Ferrari GTC4Lusso

Ferrari GTC4Lusso – Overview

When carmakers begin shifting their direction towards SUVs, Ferrari refused to follow suit. Instead, they came up with their compromise, a four-seater, shooting brake touring car. The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is the latest entry in the grand tourer segment and also the second production model with all-wheel drive. The GTC4Lusso prices start from RM 2,990,000.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Exterior

Ferrari wanted to stay away from other four-seater’s coupe-style, which is overexploited in the genre and decided to continue with the shooting brake style. They used an extremely streamlined, tapered shape that gives it an almost fastback-like shadow.

Up in the front, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso has a simple yet elegant design. It does not scream at your face with an aggressive statement. The front has huge L-shaped, adaptive LED headlights, a large grille with integrated air intakes on the bumper, and a front splitter. The grille allows more airflow and increases the cooling efficiency of the radiator. The air also cools the brake and escapes through the air vents on the fender.

The entire car looks very long with the long hood to fit the massive V12 engine and the long wheelbase from the side profile. It also has elegant lines where the hood slopes down towards the front and the roofline slopes down slightly to the rear spoiler. 

Moving to the rear, the first thing you will notice is the Quad Circular tail light design and how the Quad exhaust pipes parallel the design. The rear bumper comes with a triple-fin rear diffuser that increases airflow and downforce, and adds grip to the rear tyres. It so happens that the line above the tail lights matches the diffuser. Overall, the rear design achieves a balance between luxury and sportiness.

A Panoramic Glass Roof is available as an option can be ordered. It has two special features. During Summer when it is hot, the glass reflects sunrays away and during Winter, the glass will reflect heat from the interior to maintain a warm cabin. The GTC4Lusso has been given 20-inch rims that utilizes a staggered stance with 245/35 in the front and 295/35 tyres for the rear. Behind the rims is the Brembo’s aluminum brake calipers (F: 6 pot, R: 4 pot) with ventilated carbon-ceramic rotors (F: Ø398 mm, R: Ø360 mm).

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Interior

The cockpit of a Ferrari is said to be one of the best and the Ferrari GTC4Lusso is no exception. The first impression, is how spacious it is. The seats of the GTC4Lusso provides plenty of support needed for fast drives while giving its passenger great comfort.

The ventilated air-cool seats are wrapped with soft leather with stitching done by hand. It also has memory functions and the buttons can be found on the door. You can pick the option to have the prancing horse logo embraided on the headrest of your seats. You can find stitched leather in other places such as the dashboard, door cards, center console and armrest.

After entering the cabin, the steering wheel is one of the most attractive pieces in the entire interior. Every control can be done without your hand leaving the steering wheel much like on a Formula 1 car. The signal indicator, headlight, fog light, Bluetooth call, driving mode, wiper speed, adaptive suspension, and media volume switch are accessible on the steering wheel. If you pay extra, you can get the top and bottom of the steering wheel finished in Carbon Fiber and a shift light.

The instrument cluster is made of two five-inch digital screens on each side and an analog rev meter with gear position display in the center which is a must for a performance-oriented car. Speedometer can be displayed on either digital screen as either an analog meter (left screen) or just a digital display (right screen). 

The right screen can also indicate various information such as trip meter, vehicle dynamic setting, tyre pressure, and also various vehicle information, controlled by buttons below the air vent. Meanwhile, the left screen displays the navigation map, media, and Bluetooth connection. All this can be adjusted with a scroll knob behind the steering wheel.

When talking about a Ferrari, convenience is never a word that comes up in the conversation but yet, the GTC4Lusso has many features that make this supercar a practical one to have. This Ferrari has not one but two cup holders and under the armrest, there are storage and USB ports, just like your everyday car. Rear passengers get the same exact convenience.

A car this expensive surely has a power tailgate for both opening and closing. When you look at the boot, you will notice the boot floor is not flat. There is a step with the fuel tank under and this hampers the practicality but you would be surprised that the GTC4Lusso’s boot has a storage of 450 liters. In comparison, a Mazda CX-5 SUV only has 442 liters of boot space. Rear seats can be folded if need to increase storage to roughly 800 liters of space. You can get the boot area wrapped in leather for a small fee.  

Ferrari GTC4Lusso – Features

The GTC4Lusso features a dual-zone auto air-con for the front and just above the infotainment touchscreen, there is an air-con vent that opens only when the air-con is on. The door handles are an electronic lock that uses a pulling action to open.

The GTC4Lusso has a 10.25-inch touchscreen to provide navigation and entertainment to its occupants. Apple Car Play is available as an option. Another option is the passenger display 8.8-inch touchscreen. 

