Ferrari 612 replacement, the FF

[Sledgehammer]

Based on this new Ferrari and the new Zonda, I would say that ugly is the new "look"... according to the Italians.

[Ferrer]

Really on anything over 400hp a stick/clutch ceases to be fun and becomes a burden. I'll take a dual-clutch on something like this and a stick on vintage cars, hot-hatches or little roadsters like the Elise or the Z4.

Disagree. A gear lever and a clutch pedal are always fun, no matter the amount of horsepower.

[pimento]

Disagree. A gear lever and a clutch pedal are always fun, no matter the amount of horsepower.

I agree that nothing beats a clutch and a gear lever (though I've not driven anything all that powerful) but at least it's not a slushbox.

[Ferrer]

I have driven cars with 400-plus bhp and the manual made the experience better not worse. Flappy paddles can be very efficient and fast but they feel artificial, and in my opinion cannot beat the satisfaction you get from a well executed gear shift.

[andycoates]

Nope, that is the production roof.

Phew!

[Cobrafan427]

First, I'm no fan of AWD sports cars either. Hopefully it's one of those things where you can dial in the power to go mainly to the rear wheels.

I visited Ferrari's website and they have a whole video thinger devoted to it with tech specs and it said that they split the power 57% to the rear wheels

[Rasmus]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn99cOS6QY0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn99cOS6QY0[/ame]

[csl177]

Tierra del Fuego is gonna be a hot market for them.

[digitalcraft]

I really don't undestand the short-sightedness of 'lets completely dilute our brand to make a little cash on this new car'. There's plenty of other badges they could have put this thing under. Race inspired an AWD 4seater is not.

[Ferrer]

I really don't undestand the short-sightedness of 'lets completely dilute our brand to make a little cash on this new car'. There's plenty of other badges they could have put this thing under. Race inspired an AWD 4seater is not.

Maserati Treporte?

[Badsight]

while Ferrai could probablly do a really great 4WD sports tourer , FF is a really dumb name . someone had the final say on that - & that someone is lacking in the creative department upstairs

it gives me visions of a front wheel drive 4 cylinder

and seriously - that angle at the front is screaming "evil pokemon"

[clutch-monkey]

and seriously - that angle at the front is screaming "evil pokemon"

thanks. i'll never be able to 'unsee' that, now that you pointed it out LOL

[Dino Scuderia]

The FF looks like it's styling is adjusted for the asian market.

[Kitdy]

This site - and Ferrer in particular - has made me feel more like an old man when it comes to cars. I am now fighting against the current trends in the automotive industry.

One of my friends likes cars, and basically insists that every new generation of car is better than the preceding. I kind of thought this in years past, but then I learned that so many new cars are so artificial.

I think former poster Turbo.Jenkins said that automatic gearboxes are like condoms - I remember this quote well. He said they remove all feeling - and hence enjoyment - from the act.

I kinda feel like that is what cars are becoming in general. More electronic gizmos, more computers making decisions for you, less interaction between human and machine. The fundamental interaction between human and machine is what I desire. Driving a go kart is absolutely exhilarating, as is riding a motorcycle. I think a large part of why that is the case is due to the large degree of synergy between driver/rider machine. I think there is a happy balance point between technology and simplicity (which differs from person to person), but many new cars are moving far from that balance.

Electronic steering -which particularly enrages me - lane change warnings, adaptive cruise control... These things may be good for some, but probably not for most of us. I thought the point of driving a car was to... drive a car. Not be driven in a car. Fair game though, for most, a car just gets you around. Most of the time for me that is the case as well. However, what we are seeing now is sportscars and other enthusiast cars being dumbed down as well in the name of progress and efficiency.

I meant to start by talking about the FF, but have diverged massively. So to the matter at hand...

Some say that you need to see this thing in the flesh to fully rate it, but I have a good idea it's going to look just as bad as it does in these pictures. Looks are the first thing that is wrong with the car - it looks absolutely terrible. The whole shape is terribly awkward. The rear end is unbelievably brutal.

So you see this Ferrari, and that is the first thing you think of. Then you look deeper. You see it has AWD. It does not have a manual gearbox which is not surprising. People are saying AWD is needed for FF drivers to to be able to handle the power. Maybe the AWD will make it super quick. I imagine journalists will say this car is absolutely incredible to drive - and it probably is. The problem is that the car's philosophy is wrong. Why does it need AWD? Because it has so much power. Why does it have so much power? There is no need (other than for prospective owners to dickwag) for a GT of this nature to have 660 hp. 660 hp just a few years ago is what Ferrari's supercar was putting out. The 612 had 130 hp less than this. Power wars are fun, but this seems fairly unreasonable. I guess Ferrari has to do it though - the next gen always must be heavier, have more technology, be faster, and be "better." Manuals are going the way of the do do it seems.

I don't so much lament the loss of a manual in this car as it has no chance to sell, but to see Ferrari's "budget" sportscar without a manual is quite sad.

I have open in another tab a timeline of Ferrari's cars. Let's turn back the clock to not so long ago - 1996. In 1996, the Ferrari lineup consisted of the 355, the 550, the 456, and the F50. Would you rather that lineup, or the current lineup of California, 458, 599, and FF?

As a final thought, why the hell is that it's name?! 522 doesn't have a nice ring to it, but abandoning the traditional naming convention is annoying as well, and you could always fudge it and make it 524 or 526 or something.

[Ferrer]

Kitdy, while I mostly agree with all you what you say, there are still some gems to be enjoyed currently. From the Renault Twingo RS to the Pagani Zonda F, I'm sure there are at least 10 cars we could name car enthusiasts would enjoy. They won't be the same as the olden cars, but still enjoyable.

The problem is, proper (and proper is the important word here) car enthusiasts make for a very small percentage of the world's car customers. Which means that even before starting we are figthing a lost battle unfortuntely.

For instance I was arguing some days ago with one my work colleagues that their Audi A4 didn't need 255 tires on 19 inch wheels, while she disagreed and tried to convince me that with a 240bhp diesel engine they were necessary.

Unfortunately to most people this would be a car enthusiast. Even though she is completely wrong, and those are (some, maybe most?) of the people who have perverted proper drivers cars.