Superb Lusso video review from Harris... http://www.topgear.com/videos/chris-harris-drives/chris-harris-drives-ferrari-gtc4lusso Brian's not going to like this.
I think this is a very considered review and he's looking at the car in the context of its intended use. Thus, while he does make mention of how it drives, this review is very much about the car as a whole rather than majoring on one area such as handling.
Thanks for the link. Chris Harris was a big influence in me buying a used FF after he owned his for 6 months and 6000 miles. After driving it for over an hour this week I wholeheartedly agree with him. The Lusso is a big improvement and I would definitely consider owning one in the future.
I really shouldn't like it. It's really not my idea of a Ferrari. But I absolutely love it! I'm very tempted.
Very nice review. I agree, CH brings a new perspective this car, and I think that's a welcome thing since we already have other reviews that talk about the on the limit handling. I think the GTC4 is very well done!
Mostly agree with him. It's a car for those who want soft and features, loses some of the fun and sporty FF qualities. If you have a track Ferrari the Lusso give you a softer, quieter option. if you have only one Ferrari, the FF is the one to have. 458 ish, with passengers. He begins with the screens. Not important to me. Agrees that it's a much softer ride, and it's more quiet. "Not a long way off from a S63 Mercedes" ... if that's a goal for him or you, ok. "It has a split screen function!" "Apple Car play is 2.5 grand" Don't care, you might. "Another rotary button in case you don't want to use the touch screen ... don't know why you'd do that" - agree, it's busy and confusing. He likes the discovery, I see poor design. "A bit of an ergonomic hash up" - 100% agree. Knob "moves the way a 300 GBP button shouldn't move" - yep, cheap parts Hydes "waxy" ... which is not a good thing, he's no leather expert "Quality inside miles ahead" ... EXCEPT he said the knob had a crack. He's on a narrative from the last review, but not an honest summary. My car has had nothing fall off, 11k miles. "A flap opens and air comes out ... Not withstanding that Jaguar managed that 10 years ago" Feature for you? Ok. "Fuel tank still not big enough" - rather important, glossed over. "What I find confusing is 1,2,3,4,5,6 rotary dials that sort of twirl around and I'm not sure what they do" - agree 100% "The JBL hi fi in this is really good !" - dont care. "These cars are about theatre" - fair point. For me, its about the driving. "11 and a half grand for a glass roof !" "Rear seat cup holders and USB" - comfort and more comfort. FF has cup holders. "more refined, more comfortable car" - Agree. More boring, more GT. Better for older people with multiple cars.
Lol your absolutely total and utterly predictable bias towards the FF is fascinating to observe. Have you ever heard of the behavioral finance term the "endowment effect"? I've never seen it more strongly than in your case.
I absolutely love the FF to me one of the truly great modern GT cars, In one click of a mic Chris has said I'm a f-------g idiot, Be still my heart...
I do agree that Brian L has picked the negatives out for the Lusso from the review but he is not wrong. I think he has a point that the FF is a Ferrari and not a customized replacement. The FF softness and over-all feel including predictability of the rear end is not the same and it is a more Visceral car compared to the Lusso but with the same capacity and 12 twelve cylinder sound.
What I took from it. Softer, quieter, comparison to Mercedes S Class. I think I'll keep my FF rather than taking an easy $200k depreciation on a softer and quieter Lusso. I drive a Ferrari because I want it loud, sporty, edgy. For a daily driver a 458 or 488 is a bit much. The FF is perfect for me. Any softer and likely not for me. Not sure of the avg age on this board. I'm 36 years old. My multiple visits to Maranello, seemed like the avg age of The Ferrari owners visiting the factory was easily over 60. Likely Ferrari is tailoring this car towards them. I think my dad would love a softer and quieter FF. For me... I'll pass for now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I disagree. It seems amid all the criticisms of the new car's additional refinement, a few things are consistently overlooked. First of all, the GTC4Lusso is nearly half a second quicker than the FF in both the quarter mile and 0-60. Secondly, the rear-wheel steering makes the car feel a lot more nimble and the turn in is excellent. Third, the sound is fantastic -- a Ferrari V12 is a Ferrari V12, and the car is not quiet by any means, even at startup. The Lusso is also incrementally lighter, the transmission is incrementally faster/smoother. Finally, the interior is fantastic (I have the Daytona seats and a bunch of carbon options though), and the media system is worlds better. FF owners may not care about that last point, but I would imagine that the first few points -- speed and handling -- aren't exactly neutral. I've had my Lusso for about a week, put 600 miles on it already, and the car is fantastic. The notion of preferring a slower, less nimble, heavier car with a media interface out of a Chrysler because of some nebulous notions of 'softness' just feels a lot like the endowment effect to me. Not only that, but outside of current FF owners, I've found that the large majority of folks thinks the Lusso is a lot better looking. You get on the throttle in the Lusso and I promise it is not any less thrilling than the FF. It's quite the opposite actually. Chris Harris has tons of seat time in them both and you know what he thinks. Anyway, just wanted to put another counterpoint other there...
