EXCLUSIVE: Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T driven

By RIZAL JOHAN | 14 August 2017


It’s always a special occasion to drive a Ferrari in the region of Tuscany, Italy where the hills are green and dotted by castles from the medieval era. The roads here are narrow and winding and the lush landscape gives off a serene, romantic atmosphere.

All that’s left to do is drive a sports car with the top down and pretend you are Cary Grant with a femme fatale next to you.

If that’s what you are looking for, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso T is not the car for you. But don’t dismiss it just yet.

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It looks like Ferrari is widening its customer base with this car as it is designed mainly for daily use especially in urban areas; going out with your friends and getting away during the weekends.

This is achieved by turning this Ferrari into a four-seater (that’s what the 4 stands for in GTC4Lusso T) with a practical luggage space - 450 litres of it with the rear seats up and 800 litres with the rear seats folded.

Oh, it gives you pretty good mileage too with 9.6l/100km.

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Just because the Lusso T has more practicality compared to other Ferraris does not mean that it’s lacking behind the wheel.

Sure the engine is in the front but what an engine this is - a 3.9 litre twin turbo V8 mated to an automatic seven-speed dual clutch which sends all the power to the rear wheels.

The Lusso T produces a staggering 601hp which redlines at 7,500rpm and 760Nm of torque comes in as early as 3,000rpm to 5,250rpm. And it’s simply not a case of impressive figures either.

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The Lusso T is ridiculously fast and the fact that the cabin is amazingly insulated means that it eliminates external noise as well as gives you a false sense of security.

Let me explain what I mean. I was paired with an Indonesian journalist and we took turns driving the car. After driving for a while through the countryside, we came up on a highway and that meant we could go even faster on the straight stretches.

I was riding shotgun at the time and my driving partner took the opportunity to open up the throttle and let that sweet, sweet exhaust note howl. The Lusso T took off leaving everyone else in the dust. His eyes were glued to the road, not wanting to glance even just for a second at the speedometer. So he asks me how fast are we going?

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The Lusso T we were driving came with the optional passenger display panel which gives the front passenger access to a variety of information including the speed. So I turn it on and to my surprise, we were clocking around 260kph but it didn’t feel like that at all.

You don’t feel the speed inside the car, in fact it feels much, much slower. Seeing as the Lusso T can build up speed in a short amount of time - it goes from 0-100kph in 3.5 seconds - you don’t feel the least bit hesitant with the car as the feedback it gives you is one of stability and confidence.

For a long car, it is very well balanced with its 54/46 rear-biased weight distribution. On top of it, steering is very responsive and linear which makes it a lot of fun to drive especially on those curvy hill roads.

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It’s really amazing how planted this car is. Sure its got big 20-inch wheels making it very grippy but this car also has four-wheel steering so the rear tyres turn in the same direction as the front at high speed to improve agility.

I liked the responsiveness of the throttle as well which, usually in turbo cars has a tendency to catch you off guard with turbo lag and then the power hits all of a sudden. That was not the case here. The delivery was linear and ultimately, satisfying.

The Lusso T however, has one issue. The ride is very firm. I thought I was in Sport mode and found that I was actually in Comfort. As it turned out, Sport mode is even harsher. So unless your city and countryside has very smooth, even roads, it’s going to get annoying for you and your passengers. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means but a little surprising for a €226,000 (RM1.14mil) car marketed as a daily user.

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FERRARI GTC4LUSSO T

SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 3,855cc twin-turbo V8 petrol engine
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Maximum power: 601hp at 7,500rpm
Maximum torque: 760Nm at 3,000rpm to 5,250rpm
Top Speed: 320kph
Acceleration (0-100kph): 3.5 seconds
Features: Airbags, five Manettino modes (Ice, Wet, Comfort, Sport, ESC OFF) 20-in forged wheels, quad tailpipes, leather and aluminum trim, variable boost management, 4-wheel steering and electronic differential, Side Slip Control, passenger display panel, infotainment system with 10.25” HD capacitive touchscreen
Price: €226,000 (RM1.14mil in Europe)


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