Finally! Nero Daytona FF

After years lurking on the FF subsection, and “compromising” in the past 24 months with 2 991s (C2S and Turbo), it is finally here: my new to me Nero Daytona 2014 Ferrari FF.

The FF is replacing the 991TT as a daily driver, sharing that duty with a RR.
I had the car fitted with Michelin Alpin prior to delivery from FoW. (They did such a good job in Snowzilla past year).

The idea of the thread, besides sharing the joy, is to give back to the F Chat community by sharing my long term daily driving experience with this car.
Many recurring topics come across various threads. I hope my perspective coming from my experience with this particular car, in my particular conditions of use will bring some value to the community.
(On top of my head: practicality, reliability, cost of use, winter/summer tires, fit while used in a business environment&#8230

Most importantly, thanks all here for maintaining the desire high and dream alive, and being such a usefull resource.

Thanks as well to the previous owner, respected collector and FChatter, for doing such a good job with the specifications and getting back to me to confirm that the car was in perfect shape prior to my purchase.

I only have 350mi with the car now, car being 5kmi, so I will wait bit more before providing experience feedback. Overall though, the smiles it has been putting on my face are a testimony for how good it is
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Thanks Maximus.

Indeed, while I originally thought that black was the worse color for an FF, in the flesh, it actually looks stunning.
It looses bit of contrasts, allowing the eye to capture all of the design and shape work, but the car looks "meaner".

Batman's bread vans.

 

Thanks!
Feels like a very solid car so far.

 

Lol

 

All right, so after 2,200mi with the car, here are a few impressions:

- Car is a true daily driver, not a week end car.
It is fairly comfortable, roomy, convenient, not noisy
Since I have purchased the FF, I have not used my Range Rover...

- I have not used the front lifter while I have been in 15+ different parking garages.
All parkings with valet accepted my request to park the car myself.

- At first, probably due to the long hood and fact that cockpit sits closer to the back wheels, I thought the car reactions were unpredictable and front end of the car "jumping left and right".
I now got used to it and find it fairly balance and pleasurable to drive in the curves.

- The sound of the V12 is intoxicating when you want it to be, and the car knows how to be discreet as well.
I would not install an aftermarket exhaust, mostly due to the fact that I daily drive the car, so I appreciate the ability to stay under the radar, as much as this can be knowing it's a Ferrari

- Get a lot of positive reactions in the street, never had a negative one.
It is not this much of an attention magnet, but definitely more than a 911 for example.
Daily drive the car, so I go to office with it. Mostly got positive reactions from my employees.

- Gas mileage is bad. There is a tread about it.
=> To date my "worst" week saw me gas up 5 times! (including a round trip to NYC from DC).

- Stopping power and brakes are not up to the pace such car can have.

- Option I wish my car had:
> Front camera. the hood is long.
> Upgraded sound system. Standard one is poor, real bad. Not a fit for long drives when you are in 7th gear and can't listen to any engine noise as you are cruising.
> Panoramic roof. Not as important as the 2 above, but would enjoy extra light in the cockpit.

- I just changed the battery today. Was at 70%.
Without charging it, I managed to turn on the engine after 2 weeks without any use but the new battery is giving the extra crank I hope will make me safer with the cold coming.

- I guess the vast majority of the critics I could formulate about the car have been fixed on the Lusso:
> Can't keep the temperature stable when you accelerate and engine heats up, heat is pushed into the A/C
> Who at Ferrari thought they should put the rear camera view next to the tachometer and not into the GPS screen? Can't see nothing when reversing with a turned steering wheel.
> Infotainment system is worse than what my 2006 BMW 116d was equipped with back in the days
> I would appreciate the seat to sit a little lower. I'm 6'-4". But don't really miss room.

I am more than happy with my purchase so far. I think my enjoyment comes from the use I do of it: I daily drive it. The FF was designed to be daily driven.
I would have been disappointed if it was a week end car, as the FF delivered a GT Ferrari experience, not a raw mid engine nimble and loud as the thunder Ferrari experience.

Hopefully the next 20kmi I hope to put on this year will be as good as the first 2kmi.

Best

 

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Haha, of course I did! (sorry for the flat on your 535, changing a tire in the cold is not a pretty perspective...)

Was a lot of fun, car handles extremely well.
I did not like the snow/wet modes in those conditions though.
Trying systems and handling on empty snowy parking lots, snow / wet modes really help you not "loose the car", but at the same time, the pb you get into are understeer when corner with too much speed.
In comfort or sport + manual, you get oversteer (if you push too much), which to me is much more controllable.
To be honest, in Sport mode and manual, The traction control still kicks in. You get just the drifting you need to have fun and not loose the car.
Comparing i with the 991 turbo system, the turbo was getting me similar drifting / play in Drive + standard mode.