GTS - It’s love all over again

I wanted to post a quick review since my GTS came in last Thursday and I’ve had a little time with the car. For background I came from a 488 spider, then a Argento 812SF I reviewed here 2 years ago: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/finally.601562/

In high school I drove a 67 V8 mustang and friends had Cameros of the same vintage. There was something about the pony car platform, long hood, low and laid back driving position, rear wheel drive, the muscle of a big torquey power plant turning the whole thing good, and an arm awkwardly around the girlfriend in the bucket seat. There was only one. . ., maybe two things that could have made it better.

So I’ve been a car guy all my life and sometime I had to own a V12 Ferrari. When I heard the 812 described potentially as potentially *the last V12* from Ferrari I had to jump on the Superfast. I enjoy the vintage cars as much as the next guy, but while the really desirable ones are out of reach. At the same time I enjoy the modern conveniences and safety features of today’s cars. But it’s the sweet roar of that V12 that can’t be replicated.

Obviously the platform between the SF and the GTS is the same, same motor, same layout, same controls for the most part, so I will just stick to the differences. The GTS is mostly like the SF I ordered as well.

The first issue of concern between 2019 and 2021 was GPF (gas particulate filter added after 2019 model year iirc). To me, this is zero issue. Is there a difference? Yes. Does the car sound like a Ferrari V12? yes. I think anyone not hearing two cars side by side would be hard pressed to notice the difference between a GPF and non GPF car. I’m sure some here can, that’s not the point. It sounds sweet to me and I give Ferrari props for the outstanding audio tuning job they’ve done.

I outfitted this car with Blu Tour De France, Cuoio leather with diamond stitched seats, and the Silver Forged wheels with matte black brake rotors. That's the starting point for this car, but like the SF, this car is a GT cruiser, tight and under stated. I’m not a neon color or lots carbon type. I did like the passenger display in the SF, so I ordered that again, as well as a matte finish Carbon Fiber steering wheel and suspension lifter.

A couple of hundred miles with my GTS and I can tell no difference in power or performance. Except for one thing: 6 silly inches of sliding rear glass.

Oh my! How the character of the car changed between the 812SF and an 812 coupe with an operable rear window. This is worth the premium right there. It’s that visceral joy of the 488 spider all over again. It’s like a commandment, the price of admission from on high:

NEVER TO BE OPERATED WITH WINDOW UP

It’s just a different car, the whole experience is turned up to 11. I frickin love this car.

And then. . . stow the roof? It’s yet another whole new level. Rearward visibility is awesome, better than the coupe and I’m literally driving some crazy fantasy of mine. Yes, it’s the only thing that could make the high school experience any better: a Ferrari V12 with a convertible top. I will die a happy man.

Now, where are all those cute 18 yr olds?
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Great question and a point, I admit, is bafflement for me.

I did not want the front facing camera, big bulky, bulbous as you note. So Jason, my sales rep at FoSV, said we'll omit it. At the same time I understood ADAS was standard. ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. On the wife's Prius, or my Audi, it means a handful of features: Emergency warning and braking systems, lane keeping, steering wheel shaking, amber flashes in the side mirrors, probably self tensioning seat belts, and distance keeping cruise control. Those things are what I would call "standard" ADAS. Every car I've owned has all the same features including a 2021 F150.

Well, what do you know, Ferrari is different. Say it ain't so!

So I'm still exploring this, and I would welcome any input here. But of those features, the one I like a lot is distance keeping cruise control. I think this is really helpful in traffic (you know, gives you time to check the traffic, stock prices, or email . . . you know the drill

So one of the first things I did was get on the freeway, set the cruise about 90 and then aim for the back of a semi. Low and behold, no distance keeping, I had to brake to not collect the semi. But I thought these ADAS features were standard? In truth I haven't had time to fully investigate, so i didn't mention in my review, so good catch @italiafan. Jason mentioned the distance keeping cruise wouldn't work without the front camera after delivery, not when ordering. wha whaaaaaa (sad trombones). So that is potentially a bit of a bummer.

Here is the mystery, the part I haven't had time to investigate (and apologies for the micro fiber fibers all over the photo). It may be an *only emergency braking* thing, I don't know yet, but seems worth exploring if there is a user error or education problem. My gut is Jason got it right, I just wish I knew the trade offs before I ordered as I probably would have put up with the big ugly camera for this.




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Thank you, and thanks for the great explanation!

 

Yes. It's a different car. The 488 was like a sprinter, a high sprung athlete running around at 9.8 all the time. The GTS is more laid back for sure, more of a comfortable lope.

As far as comfort, the longest drive I did in the 488 was about 250 miles in one stretch, maybe 700 in one weekend up to Tahoe and back. It's about 4-4.5 hrs in on stretch. There was some fatigue in the legs and hips at the end of that stretch for sure, and my passenger said the same. The 812 -- the wife and I had multiple trips up and down the coast, Mendocino or Santa Barbara for example which is a little farther than Tahoe and never experienced a similar sense of tired. The 812 was very comfortable on a longer ride, what it was designed for. I haven't had the GTS long enough for a longer trip yet, but being it's the same platform I would expect the same.

 

Thanks for all the compliments everyone, I feel very fortunate.

 

Both SF and GTS were ordered as comfort seats.

 

Thanks for you post and yes, I hope I didn't imply that.

I have owned a 488 and currently own a track only Lotus Exige Cup car, so I am familiar with more of a hard edge, purpose built, mid engine, glorious handling car. That's not why I own the GTS. I haven't had a chance to push this car on the twisties, but I expect it is every bit as competent as the SF was. We have some property on the Mendocino coast here in California. There is a delightful ~20 mi stretch over the coastal range, for example, at the end of the 200 mi trip to that property where we will surely get a chance to let the GTS stretch a bit.

The GTS is really about getting to a destination without feeling you've been pummeled for the last 2 hrs of the trip.