Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T | UK Review
Ferrari's esoteric GT swaps V12 for V8 and goes rear-wheel drive only - is it the one to have?
Sometimes, though, driving a Ferrari is anything but joyous. Sometimes it's a wet and windy Wednesday, sometimes there's an Astra TwinTop holding you up on the A286, and sometimes it's a drive conducted almost entirely in the dark. Then you have to back up at the petrol station because that pump doesn't have super unleaded and the man in the Yaris is very cross. Oh, how the other half live...
That said, these are the sort of scenarios that a GTC4 Lusso should be dealing with, even if this V8 is aimed at a younger demographic than the V12; after all, until the 'FUV' arrives, this is the everyday Ferrari, the practical Ferrari, the take it to the shops Ferrari. Indeed, on the launch of the V12 GTC4 it was proclaimed that FF owners were using their cars more than any other Maranello product in history, so broad was its range of abilities and so well-suited was a 660hp 4WD Ferrari to many people.
But here's a secret confession: your humble correspondent, in a classic case of preparing to fail, had forgotten that the Lusso T dropped two driven wheels along with the four cylinders. And you know what? In the best way possible, the car still felt four-wheel drive, such was its traction, composure and assurance in foul conditions.
Even allowing for the advantages of Pirelli Sottozero winter rubber (235-section front, 285-section rear), the amount of performance it lets you access when everything suggests it shouldn't is just remarkable. The Lusso is a five-metre long, 1,800kg, £250k car with more than 600hp, yet it engenders huge confidence from the off, feeling for all the world like something less potent.
Truth be told, that was applicable with the V12 car too, and what made it so incredible. What's most surprising, as has been alluded to, is just how little the switch to rear-wheel drive has undermined the GTC's appeal as an everyday prospect. Despite having more torque than the 6.3-litre version, the Lusso T doesn't squander a jot, even in the worst conditions, right up to the point you go searching for where that limit is, because it must be somewhere... Even then there's little to fear, the traction control's intervention subtle yet eminently more helpful than the driver's. And that sort of sensation doesn't happen in the V12. When the feeling is this accessible, too, with such immediate responses and superbly calibrated systems, it's a joy to have.
It says a lot for just how well sorted a rear-wheel drive GTC4 is that the switch to a V8 could well be the more contentious issue. Can the angry, fizzing blare of a flat-plane turbo V8 really compare with a howling V12? What will it be like with less power? Is the fuel consumption improved?
Is the fact a turbocharged V8 doesn't sound as fabulous as an atmospheric V12 really a valid criticism? Probably not, although if you're spending £200,000 on a car you're entitled to expect the very best. 'Fascinating' best describes that V8, an intriguing combination of gurgling turbos and race car scream that's really like nothing else. It's not the classic, V8 rumble that you might expect from a GT, although the GTC really isn't what you might expect of a regular grand tourer... Hand on heart we'd probably still have the V12... just, which is kind of where the Lusso T's problem lies.
It's an utterly fabulous car, be in no doubt: more capable than anything similar you care to think of, more desirable and more exciting. Despite the size it really is something you can feel comfortable in at any speed, and enjoy at any speed too (even if that is 38mph behind that bloody Astra). As an object, as a driver's car and as a Ferrari, the GTC4 Lusso T should be considered a success; it's simply that the V12 fulfils those criteria even more emphatically, sufficiently more so to justify its £30k premium. While Ferrari must be applauded for broadening the GTC's scope for other markets without diluting its appeal, the V12 should be celebrated and embraced for as long as possible. The V8 is a superb understudy, mirroring the talents of the existing model while also adding that rear-wheel drive dimension, but the V12 remains the pick of a fairly sensational pair.
SPECIFICATION - FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO T
Engine: 3,855cc, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 610@7,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 561@3,000-5,250rpm
0-62mph: 3.5sec
Top speed: 200mph+
Weight: 1,865kg
MPG: 24.4
CO2: 265g/km
Price: £199,285
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Something like this that was in the same ballpark size wise as a Scirocco or something would be the world's most desirable everyday car. When it's this magnitude it's just not usable enough especially in Lilliputian Britain.
But would you spend say £120k on a car the same size as a hatch back?
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