Had many 'supers' and just bought an FF

Picked up a new (to me) FF today. Rosso Maranello with cuoio semi-aniline leather and diamond wheels. My history is with various V12 Astons (DB9 and DBS), a few 911s (996 and 997, currently a GTS manual) a McLaren 12C and now my sixth Ferrari with four being mid V8 (360 sp, 430 sp, CS, Speciale) plus a California and now FF.

My Speciale is my first new Ferrari and I did the works on it - Atelier, factory collection, lots of extra campionaro etc. I had a 12C spider alongside it but decided to sell recently, in favour of the FF. A strange swap perhaps, but it makes some sense to me.

I loved the 12C and believe that McLaren offer a genuine alternative to Ferrari. Many Mac owners believe they are far superior to cars from Maranello and with some substance to their reasoning. Nevertheless, the Speciale made something 'click' in me. The n/a engine mated to a brilliantly adjustable chassis with great feel, wrapped in a beautiful body is some recipe. The purity of that n/a power delivery showed me that I strongly prefer it to the power delivery of the Mac. I have a friend who is a great driver who thinks the opposite so it is a taste thing, no doubt.

My GTS is a cabriolet so losing the 12C Spider does not limit my garage, whereas adding a full four seat, V12 four wheel drive adds quite a lot. I also plan to buy a few more new cars from my dealer to get access to some future cars that I would like to be able to own, especially the next generation TDF, which I believe will still be normally aspirated. Ownership of a V12 will be needed so I thought I would try a used FF in advance of buying a new FFM when they arrive plus I will also have a go at a 488 Spider - still turbocharged but press reports seem to suggest the 488 engine is the best of the turbocharged motors out there, meaning least turbo-feeling.

Therefore, ownership of an FF is not something I set out to do and a few months ago I never would have believed I would own an FF by the end of 2015.

I was interested what my first impressions would be given my love of mid engined cars plus my familiarity with V12s from other manufacturers and the fact that there are other reasons for me owning this car other than the usual "here are my needs, this is the car I should buy". I was also aware that time and time again you hear owners saying how surprised they are how good these cars are.

Very quickly I worked out that the hype is not hype. The car has a lovely feel, a great sound, a beautiful, creamy power delivery with plenty of power. It has a gorgeous interior with plenty of space for four and, surprise, it feels anything but heavy and has a great feel in corners where the weight builds up naturally, predictably and in a satisfying way. Though a GT it feels far more sporting than, say, a DB9. When you think about the very sophisticated and ingenious 4x4 system, plus the space for four and the way it combines a sporting drive with comfort when needed is actually very very clever. I know the car has not sold massive numbers but I think its following will grow - the FF package is really very unique and to describe as 'Ferrari's best kept secret' is probably a good summary.

It's not without vices and tram-lining is a bit of an issue, it does not have the level of 'feel' that there is in the Speciale and the aesthetics are supposedly 'marmite' (although the car looks quite fine to me - I didn't choose the colour scheme and was a bit wary of it but since it was the only used FF about three years old at my dealer, I went with it. In practice it is the perfect combination for me; interesting enough to be exciting but restrained and classy enough to be not too shouty).

I was also wary of the mileage which is more than I would have liked, however, the car feels and drives like new. In fact I caught myself not using the upper register a couple of times today because I forgot I was in a used car and not a new one! It's quite impressive how the newer Ferrari's can seem to take mileage much better than, say, 10 years ago.

Truthfully, I'm delighted with my purchase and I have a feeling I will use it quite a lot. I have already begun to gel with it and it is very very welcome in my garage, even though it takes the place of my much loved 12C - a car that I had more of a soulful goodbye to than most others I have sold.

One question; I understand that the four wheel drive only operates in the first four gears. It is currently below zero outside and I began to hold fourth gear longer because I did not want to be driving a 2 tonne car in below zero, with summer tyres (winter tyres on order) and expecting the 4x4 to save me, only to find I am in fifth gear or higher. Is that really an issue? Do others do this to keep the 4x4 active?

 

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I don't think that's quite right. If you use gentle throttle around a bend on a low friction surface, with full-time 4wd, the front wheels pull in the direction they are pointed whatever the speed. This helps to keep you turning even when up to speed. Without it (rwd only) gentle power will push the nose further wide if there is little or no front end grip, a little more power will oversteer the car. 4wd can do more for you than 'getting up to speed' traction.

When it comes to braking you are correct though - still only 4 tyres slowing you down.

 

Thanks for that - a very helpful post. Makes sense that the snow mode holds onto 4th longer - I'll try it! Sottozeros on order and I certainly agree with you about their importance (I use them in winter on my 400hp Impreza, a real weapon in the tough stuff.)

Any idea what adjustments to geometry deliver the effect you're talking about? Sounds like front toe-in, which has other handling demerits?

 

Yes, all too easily done....

 

You've made my Father-in-law's day! Not so beautiful now though after I put a FF on it....

 

As a car, not just one but a few notches up from the Astons. Overall, Ferrari's drive better, the V12 is more powerful although the Aston V12 is as smooth and certainly still an enjoyable engine. It's the transmission and chassis where things feel vastly different; Astons are more old school/old fashioned (depending on whether you own one or not )

They feel their weight much more than an FF. It might sound like I'm being unfair to a great brand but the handling is more 'agricultural' - they have always been like that. A DB5 against an E-Type when they were competing for sales in the 60's was apparently the same issue.

Their appeal lies in the fact that they are the traditional recipe of old fashioned 'beef' wrapped in a beautiful package with a traditionally English 'handmade' interior. They are still interesting but viewed subjectively, not close to a Ferrari. They are true 'GT' cars and if that's your requirement an Aston will fill it 'suitably well, sir'!

In terms of interior quality and in fact overall quality they seem similar, both Ferrari and Aston being pretty good compared to their predecessors without feeling quite as bulletproof as say, a Japanese car.

 

What I mean to say is that I found myself keeping it below 4,000 rpm out of habit - I fell into 'running in' mode without thinking. It is, of course, a used a car and therefore needs no running in period. The car feels like new despite having nearly 20k miles on it - no interior wear, tight power train and no rattles or unwanted noises. I think it's pretty impressive, especially since when I first viewed the car I looked at the 'trip top speed' indicator and it said 141mph so I know it was used 'properly'.