Ferrari GTC4Lusso V12 Luxury Tour Review
I took the Ferrari on a long, leisurely tour of vineyards with International Excellence Luxury Magazine colleague Darren Lynsdale. We took in the Surrey Hills, the valleys of Hampshire and the Sussex coast. Of particular note were the fine white wines at the Rathfinny Estate, which is a stunning new vineyard near Seaford.
So, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso V12 statistics. It has a 6.3 L V12 engine, with four-wheel steering and drive, 681 bhp, does 0-62 mph in 3.5 secs and has a top speed of 208 mph.
The Ferrari GTC4Lusso V12 is the luxury Ferrari for grownups. I know this because I’m not one, despite being on the wrong side of fifty. But I can appreciate a superbly realised touring supercar that is actually practical.
First off, it looks sodding fantastic, despite the fact that it’s a sports car up front and an estate at the back. Remember that mildly amusing picture game from the eighties where you mix and match animals, top and bottom. Pairing the legs of an elephant with the head of a cheetah should not work for anything but laughs. Yet it does.
Take the time to admire it, start at the front and swoop down to the back “lentement”. No immediate “wow” more a slow dawning that it looks absolutely fabulous. An elongated fifties rocket ship. The large rear tapers to a spiked point. A giant, sleek silver bullet. The metal grey paint is spot on, though my navigator on the tour wanted it in white. Check out livery number #15 on the Ferrari site, an outstanding light blue, inspired by the 250 GT Berlinetta.
It’s silhouette strongly reminds me of the Jensen Interceptor, designed by Carrozzeria Italy, which certainly has one of the best monikers in the car industry and a genuinely impressive outline.
The ‘Bordeaux’ interior is another improvement on the precursive FF. It is the most luxurious, refined and sporty cabin in the Ferrari range. The red and cream striped leather sports seats are fabulously comfortable and supportive. And you can actually sit in the back seats, no joke, two real people, with legs and everything. A proper four-seater grand tourer, that will take you speedily to the snowy slopes or the Mediterranean sun-spots in sporty comfort. The car is a smidgen under five metres long but never feels overlarge, even on the smallest country roads.
Like a Formula One car, all the controls are available on the steering, and the carbon fibre paddles make manual control a guilty pleasure. Plus there is a passenger readout that displays revs, gears, speed and even G force, which is super fun and promotes them to co-pilot on the more competitive speed runs.
There are a few other bits and bobs that make this car special. First off, it’s four-wheel drive, kind of. The car, not you, decides If it feels any slippage and can direct 100% of the torque forwards. Amazingly, Ferrari has eschewed the normal transfer box or differential and added a second gearbox to the front shaft, controlling the front wheels through two extra clutches. It only does this up to fourth gear, remaining a rear-wheel-drive from fifth upwards. The lack of a secondary drive shaft means the engine sits lower too, for better weight distribution, plus the car is 120 Kg lighter.
Second, it’s four-wheel steering. Yup, if you change lanes, all four wheels will point in the same direction. And when you corner, the front and back wheels will turn in opposite directions. Which means that it both corners, and pulls out of corners, like the proverbial off a shovel. You could theoretically go around any corner at its top speed of 208 mph. I’m not suggesting this, but it corners as if on rails. A serious technological advance in cornering speed, handling and agility. This is a good time to mention the braking too, which is flawless, absolutely zero shimmy whatsoever, essential when you consider the power in that V12 engine.
The effortless acceleration of the V12 engine is eye-watering, super-fast, yet smooth as caramel. With those extra cylinders, you get all the power right up to the highest revs. Though Ferrari has concentrated on touring comfort, so you’re not overawed by violent acceleration, the power is simply there in spades if needed.
It has a smoked glass roof as an expensive option, which is impressive, imparting a spacious ambience.
The drive is absolutely exquisite. The handling is exceptional, out of this world, so you can explode out of any corner. Most supercars have way too much power for the average driver, the GTC4Lusso four-wheel steering lets you use a lot more of that V12 goodness with confidence.
I really wanted to make jokes about how redundant the V12 is, as well as the mix and match body shape. Sadly I can’t, both are awesome. The V8 in the GTC4Lusso T is amazing but the V12 is strength beyond belief. It’s like getting all six of the infinity stones. The V12 is the whole package, the six stones and the glove, gifting god-like power to any driver.
The Ferrari GTC4Lusso V12 is an exceptional car, relaxed, refined and a pleasure to tour in. Even the bolshiest children in the back will love long journeys and there is plenty of luggage space. The V12 engine noise maintains that refinement – aural enjoyment without the shrieking. The GTC4Lusso is the Ferrari for grownups that still want pizzaz, power and performance in their lives. And it is truly beautiful, none of the pictures does it justice. See it for yourself.
Our last stop on the tour was at The Cricketers On The Green in Pirbright Surrey. We picked up a fabulous Sunday roast of chicken and pork belly for six, to take away. As we were famished from such a long journey we may have gone overboard on the Eton mess, ice cream and sticky toffee pudding, but we’d earned it.
My model with extras: £332,395
https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/gtc4lusso
Quick Specs
Exterior: Grigio Ferro
Interior: Bordeaux • Carpets: Nero
V12 Engine
3,4 sec 0-100 km/h
125 cv/l Specific power output
690 cv Max power output
https://www.thecricketersonthegreen.co.uk/https://rathfinnyestate.com/
