Actual Driving Impressions/Thoughts

Someone suggested it and it seems a good idea now that some members are taking delivery of their SF90 Stradale.

Please no opining unless you have had actual seat time. I’m sure we all want to know real world experience with this car!




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Copying my post from the photos thread. Drive took place on the 26th.
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Drove the car briefly today. The dominating impression is the sheer violence of the performance. I don’t remember being shocked by the performance of any road car since I first drove my F40 and this is on a completely different level although the turbo sound (much louder than a Pista) definitely reminded me of the F40. Forget other supercars, this thing accelerates like a top superbike.
Otherwise this is a supremely comfortable car, it rides really well, has excellent visibility, incredible traction from the 4wd system and fantastic brakes. It really doesn’t feel heavy at all (feels more nimble than a 812) and I am not sure why some people here call it unemotional...It is anything but! The sound is nothing special but it is better than my Pista and sounds quite racy.
The digital interface is excellent, the touch buttons are rubbish, the middle console controls that resemble the Ferrari gate look tacky in my opinion but the new steering wheel with the thinner rim is really wonderful to hold. I also experienced the car in electric mode. I wouldn’t bother.

Overall I think this is a huge success for Ferrari...it definitely feels like a 600k car and despite the performance it is so easy to drive it can be a daily driver.


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I think we shouldn't have driven the same car,
but I respect everyone's different expectations.
I found the car heavy, very heavy, especially on the rear.
When braking, you can feel the full weight of the car.
most shocking is this particular feeling of conducting something artificial.
Nothing, but really nothing natural and intuitive in this car. The feedback is close to zero, almost the opposite of an F 40.
It's almost more boring to drive than an F 8 ...
In terms of emotion, less than zero! 10 minutes after getting out of the car, I had almost forgotten the experience.

 

Just to be clear: I did not compare feedback to the F40. Just the sensation of its acceleration. It clearly has less feedback than the F40, but then it is not pretending to be a F40... it is a car you can drive every day.
I didn’t get any sense of heaviness in the car and it was very balanced under braking...However I also did not drive it with the electronic aids off. I am sure it would behave very differently without the computers managing grip and stability


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...which is not boring. Different to Pista, Speciale, 812 etc. But not boring, unless you just have a jaundiced view of supercars. Maybe you track a lot and find it disappointing on track or not aggressive enough? Compared to the long line of standard V8s (which, let’s face it, have become legendary among customers and press), it’s great.

 

I no longer seek the highest power. I just need to satisfy the pleasure of the 5 senses.
The approach of the F 8 is that of a Ferrari by AMG. There are no emotions. efficiency on the road is not a quest, I need to feel the car live and interact. It's not for me, definitely.

 

I can assure you when your getting thrown hard back against your seat the F8 is launching you will feel alot of emotion!

 

Thanks for the write up. Apparently the driving experience is as polarizing as the design!


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Wrong emotions...


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I have a number of outstanding cars, including F8. I just cannot see how it has no emotion. It is excellent, very feelsome, quick, beautiful to work through a series of bends, great pace, nice sound and top-drawer throttle response. I’m comparing it with Speciale, 812, Pista, GT2 RS, 992 etc. etc. It is really excellent. I would almost always choose Pista or GT2 RS for the track but on the road, it’s at least as good to drive.

 

....and a Ferrari by AMG?! Have you even driven it for any length? That is about the most inappropriate description I could think of. AMG’s are not subtle. They are powerful, aggressive and have a really extrovert personality. They are front-engined, not purpose-designed for balance and have a very particular personality - not for the shy. The F8 by contrast is subtle in its responses, its pinpoint balance influences the whole experience, it has immense pace - more than an AMG - but delivers it with care and precision. Aston is much more like AMG and Ferraris are nothing, I mean nothing like Astons (which I know well).

 

I am expecting my F8 spider next week. I also have a Pista. From your impressions so far, what are the differences in driving impression for you?
Compared to the Speciale?