Seat doesn't feel bad at all. Not sure why the Ignition review harped on that. I went on a 3 hour drive, came out feeling fine. Well supported and tons of adjustments.
My FF had Daytona seats and were comfortable. The Lusso I drove for an hour had standard seats and to me (75kg, 5ft 11) were a different shape but just as comfortable. My wife also drove another Lusso with standard seats. She has back trouble and said how comfortable they were. So the seats are different, comfort is subjective I guess, but we liked them. Re the Lusso being softer. It may be a low revs at low speed but in my opinion that's an improvement, especially as when you press the loud pedal the car is sharper and quicker than the FF. Quieter and comfier when cruising, sharper and more agile when pressing, best of both worlds in my opinion. Well done Ferrari. I sold my FF to buy an F12, but still have a soft spot for the the FF, which has now changed to a bigger soft spot for the Lusso. ;-)
All may be true. In my daily driver the difference between 660hp and 700hp is negligible. Including 0.5 seconds quicker in acceleration. When I want that, I drive the F12 or Speciale. What I do want is the Ferrari noise and Ferrari road feel... just a little toned down, space to carry a 3rd or 4th personal, useable space, and ability to drive the car in most road conditions. I have very little seat time in a Lusso. Only about 5 miles to be fair. So I can't compare much to my FF that I have thousands of daily driving use in. But my initial impression was that it's a little too toned down and a bit more Bentley like quiet. However at the entrance price of $375k+ for a new v12 Lusso vs the depreciated $150k value of an FF... for me it's definitely not a $200k+ upgrade. Regardless. It's nice Ferrari is making a vehicle like this. 4 seat daily driver with crazy engine and hp. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Dear Justin, I take it you were at the Ferrari Lusso experience at Millbrook this week too. I was there on Wednesday and thank god the weather was dry. I had an excellent if not slightly psycopathic Ferrari instructor called Ray who proceeded to scare me out of my wits by getting airbourne on the Alpine section! He is the chap that trains the other drivers and calmly chatted while I hit 175mph on the straight and then shouted "drop the anchors". The car is a serious piece of equipment packed with new goodies like active 4WS both contra and parallel to the front wheel direction. The torque vectoring to the individual front wheels allowed you to "plough" into any corner with endless grip. I am pretty sure we annoyed at least one marshal but what the hell you don't often get given the keys to someone else's £280,000 supercar and are encouraged to push it as hard as you can. The specs of the cars in use were very varied and I commented if the one I was about to drive which was fully loaded was for sale and I was told as demo it will eventually be sold but not in the near future. After our drive and antics I withdraw my previous offer and made a note of the chassis number should this particular grigio pranching horse wonder into my paddock and I concider it as a stable mate for the F599. I would have snaped a picture of all the chassis numbers but the intense security meant any photography was prohibited including all phones had their camera's lens covered with tamperproof seals before entering Millbrook Proving Facility and were checked on the way out! All in all a great afternoon out and looking forward to participating in the 70th Anniversary parade Essex in July led by the La Ferrari Aperta followed by the 812 Superfast customer launch. Bring on Summer and lets enjoy our toys...
I agree. I'm 47 years old, a very aggressive driver and think nothing of taking my Speciale on a 2,500 mile drive over twisty roads, spending around 7-8 hours driving per day in the thing. Suggesting the Lusso is somehow a poorer vehicle for the harder core enthusiast, or is a 'softer' drive because it rides better is utter nonsense. The best race cars ride well. Lotuses ride brilliantly and there are no big GT cars to be found there. My previous 12C rode superbly and was nothing less than a full-on sporting car. The Speciale rides beautifully, without harshness. Good ride quality is always an ambition for designers of every type of car. Poor ride quality is an admission that the engineers could not reach a high enough level as they sought to overcome the compromises that each car's development forces them to make. The added refinement and sophistication the Lusso possesses is only a benefit, and no kind of demerit. The car is a properly brilliant Ferrari, unique in concept, just like the FF, only a better execution of it. No issues at all with people who prefer the look of the FF, or who don't see enough value in the upgrade. But to suggest it is for old men, who want comfort not sportiness, is insulting to Ferrari and smacks of a lack of objectivity.
Agreed - Brian loves his FF which is fair enough - I haven't met an owner that doesn't like his FF. His comments are predictable and the same basic theme. If I remember rightly he's also heavy on bagging the new 812 and we've yet to see the first production versions.
