practicality standpoint it adds, in my view, a lot. If you are going to daily your FF, personally, I like being able to attack entrance ramps without sidewaysing them. Also, if you live in a snow area, it's nice to be able to raise the body on certain occasions for more snow clearnance (although it does automatically lower at speed).

    Full carbon would be nice, hahaha. Good luck with your search. The FF is quite an amazing car, and fits me really well. I don't know how old you are, but I'm 58, and the FF is such a gentleman's car. In my view, I would look silly in some of the more racy looking Ferrari's. Leave those to the young guys :)
     
  15. iloveferrari

    iloveferrari Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 14, 2014
    1,756
    USA
    agree. It will be very very hard to scrape the FF.
     
  16. RamsHmb

    RamsHmb Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 22, 2017
    1,030
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    James
    Not sure of the rules but selling my (wife’s) 2015 FF in RM shortly....have a portofino in final stages. Feel free to PM if you want the deets, I am in nor cal
     
  17. sisiay

    sisiay Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 8, 2019
    34
    Encinitas, CA
    Good advice on waiting for the right one to come along...I've definitely fallen prey to overzealous exuberance when car shopping before and am doing my best to keep it in check this time. I'm 42, so while I like to imagine I could still get away with one of the mid-engine cars for a couple more years one of the reasons for getting the car is replacing my current 2-seater so I can haul my kids around with me. Thanks for the "tall guy's perspective" on the pano roof!
     
  18. sisiay

    sisiay Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 8, 2019
    34
    Encinitas, CA
    Sent you a message, thanks
     

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