Very BMW M Coupe looking in the rear. Some loved it, many didnt. At least this one has serious balls under the hood, and love the interior! Thanks for sharing.
Same for me, but still, it could have been aesthetically more attractive. It is a 85 out of a 100 score. If I lived in Switzerland, I would have one in a heartbeat. In Florida, I would send it off to Pinnin for revisions. Interior though is orgasmic.
FWIW, I drove the FF last weekend, coincidentally right before Alxlee who posted above. The car handled exceptionally well and was blindingly quick. Regrettably, I found it remarkably numb. The steering was light and lifeless, the dual clutch transmission gave the same kind of feedback you would get from a video game...meaning none at all. The shifts were so relatively imperceptible that the experience felt horribly electronic. Finally, and most disappointingly, the engine note was brutally artificial. I don't know what has gotten into Ferrari lately but after a few minutes in the car I started thinking, give me a F-king break. Ferrari has gotten it into its head that Ferraris need to sound like detuned F1 cars. As a result, be it the 458 or the FF--they sound alike and totally phony IMHO. I don't recall people ever complaining about the engine tone of the Testarossa or the 550 so why jump the shark? Also, the only thing you hear is the "soundtrack" of an engine sound. You don't hear any of the mechanical whirrings or feel any of the subtle vibrations you do in older Ferraris to let you know the car is "alive" just a banshee engine wail that is neither real or appropriate for a GT. The sound is so synthetic, it actually sounds like it is coming from the speakers. If my Boxster S can produce a pleasant and realistic engine tone with the perfect amount of vibration, I am sure Ferrari can! The Ferrari mystique is born in large part from the incredible interplay between man and machine. The FF does not need you and, quite frankly, is designed just to humor you into thinking you are a relevant part of the equation. Its the vehicular equivalent of the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain...you have all the lights and sounds to make you think you are dangerously piloting a rocket through space...but you really are not. In the end, except for the sheer speed, the car was no more interesting to me than any Porsche or BMW I have driven and far less entertaining than say a Mercedes E63 AMG. Considering the price point (the car I drove cost almost 400K!!!!), I rather buy a Porsche Panamera Turbo and use the left over cash to buy a slightly used SCUDERIA!!! I went into the test drive excited and with no agenda as I really want Ferrari to succeed. I came away utterly disappointed. FWIW, I don't recall anyone else who test drove the car that day feeling much different than I. I sincerely apologize if I offend any now or future owners with my rant, but in this instance, the car is emblematic of the direction Ferrari seems to be going with its road cars and I feel compelled to voice my distain. It is my hope that if enough owners and enthusiasts do so, Ferrari may take a different direction. In the end though, it is just my worthless .02
Interesting viewpoints! I do have to say though that many complained at the time that the 550 was a bit quiet for a Ferrari,much the same was directed at the 575. I also dont think there is any way that the 458 and the FF sound alike but I will conceed the FF I heard was in a closed space so that may have played a part. I loved the sound, reminded me of a detuned GTO in some ways. I do however think there is merit in what you say, its telling that Ferrari has introduced software for the 458 which gives a less smooth more racey feeling shift, to me in some ways the DSG is too refined in that car, cant comment on the FF as yet. For me I like the concept of the FF but the true test will be how it sells 3 years after launch. In my humble opinion we are at a point where the Ferrari's of today arent going to feel like the Ferrari's of yester years, perhaps the customer based has changed, the world has certainly changed, expectatations have changed and lastly the market place has changed.
I agree the 550 and actually the Testarossa are remarkably quiet in stock form...but the sound they do generate is genuine. The FF lacks the complexity of sound I enjoy so much from a 12 cylinder engine. Instead, you get a sound track, devoid of any of the mechanical whirrings and subtleties that make listening to a Ferrari engine so satisfying. Most troubling to me, the sound is strikingly artificial. The DSG is too video game like in feel for my taste, but its extraordinary competence cannot be denied. Although I hate the feel, I rather it be too smooth than to have them artificially inject a mechanical feel to it. I feel like that is pandering. It would be like Ferrari making a new manual transmission and blocking out second gear for a few minutes just to give the driver the feeling of the older Ferraris. Ferrari should stop designing their cars with a focus group mentality and start dictating design to the market. Another words, start being Apple and stop acting like GM. If their DSG system is better in every way, than educate the owners as to why it is and have them appreciate its smooth operation instead of dumbing things down. As you can probably tell, I am actually disgusted with Ferrari. I too was happy with the FF. I liked the design concept and I think the AWD system integration was brilliant. Stylistically, I was more partial to the departed 612, but that is just a matter of taste. However, I hate being pandered to, and more than anything, I felt like this car was just that, and nothing more.
Exactly! With the styling of the FF they have done that to a point if one doesnt buy into the whole "our customers wanted the car to look this way". Taken bluntly in the old days customers bought whatever the old man thought they needed, the customers rarely dictated to him what they wanted, sure there were exceptions but I think the point stands, though some would argue that conversely the uniqueness of some cars was directly attributable to customer involvement. The question thats been on my mind for a while is how useable are Ferrari's going to become, surely there is a line somewhere as to how practical is too practical or maybe I am deluding myself.
