Ferrari GTC4 Lusso: driven

Meet the Ferrari that wants to go head-to-head not with Aston Martins and Lamborghinis, but with the world’s finest luxury saloon car – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It even has luxury in its name (well, the Italian work for luxury, that is: ‘lusso’) and is a Ferrari that’s targeting four people who want to cross Europe in comfort rather than the lone driver looking to devour track days like Sebastian Vettel.

This is why it is big – just 124mm shorter than an S-Class, and a mere 35kg lighter. That’s barely half a skinny adult’s worth. This really is a Ferrari like no other. Of course, you might recognise the silhouette: the GTC4 is a facelifted version of the old Ferrari FF. Despite this, we’re treating it as an all-new car, just because of how firmly focused on luxury Ferrari now is with it.

There’s no better demonstration of this than its wonderful interior. Plushness has been ramped up even further with this one, and it looks beautiful. Materials are rich and decadent, and even though there are no rear doors, there is still more than enough room in the two shapely rear seats, even for 6ft 4in adults.

We’re delighted to see Ferrari has at last updated its infotainment system, with a touchscreen display and a surprisingly intuitive and good-looking display. It’s equipped with Apple CarPlay connectivity but, know what? You may prefer using Ferrari’s own system.

Or turn it off entirely so you can listen to that gorgeous 681bhp 6.3-litre V12 engine up front. Sure, it’s quiet when you want it to be, and cruises on a motorway virtually inaudibly. But turn up the pace and you’ll quickly conclude no engine currently on sale has the aural breeding of this Ferrari motor. It’s evocatively GTO and Daytona-like, and we love it. That it’s very fast goes without saying.

The surprise is discovering the handling isn’t quite as thoroughbred. This is big, wide car, which doesn’t suit Ferrari’s current aggressively fast steering system. It’s hard to place on tight roads and too sharp to be truly enjoyable, particularly as there’s not much feel there. The brakes are too grabby as well.

It does ride well, particularly for a car with suspension tuned to cope well at 214mph. It’s supple and compliant, with excellent control on twisting roads. You and your passengers will not be left battered and bruised when motoring quickly across poor roads. Important luxury car advantage, that.

Despite its less than intuitive handling, the GTC4 Lusso thus still pulls it off. Ferrari wants to pitch it as a luxury car and, thanks to its space, interior, refinement and gracefulness, it does this with aplomb. It does have its flaws, but it also has unique appeal.

If you really want the best all-round sporting luxury car experience, you’ll spend the same money on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class AND an Aston Martin DB11. But the select few who go for the Ferrari instead for their two-in-one luxury saloon should not be disappointed.

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso

Location Wales
Price £231,310
Engine V12, 6262cc, petrol
Power 681bhp at 8000rpm
Torque 514lb ft at 5750rpm
Gearbox seven-spd dual-clutch automatic
​Kerb weight 1920kg
​0-62mph 3.4sec
Top speed 214mph
Economy 18.8mpg (combined)
CO2/tax band 350g/km, 37%