Is the 599 "TOO GOOD"?

Recently picked up my 599. Had been waiting with great anticipation for nearly 2 years.
My prior F-car was/is a 575, which I absolutely loved. Plan was to trade the 575 in for the 599.
Now that I have driven the 599 for a few weeks, I am convinced that it is an absolutely spectacular achievement - incredibly fast, handles well for a 3800 lb car, and is exceptionally comfortable, and I like the looks better in person than in pictures or showroom copies I had seen. Ferrari has done a great job.

HOWEVER, has it perhaps become "too good"? While I am impressed with the factual performance of the car, the seat-of-the-pants sensation of speed is not as good (my impression),as my 575. In fact, I have decided to keep my 575 as well as the 599, because I enjoy the rougher edges on the 575 and the sensation of speed and low end torque that are less evident in the 599. It is almost as if the 599 has less "soul" and has lost some of its Ferrari edge and heritage. (By the way, I have found similar issues with other car brands, (Porsche, and even Lamborghini), which as they get constantly improved, lose some of their traditional/trademark feel).

Have any of other owners found themselves with simliar observations/dilemmas?

 

Right on the money...

 

It's an unfortunate reality with most cars today, I'm never selling my 550. I drove the a 430 a few weeks ago and while the performance is epic the car had a virtual feel rather than a feeling of connection to the car.

 

Interesting thought. I haven't driven a 575 but I drove the 599 and felt the same way as you explained. Coming out of a CS, the 599 felt a bit too refined and for lack of better words a bit "too good." Don't get me wrong, it handles fantastically well and is an absolute rocket but it just seemed to lack a special feel, something that the Stradale certainly has so much of. I think the 599 would be a great daily driver/highway cruiser, but it wasn't the "fun" car I had expected.

 

599 sounds much better then the 575/550

 

That is funny I could have write exactly the same story for my M3, so I am afraid it is a general trend. I feel much better connected to the road and have a better/more enjoyable sensation of speed in my (Euro) E36 than in my E46 (although equipped with the so called competition package). The latest E92 is even slightly worse than the E46 in that respect... I am so happy to have kept my E36 even though at 200,000 kms proper maintenance is rater costly

 

60 msec shift times are the bees knees, aren't they!

If you truly believed the 599 was your soul mate, wouldn't you have changed your screen name to 599Joe?

True that.
All the 575 guys that have put aftermarket exhaust on to get our sound quality.

 

I've driven both and I agree. The 575 is a very, very raw car. I actually find the 360 quite raw as well. The 599, while unbelievable in every way, is clearly a lot more everyman-friendly. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it makes the car a lot more livable. But if I could, I'd have both the 575 and its unbelievably capable successor.

EDIT: let's be clear though. The 575 is a very cool car for enthusiasts because of its raw qualities. But the 599 is absolutely the better car, perhaps losing out to the 575 on this one issue and this one issue only. If I had to pick between the two, it wouldn't be a choice - I'd choose the 599 in an instant. But I'd love both.

 

just make sure that pedal on the right is on the floor..........there is no ****ing way that a 599 at full chat is not raw. you must be stoned. the engine is almost too raw IMO.....

 

btw, if you want 'raw' (if thats what you think a 575 is) then get a 550. that is a car that was not surpassed by its face-lifted replacement.
spend 10 seconds in a 599 with your foot flat on the floor from a standstill and you'll know R A W.........lol

 

This thread is quite interesting and your observations appreciated. I have a 575M and felt that it was not raw enough, maybe because my last Ferrari was a 360. That is a great feeling, fun car. I still miss it.

I also just got a 2009 Audi R8, and that car has no soul at all. I was really disappointed when I drove it. It's for sale.

I have never driven the 599 but always wanted one. Your comments suggest I should stay put with the 575M, which is gorgeous anyway.

 

599 shifts in 100ms,60ms happens in Scuderia only....

 

The 599, which I have only test-driven, has a better sound than my 575, particularly when you drop it down into 2nd (unnecessary of course) and redline it while overtaking a Lexus. Personally, however, the design does not appeal--too slick--I don't feel the emotional connection and I frankly don't care about fancy electronics & iPod jacks. I'd rather spend 599 money on a very nice 330 GTC, which despite being a "high maintenance b**ch", wouldn't depreciate like a stone for the next 15 years.

 

After watching Top Gears Test on the 599, I didn't even have to do any more research on whether is a good car or not lol

 

It's time to drag yourself into the modern world. The 599 is everything that all the reviews have stated and much much more. It really is a daily driver, docile and comfortable in urban driving, but it is also a demon from the depths of hell if you drive it to the limit with all of the "nanny systems' turned off.
I traded my 575 for a 575 based Superamerica and then got the 599. I honestly had no desire to use the SA at all after driving the 599.
The 599 is simply a great car and anyone who says it is soft or too easy or anything in that vein, hasn't driven it hard in race mode, or even better with the CST switched off.

I like old cars too and the rawness they have is sometimes charming, but I don't include cars built in the last 10 years as old. They are simply current generation cars that are inferior relative to the advancements that Ferrari have made in cars like the 599, the latest 612 and the 430 Scuderia.

 

After reading these posts I just had to get in my car (which I hadn't driven in a week), switch it to race mode, blast off to Starbucks and confirm what I already knew to be true about the 599. It truely defies description. The only adjective I can think to describe it, in total, is "perfection". I can't imagine how any car could be more "fun" and I have owned or driven most, but not all, of the cars mentioned in this post. I am so lucky to own this incredible machine.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

is it just me or does that 599 looks like a whale next to the 575

 

Just want to say........too good or not, the owners of these incredible machines are very fortunate to be able to have one in the garage. The 599 is Ferrari at its best. 430 Scud is there also. Amazing technology in these wonderful cars.

I want a 599, but I dont think I will get to that financial level needed to afford one. Well, perhaps in 15+ yrs time when they are at rock bottom prices........if I am lucky.

 

Yes, she is a big girl.

 

Beautiful 599!!

 

Looks are deceptive. A 550 car cover fits mine OK. Not perfect, but pretty good.
Too good is when any idiot can get in and drive flat out, yet not hurt himself. 599 can hurt you, and you have to be going very very fast to find limits. They are there. Having had a couple 550's, a Superamerica, and a 599, the 550's were wonderful, I miss mine, but the 599 has more fire in it's belly by far than the old cars. They feel old, and don't do what the 599 can. Alex said the same, and it even compares performance wise to many supercars. An Enzo with trunk room and a huge discount. Drive it harder, longer. You'll see what we mean.

 

+

 

If you have not driven a 2005/06 it has plenty of soul and tremendous torque, it is an epic experience--quite raw. You wear it, much like what I would expect an Enzo to be. I have owned and driven the 288 GTO and BBLM (LeMans 5th place), TR, BB among the recently modern F cars, and there is no comparison. Have not driven the 550/575 or the 599, but expect that, given their weight and size,not comparable. (yes, I know that the 599 is a beast)

 

Not quite a Califonia you mean?