This is great write up, thanks Lukeylikey. I just returned from Courmayeur myself and had a few observations and that I shall keep brief in the light of your very thorough write up. * Rear wheel steering - I totally agree with you this is the biggest technical change and I really thought it improved the car. The car stays flatter through bends meaning you can get on the power sooner. I expect to see this tech in the F12M next year too and it will be all the better for it. * Steering wheel controls - they have improved over the FF here which makes it easier to use, particularly the wiper and display controls which are now roller type controls on the back of the wheel. Indicator controls are better too. * Brakes - I found these softer when you initially get on them and felt they were more progressive so again an improvement over the FF. I performed an hard stop from speed and they were excellent. * Plastics - I agree some of them are average at best, I found some of the new interior design around the vents etc a bit fussy. * 'Lusso' - The general feeling I had (which other FF owners agreed with) is the Lusso is more refined, the luxury aspect has been dialled up as the name would suggest. This is noticeable in a number of areas such as: - exhaust noise (quieter at lower revs) - gearbox (auto changes in low gears in the FF tend to be a bit jerky) - throttle response (did not feel at as urgent in 1st / 2nd gears) Overall a fantastic car and different to the FF rather than being a straight upgrade in all departments.
I just got back last night - it's a shame I didn't get to meet you a buy you beer. I'm still loving V1 FFF.
Is V1 FFF red and spends her days in Mayfair ???? I see a red one almost every single time I'm there and I cud swear that's the reg
Thanks for all the kind comments. One thing I totally forgot and this post reminded me - the new steering wheel. I thought it was again an improvement, most notably it was perhaps a little nicer to hold and look at, and the new indicators are much better and more substantial than the old ones, with the two-stage press being a good idea. How significant is it? On a list of reasons to change from the FF to the GTC4 it would rank very low, but like all things, an update is welcome and probably timely given the length of service of the existing design. Also, in response to the earlier comment about sport mode needing to be even stiffer, it's obviously not up to me to state what that poster meant, however, I think my findings and yours are not necessarily at odds. Stiff suspension is not the ultimate aim of stiff suspension, but body control is. If high levels of body control can be achieved with supple suspension (12C/650 and most lotuses) then supple suspension is better and more sporting because road imperfections unsettle the car less during cornering. For most cars though, better body control requires stiff suspension. So, yes, I would like the best body control possible for any car I drive. But, in reality, with such a heavy car as the FF this is unlikely to be achieved easily. You would have to have bone hard ride to get merely 'very good' levels of body control. There is a limit to which ultra stiff ride quality can suit a car like the FF - the reward in added body control would not be enough. The GTC4 scores in changing the equilibrium - in other words 'very good' body control needs less of a stiff ride than in the FF. So they have achieved better body control and afforded us all a slightly less harsh ride in sport mode too. In a road car this is not 'unsporting' this is just better. Ferrari might well be able to stiffen the ride up further on the GTC4 in search of 'very very good' body control but there may well be a law of diminishing returns here. I would not want to forego the pretty well judged sport mode for an ultra-stiff mode that goes in search of trying to make the car something it will never be. It's just one view. One other thing I didn't comment on was the brakes. I left foot brake and always find the FF less natural than the V8s. If I use the right foot it is much better. I didn't think there was much, if any, difference between the GTC4 and FF using my left foot. There is still a slightly unnatural feeling at the very top of the pedal in both cars, perhaps a smidge better on the GTC4 but that could just as easily be example difference. I find it much harder to use the brake smoothly at 8/10ths in the FF, whereas at 9 or 10/10ths I am using more pressure so don't need to finesse the top of the pedal travel.
Thank you for the addition. Will certainly have to test drive one at some point. i did mean better body control, but as you say the car is just very heavy, which limits what is achievable. I personally would not actually mind a much less luxurious version which shaves a few 100kg being offered, but still have the 4 seats and boot ....
To be honest, I'm really glad to hear you have the same issue as I do in my FF (if that doesn't sound too rude!) I was actually beginning to wonder if my tyres are off, or there is something wrong with the car (unlikely because my dealer sees the car regularly). The 'technical' term is tramlining. It is actually really bad in the FF and does in fact spoil my enjoyment of the car on far more occasions than I would like. It is where the front tyres want to follow the contour of the road rather than the direction you are travelling so, as with a tram, it is the surface that is steering the car and not you. It is a classic feature of cars with large front tyres, such as those with a big, powerful, heavy engine in the nose. Thinner (or less grippy) tyres will solve it, but then you get the onset of understeer much earlier. It doesn't happen with winter tyres since they too are less grippy under high lateral loads. A reason we should, perhaps, reserve judgement slightly on the GTC4s from Courmayeur which had Michelin Alpin tyres on them. I think PZeros seem to have a reputation for tramlining and my 997 GTS has them, and does it too. In Courmayeur I agree with you, the GTC4 felt much better. The only caveat is that British roads tend to show up tramlining more. I think partly because our UK roads are built with a more pronounced central hump for drainage (given all our UK rain) and have far more road furniture such as cats eyes, which can provide more unevenness for the front wheels to follow. There are times when travelling straight, at various speeds, that the turn effort I am having to put on the wheel to keep the car straight is really quite alarming.
I think that would be an interesting concept. If Brian is right about Ferrari becoming even more corporate, perhaps this is a niche they should explore.
i unfortunately think there would be very few buyers. For me it would be perfect though - take dog, gfriend and luggage on holiday but still have a car that feels more alive on mountian/country roads - I do not mind road noise, no toys, no leather etc as long as I have a V12 to play with ....
While I do sometimes travel through Mayfair, V1 FFF is Grigio Silverstone (thanks to London John for a great spec !)
I think it is either Rosso Maranello (I should really know because I have two in that colour - I didn't really look too hard though) or a slightly darker red that might be new for the car.
Damn you, Lukeylikey! I was mostly sure I didn’t “need” a Lusso, until I read you’re write-up. We’re in the middle of a 7,000 mile road trip around the US in our FF, and some of the changes you describe would make this trip oh so much more enjoyable. Number one would have to be elimination, or reduction of road/tire noise. If Ferrari has managed to reduce that noise significantly, and improved the handling on rough roads as you describe, and given us a better nav system, those features alone could well be the tipping point to get us out of our FF and into the Lusso. Crap! At this point I don’t think I’d even bother asking for the trade-in value on our FF, and just add a Lusso. FF with 50K miles = Good weekend hauler. Thank you for a thoughtful, measured write-up!
Great review. Just saw the car for myself today although my dealer had a Euro spec that could not be driven (surprisingly). Hope to drive it soon.
I was going to say exactly the same thing with the exception that I also had an alignment done. The difference is remarkable.
I think it is either Rosso Maranello (I should really know because I have two in that colour - I didn't really look too hard though) or a slightly darker red that might be new for the car.
Profuse apologies to your wallet! Don't worry though, your eyes and ears will thank me The lack of road noise is especially noticeable. A 7k road trip sounds made for the FF. Are you planning to do a write up? Would certainly be interesting to read. Cheers