It allows the passenger access to the media player, navigation info, driving mode, and instrument cluster information such as rev, speed, and gear position. It allows the passenger to be part of the driving experience. 

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Powertrain

The heart of the GTC4Lusso is a Ferrari 6.3 liter, 65° V12 Naturally Aspirated engine and it is mounted behind the front axle, making it a front mid-mounted configuration. It is rated at 690 PS at 8,000 rpm and 697 Nm of torque at 5,750rpm. In order to achieve this output, the GTC4Lusso has a compression ratio of 13.5:1. This is the definition of a glorious, awesome and powerful engine in a world forced inducted engine.

The GTC4Lusso is equipped with Ferrari’s F1 7-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT). The transmission is very responsive and changes gear fairly quickly. At the center console, there is the Reverse, Auto Mode, and Launch buttons. As standard, the transmission will be in Auto Mode and shifts gear automatically. You can enter into Manual Mode temporarily by pressing the paddle shifters or permanently by pressing the Auto Mode button after entering Manual Mode. If you wish to return to Neutral gear, press both paddles and to enter Reverse, press the Reverse button.

The suspension setup used for the GTC4Lusso is a combination of Double Wishbone in the front and multi-link for the rear. Adaptive suspension is used for dampening control. A different stiffness corresponds with different driving modes. In Comfort mode, the ride is the softest and under Sport mode, the damper can further be changed by the button on the steering wheel above the engine Start button. 

Ferrari has its own patented all-wheel drive system, the 4RM, where the power generated from the V12 engine is sent to the rear gearbox and from that power, a maximum of 20% of torque will be allocated to the second gearbox when needed. The second gearbox in front has only two forward gears (2nd and 4th) plus reverse. So, that makes the system active only in the first four gears and will become a rear-wheel drive for gears five to seven.

The one on the GTC4Lusso is an upgraded version, the 4RM-S that adds four-wheel steering and Side Slip Angle Control (SSC4). At low speed, the rear wheels turn in an opposite direction as the front to make turning tighter. Meanwhile, at high speed, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front to make the drive more stable. Handling and cornering greatly improved with the use of 4RM-S system, the E-Diff electronic differential, and SCM-E Magnaride active dampers together. 

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Fuel Economy

Someone who is looking to purchase a Ferrari will never ask this question but nevertheless, Ferrari did put out some figures on their website. However, realistically, the GTC4Lusso’s fuel consumption is rated at around 15.3 liters per 100 km (~ 6.5 km/L).

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Driving Performance

Despite having an engine in the front and weighing almost 2 tons, this Ferrari is no joke. The GTC4Lusso does the legendary sprint of 0–100 km/h in only 3.4 seconds, thanks to the Launch Control. Ferrari claims the GTC4Lusso can reach a top speed of 335 km/h. The V12 engine and 7-speed DCT gearbox make it a blast to drive. It has good handling and the steering response is lightning fast. It helps to have a smaller, lighter, flat-bottom steering wheel.

As per most Ferrari models, drivers could change the driving mode on the “Manettino” found on the steering wheel. The choices of mode in the GTC4Lusso are Comfort, Sport, Wet, and Snow. Each mode changes the throttle response, transmission reaction, and dampening. Interestingly, the all-wheel drive system only comes alive in Comfort or Snow mode. This leaves the car in Sport mode, where the car is in the traditional rear-wheel drive layout. 

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Ride Comfort

Despite being a Ferrari supercar, the GTC4Lusso can be a comfortable daily driver. When Comfort mode is engaged, the adaptive suspension will soften the damper. Being a Grand Tourer (GT) car, it is suited for long-distance travel and can be relaxing with disrupting wind sound thanks to insulation and double glaze windows. The only “noise” is the beautiful roar of the V12 engine.

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is a four-seater (rare in the supercar segment) and the rear seats are surprisingly able to accommodate adults. Entry to the rear space is an ease and all you have to do is fold the front seat manually with a lever and the seat automatically slides to the front and vice versa. The foot room might be a little squeeze but both legroom and headroom are aplenty, thanks to the shooting brake design.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso - Conclusion 

Supercars are usually plagued with descriptions of being uncomfortable, too stiff and impractical. However, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso breaks that stereotype by being super-fast but also comfortable and most importantly practical. There is a powerful engine, quick gearbox and all-wheel drive for your fun time and at the same time, leather ventilated seats and a warm cabin for long-distance comfort. Y

ou could take it down to the track like you would any Ferrari but when you feel like it, you can pack your bags and take your family on a road trip in the GTC4Lusso. It is difficult to achieve such balance and this is what I call the best of both worlds for any car enthusiast.