Enter unfamiliar terrain, set off for new shores. Who doesn't want that - now and then? Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, who is now the longest-serving driver in the automotive industry, indulged himself in this luxury in anticipation of his 20th anniversary at the end of the year. With the F errari FF, the brand is breaking new ground with the Cavallino Rampante in the generously dimensioned cooler mouth.
New way of thinking at Ferrari
Suddenly Ferrari can also think in golf bags and hard-shell suitcases. On request, skis can be accommodated in the astonishingly spacious and variable interior, as can up to four adults. Travel items with a volume of up to 450 liters can be stowed in the luggage compartment under the hatchback flap of the powerful and elegant body designed by Pininfarina. A clear statement in favor of everyday suitability.
New all-rounder from Ferrari
The fact that Ferrari not only offers its engineers the usual tests with summer tires that are suitable for lateral forces, but also those with generously dimensioned tires, is fitting Has prescribed winter tires in 20-inch format, splendidly in the picture. After all, the Ferrari Four (the full and in two ways fitting name of the Ferrari FF) should and wants to be a true all-rounder. Hence the unusually large trunk, hence four seats, hence - and that is the real sensation that drove Ferdinand Piëch and Co. to the status of the Reds at the Geneva Motor Show - the four-wheel drive.
A Ferrari with four-wheel drive? A sacrilege for hardliners. The only thing missing is that the Italians will soon also be building cars with four hatches. “No way,” promises the boss. It is indeed an urgent concern for him to 'be able to offer every Ferrari driver their own personal Ferrari', but a four-door? Not that. It's just not Ferrari. The all-wheel drive, on the other hand, does, says Montezemolo and is also right because the Ferrari FF is, strictly speaking, still a real rear-wheel drive.
The technology is also breaking new ground
For weight reasons, a traditional all-wheel drive design came with a cardan shaft from the gearbox to theFront axle differential and another from there to the rear axle differential goes, on the Ferrari FF is out of the question. The Italians did not want to accept any losses in handling. As a result, Ferrari had a new, self-developed four-wheel concept patented. The system, baptized 4RM, manages with just one cardan shaft, a transaxle design at the end of the vehicle, a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, an integrated rear axle differential and a power transfer unit (PTU) directly flanged to the suction cup mounted behind the front axle.
The latter sits directly in front of the completely redesigned 6.3-liter V12 with direct petrol injection. The only 17 centimeters long and extremely light component always intervenes in the fast-paced Ferrari-typical events when the friction values of the road surface push the rear wheels, which are normally 100 percent responsible for propulsion, to the limit of grip. Two carbon fiber clutches running in a wet oil bath perform exactly those tasks that are assigned to the front and center differentials in a conventional all-wheel drive system. By distributing the torque according to the situation, they compensate for any differences in speed between the front and rear wheels and take over torque vectoring on the front axle.
The pilot controls the interventions in stages
The Ferrari FF driver decides for himself whether he is interested in maximum driving stability or the maximum amount of fun. It is true that the control unit of the 4RM automatically evaluates the condition of the respective subsurface. How this information is used, however, is defined by the driver using the five-stage manettino on the steering wheel. If you want to get going without slipping even with low friction values, you can choose the newly added snow position. The wet mode, which is also on board the Ferrari 458 Italia, provides a little more slip, and the comfort program is even more dynamic.
The lustful hustle and bustle with residual security can be indulged in the sports program, in 'ESC off' mode the driver in the Ferrari FF rules alone. It is hardly noticeable that the lifeline in the background mostly remains in the watchful position - neither through mechanical noises, nor through noticeable braking interventions or the rude reduction of the power supply, which is basically in excess thanks to 660 hp and 683 Newton meters of maximum torque. The finely tuned stability program only does what is absolutely necessary and allows astonishingly large drift angles on ice and snow in the sports program without giving rise to any concerns.
GT sports car with Italian flair
Driving fun and safety are a successful symbiosis in the Ferrari FF. The same applies to the combination of the finest GT virtues andexcellent handling genes. 1,880 kilos weight? Where, then? The four-seater does not lack temperament, neither when accelerating nor on the brakes. Even the stately stature of the 4.91 meter long Italian is almost completely forgotten in view of the smooth-running steering adopted from the Ferrari 458. Because of the width of the Ferrari FF, overview is only required on overly narrow country roads.
The agile chase around curves is tailored to the elegant body of the luxury GT, as is the journey stages presented with pleasure. Slow is not possible in the Ferrari Four. Because of the highly emotional, always present, but never intrusive twelve-cylinder fanfare. The display in front of the co-pilot's seat in the dashboard, which optionally shows the current speed, the selected speed level or the current power distribution, is a pure add-on: the passenger is also up to date - at least acoustically .
