F12: 2 Years/17K miles DD report

I have just hit 17K miles in two years of using my 2016 F12 as my daily driver.

Not surprisingly, it has been a great experience. Here are a few observations, for what it’s worth:

The F12 can be driven daily without issue. I put snows on it in the winter, and it did some driving through snow when I got caught out by a change in weather. The traction control does an amazing job in wet, and I never had an issue. That being said, I do try to keep it off the road in wet weather—700hp through 2 wheels with super-fast steering is not really an ideal set up for bad weather, and more to the point, why bother.

The car does not lose specialness with extended driving, but rather rewards experience. The quick steering with all that power takes some recalibration which takes time. I would say it was likely 5k miles before I felt totally settled driving the car with some pace, etc. And the fun of hearing that sound, and the smooth power never fades.

The car has had its gremlins, but nothing mission-critical. There have been a handful of weird electronic glitches—most that fix with a re-boot, but some that needed a visit to the shop to figure out. That being said, I think most have traced to the terrible batteries in these cars—I’ve been through 3 or 4 so far. I know there are other non-EOM options—but I always go OEM for the usual reasons.

The F12 fulfills its mission as a very high-performance GT. It is very comfortable for long distances, and has capabilities far beyond my skill level when the roads allow. It is my car of choice to work each day, but especially for weekend trips—it can hold plenty and is both comfortable and fun to drive. (I would comment that the back luggage area gets incredibly hot—which is worth noting during packing.)

I will drive the car for likely another year—while I wait for my 812 to arrive. FWIW, I don’t think the 812 is as pretty a car as the F12, but it is striking in the right colors, and I am sure it will be a better car as the cars mostly keep getting better with each iteration.

 

I understand your point. I like the look of the 812 but I think the F12 is much prettier from most angles. I do not need more power, and word that it is a stiffer set-up is not a good match to my use. But I do think it will be better overall as refinement happens over time.

Also, in my case, I'm not sure I want to go past 30k miles in the F12. Despite the warranty coverage, I don't have the patience for any issues that will likely start to surface as the miles add up. It may be up to the task, but there is not a lot of data to go on there.

Finally, it's fun to spec a new car, and it's even fun to wait for it.

PS. I am a big fan of the Lusso too. Think it is an amazing machine that I am kind of shocked exists.

 

Although is is hard to refer to any F12 as a value, I agree there are some sweet almost new F12's out there for great prices. You can find virtually any spec, and the car itself remains a great thing. While I am interested in seeing how the 812 plays out for me, I do understand many of your points on the 812. There is a great case to be made for just swapping my F12 for a lower miles one, or even just to keep running mine and watching to see how it does.

I'll surely report back when sometime in the distant future my 812 actually arrives.