12 Cilindri vs. 812 compared by owners

I think it makes sense to start a thread with experiences of owners, because it’s pretty hard to judge these cars correctly on a short test drive or test day.

So here is my experience report.

I drove from northern Germany to Rome and back in a week and have now covered around 3500 km with my 12 Cilindri.
I broke it in on the way to Italy, then stepped on the gas on the way back through the winding roads in the mountains as well as on the German highways without any limit to test high speeding.
There's no need to talk about performance data as the performance of the 12 Cilindri is pretty similar to the 812.
I can only give you my own impressions of the handling, and even that may be different for everyone.
Design is a matter of taste, of course I find the 12C more beautiful than the 812, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.
The 12 Cilindri is definitely more GT than the 812, which is very positive in my case as I always use my 12-cylinder Ferraris for longer journeys.

Chassis:
Sportiness/comfort similar to the 812 but it’s much better in the curves.
Where I had the feeling that the 812 struggled with the weight on the front axle, the 12 Cilindri is much better balanced around the curves of a serpentine, for example.

Steering:
Feels more precise and direct, but unfortunately the steering wheel is much thinner than the one in the 812, I would like to have more in my hands again.

Brake:
It doesn't get any better than this!
The brake feels more firm and linear than on the 812, really well done, bravo!
The chassis, steering and brakes together give you the feeling that the 12 Cilindri is much smaller and more agile than the 812. The whole front end also appears smaller from the inside.
It's only when you park it that you realize what a lump it is.

Gearbox:
The new 8-speed gearbox understands much faster than the old 7-speed gearbox what you want it to do when you use the accelerator pedal and I also like the slightly shorter gear steps.

Noise:
I don't find the car significantly quieter in the cabin, outside it probably is, I haven't checked that, but I don't care as I'm not standing next to it when I'm driving it.
The engine noise inside sounds a bit more like a turbine than the 812 to my ears, sounds really nice when you get towards 9000rpm, I don't remember that exactly from the 812.
Unfortunately, regarding sound I can no longer make a direct comparison, as I've already given the 812 away.
But I can't understand the big noise whining in the forums.

Touch screens:
The central screen is very useful in everyday life, much better than the small navigation screen in the 812 cockpit.
Passenger display can now finally do everything the passenger needs - seat adjustment, complete audio control, etc.
In the 812 you couldn't even change the radio station on the passenger display, I found the passenger display in the 812 really unnecessary, now it finally makes sense.
Of course, it would be nicer if there was a physical rev counter on the cockpit screen, which would be appropriate given the price.
The navigation of the menu in the cockpit takes some getting used to and is not really intuitive, but once you have set everything up, the important things are displayed well.
The touch buttons on the steering wheel are a bit annoying, when I press the blinker on the left, I often reach the voice command button with my thumb at the same time, so that the system wants a voice command, but I don't have any.
I don't understand why you can't just press the directional pad on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, instead you have to swipe.
But this is supposed to be changed from the summer with the new buttons on the steering wheel. Unfortunately too late for me, but it's also a luxury problem.

Conclusion:
If the 812 is a signature dish from a 1* Michelin restaurant, then the 12 Cilindri is the same dish, but prepared by a 3* chef.
All the ingredients are even better coordinated, which sums it up.

For some, the difference is not worth the price premium, some don't really taste the difference, and others are happy with a simple schnitzel.

In any case, I'm very, very happy that Ferrari built this car and that I swapped my 812 for it, because the 12 Cilindri is simply even more fun on long journeys!
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Apple CarPlay works cable free, Android Auto only wired
It‘s hard to find the right position on the charging pad for your phone so you end up with a cable again

 

I don't get that, too!
My wife has an iPhone and my phone is a Samsung because I love the foldable size.
So I connected both with the 12 Cilindri and even I set my phone on priority in the car's menu it's preferring the iPhone when both are connected (iPhone wireless and Samsung wired).

 

UPDATE!
Now 8.500km with my 12 Cilindri and I participated with it at the Ferrari Tribute 1000 Miglia in Italy the last days.
The 12 Cilindri is unbelievable easy and good to handle especially on bad roads.
The chassis is a new generation and it is so much better compared to the 812.
While driving at high speed through the switchbacks in the Tuscan mountains the 812 Competitione in front of me couldn’t take my speed and the SP3 Daytona behind me couldn’t keep up my speed.
Both on 812 chassis (812 = F12 modificata so the basic construction is around 12 years older)
All 3 with nearly the same engine.
All said!