Ferrari F12 Berlinetta 2016 review

Frighteningly fast and fabulously forgiving, this Grand Tourer can sit at 200 km/h all day.

There are sharks and there are great whites. We instinctively run from them all, but the big whites mesmerize us with their size, power and speed.

The same scenario aboard the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. There are (marginally) faster cars, but none of them can draw attention to this two-door grand tourer.

Those in the know will recognize the long, wide bonnet as the seat of a racing V12 that accelerates the F12 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds and can stay at that speed for hours if autobahn driving requires it.

This is not a mako in a Ferrari park; that role goes to the 488 with its mid-mounted V8 that launches it into and through corners with a touch of more composure. The F12 has a bigger challenge: to be blazingly fast to fit suitcases for a weekend outing.

Design

Berlinetta means "little limousine" in Italian, and that's its role in the Ferrari stable. Curves and contours are tested in a wind tunnel to do their part in keeping the car on the road.

Appearance - by the standards of supercars - is excellent.

Open the massive doors and you can slip into the low-slung leather seats instead of falling on them. The same cannot always be said for supercar seats.

The steering wheel is a work of art, even if the carbon fiber inserts and LED shift indicators cost $9200. Buttons and levers are kept to a minimum - there is not even a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic lever.

Select first gear by touching the right stalk. Push it again and F12 assumes you want to control the shift, otherwise there's a button on the bridge connecting the center console and dash to auto-shift, as well as a switch to reverse and one ominously marked "start."

Appearance - by the standards of supercars - is excellent. Raised wheel arches on the hood give some indication of where the nose ends, and more can be seen through the rear window than just the car's rear grille.

About the city

Messing around in traffic is hardly the highlight of owning an F12, but the fact is that it can be done in comfort without straining the passengers or the car.

At low revs, the V12 is smooth and stutter-free as the automatic shifts at an obscene rate to keep the engine running without activating it. The ride height is just enough to keep you from flinching every time the Ferrari drives through the sunroof (although you still pay close attention to the driveways...and use the lift button).

The side mirrors give a respectable view of the adjacent lanes, and the steering wheel isn't so sharp that you accidentally end up in them.

The brakes are as ferocious as the engine, and they should be.

Wide-opening doors are the biggest obstacle to city life, and care must be taken when entering or exiting a crowded parking lot. Ignore the other vehicle - you don't want paint chips on the F12 doors.

Expect fingerprints, though: F12s will be photographed in motion and stationary, and smudge marks indicate that hands frequently touch windows in pursuit of interior shots.

On the way to

It takes just 3.1 seconds to question the wisdom of regularly driving an F12 on Australian roads - this thoroughbred car is thoroughly favored by our speed limits.

A naturally aspirated engine naturally performs best at high speeds, and with that much thrust, you can't legally use its full potential, even in second gear.

Ravenous at 4000rpm, the F12 is simply insatiable, approaching the 8700rpm redline. The feeling of flying at such altitudes is addictive - it's like having the accelerator hooked up to the adrenals - and I only have the steering wheel drive selector in Sport mode, leaving two more levels of madness on tap. The brakes are as ferocious as the engine, and they should be, considering the F12 tops out at 340 km/h.

Exhaust sound under load - a reason to try. It's a frenetic mechanical howl that reverberates through the cabin, overpowering tire noise, wind gusts and common sense.

Hairpins are not the F12's forte, but any turn with a warning sign beyond 35 km/h will require a special car to stick with the Ferrari, a fact that increases exponentially with the turning radius. The massive V12 growl can rock the rear wheels out of a corner, but it's quickly tamed by stability control, at least in Sport mode.

Money speaks and the F12 show is a success. Rivals may have a speed advantage, but it's hard not to notice the fact that this is an intimidatingly fast and fabulously forgiving Ferrari.

That he has

Adaptive dampers, carbon ceramic brakes, launch control, power seats, reversing camera, USB and Apple CarPlay, powerful V12.

What is not

Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure and Rear Crossing Alert, Traffic Violation Compensation.

Property

Buying a Ferrari isn't cheap and it's believed that once you buy one, you'll have to sell your soul to keep it running. This no longer applies to service costs included in the price of models sold locally. Owners still need to replenish fuel, brake pads and tires.

Click here for more pricing and spec information on the 2016 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.