FERRARI FIT FOR FAMILY
Until Ferrari — iconic constructor of the most lustful sports cars in the world — inevitably succumbs to the temptation of building some ultimate version of sport-utility vehicle, its new GTC4Lusso will have to stand in as the most family-friendly, all-season-capable vehicle in its lineup.
The car, a replacement for the somewhat formal-styled, fourwheel-drive FF, is Maranello’s latest fine-tuning of the shooting brake coupe (a sportwagon in other words) concept, providing four-seats in a more streamlined, tapered shape.
As a Grand Tourer, it is just that — grand and a tourer. It is striking, being sleek and slippery until just past the rear wheels, where it drops off hatchback-style, ending with a little flip-up spoiler. It’s not just for show, either. The slotted diffuser and rear spoiler, which are integrated with the hatch, help reduce drag and improve aerodynamic efficiency.
Just under 4,922 millimetres from tip to tail, it makes backseat usage possible if not always practical. Ferrari envisions the GTC4Lusso as more of a family vehicle, with a younger customer base who will make four-season use of the car and on a broader selection of roads. There’s up to 800 litres of luggage space too.
According to Ferrari, the GTC4Lusso “references several illustrious predecessors, not least the 330 GTC or 2+2 330 GT, as well as the 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso.” OK, why not?
Like its storied predecessors, the GTC4Lusso is fully capable of leaving devastation in its wake if one stomps on the loud pedal. Under that long hood lies a redfaced God of Thunder 6.3-litre V-12 pounding out 690 horsepower, making the GTC4Lusso, says Ferrari, the most powerful car in its segment. Just what that segment might consist of is not clearly defined: Other shooting brakes? High-end sports cars? Jets? Surface-to-air missiles? The engine revs to 8,250 r.p.m., the noise sending vibrations through one’s nibbly bits.
But it’s not as though all the GTC’s power is up top; maximum torque of 514 pound-feet is reached at a far lower 5,750 r.p.m., with 80 per cent already available at just 1,750 r.p.m.
Management of front torque has been improved across the board, but especially, in terms of SS4-based torque vectoring, the faster delivery and distribution of torque to the front axle. The result, says Ferrari, is an improvement in the differentiation and precision of the torque delivery between the two wheels during cornering. At the heart of the system is the innovative PTU, which delivers four-wheel drive while still maintaining 53 per cent of the car’s weight (a total of 1,920 kilograms) at the rear while weighing as much as 50 per cent less than conventional 4WD systems.
The afternoon had us on wider — though still serpentine — roads toward Lucca, where we played with the car’s throttle response (instantaneous) and various modes (Comfort, Sport, Wet, etc.). Handling was superb and the grip from the wide Pirelli P Zero rubber limpet-like. However, the ride, even in Comfort mode, is decidedly skewed to the firm side, with a lot of tire slap over rougher surfaces and tar strips.
Dialed down several notches, the big Ferrari is positively docile; in full automatic mode the sevenspeed dual-clutch transmission shifts early and seamlessly, keeping the revs down and doing its best not to make a mockery of fuel economy numbers.
Moving inside, the Lusso’s cabin is a classic combination of sporting business and high comfort. Typical of the latest Ferraris, many of the major controls (ignition, turn signals, suspension damping, drive modes, etc.) are located on the sport steering wheel. A first for the car is what Ferrari refers to as “dual cockpit architecture,” which features both a driver cockpit and a passenger cockpit separated by a central divider on which are clustered all of the “comfort-oriented controls” common to both. On the driver’s side, and thanks to a more compact steering wheel, which is now more compact due to a smaller airbag, the instrument clusters behind the wheel are now more visible. In between the two cockpits, a 10.25-inch full HD capacitive touchscreen heads the infotainment functions.
The GTC4Lusso is not the most beautiful model in Ferrari’s lineup, though, as I said before, it is striking. The Lusso is clearly the most mainstream model Ferrari has — for now. Four-season usability and four-seat capability make it less of a toy and more of (dare I say it?) a functional family vehicle … admittedly a very pricey and very fast family vehicle for very rich households.
The car will be in dealerships the third quarter of 2016. Pricing has not been announced but it is expected to be more than US$300,000 in the United States.