I felt the same. It is not about front turn in that matters when it comes to feeling. It is more about how playful the rear is and if the car dances with you through the corner for me. My car is at stage 50 and I can not wait to drive it on the road and track Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
So stupid my dealer asked if I wanted to test drive the F8. I had no intention of buying one but did the test drive and immediately ordered one. That’s how you sell cars.
If one has to use that many words to indicate a delineation point then it’s not really a delineation point. I mean one is free to do it, but then it means nothing because there are infinite variations of technology change increments that one can arbitrarily choose to rationalize their position. For most folks including myself, that delineation point was the end of V8 NA, as it will be for the V12 … in fact the transition from NA, along with the manual transmission, are well established crossover/delineation points for pretty much all sports cars of all brands. For most people once that boat sailed and the 488 replaced the 458, you might as well use any combo of FI and electrics to make the best overall performing car possible. I personally would argue that a hybrid assisted V8/V12 without FI is much more attractive that anything with FI … but that’s just a personal preference. I wish V8/Electric was the direction they had chosen for the 296 as opposed to the V6 + FI + Hybrid. It would have had the scream of the NA V8 with the added instant torque and performance of electrics. Again, this is just my perspective.
I do too, but are there any marques out there using that formula? NA + Hybrid? Everything that comes to mind is FI + Hybrid.
Actually, as weird as it may sound, it was more fun to drive. The sound, the turbo whistling, the compact turning. It really feels like a very good daily road car.
If the 296 is a harbringer of the type of cars Ferrari will offer henceforth, I will no longer be interested in being an owner. My preference is decidedly rooted in super cars that tickle the senses, create chills traversing down the spine and will leave the driver breathless. The 296 will not elicit any of those sensations.
I drove the 296GTB and it was brilliant. I loved the engine note - to me much better than the F8. I have a Roma (which I am not going to sell because it’s EPIC) and yet I can’t wait to get back into a 296 and drive it again. Ferrari and these cars are moving forward and they are so so so good!
Went back to my dealer yesterday and the 296 is gone. Was only there for a couple days…I missed out driving one. But I did get a ride in my friends 765LT…now that was ballistically epic! @JAM1 lol!!! Me fitting in it was odd though…lol
Ugh, Ferrari cancelled the driving event at my dealership because of the looming hurricane. I say that would be the perfect time to test drive a car. Anyway, no biggie, just have to wait a little longer to drive the car and see what it's all about.
I was able to drive it yesterday, in the preceding feeder bans from Ian, which i thought was cool. I would say that of all the Ferraris Ive owned and driven, this was by far the best performing in inclement weather. It handled standing water and torrential downpours extremely well, without the AF package, which I was advised to forego if it was going to be a street car. \IO also liked the look much better in person, again without the AF, then I expected. I don't love the tech, all the digital, the sort of touch buttons and screens, they were terrible in the Roma I had for about 8 weeks, and my concern would be the 14 service visits I'll be forced to make in the first year, if they dont dial it in before release (like the roma)
I test drove one recently, and while technically brilliant and extremely fast, I missed the NA sound and I enjoyed the drive home in my F430 manual much more. MANUAL Ferrari F430 - Why Don't Modern Ferraris Sound Like This? #DriveEveryFerrari | TheCarGuys.tv - YouTube I don't think I'd buy a Ferrari newer than the Speciale.
I agree with this statement (I would add whatever is going to be the latest pure NA V12 GT car in there with it), and yet unless I absolutely hate the 296 test drive I'm going to end up buying it anyway. I'm going to say the quiet part out loud here and I'm sure will get flamed for it, but I (like many others) am basically mired in the Ferrari carrot based ecosystem where if my dealer offers me a top five allocation for a 296 GTS (which they did), I better take it and act grateful if I ever want to get to the point where I get offered the stuff I might really want. I'm going to be crazy honest here and say that I was never excited for the 296. I have a 15 458 Spider that I love to bits and I'm waiting for my my 812 GTS to be built. So when I got the 296 GTS offer call I had a decision to make. Take the allocation and buy a $400k+ car that I'm meh about to keep the ball rolling, or pass on it and accept that the 812 GTS will be the last semi special Ferrari I will ever be offered and give up on the idea of ever getting to the VS cars. I toiled on it, and I really asked myself how special electric cars are going to be in the future and whether it's even worth me buying a car I'm not excited about to get to something that I'm likely to be even less excited about. But Ferrari and other brands have ways to surprise me, and they might figure out how to keep doing very special things in the mid-term future, and that hope keeps me in the ecosystem as per their evil plan. Basically, unless the 296 is a complete pig which by all accounts it isn't, I'm buying it no matter what. I hope that it surprises me and moves me more than I anticipate, it would be a welcome bonus and that's why I'm so interested in the test drive. Heck I might even end up loving it. But I hate that that's how all this works with Ferrari, yet here we are with me essentially willing to purchase what could in essence be no more than a $400k placeholder, and in the process also denying someone who might really want that car, just for me to prevent being kicked out of the party.
This sentiment always confuses me. The car is going to be faster and handle better than the car it replaces. The OEMs HAVE to keep on improving on the specs and there is little way to do that without these kinds of changes. I respect the "purity" crowd when they are driving older naturally aspirated manual gearbox cars and are happy to admit the performance isn't there but the fun-factor is. Driver's coming off and F8 and acting like the a 296 loses purity from there confuse me. The computers took these cars over a long time ago, no way to make them so damn fast without it.
First world problem, no doubt. I'm not even invited into the Ferrari "carrot based ecosystem". I'm still munching on hay.
I think test drives are a nice taster, however to fully appreciate a new car you need to spend some serious time behind the wheel. Especially on some of your favourite driving roads. After having driven the 296 on some roads that I know really well with ability to push on hard. I was blown away by it breadth and capabilities! This is one of the best Ferrari's made in a very long time by Ferrari. If you could only have one car and you needed it to do everything, then this is the car. Period! It's batsheet fast, looks gorgeous, has luggage space for a weekend away, handles like a go kart and sounds way better than a Pista or F8. Image Unavailable, Please Login
And It also just won Car of The Year - https://robbreport.com.au/motors/automotive/car-of-the-year-2022-winner-ferrari-296-gtb/