I agree. One of the dirty little secrets about Ferrari ownership is that the high maintenance costs, lack of practicality, and resale's emphasis on low mileage cars, has made Ferrari's "event" cars rather than daily drivers. Every ride in a Ferrari is an occasion. However, drive a car 15K miles a year and that occasion begins to wear off and you begin to notice all the chinks in the armor. The only way to combat that, I suppose, is to homogenize the cars enough so that the prickly parts are not so pointy and the cars are really easy to own. The problem is, that dilutes the brand and dilutes the experience...which is exactly what we have here. I love my Testarossa dearly, but it would be the last car in hell I would use as a DD. I enjoy the difficulty, the idiosyncracies, etc. When I want normal, I jump in my DD. The moment Ferraris, regardless of their price range, lose that edge, they become just another high end car. The FF answers a demand that really does not need to be filled. The guy who can plunk down 400K on a Ferrari likely is not relying on it for his sole mode of transportation. If he wants a seductive GT usable as an evening suit, the predecessor, the 612, amptly fills that bill without completely selling out. I mean, Is Ferrari that worked up about potentially losing sales to Bentley that they had to devise a competitor If that is the case, why not just pull down their pants and build a Cayenne competitor...I mean their 1/2 way there!
Saw this beauty today, Rosso Maranello. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I admit I was wrong....... I finally saw the FF in person and took her for a spin... WHile it is a completely different car than my 458 it is definitely a Ferrari.... I just had such an urge to drive her to my winter cabin in Wisconsin... It would still be a second Ferrari for me though..... But also a DD...... Tony.........
I saw the final product for the first time in the flesh yesterday. I am not evenly remotely deasiring to buy one. I would rather have a 456 or 612 over this design. The size is silly and the ultimate design is just odd.
Once upon a time, ferraris were daily drivers...... I have a jag e- type as my dd in high school and college. Nowadays modern cars are just so easy to drive and comfortable, even low end cars. Ed
Somewhere in the world, there's a male human who sports wood while thinking about Whoopi Goldberg....
Nope, it might be great to drive, it might be a superlative GT car but nothing gets away from the fact it's utterly hideous. Put it next to the 456, the most beautiful modern Ferrari, and it really is an ugly duckling. Reminds me of this horrid thing - http://www.cartype.com/pics/3609/full/bmw_m-coupe_side1.jpg
Very well said. You know i use my Ferrari as a DD for a month or two and it gets boring, so it goes in the garage and never sees the light of day for a good few months until that excitement has built up again and driving it for the first time after a lay is something special, exciting and different. Then repeat process .........
It is hideous. It would be like listening to classical music though an Ayre pre-amp, with Ayre mono-blocks, Emm Labs Universal player and Dac, through the world's ugliest speakers: [*** link deleted ***]
LOL! I never understood that relationship... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had an opportunity to see an FF in person this weekend. I can't say it is hideous. Turned out to be pretty nice looking. However, my issues with the car are; if you take all the badges off the car and didn't know any better, I'd never guess it was a Ferrari. Just doesn't look like a Ferrari. A 456 or 612 do. Also, for those of you who have been in the car you can correct me, but it does not appear to have much leg room in the back. Front seats appeared to be in a driving position and there was about 3-4 inches from the seat back to the front of the rear cushion. I have to agree with 360stimo, the car looks very much like a Z3 M Coupe on steroids. Thought that from the very first picture I saw. That car is one you either love or hate, but it has the capability to go like stink. It is one that has kind of grown on me over time. Again, looked pretty nice in person, just not my perceived image of a Ferrari
i applaud everyone who either reserved judgment on the styling until they actually saw one (crazy idea, i know), or who changed their minds after seeing one (maybe recognizing the pitfalls of passing judgment based on nothing but internet photos) I further applaud those who have the intellectual curiosity to look beneath the surface, perhaps taking time to understand the innovative, state-of-the-art 4WD technology, or even ... another crazy idea ... actually spending some time behind the wheel Bravo !!
That doesn't make much sense. Why can't a Ferrari be phenomenal to drive and -to a point- practical at the same time? All 2+2's are Ferrari's that also aim at being practical (again, up to a point) and the same can be said for the big GT cars. Agreed, all midengined cars are meant to be either driven fast or raced and that is pretty much it. Not much practicallity there nor is it meant to be, but in a historical context this is only a tiny aspect of the Ferrari car range. Again, the historical context. A 2+2 has a fundamental place in that context, a SUV does not. One could argue that the chosen context for the FF blurs the line between a 2+2 and a SUV, but surely the FF firmly stays at the 'correct' side of that line referring to it's performance potential and driving characteristics. It is certainly not less of a Ferrari than a F40, Testarossa or anything else that by the 'public' deems a 'true' Ferrari.
