My Early 296 Ownership Impression

Love Sam from STG, my fav Youtuber for sure. He was't super thrilled with the GTS, but I think mainly due to the depreciation of these 296 models as well as the whole haptic UX of the wheel.

I's also like to take the opportunity to add this personal POV (not related to the 765 comp, but more general thoughts):

I personally feel like the 296 (and Ferrari as a brand, for that matter) is getting a ton of heat recently what I'd call "old-schoolers". No disrespect to anyone (youtubers, podcasts, magazines, and consumers), but I do find this resistance to change and evolution (much derived from Gov regulations, btw), pretty annoying. I think the market, in general, needs to simply move on from the "old Ferrari" eras, once and for all, please. The silly comparison with the 458s, the 100% NAs, the sound... Oh it's getting to be so boring! Don't you guys think?

I do understand the nostalgia, and I do love the classics (I own a 355, a 512 TR and a Scud myself, along with an F8T and an 812GTS). But to me Ferrari today is, essentially, a new brand, offering a new value prop. It's a lux ... tech... publicly traded car company. And so if we understand that they needed to move on and evolve from a Gov reg perspective, we can do two things about it:

1) moan and ***** all day about how great their cars were back in the day and how soul-less the new ones are, and go buy from ML or Lambo
2) embrace this evolution, appreciate it for what it is, and continue being part of the brand

I'm obviously leaning towards 2), and I personally think the 296 (which I'm considering trading my F8T for in 2025) is probably the best modern Ferrari, and by a mile. Their design language is, like the rest of the business, a clear and probably very conscious departure from the past, just like the choice of the 6C hybrid of the F80. Hey they're even still offering a V12 100% NA, and so there's still some versatility in the lineup. and regarding the haptic controls, I keep reminding people that my Golf GTI Mk8 has almost the same system, and guess what? I got used to it within a week (remember the iPhone vs the Blackberry?). It's not that Ferrari are not doing it right, IMHO, it's that they're doing it differently. And this may bother many, perhaps the majority, but it's a bold strategic move that needed to happen and I personally applaud.

Having said this, I'd like for a couple things to happen in order to continue being a fan of this 'new' Ferrari brand experience:

1) Ensure the new tech works. No big maintenance issues (reliability of the V8 was amazing since the 458?), so this new tech gotta work
2) They need to offer a VS of the 296 pronto! It's been, what, 2 yrs since the release of the 296? Or is the AF package everything? I'd like to see 100kg savings and more aero for the track focused version, so that they can continue being a Motorsports (not just a lux) brand.

In sum, people don't like change. I get it. We all complained about turbo V8s when the 488 came out (me included, btw). But the fact is that a) the F40, arguably the best Ferrari ever) and the 288 GTO, were both turbo-charged. So??? And b) once you get over the difference in sound, the 488 and F8, to me, are 3x better than the 458. Probably the same from the F8 to the 296.

That's my vent out... Happy Friday and early Thanksgiving!

 

I was told H2 2025 for demo car in UK, 2026 for first customer deliveries. Reason for the long delay is they wanted the car “launched” to have it in this year’s euro regulations, they are full steam w the v12 hybrid, customers need time between the new urus and v12 hybrid before getting the new one.

Final few Huracans still being made as well

 

And given the market situation, you can get many well spec'd for <$400k now. It's a steal!

 

I’m glad you’re happy with it, Jo. I’m going to have a difficult decision to make soon. My 296 GTS will be coming in, and then my Puro. I intend on keeping the Puro, but need to decide if I keep the GTS, or keep my SF90. I’m not a big enough baller to keep all 3, so one of the cars has to go. I really enjoyed my GTB, but man do I love my SF90. I think it’s going to a be a tough (admittedly, first-world) decision.

 

You will not think so in a few months of ownership.

 

Sure he will. Just like I did the entire time I owned mine.

 

Well over 1000 miles on mine and I am still absolutely loving the car. My kiddo is home from college and was pretty cynical about the swap from the f8 and 812 gts to the 296. He drove yesterday running errands and when he gave me the keys he said, that car is really, really great. And the sound….so much better than the f8. Said it with 100 miles on the clock and will say with 1500…best car I have ever owned.

 

curious what was your experience with it to suggest this?

 

Great to hear.
Somehow the f8 was a step down from the already poor sounding 488/posts which was disappointing to say the least.
296 step in the right direction.

 

I had a couple of hours drive in it. It is a wonderful daily driver. It is fast and highly comfortable. For those who purchase super cars to experience a highly immersive, exciting drive, the 296 will not comport to that intention.

 

“Exciting” is purely subjective. Not everyone thinks a car needs to be obnoxiously loud and super stiff to be exciting.

 

Those who spend 1/2 million $ on a car possess multitude reasons for the purchase. Some do it for prestige with little ambition to drive it. Others desire a high performance vehicle that is fast, comfortable and capable. ( 296)
Then there are those special cars that are highly immersive, elevates ones blood pressure, tickles your soul, and is singularly connected to the driver. ( 765, STO, Pista)

 

After your excitement of owning a Ferrari and driving it for months, you will be trading it for the next Ferrari.

 

Happy you are happy.

 

The battery is back there

 

I was thinking much the same thing recently, and then I just watched the old movie The Gumball Rally where they explained the reason for the race was lamenting the loss of carburetors and how cars were going to loose all their soul. LOL The more things change the more things stay the same.

I suspect, as with everything in the past, things will move on and people will accept this hybridization... and eventually full electrification. Though, hopefully we don't get there too fast. Not to say I don't like EV's, they're great for the use case... functional, daily utility vehicles.

 

I'd be very happy in a world where EVs and hybrids co-exist. EVs are great for certain use cases, but hybrids are great for others. Everyone can win with the right mix.

 

The Brand, what brand are you talking about ? the one with the badge on a green background, rather than yellow and Warhol's "Dollars sign" in transparency on all the walls of the factory.
Seriously... you have the right to deny yourself and sell your passion, but not everyone thinks that about Enthusiasts... and this is what separates us from the "consumer" Ferrari of which the 296 is the emblem. Do you know that you can live very happily by buying models from the past catalog and that buying new is not an obligation ? Excuse my irony but I have a bit of trouble with those who turn their jackets around...
Nothing new under the sun, every family knows betrayals

 

Here, another "Brutus"... Decidedly, I don't recognize this forum anymore, it's enemy territory now

 

This is what makes us humans so special: you think I’m turning jackets, while I think I’m evolving.

And what’s great about freedom: you can keep buying past models, while I keep some and try something new at the same time.

Win-win brother!