Comparison: front clearance of FF vs other cars...

Dear all, I've been lurking here for some time but wanted to get started with my first post as I am seriously considering picking up a FF in the very near future!

As I live in Manhattan, the question of "do I need the suspension lift" needed to be resolved in order to narrow the options available to me. The public valet parking garage that I use has a reasonable dip before the ramp, where driving out straight-on would cause the front lip of even a 2017 E300 to scrape if not taken extremely slowly. That said, I've had several lower cars in the garage in the past such as 991 TT, R8 (first gen), Panamera TT and currently an AMG GT-S all without issues if taken at an aggressive angle, though the Panamera had the lifter so I used it all the time just to be careful. On city roads all cars were fine except for the R8 - a couple of times on bumpy areas (driving at the city speed limit of 25mph, too!) the rubber strip underneath or the front edge of the bumper would make contact.

I've done my due diligence here and opinions seem to be divided - some saying it is not necessary at all as the FF already has better ground clearance vs many other F-cars, others saying it's a must. So I wanted to do a little more digging to compare the FF to the other cars I have experience with in the city.

Unfortunately there is no official ground clearance or approach angle figure from Ferrari and numbers on the web range from 110 to 145mm so those numbers really couldn't be trusted (though perhaps the 145mm figure is inclusive of lift). So I went to The-Blueprints.com to purchase some technical drawings and do some comparisons... wanted to get the experts' opinions on whether these drawings make sense, and if anything looks off.

Of course the shape of the front bumper as seen from the top will also matter when taking the approach at an angle... that said, from these overlaid & properly scaled images it seems to be OK.

Any thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks much in advance!
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if you can narrow down your routine you dont need one - if you cant be surgical about which parking garage you use then get it. in general FF has plenty of clearance. ive never had to use the lift in the city

 

You've really done your homework. I would recommend getting a car with the lifter.

 

I never once had such an issue with my FF (no lifter). We also have lots of speed humps in the UK and again never an issue.

Can you not do a test drive and try in a car park you are familiar with?

 

Thanks all for your kind responses! The real dilemma is that there are two cars that are on the radar for me, one with the panoramic roof but no lift, and the other with lift but no panoramic roof. If I were building a new car from scratch I'd add in both without hesitation, however trying to shop for a clean pre-owned the option is what I give up. I really do want one with the panoramic roof but only if I can have the peace of mind that it won't be a scrape-fest. I intend to use this car as close to a DD as possible - groceries, chores, etc. - living and working in the city I need to take every single opportunity to drive out and make the most of it!

@deltona - great to hear that it passes the speed bump test in the UK! I think the ones in NY aren't any more aggressive than what I've seen there. The dealership is at least an hour away from the city so unfortunately won't be able to test drive around areas I'm familiar with...


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The lift makes my life easier. I don't have to be "that guy" going 0.05 mph into a garage with 20 people behind him. When I first got the car, I didn't use it and that resulted in a few minor scrapes (which I likely could have avoided with more patience).

I use it all the time now and don't have to stress about it. It works quite well and is quick to lift or lower.

 

Good point about being the guy that goes 0.05mph into lots and ramps... perhaps it's not just that I *can* clear without the lift but that the lift allows me to pass normally without being overly careful each time...


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Hi...I also live in Manhttan and I won a 2013 FF since 2014 and even despite most of my driving is on the 495 going to the beach house , I also drive esporadicallyin the city and I can tell you : the lift is mandatory ! Impossible to not have it unless you love to suffer and pain

Cheers

 

Try to get one with pano roof *and* lift; buyers market.

You are right to measure based on lift lowered: I very dutifully use the lift (particularly around youthful car enthusiasts to play up the car's absurdity) but at least once I have approached a gnarly angle/kink and, having used the lifter night before to ford the danger, the car still had the lift on next morning. Your pilot then pressed the lift, lowering the auto for crossing...all to great aural effect.

 

I had a KW lift kit installed on my R8 and it was never clear whether the lift was on or off, so I had a few close calls of lowering the car into a ramp!

Brings up an interesting question - if I pull into my garage with the car lifted, will it stay lifted while it's parked & moved around by valets until it is actively disengaged (or car goes past 30mph)? The Panamera's lifter and the KW lifter both went down automatically a short period after the car was turned off. I would prefer it to continue to stay lifted while the valets use the car so I would consider it a feature. With the risk of lowering into a ramp, of course!




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If you have it lifted when you turn car off it will raise on restart unless you turn off or hit 25 mph. At least in mine.

 

Gotcha, so it goes down while parked but turns on automatically. That works for me!


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I'm from NY and use to drive my slammed ruf gt2 in city with no problems, Lambo etc

I don't have my ff in the city I'm in Florida however could t see ever needing to use it in NYC given my past experiences

 

Based on where you live, it seems having a lifter will definitely make your life easier. The choice for me would have been easy since I prefer non-pano.

Great overlay with various cars! Those definitely give a good perspective on the exterior dimension and proportion with various cars. You definitely have done your homework!

 

Get the options you want - all of them.

And lifter is mandatory, otherwise you can not lower it enough

 

Absolutely, I'd keep looking until you find what you want.

On the lifter, our first had one, and we skipped it on the second FF.

As for NYC, I'd imagine it depends a lot of where you have to park and navigate. Our office parking facility in midtown has a huge hump and a big dip down to the street - like many places. My old urban assault vehicle (Fiat Abarth) and even my new Golf R will scrape unless I take it at a sharp angle....which is sometimes hard given cars parked.

Locally up/around CT we've gotten good at being able to look at approaches and know if we'll make it, or not....

Personally if I was driving a lot in NYC, I'd opt for it.

 

Clearance is the same as a M-B CLS 550. They don't offer a lifer.

Never had a problem but only you know your routes.

 

After 15 months of ownership I have used it both for car park ramps (quite a bit) and in the winter when it has snowed a lot and the snowplough has not been past in a while or when you are not sure what is lurking in the fresh snow / ice (less often).
just generally it gives you peace of mind, in Europe at least it not difficult to find an FF with a good spec incl lifter.
Good luck with the search

 

ive never had to use the lifter in nyc - i always park in the same spots

 

Its all about how you approach angles/maneuver

I don't have any cars in NYC anymore however last car was my mclaren without lifter last summer, around corner from my condo in battery park is a garage i parked in that was pretty steep... didn't even have an issue with that however I'm sure it was close

Some people just don't know how to approach driveways/angles and aren't use to driving low/even lower cars

Everyone is diff which is a given, but I stand by me saying id never need a lift in NYC even though car has it

 

Totally makes sense

 

I had a similar question when I was ordering my 991 gt3. I also work in NYC and often park my gt3 in a local garage. Definitely need the lift for that car. I understand the FF has better clearance, but have had scraping issues with other sports cars I've owned in the past as well.
Good Luck. Let us know what you decide!