Yes, it's perfectly reasonable to take a Ferrari for a road trip
30 Apr 2019|9,815 views
When you think of ideal cars for a 3D2N trip up to Kuala Lumpur, a Ferrari isn't the first thing that springs to mind. And why would it? Cramped cabin, limited luggage space and poor fuel economy do not make the Italian marque an ideal road trip companion. Not to mention the fact that trying to squeeze your million-dollar baby with all the other cars at customs is a deeply harrowing experience.
Still, I find myself in the driver seat of a Ferrari GTC4Lusso in the midst of a three-hour jam trying to get into Malaysia on a Friday morning. Good Friday, of all days. Dear god, help me. And can that damn Starex stop inching so close to me.
Can you reasonably take a Ferrari for a road trip up north? Well, I'm guessing its possible. More than 30 owners from Singapore certainly did, as part of Ital Auto's 10th Anniversary celebration. And after tagging along and spending three days with the Lusso, I'm convinced that it's perfectly reasonable to do a road trip in a Ferrari. Here are five reasons why.
1. More comfortable than you'd expect
Yes, it's certainly no plush SUV, but the Lusso surprised me as far as comfort is concerned. Sitting in the rear seats, while admittedly narrow and quite upright, it never feels cramp or claustrophobic.
It's comfortable enough that I even managed to catch a few quick Zs to make up for the early morning. And, the 450-litre boot was amply sufficient for three people's worth of luggage, with space to spare.
2. Ample power from the engine
Powered by a creamy smooth 6.3-litre V12 engine producing 680bhp and 697Nm of torque, the Lusso is plenty fast, just about capable of keeping up with the slew of 458s and 488s ahead of us.
And because the car is All-Wheel Driven (AWD), it's easy to put the power down even when the ground is wet (we did run into some rain along the way). You don't have to worry about the tail of the car squirming and getting away from you.
3. Fantastic soundtrack
Pull hard in third gear and the naturally aspirated V12 engine rewards you with a sonorous roar.
And if I'm being honest, it's a sound I can never tire of (partly also because there are but a handful of cars these days that are capable of sounding like this).
The roar of the other Ferraris on the road together with us also create a magnificent symphony of joy, to the delight (or possible chagrin) of the other road users.
4. Capable on the track
Admittedly, the Lusso is no 488, but thrashing it around Sepang proved more entertaining than I expected. It's light on its feet and keen to turn in when diving into corners, and with AWD you can really get on the power early as you exit corners.
And thanks to top-notch brakes, you can really dive deep into braking zones. As a result, I even managed to reel in a couple of the slower 488s on the track.
5. Attracts stares no matter where you are
As much as we'd love to bang on about the pure performance of Ferrari cars, the truth is that a large part of the appeal is the sheer drama (significantly heightened when there's a convoy of 100 Ferraris roaring along).
There's no denying that no matter where you go, people are going to stop and stare. It's a Ferrari, after all. Unfortunately, unlike every other car on this trip, I can't say that the car is actually mine.
So yes, a weekend spent with the Ferrari GTC4Lusso has convinced me that taking a Ferrari on a road trip can certainly be done. But perhaps more importantly, such road trips should be done.
I'm heartened by the 100 or so Ferrari owners from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand that came together in Kuala Lumpur who exemplify one belief - that performance cars are meant to be driven.
When you think of ideal cars for a 3D2N trip up to Kuala Lumpur, a Ferrari isn't the first thing that springs to mind. And why would it? Cramped cabin, limited luggage space and poor fuel economy do not make the Italian marque an ideal road trip companion. Not to mention the fact that trying to squeeze your million-dollar baby with all the other cars at customs is a deeply harrowing experience.
Still, I find myself in the driver seat of a Ferrari GTC4Lusso in the midst of a three-hour jam trying to get into Malaysia on a Friday morning. Good Friday, of all days. Dear god, help me. And can that damn Starex stop inching so close to me.
Can you reasonably take a Ferrari for a road trip up north? Well, I'm guessing its possible. More than 30 owners from Singapore certainly did, as part of Ital Auto's 10th Anniversary celebration. And after tagging along and spending three days with the Lusso, I'm convinced that it's perfectly reasonable to do a road trip in a Ferrari. Here are five reasons why.
1. More comfortable than you'd expect
Yes, it's certainly no plush SUV, but the Lusso surprised me as far as comfort is concerned. Sitting in the rear seats, while admittedly narrow and quite upright, it never feels cramp or claustrophobic. It's comfortable enough that I even managed to catch a few quick Zs to make up for the early morning. And, the 450-litre boot was amply sufficient for three people's worth of luggage, with space to spare.
2. Ample power from the engine
Powered by a creamy smooth 6.3-litre V12 engine producing 680bhp and 697Nm of torque, the Lusso is plenty fast, just about capable of keeping up with the slew of 458s and 488s ahead of us. And because the car is All-Wheel Driven (AWD), it's easy to put the power down even when the ground is wet (we did run into some rain along the way). You don't have to worry about the tail of the car squirming and getting away from you.
3. Fantastic soundtrack
Pull hard in third gear and the naturally aspirated V12 engine rewards you with a sonorous roar. And if I'm being honest, it's a sound I can never tire of (partly also because there are but a handful of cars these days that are capable of sounding like this). The roar of the other Ferraris on the road together with us also create a magnificent symphony of joy, to the delight (or possible chagrin) of the other road users.
4. Capable on the track
Admittedly, the Lusso is no 488, but thrashing it around Sepang proved more entertaining than I expected. It's light on its feet and keen to turn in when diving into corners, and with AWD you can really get on the power early as you exit corners. And thanks to top-notch brakes, you can really dive deep into braking zones. As a result, I even managed to reel in a couple of the slower 488s on the track.
5. Attracts stares no matter where you are
As much as we'd love to bang on about the pure performance of Ferrari cars, the truth is that a large part of the appeal is the sheer drama (significantly heightened when there's a convoy of 100 Ferraris roaring along). There's no denying that no matter where you go, people are going to stop and stare. It's a Ferrari, after all. Unfortunately, unlike every other car on this trip, I can't say that the car is actually mine.
So yes, a weekend spent with the Ferrari GTC4Lusso has convinced me that taking a Ferrari on a road trip can certainly be done. But perhaps more importantly, such road trips should be done.
I'm heartened by the 100 or so Ferrari owners from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand that came together in Kuala Lumpur who exemplify one belief - that performance cars are meant to be driven.
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