FERRARI Our editor is one of the first to take the new Ferrari GTC4Lusso for a test drive through the Blue Mountains

In a move that merges performance with functionality, Ferarri has introduced the four-seater GTC4Lusso. Cathy Wagstaff takes it for a test drive to the Blue Mountains and back.

When asked if Ferrari would ever follow Porsche, Jaguar, Bentley and Maserati down the SUV path, Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne responded: “You’d have to shoot me first.” Marchionne is not known for mincing words.

With SUV demand remaining high, however, what is the prancing horse to do? It dabbled with the idea of performance-meets-practicality in the FF (2011-2016), a model that saw its drivers going 30 per cent further than the average Ferrari owner’s mileage. The concept has evolved into the GTC4Lusso, keeping the shooting-brake shape while refining the lines for a more sculpted look.

When I am first introduced to the GTC4Lusso in the Ferrari Sydney showroom, I am struck by its form. There’s an aggressiveness to its stance that makes you forget this is a fourseater (hence the ‘4’ in its name) and, unlike its predecessor, the 1972 365 GTC/4 beside which it is presented, the back seats are actually designed for adult humans, cocooning occupants in handstitched leather and comfort.

I’m not just here to look at the GTC4Lusso, however. I’m among the first to experience its V12-powered majesty on one of the first Australian drive days. Our convoy is winding its way from Sydney into the Blue Mountains and back, testing the car on twisting country roads and freeways.

Our first stop is the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum in Faulconbridge, a destination that allows us to feel the car’s (legal) high-speed capabilities. The 507-kilowatt engine, a dying breed as carmakers pursue emissions efficiency, is hardly trying on the motorway; not really a surprise when you consider its top speed is 335 kilometres per hour.

Even at low revs, the GTC4Lusso is remarkably responsive, particularly for its size. When we come into the village, the boisterous thoroughbred engine assumes a more genteel personality, easily at home within the tranquil tourism destination.

When it’s my turn to be a passenger on our way to lunch at The Hydro Majestic Hotel, I get to appreciate the lengths Flavio Manzoni and his Ferrari Design team have gone to to include the ‘co-pilot’, as it feels, in the driving experience. The enveloping Dual Cockpit architecture is enhanced by an optional passenger display detailing speed, revs and gear. It’s a strange sensation to be able to see the stats and yet have no control over them. It all goes towards maintaining that visceral thrill that compels owners to buy a Ferrari in the first place. The GTC4Lusso is a sports car in its DNA, and a rare contender for a genuine four-person 21st-century grand tourer. www.ferrari.com

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