 

this is my feeling; and we are a few with my friends to think the same thing.
The F 8 has too many filters. It is very bland and disconnected.
To me, it s a boring car...
The lap times, the power ... it doesn't matter anymore. I need sensations; and in this case, it's as sanitized as an AMG. We go fast, very fast, but nothing is happening, and the emotion is not there. the sound, sorry, the noise remains a disaster.
I have driven a lot of Ferraris, and since the 1980s there have been 4 masterpieces on the road, which correspond what I expect from a Ferrari by the purity of the sensations offered.

 

What are the 4 masterpieces?

 

it s personal, but the cars most connected to the driver, whatever the power, just the pleasure of the senses and the general feedback.
F 50 at the top because driving it correctly is unrivaled and still too little known, and F 40 behind.
F12 tdf and Challenge Stradale.

 

Great choices!

 

I think I have written in detail about this on another thread somewhere so you could perhaps search that to get more detail but in summary, the first difference you notice is the steering wheel, both feel of the actual wheel and the way it responds to you. The F8 is much more lively at road speeds, the Pista is much more of a serious tool. You have to be going pretty quickly to feel the genius of the Pista, at more moderate speeds it’s like a 488+ and I was initially disappointed. The F8 suffers less from that. I haven’t put my F8 on track but I hear you reach the upper band of its abilities quicker, whereas the Pista on track is fantastic.

The F8 has performance just as strong as the Pista but in a more ‘liveable’ package. I think it looks great and it just seems to me one of those cars that is always very very nice to step into. Perhaps my affection for it is because I have a number of special cars in the garage and that fact allows me to consider the F8 just as a Ferrari to use. I’ll sell it soon-ish, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it - too many cars, only one butt. It’s a great Ferrari.

The F8 shares something in its personality with the Speciale. By that I mean, if you compare the Speciale with the Pista, the Speciale is far more lighter of spirit. It’s fun at all speeds and dances around, even on the track. It’s a brilliant car that seems to want you to feel in control and able to do whatever you like, maybe not the fastest way but perhaps the most fun while still being pretty fast. The F8 reminds me of this. It is not as special as the Speciale but it is faster and with the same ‘joie de vivre’. I have always been a n/a devotee but lately, these turbo engines really appeal. They don’t sound as pure as the n/a’s but they sound really good and have an advantage not often talked about. These days, extra-loud sound is not always welcome. I found the wonderful GT3 RS a bit too loud and boisterous on the road when you’re in the fun part of the register. And when you’re not in the fun part, well you’re not in the fun part. I changed it for a GT2 RS and you know what? I’m happier.

It’s all-too-easy to criticise the F8’s exhaust sound. Is it quieter than a 458? Yes. Does that matter? No. If you want sound as a trinket to marvel at, the Italia and Speciale are not it. Even the Scuderia or CS, fine sounding though they are, are not the pinnacle. To get really fabulous sound, the sort that makes you not care what the rest of the car is like, you need a Ferrari V12 or a GT-style 911, perhaps a Mezger. Instead, the F8’s sound does what the best purpose for great sound really is (IMV), and that is inspire you to drive quicker, better. The F8’s deeper but cultured bellow is ideal as a partner for your progress. Just don’t bother with any car park Rev battles.

 

... and another thread completely derailed from its subject line

 

At the same time, nobody is interested in SF 90 and it is very good like that, because it does not deserve any particular interest.

 

The sheer negativity is off putting, why do people who hate the car feel the need to constantly make their feelings known?

I am looking forward to hearing hands on owner’s driving options and all I read is useless fluff.

 

We all know you hate it. You have made it clear that only four Ferraris have ever been built that deserve the moniker. Not everyone agrees with you. The rest of us want to hear other driving impressions of the SF90.

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Some people think if they don’t like something, no legitimate person can like it. Crazy I know, but it does happen. Especially on the interwebz...


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I am super excited about the SF90 spider, deposit in. Its not my TDF or a Challenge Stradale but I am not looking for it to be.. I think it ticks all the boxes for my future usage (can't wait to put snows on it)!

 

Simply because it is a decisive step which symbolizes the disappearance of Ferrari as the majority of us love it.
Absolutely nothing against the owners whose choice I respect.
This is from a global point of view.
Enthusiasts piss off Ferrari actually, I was told clearly,
because they only capitalize on the badge and it shows .

 

Any ideas when it gets built?


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