F12: Initial Impressions

Last time I posted something I got flamed to no end. With that being said, this review/impression is purely fictional, so to all the haters on F-Chat, God Bless.

With that being said, I have had some time to spend with my F12 and here are some of my initial thoughts.

Sound: It is definitely quieter than the 458 or 599 and best mimics the FF. In normally driving it is actually very soft sounding, however when you get on it the valves open and the V12 Roars. My personal feeling is that they should have made it 5 decibels louder, but that is just my personal opinion.

Interior Room: It is definitely larger than the 599 on the inside cabin and is much easier to enter and exit than the 458. I also believe the inside drivers cabin is larger than the FF, so it is a big car inside. Also without the drunk their seems to be much more storage space, which is a nice feature for weekend trips.

Power: Clearly it is the most powerful Ferrari to date with effortless acceleration. As usual all the power is in the High RPM range, but regardless of what gear or RPM you are at....ITS ALWAYS THERE!

Drivability: This may be the first Ferrari that you can literally drive every day. Push the shock absorber button and the car floats over bumps. I would compare it to driving a 911 Turbo everyday with a larger interior cabin.

Handling: The handling is amazing for a car so large. It honestly feels like you are driving a front engine 458. Really it seems that the car is simply a front engine 458 with 150 more horsepower and a V12 engine.

Surprises: For whatever reason the car came with Cruise Control although I didn't order it since I think it is a waste. More surprising however is the car came with Full Navigation, which again I did NOT order. I forgone all the carbon options except for Steering Wheel and Paddles and are glad I did. The dash and transmission bridge is now made of higher quality parts and actually matches the doors and the rest of the car much better.

Looking out the rear view mirror is a little strange to see the slanted glass of a hatch back. Not something typical of Ferrari.

Basics: Standar Stereo sounds fine. Craftsmanship is superb as always. I did some Tailor Made stuff and it came out incredible. Seats are super comfortable and look better than any model. I choose to go with the Diamond Stitch and with special stitching and they look insane. White Tachometer is my favorite and well worth the money. Same for Carbon Fiber wheel caps.

Public Perception: The car is definitely less ostentatious than the 458 or 599 and is maybe when level above the FF when it comes to "people's attention".

Overall Impression: I would rate the car a 9.5 on a scale of 10. Everything is pretty much perfect. The only reason I would not give it a 10 is because I am saving that for the F12 Barchetta.

Enjoy!

 

great post, congrats on the car.

I have had a bit of a road test in a dealer F12, and agree it has 2 personalities, very much like our FF as a "daily driver" but can also rip like an FF - but to a larger, sharper degree.

I did have a chance recently to drive an F12 on the track for 2 sessions - it is a monster. It's also clearly a GT car, so has a bit of float due to the suspension, especially in vertical transitions. You need to let the car roll speed in the corners or you pick up understeer, and as you get back on the power you need to be careful if you have ECT turned down as it will want to spin the wheels out of slower corners.

The brakes are great, and the engine....oh my. Direct comparison to 458....the 458 has much, much less float, the nose pitches less in transitions and points like a laser guided missile; also gives you better stability coming onto the power.

Having said that, once again, the F12 is a monster and a hell of a lot of fun. Spec'd ours and looking forward to having it in the springtime...

 

agree with everything you said/observed beside the cabin size. In the 599 its bigger/ you feel more "loose", which i never liked so much in the 599, so its a good step forward, that cabin size seems to be a bit smaller in the f12. regards-e

 

Initially I would agree with cabin size. However once you push back both seats all the way and lower them to the bottom setting it is definitely larger.

We did a side by side comparison with myself and my GF and switch seats back to back in both cars and she agreed as well that the cockpit is larger in the F12.

We had more shoulder room and I fit less snug on the passenger side.

Regardless, both cars are truly incredible.

We drove both back to back and they are just different, obviously with the new F12 being faster because of the increased power and dual clutch.

 

I'm very disappointed in the OP's post.





The F12 should be rated 9.6 out of 10.

 

Thanks for share your experience.
Could you post some pics of your f12?

 

I would love to but after my last experience I will pass.....

 

Question: I just noticed my exhaust tips were Gold Color. Is that standard for all F12's?

Thank you

 

Oh didn't know that,what happened?

 

It was just a drama fest with some of the "kids" on this board....

 

F12 = fantastic car. My favourite of the current line up no doubt.

 

After driving it to Miami today, the F12 is my new favorite.

Its just does everyhing so well.

The car really has no weaknesses.

 

Latest Impression: The A/C system is the best of any Ferrari. The driver has Four Vents and the Passenger one. Nothing better than staying cool while redlining!

 

I agree because the 458 sucks.

 

After a week of driving, here are my latest impressions:

-it guzzles gas big time

-the steering is incredible. Much more precise than than the 458

-ride quality is so good it's almost "non super car" like. Driving with my gf we sometimes forget we are in the Ferrari

-automatic mode is much more tame than the 458. The car is almost mundane if you drive in sport/comfort suspension mode while in automatic

-the infotainment system is superior to any other Ferrari to date. Everything just works easier...

-interior size is almost that of a non super car

-luggage capacity is much larger than the 599

-power and speed is much more than the 458 or 599. We did a get together this weekend witty Fcar owners and the 458 was only close up to 60 or so. After that it was lights out.

-over 100 mph it is the fastest car I have ever driven, sans the Bugatti. For sure fastest for Ferrari beating the Enzo, GTO, f40, f50 etc.

-sound is almost too quite. Both the 458 and 599 is louder unless WOT

That's it's for week one of ownership.

 

Thank you- great insights.

 

Thank you for share your F12 impressions.

What do you think could happen if a 458 owner change to a F12? Or just they are different leagues?

 

Both cars are incredible.

I love my 458 and I love my 599, however the F12 is the latest model of technology for Ferrari and it shows.

Plus 740 HP is really unheard of in a normal production car so you notice the difference compared to the 560 HP and 620 HP.

A V12 with 740 HP is special no matter how you slice it.....

 

Drove them again back to back this morning.

The 458 really has to work to go fast.

The F12 goes fast with very little effort. My guess is the engine has a very conservative tune and would venture to guess that when the F12 GTO comes out it should have 800 HP.

It just pulls so effortless that you dont realize how fast you are going.

With the 458, you know you are hauling ass....

 

Part of that is the nature of a V12- they rev more freely because of the smaller pistons. And I bet the F12 has a little more sound insulation and is tuned to be slightly on the GT side of things. Either way thank you for your driving impressions. I enjoy reading them. I can't wait to try out an F12 soon.

 

I'd give the F12 a 10 !! ..... Although, I may have had it in an aggressive setting, but I was on the brakes slowing for fear of the guys with their blue suits, and it was Mercedes quiet and smooth, but then suddenly started automatically downshifting like I was approaching turn 2 at Laguna, and it became loud! Inside for sure, outside, I'd suspect, but not what is wanted if you do come up on the tax-funded-moving-roadblocks and you're going 15 over. I'd love to drive it on the Autobahn!

 

My pleasure.

I also just realized the new hazard warning feature that flashes both blinkers on high speed braking.

Pretty cool feature but may not be the best idea if you don't want extra attention.

 

I enyoy your F12's driving impressions, keep us informed!

 

Good stuff! So do you see room for the 458 and F12? I'm holding on to my 458 and 599 since they are different cars generationally but curious if the F12 basically eliminates the 458 from the stable?!

 

I feel that the F12 and 458 should be core holdings because they are the two best cars in the world at the moment.

I love my 599 but most likely will sell that position once the 458S arrives....