Getting to know the FF, a Ferrari you can drive every day

We test drive the Ferrari FF. Video shot/edited by Jennifer Hahn.

Ferrari’s FF is an intriguing car. In fact, it’s something of an automotive Schrödinger’s cat, somehow extremely practical while simultaneously being unthinkably out-of-reach for most of the population. It has true all-weather performance thanks to some rather clever engineering, and this vehicle can cope with four adults and their luggage—it can even handle a Costco run. All the while, this car remains a V12 Ferrari. It costs more than any other car we’ve driven recently and drinks gasoline at a rate that makes polar bears weep. What’s it like living with such an automotive contradiction for a few days? 

Design

First, let’s make one thing clear: the FF isn’t a sports car, it’s a grand tourer (or GT). Its design brief was less about breaking lap records at Monza and more about being able to cope with weekend dashes across continents come rain or snow. The car achieves this with a rather clever, all-wheel drive system (Ferrari’s first) that uses not one but two transmissions to send power from an enormous (6.3 L) V12 engine to the road.

That engine is derived from the same V12 that powered the Enzo, and other variants can be found under the hood of the current F12 sports car (there’s also a hybrid form in the LaFerrari). In the FF it’s naturally aspirated with direct-injection, making its peak power of 651hp (485kW) at 8,000 rpm (peak torque is 503lb-ft/682Nm at 6,000 rpm). The engine is up front but sits far back in the engine bay behind the front axle, so it’s technically mid-engined. That helps weight distribution—only 47 percent at the front—which in turn helps the car’s dynamics. It also leaves room for the all-wheel drive system, called 4RM in Ferrari-speak.

Normally, four- or all-wheel drive works by taking the engine’s power and torque from the crankshaft to a center differential, where it’s then split between front and rear axles. This is easiest if you put the engine way up front, ahead of the front axle and gearbox, which is the way it works in most SUVs. But that’s not good for weight distribution, which in turn means it’s not good for handling. And since this is a Ferrari, the FF needs to handle. There are ways of achieving all-wheel drive with a front-mid engined configuration—see Nissan’s mighty GT-R for example—but that starts to get complicated. In that arrangement, you need to have a propshaft running forward from the gearbox to the front wheels, which means routing it past the engine somehow, too.

Ferrari took a different route and decided to give the FF two transmissions, something it says weighs 50 percent less than the conventional approach, which keeps the center of gravity nice and low. The rear wheels get their power from a seven-speed dual clutch transaxle gearbox (which means it’s at the back of the car and connected to the engine via a torque tube, not a propshaft). This is pretty standard now and shares a lot with the F12 sports car (which is rear-wheel drive but also front-mid engined).

Things get interesting ahead of the engine, which is connected to a two-speed transmission. The lower of these two gears is engaged when the car is in first or second gear, and it shifts up to the second gear when you select third or fourth. In fifth gear or above, power only goes to the rear wheels. The front wheels are each connected to the transmission by a wet clutch, which also performs the function of a front differential and center differential, choosing how much power to send to each front wheel. There is no mechanical connection between front and rear wheels at all in the FF. Instead, all of this is handled by the car’s electronics and in conjunction with the rest of the car’s powertrain settings.

As with almost all recent Ferraris, the FF starts off with an aluminum space frame chassis (the LaFerrari hypercar is made from carbon fiber), which helps keep the weight under two tons. Rest assured, this is still a big car, tipping the scales at 4,145lbs (1,880kg) when full of fluids and fuel (dry weight is 3,946lbs/1,790kg). We know the styling won’t work for everyone—Ars EIC Ken Fisher thinks it’s one of the ugliest cars to leave the Maranello factory, in fact—but those opinions aren’t universal. I’m a big fan of the breadvan, and there’s no denying the shape gives this car a practicality that none of its four-seat Ferrari forebears could offer.

As befits a company that spends huge amounts of money on aerodynamics research (in aid of its Formula 1 team), the FF’s shape is heavily influenced by the need to move air around and over its body. It’s a relatively draggy shape (the Cd is 0.329), although this number could be a lot worse without the vents along the sides and at the back that move air out of the wheel wells and shape its passage around the car. The flip side of that drag is downforce, which helps stick the car to the road as speed increases. This is most visually evident when you look at the split-level diffuser at the back of the car, complete with an airfoil shape in the middle element.

What’s it like to live with?

From the driver’s seat—in fact, from any of the four seats—the FF is a treat, particularly if it’s specced like our test car. Almost everything is wrapped in semi-aniline leather the color of a new baseball glove. The bits that aren’t wrapped in cowhide are either carbon fiber or brushed aluminum. Each air vent is its own carbon fiber tube, poking through the dash. There is the occasional let down, though; the rubbery black surface to the climate controls is slightly gummy to the touch, and we’ve heard reports that it wears very rapidly.

Finding a comfortable position behind the wheel isn’t hard—the seats (heated and cooled, naturally) adjust every which way, as does the steering wheel. And what a steering wheel it is. Multifunction steering wheels became de rigueur in Formula 1 some time ago, and since Ferrari is also in the business of making Formula 1 cars, it brings that approach to its road cars now. The wheel is positively covered in buttons and switches. Turn signals sit underneath each thumb. Behind the spokes are buttons for the infotainment system, well-placed for fingers when hands are at nine and three. A red switch to the lower right—called the Manettino—toggles through the different driving modes.

