Let’s play word association. When I say Ferrari, you think: powerful engine? Two seats? Rear wheel drive? Impractical, beautiful Italian sports car? Well, up until this point these have mostly been true. This morning Ferrari released pictures and details on the replacement for the aging 612 Scaglietti Grand Tourer, and it is certainly a Ferrari out of the mold.
Biggest news item on the new car, which is called the FF, is the drivetrain: unlike every other Ferrari before it, the FF is four-wheel-drive. It makes sense that Ferrari would finally adopt an AWD system considering some of their competitors do – the Mercedes CL, Bentley Continental GT, etc. The new system (which Ferrari calls 4RM) is claimed to be half as heavy as other comparable 4WD setups, allowing the FF to retain a 47:53 front to rear weight distribution for sporty handling characteristics. They didn’t release a whole lot of details on the system, and I suspect we’ll be hearing more about it when the car makes it’s official debut at the Geneva show in March.
Of course, being a Ferrari GT car, there’s a huge engine under the hood. The FF uses a 6.3L 48v V12 with direct fuel injection, which makes a faintly alarming 651 horsepower at 8,000rpm as well as 504 lb-ft of torque. Continuing the inevitable march towards the tech-future where our robot overloads feed us in capsule form once a day, the FF will be available with one transmission: a twin clutch automated manual. Still, the FF has considerably much punch than the car it replaces: compared to the 612, the FF’s engine is a full 500cc’s larger and makes 118 more horsepower.
Mechanically, the FF is a true Ferrari, meaning it’s packed full of technology that makes it easier to go faster. It’s got what Ferrari calls “Predictive Torque Distribution” (does the car come standard with Nostradamus in the back seat?), Magnetorheological shock absorbers, and the latest and hugest in Brembo carbon/ceramic brake systems. There will likely be a driving-mode selector Manettino like that on the 458, as well. And, to top it all off, the FF is about 110lbs lighter than the 612 Scaglietti. Which means it’s fast: 3.7 seconds to 100km/h, with a top speed of 208mph means it’s one of the fastest things on the road.
From the outside, the first thing you notice is… OK, I’m not going to lie, the FF reminds me strongly of the dearly departed BMW Z4 Coupe. Which is a good thing; I loved the Z4 Coupe. Still, it’s not every day that Ferrari comes out with a hatchback, now is it? The roofline is extended back to make it a “shooting brake”, meaning it’s actually got a modicum of usefulness. Which, really, makes a lot of sense for the intended purpose of the FF – it’s supposed to be a comfortable, useable everyday driver – the owner likely has a 458 or 599 GTO stashed away for weekends, right?
With the rear seats up, the FF has a 450l capacity, and with them down it will hold 800l – fairly massive for a small car, and a bit weird for a Ferrari. The dimensions of the FF aren’t actually all that different from the 612 – length and width differ by less than 5mm a piece, while height has gone up 35mm. The styling takes a lot of cues from the 458, and I honestly see a bit of Lexus LFA in the rear end. Isn’t that a laugh? Ferrari imitating Lexus imitating Ferrari, we’ve come full circle.
That’s all we get for details and pictures for now, so stayed tuned for more in-depth coverage of the FF when the Geneva show rolls around.
