Driving a 612 - Why I did not purchase this model

If you drive the 612 or the 599 in Auto, it feels like a 1970 Cadillac. The car responds when you manually shift it with the paddles. I felt the back seats in the 612 were rather good with plenty of room.
If you don't intend to manually shift, then these models are not for you.

 

The F1 transmission in my 2008 OTO is smooth and quick.
Drive an OTO with the 2 clutch transmission before you give up on it.

 

Another person who did not learn how to drive F1 before deciding they did not like it. As with anything new, it takes a while to learn to use the system smoothly. One drive will not do it. Especially if that driver uses Auto mode on a single plate clutch F1 system Ferrari. The twin disc systems on the OTO and 599 are better in Auto, but nowhere near as satisfying as manual mode.

 

George, David and Taz took the words out of my mouth.

I don't allow my wife to drive my 612 because she won't use the paddles, and even when I tried to instruct her on their use, she just didn't get it. She can drive the FF all day because the DCT is excellent in auto mode. Some people don't get that you don't let off the gas when using the paddle shifters.

As far as rear seat space, I guess I'd have to go out and measure, but I think it is the same in both cars.

But, get the car that makes you happy!

 

I drive my 612 in manual mode 99.999% of the time…in traffic in Paris, in traffic jams on the Autoroute…in the end it is a manual transmission with an electro-hydraulic robot to help you shift…it is not meant to be driven like a torque converter automatic (it even says it in the owners manual).

I owned a Maserati Granturismo with the ZF 6 speed auto ( a fine transmission) for 11 years…I don’t consider the F1 in my 612 to be inferior in any way…and the overall driving experience is so much more engaging.

As for the back seat comment…I think the experience in the back of an OTO is very different. My wife has been riding back there for 8 weeks now with our son and she claims the photochromic roof makes the view from the rear seats even better than that from the front. A pre-oto model with a dark headliner may give a very different impression.

Put the car in manual mode…drop to second and tell yourself to only shift above 6500 rpm…the car has an amazing amount of shove…shocking really.

 

try an oto

 

This is an excellent point. The electrochromic roof makes a world of difference to the rear seat passengers.

 

Congratulations on the California. Enjoy her. With no 5 year belt changes, service costs may be less over time.

 

Did your Maseratis have true F1 (manual) transmissions? Most all (with a few exceptions) were automatic transmissions that you could also shift with paddles. Big difference.

Glad you found a car you liked though. Enjoy.

 

I could be wrong, but I don't believe the transmission in the California is an F1. I thought it was more of a traditional automatic?

 

Don- It is not F1, it is a DCT, like the 458. Sometimes called F1 because of the paddles, but it is not, any more than my wife's 9 speed torque converter automatic Mercedes with paddles is F1.

 

The California (the new one, V8) was actually Ferrari's test bed for the DCT, before it was introduced on the mainstream V8 berlinetta (the 458).

 

The original F1 A system in the 612 is a very different thing than the F1 S system in the later One to One cars. Both suck in automatic mode, which is sort of like a valet parking mode or being stuck in traffic mode. Both are awesome when you drive the car fast and at high revs in manual gear selection mode. The later F1 S system is a dual plate clutch system and is much faster and smoother shifting, especially when pushed. They really sing through the gears and shifting is really fast. It really is all in how you drive it. My 612 is a Swiss Alp road carving machine that is fun and fast, and it also shifts like an old farm truck in automatic mode. With some effort in learning how to really drive these cars, they can be smooth and fast, buy they require more off a learning curve than the systems in newer models.

 

OTO is nearly all the same hardware. Same gearbox; same actuators. The “dual clutch” isn’t a dct like on later cars; it’s a twin disc dry plate clutch pack. It has a higher torque capacity and was introduced to because the 599 needs the extra capacity, and so it made sense to share parts across the 599 and 612.

There is a difference of course, but it’s nearly all in the TCU calibration and how it integrates with the engine ecu’s to manage torque delivery during gear changes.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

OTO uses the 612 gearbox components in the 599 gearbox case to better match up with the low inertia twin disc dry clutch. It also has Superfast I software in the TCU for quicker and smoother shifts with min shift time like the 599 at 100 ms. Interim 612s (late 07, early 08) already had 125 ms min shift time, so an incremental improvement.

F1S is something entirely different on late 612s and offers the ability to have fast shifting and soft shock settings.

 

Although this may not matter to most owners or prospective buyers, one thing you get with the 612 but not the FF or California is the ability to convert to a three pedal car.

 

I daily drive my 612, and I can attest to the reviews above: it is a much more engaging experience than I expected when I bought the car. I feared being bored with the 612, having bought it without driving it first; but being "un-engaging" is simply not a worry when using as a daily. I've had the car for a year and a half, and I'm still working on perfecting the lift and throttle application to be as smooth as possible. You drive it as a manual: pay attention to revs, shift points and especially to the speed since the car's thrust and the engine note make you want to keep your foot in it all the way through the rev range. I like that it takes time to wind it out; it's not instant like the California or other modern cars in which things happen very quickly at illegal speeds. Don't get me wrong: this is a fast car...."jail-time" illegal just doesn't happen as quickly. It always feels special even though it does fly under the radar a bit more.

All that said, the California seems a bit more "manageable" in that it's smaller. The 612 is enormous. It is as long as most SUVs (not including the extended Suburban/ Navigator/ Escalade class) and that's an odd experience because it handles like a much smaller sports car. However, you can't dart in and out of traffic without planning. You take more care to get into and out of parking spots given the extended nose. And on that point: I have pads affixed to my garage wall to prevent car doors from getting scratched when opening; The door of the 612 opens into the rear-door pad. My previous car was a 2014 Maserati Q-Porte; the rear door opened into that pad. Now the 612 opens into it - This car has a long nose!

Ultimately: I absolutely love driving the 612...