Ahead of you is a large analogue physical rev counter flanked by two small configurable LCD displays. Not bad for when the car first launched a few years ago, but this feels a little dated in 2016 when compared to the highly configurable full-dash screens we’re starting to see in new models. The infotainment system is a standard Fiat-Chrysler unit, with an uninspired UI and lackluster navigation app, but a bright point is the inclusion of Apple CarPlay. Ferrari may well have been the first OEM in the US to ship cars with CarPlay installed, as even today Apple’s automotive upgrade is only beginning to trickle out into the real world within other marques.

Not to be left out, the front seat passenger gets their own display. It’s a thin LCD strip that can show speed and a rev counter, the trip computer, or the car’s current drive settings. There’s a decent amount of storage space up front—a large glove box, door bins, a phone cubby (with USB and aux-in), and some cupholders thoughtfully lined with a removable rubber mat to cope with any spills.

The good vibes continue even when you’re sitting in the back. There’s room for an actual adult in each of the rear buckets, and, thanks to the massive panoramic glass roof, there’s plenty of natural light. It’s better than any back seats of any 2+2 GT we’ve ever been squished into—none of the usual claustrophobia. The seats are raised up a little higher than the front seats so you get a decent view rather than the back of a headrest, and because it’s a hatchback the headroom doesn’t sleep away to nothing just behind your ears. That means long distance rides in the back aren’t something to be feared. There’s even an optional rear entertainment package, although it wasn’t fitted to our car.

The practicality continues with the trunk. That same breadvan shape that makes for good headroom in the back means there’s plenty of luggage space as well. (It’s more than enough for a Costco run, particularly since you can fold either or both of the rear seats flat.) We wonder if the leather lining the sides and parcel shelf might get scuffed, though perhaps we should just think of it as patina.

What’s it like to drive?

This talk of practicality and sumptuous interiors that resemble the aftermath of an explosion at the Hérmes factory is all well and good, but first and foremost, the FF is a Ferrari. If you just wanted a luxurious four seater, plenty of other companies offer that, often far cheaper than this car. But this is a Ferrari, and that means the FF has to be exciting to drive.

The good news is there’s plenty of excitement. Emotion, passion, Italian temperament; call it what you will. Driving anywhere in the FF is an occasion, because wherever you go, you’re preceded by that gigantic V12. It heralds your arrival in the way that only 12 normally aspirated cylinders working together can. A V12 is a special thing, you see, particularly one made by Ferrari. It’s resplendent in its red crackle-finished cam covers and intake chamber finery. In effect, the engine layout is a pair of inline sixes, joined at the crankcase.

A six cylinder inline engine is inherently well-balanced, a trait the V12 therefore inherits. And a well-balanced engine means engineers don’t have to add counterweights or balancing shafts; the FF revs freely and eagerly from a tickover to 8,250rpm. Twelve cylinders also mean twice as many combustions per revolution of the crankshaft, in turn meaning more power. And there is a lot of power available underneath your right foot—651hp at 8,000rpm. That puts the FF on a par with both the McLaren 650S we tested recently and Chevy’s Z06 Corvette. But with all-wheel drive in the lower gears, the FF is far less intimidating a car to drive than either of those. And despite its considerable size and added mass, this car is also far more playful.

That sense of playfulness is, we think, largely down to the clever electronic management software that governs just about all the FF’s behavior. The intervention of the traction and stability control aids, the throttle mapping, the speed of the gear changes, the way it apportions power front-to-rear and side-to-side through those two transmissions and the rear differential—and not to forget the magnetorheological suspension, either. As you twist the Manettino clockwise, everything becomes more permissive. Wheels are left to spin a little more, greater slip angles are allowed.

But it never feels particularly lairy or uncouth; you don’t feel like you’re taking your life (or more importantly, your wallet) in your hands. Over the years Ferrari has gotten very good at developing a car’s electronic brain to the point where it works with a driver, flattering them within software-defined bounds of acceptable road manners. This probably wouldn’t work nearly as well were it not for the steering. It’s extremely fast. Tiny inputs instantly translate to changes of direction, and the power assistance helps disguise much of the FF’s weight.

That all makes for a very comfortable car to drive, one that feels as if it wraps around you. It never quite stops feeling very long, though, a consequence of sitting so far behind the front wheels. Surprisingly, we found the brakes weren’t as good as the rest of the car; perhaps too much exposure to lighter sports cars left some false expectations? Then again, a Tesla P90D weighs 12 percent more and doesn’t suffer the same issue.

Finally, our time with the car coincided with the first frosts of winter, and on particularly cold mornings the Pirelli PZero tires would light up happily. Summer rubber is best left at home when road surface temperatures drop below about 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit); no doubt that would be somewhat more under control with the optional Sottozero winter tires.

Wait, it costs how much?

Finally, let’s address that elephant in the room. There is no more ignoring it—yes, the FF has a spectacular price tag. The very cheapest FF will still cost $295,000, but options add up almost as fast as their engines rev. This car as we tested it tipped the scales at a hefty $388,464. That is a lot of money no matter how you look at it. That amazing glass roof is almost $18,000. The passenger display is an extra $4,014, a dollar less than it costs to have Apple’s CarPlay included. And so it goes, down the spec sheet.

It doesn’t stop there, unfortunately. In our hands, the FF was an extremely thirsty machine, requiring not one but two stops for gas in under 250 miles. For a vehicle designed to crush continents under its wheels, that’s a bit of an impediment. We can imagine that with longer-term use it may well be possible to get closer to the quoted EPA numbers (11mpg in town, 16mpg on the highway), particularly with the optional start-stop function. But we had the car for just four days and never got past that honeymoon period where we needed to hear that V12 in anger.