There should always be a change. They entertainment and screens make life easier. My own opinion though.
Just think.... Soon, very soon, someone will be updating their status on FerrariChat while "riding" in their Ferrari in auto-drive EV mode, using their 12" tablet screen.
Like it or not, it’s an expected and necessary item in today’s competitive climate. Yes, the best sounds come from the engine and exhaust. And so far, Ferrari seems to agree with many of the posters here; the daily drivers have them and the more hardcore performers don’t. Personally I wouldn’t buy any car today lacking Car Play. Valuable to me in any car. Benefits are numerous. Outside of car play most functions duplicate what already is in the dash right hand screen. So if the center screen is looks good and enhances the car but you do t like using it leave it alone. Or use it. Either way I prefer to make that choice. Just took delivery of a new Portofino. Daily driver. Wouldn’t have considered it without that screen. Fortunately we aren’t stuck in the tech dark ages any more. We aren’t leading edge either, just adequate. popspin
Many in this forum are quite wealthy and own or have owned several Ferraris. That is truly wonderful, in my opinion, as most of you have worked exceedingly long and hard to build your fortunes. As a retired, middle-class, aircraft technician, I most certainly am not one of you. I scrimped and saved for many, many years in order to purchase a used, ten-year old F430F1, of which I am exceedingly proud. The only way I can afford to keep it is to do the routine maintenance myself. I drive it at every opportunity, which is quite often, and have yet to find myself in need of entertainment beyond the fact that I'm driving a FREAKIN' FERRARI and it's mine! Should I ever get bored with the myriad sensory pleasures offered by the car itself, I will pull over to the side of the road and begin mucking about with my iPad, which is capable of much, much more than even the very best automotive "infotainment" systems. Another benefit of that approach is I will not be aiming a high-speed projectile down the highway while being thoroughly engrossed in an electronic screen. I heartily agree with the gentleman who mentioned the drone of the engine while motoring on the superhighway. It is true; holding a constant speed for extended periods does become monotonous. However, I have discovered a solution that does not require the astronomical expense of an aftermarket exhaust system: BACK ROADS! Yes, I personally guarantee that twisty, curvy, hilly back roads will absolutely prevent your Ferrari from producing that dreaded, mind-numbing, constant-rpm drone. Back roads will also allow one to play around extensively with the steering wheel (that round thingy with the horsey in the middle), the shifting paddles (or clutch and stick if you are really fortunate), as well as the throttle and brake pedals. Why, it will almost feel as if you are operating an actual mechanical device, Old School! Okay, I will apologize for being more than a little sarcastic (it's a personal weakness), but, come on, friends; one way or another you have put yourselves in an enviable position in this life in which you are able to own and drive some of the most incredible machines ever devised. Anytime I am driving my Ferrari, even with all it's "faults and foibles", I am in ecstasy. Life is good. For more mundane automotive pursuits, I have a 2004 Chevy pickup truck (with an AM/FM radio and automatic transmission). It is a serviceable solution for most situations.
The Portofino actually has a a great touch screen multi-use entertainment system. A little weak onthe speaker system that's quickly remedied by a pioneer or other sub-woofer
Driving a Ferrari is the entertainment, if you need entertainment while your driving then there's hundreds of other cars that will do that for you. Owning and driving a Ferrari is a very unique opportunity that very few people in the world get to experience.
My 612 OTO has a tremendous audio entertainment system by Bose, that also includes a screen for maps and so forth. When the engine is turned off, the sound system delivers very very fine fidelity, even on the classical music that I love, and gobs of power, including big bass. HOWEVER, when I ignite the engine, there is almost no music that can be reasonably enjoyed over the sounds coming from the car. Indeed, even spoken audio books sometimes are overcome by the exhaust notes, and I have a stock factory exhaust. So I don't regret having a nice sound system, but it's not very useful in this car. I also have a 2019 Porsche Cayenne with a big infotainment screen and a lots of menu functions in it. I wish that some of the more basic functions were available as buttons or toggles on the console, rather than buried in menus. I would hate to have to fiddle with screen menus while driving my 612. It's much easier to control the A/C with the five knobs on my 612, than to fiddle with the menus in the Cayenne.
Reading this thread with interest; my conclusion is that choice is a good thing. Some simply like having options. For those whose exotics do not have the sat-nav screen (but want one), there's always an aftermarket GPS. My Garmin is relatively small, but the graphics are sharp; it provides alerts for traffic, red-light cameras, and speed limit changes, all of which are useful when driving in unfamiliar surroundings. The vent mount keeps it out of my line of sight. When it's not needed on a road trip, I simply leave it home. Need more audio? I had a Mosconi/Focal/ARCAudio system installed in my Macan. It looks OEM, was relatively cost effective, and sounds crisp & clean (not to mention loud!) to these old ears. All this to say that there are creative work-arounds. Perhaps Ferrari could offer an entertainment screen but allow a no-cost "option delete" to accommodate those for whom its presence would ruin the "Ferrari experience." The mission is to sell cars; Leclerc is going to want a pay raise soon. . .
I think it looks nasty in anything but a DD. In under ten years it will cheapen the vehicle given the rate of advancements in display technology in a way similar to seeing a 80's movie with a green monochrome tube terminal in it. Leather gets better with age and old digital technology generally goes to the scrap heap.
Kind of like the Beechcraft Starship vs the Gulfstream G650. The Starship was from the late 80's and way ahead of its time. It may have been the first "all glass cockpit." See how it looks today. Image Unavailable, Please Login And here is the G650: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is the problem from my perspective. Most center screens do NOT look good and detract from the look and flow of the interior of the car. So there is no option to ignore them, they destroy the interior appeal of the car (which is almost as important to me as the exterior). IMHO, the huge Tesla screen is god awful (you need to apply sunscreen in order not to get a burn from the glow). Unfortunately manufacturers like Mercedes think bigger is better and are imitating Tesla and their interiors are beginning to look horrid. As I have said before, I find the 612 screen size and steering wheel controls perfect for daily driver use. I remember when the Mercedes AMG GT first came out, I liked the exterior a lot and I was very, very close to making a buy decision. So I went to the showroom and sat in one and thought the interior was very nice except for the big flat screen that was pasted onto the middle of the dash with no effort made to harmonize it with the rest of the interior. Because it was so big and ugly and did not blend with the interior at all, I just assumed it was retractable and fit into a slot somewhere. So I asked the salesman to retract the screen so that I could see what the overall interior looked like. He said it was fixed to the dash and was not retractable. I was shocked and immediately walked away having no further interest in the car. So the only reason I did not and never will buy a GT is because of the screen (everything else looked awesome in my opinion—though that was quite a while ago and the car is now a bit dated even if they fixed the ugly screen).
Bob Lutz wrote a great column on the subject of all the unnecessary gadgetry in today's cars in the February 2018 Road & Track. He titled it "Monkey See,Monkey Do".
This question clearly shows where the "new" Ferrari owner is heading to. The end. Entertainment features, man, what planet do you come from?
Most Tesla-drivers are idiots, and Elon Musk is their great example. The new world's 1000000x overrated moron.
It would be a lot easier to get the meaning of your posts if you wouldn't speak around the point and hide your true meanings with flattery...... Kevin
LOL. Was that for real? Talk radio. Joking, right? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app