Ferrari FF V12 2015 review

The Ferrari FF is not the first car from Maranello that comes to the mind of a person with an average or average interest in cars. When you tell people that Ferrari will give you an FF for the weekend, they wrinkle their noses and look at you a little funny.

When you explain it's a four-seat, V12-powered, all-wheel-drive coupe, there's a flash of recognition before the lights go on. "Oh, you mean the one that looks a bit like a two-door van?"

Yes, it is.

Value

One step away from the top of the "normal" Ferrari range, you'll find the FF. The entry-level California may have four seats, but it will be quite difficult to fit four real people in it, so if you want to bring friends or family with you, the FF is the Ferrari for you.

However, starting at $624,646 20 FF may not be for every bank account. For that hefty sum, you get bi-xenon headlights, automatic wipers and headlights, front and rear parking sensors with a rearview camera, cruise control, heated electrochromatic rearview mirrors, XNUMX-inch alloy wheels, five driving modes, an electric seat and steering wheel. adjustment, dual-zone climate control, double-glazed windows, power trunk lid and anti-theft protection.

As a sign of how rarely these vehicles are used by their owners, the FF comes with a charger and a fitted cover.

Our car was marked by an investment banker's dangling attitude after a massive premium/whiskey binge. Many of the options were taken from Ferrari's Tailor Made program, which allows potential owners to choose every stitch of thread and scrap of fabric, in this case a $147,000 checkered fabric lining (yes), amazing three-layer paint, RMSV wheels, and a fitted bag for golf. with even more tartan ($11,500K).

The total options list was $295,739. In addition to Tailor Made luxury, this included a panoramic glass roof ($30,000), plenty of carbon fiber parts in the cabin, a carbon steering wheel with LED shift indicators ($13950), a white tachometer, Apple CarPlay ($6790), and fittings for iPad mini. for rear seat passengers.

There's more, but you get the picture. You can make a Ferrari yours and yours alone, and virtually no one buys a Ferrari without checking a few things.

Design

We'll come right out and say it looks a little weird. Proportionately speaking, this shouldn't work - there's a lot of hood, and there's a gap between the front wheel and the door that a Smart ForTwo could almost squeeze into. car and helps to compensate for the position of the cab at the rear. Live looks much better than in the photos.

It's not ugly, but it's not as flashy as the 458, and it's not as pretty as the F12. Up front, however, it's pure Ferrari - a gaping prancing horse grille, long swept headlights with signature LED stacks. It certainly has a presence.

Inside, it's suitably stylish. Ferrari has a minimalist approach to the interior, with the FF favoring luxury over sportiness. The large front seats are very comfortable. The rear scoops, cut into the rear bulkhead, were deep enough and comfortable enough for a burly six-foot volunteer.

safety

The FF has four airbags. ABS mounted on powerful carbon-ceramic discs, as well as a stability and traction control system. There is no ANCAP star rating, perhaps for obvious reasons.

Features

Our FF was with Apple CarPlay. When connected via USB, the iOS-style interface replaces the standard Ferrari (which is not bad in itself). The nine-speaker stereo system is impressively powerful, but we didn't use it much...

Engine / Transmission

Ferrari's 6.3-liter V12 is crammed tightly into the firewall, making the FF virtually a mid-engined car. There’s room for another boot in the front if it weren’t for the annoying (beautiful) air intakes. At an audible 8000 rpm, the twelve cylinders produce a whopping 495 kW, while peak torque of 683 Nm is reached 2000 rpm earlier.

It's so comfortable in everyday driving

A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission drives all four wheels. Drive is rear-wheel drive, of course, with an Italian-made F1-Trac rear differential to ensure things don't get out of hand. With your foot flat, you'll reach 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and 200 km/h in 10.9, while ruining the claimed average fuel consumption of 15.4 l/100 km. For a couple of days of active driving, we used up about 20 l / 100 km.

Driving

The transition to FF is nothing like the heavier, lower F12. The long door opens easily, and thanks to the increased ride height, it's easy to get into the driver's seat. The rectangular wheel is equipped with all the necessary controls, including an attractive red start button. The manettino control allows you to switch between driving modes - Snow, Wet, Comfort, Sport and ESC Off.

Above the starter button is a "bumpy road" button that softens the action of the active dampers, which is especially useful on well-paved Australian roads.

The peculiarity of FF is that it can be used in everyday driving. As with the California T, there is little in the driving experience - if you hold yourself back - to make the car stand out as the monstrously capable thing it is. It will act almost like it's hovering while you're wading through. It borders on ease of parking and maneuvering, no worse than any other car under five meters long, though most of that is the hood. Width is something that can complicate things.

Its length and weight mean nothing when you switch to Sport mode - the dampers are stiffer, the throttle needs less travel, and the whole car feels on, ready. We are ready - there is a huge set of turns ahead. Activate launch control (for a twelve-year-old inside) and sprint to 100 km/h before the first corner, which suddenly gets obscenely close.

The V12 is absolutely magnificent

A huge perforated brake pedal acts on a set of giant carbon-ceramic brakes. That first turn will make your eyes pop as you pedal, thinking you're going to need all that braking power. The FF stops with restraint but hard, or would stop if you kept braking. It's much more fun to hit the accelerator again with the windows down and listen to the car talking to you through your ears and palms.

Once you gain confidence, which happens very quickly, you'll realize that while the FF doesn't have the light touch that the 458 and F12 have, it doesn't slouch. 

The V12 is absolutely gorgeous, filling the valley we're in with an unmistakable sound, a business-like crackle every time you press the right stalk. 

Various electronic systems and a brilliant F1-Trac differential provide unrivaled traction and a lot of fun at the same time.

Under load, the front end has a slight initial understeer, indicating that little of the power is going through the front wheels. While it's not happily tailed like the rest of the range, the FF's poise and composure means it's a more comfortable car to go all out with.

Total absence is a relative term, of course, when you consider the inevitable catastrophe of falling off a public road lined with trees, a fence and a long fall into a river. 

Even on our extremely bumpy test cycle, the FF holds the line with unrelenting ability and rewards with just enough freedom from traction control to make you feel like a bit of a hero.

The Ferrari FF is a very impressive car. While performance and handling are downgraded to make it a comfortable GT car, it's still colossally fast. Just as important, this is a car that makes you smile no matter what you do in it. While it's out of reach for mere mortals like us, hearing someone approach you is one of the best free entertainment on offer.

FF has its detractors, but it's almost completely unjustified, given some mythical purist view of the brand. There's no reason a car like this shouldn't exist and it absolutely deserves its Ferrari badge.