FERRARI THAT FITS A FAMILY
Lusso does stylish — and rapid — transport for four
Ferrari has always considered owners of its exclusive machinery to be part of the family. The problem for the sports car company was once those owners had their own families, they found the vehicle was restricted to occasional use.
Enter the GTC4Lusso. This is Ferrari’s take on family transport without (yet) resorting to the SUV path taken by the likes of Lamborghini.
The Lusso is a two-door hatchback built to carry four adults, providing those in the rear don’t mind compromising on legroom, which is the only concession Ferrari has made. Everything else, from the V12 engine to the brakes and suspension, upholds the company’s reputation for building emotive and brutally rapid vehicles.
Try a 100km/h time of 3.4 seconds, all-wheel drive to deliver the power to the road and fourwheel steering to help the car describe tighter arcs than its almost three-metre wheelbase should allow.
The price of admission is $578,888 before onroad costs. That includes a “pinch-and-pull” 10.25-inch infotainment screen, decent cabin storage for a sports car and seats that hold you in place against the lateral forces the Lusso can unleash. Those seats also power forward to make access to a pair of nearly-as-sumptuous rear pews a relatively easy task for most adults.
No one wants a stock Ferrari, so the options list is gobsmacking in breadth and cost. Think $6790 for Apple CarPlay, $32,500 for a panoramic sunroof and $9500 for a must-have passenger’s display that can toggle from vehicle speed to the radio stations. Not that many passengers will care to see the velocity at which they’re approaching that hairpin … ON THE ROAD It’s all about the engine. Ferrari is synonymous with V12s and this version resonates from the moment it fires into life. Once warm, it settles into a muted rumble that won’t offend the neighbours or the constabulary. It is also incredibly docile when driven around town, happily sitting in the bottom third of the rev range and riding over bumps that have you cringeing in anticipation of a big thump that doesn’t eventuate. Head out of town, wind the mode selector to sport and the Lusso shows what it is capable of.
This Ferrari doesn’t tackle turns with the ferocity of a 488, instead relying on the punch of the V12 to shrink the distance between corners and then displaying tenacious grip through the bends. Judicious application of both the left and right pedals is advised to avoid upsetting the car’s balance on entry and exit.
The $13,000 carbon-fibre steering wheel with lights that indicate when to change gear is a must-have, as an adjunct to the ample aural and accelerative rewards as the Lusso nears its 8250rpm redline.