The Ferrari California T: Better looking than before
The Ferrari California T: Better looking than before
9:07

The Ferrari California T: Better looking than before

Cars
[SOUND] [MUSIC] [SOUND] [MUSIC] A Ferrari, a prancing horse, a feather. No day can be soured when you have the keys to one of these in your hand. This is the California T, the first turbo-charged Ferrari since the F40. There's a 488 now of course, but this was the first. Good for it. [BLANK_AUDIO] [SOUND] This is the second generation of the new breed of Ferrari California. The first one came with a 4.3L, naturally aspirated V8 with 453 brake horsepower and 358 [UNKNOWN] like the T was something of a first. Ferrari's first V8 front engine car. Subjectively, it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. And some critics weren't a fan of its drive. However, Ferrari sold loads of them. And here's why Imagine for a moment that you're not the hardcore track driver that you truly are, you handsome devil, you. The first Cali was a Ferrari, first and foremost. It looked good in red and had the right badge on its nose. The interior was full of shiny buttons and soft leather. It could be a coupe, or when the weather's good and you wanted people to see you, a convertible. There was room in the boot for things and seats in the back that could take friends or children. It had a big V8 and it went quickly. It also made a lovely noise and being the base Ferrari it wasn't quite as financially scary as some of the others could be. Most importantly though it wasn't as intimidating as some of the big Z12's or mid engine V8's could seem. It was A normal car but with a Ferrari twist on it. Not big, not scary, just lovely. So yeah, the likes of you and I may not have liked its looks. Its drive may not have been as gripping as a Ford 30 [UNKNOWN] on the limit. But it wasn't supposed to be. It wasn't for us. It was for people who want nice things to go about their business in. That all cleared up? Good. Now [UNKNOWN] the new one The take. This [UNKNOWN] in 14 seconds. But because it's cold and I'm a wimp, it's firmly staying up. The [INAUDIBLE] is nowhere near as fussy as the car it replaces. I think Really, really pretty. There's some really fine lines going around the car. My favorite bits though are the headlamps, they just seem as though they've been placed delicately on the body. Same with the grill, it's certainly a look The interior is as Ferrari-ish as you'd hope. Leather here, there, and pretty much everywhere. It's not as driver-focused as an F12, but that's not the key here. It's a car for cruising, not for lapping the ring. Roof up or down unsurprisingly the interior is a fine place to be. Now onto this things party piece, it's new shiny engine. It's got a 3.85 liter V8 with two whole turbo chargers. In that kicks out 568 horsepower and that's 557 pounds soot. So it's hardly underpowered. Naught to sixty two takes 3.6 seconds. And it's Speed is 196 miles an hour. So it's not exactly slow. Now, you wouldn't notice, when I was talking about torque, when I said, up to. That's because, in the lower gears, the torque is limited for two reasons. Reasons the first, presumably so you don't kick yourself off into a hedge mid-corner when you're having a second gear blat, and the second definitely because Ferrari wants to make this thing feel like a naturally aspirated car when you're puttering about and having fun so the torque comes a bit later. So you can actually have your old school Ferrari Cake and eat it, that's clever. It means you can have your typical revvy Ferrari fun times in town, then when you get to Route 1 or 66 or the M25, you can pop it into higher gears and ride all the way home using lots and lots of lovely torque. The turbos also mean it's capable of 27 MPG in the UK, which is quite un-Ferrari-ish. So with all that in mind what is the first turbo charged Ferrari since the legendary F40 [INAUDIBLE] to drive. Well nothing like the legendary F40, that's for sure. Because that was all [INAUDIBLE] out hardcore and could be a bit of a handful and could be A turbo like this really doesn't have any turbo lag. The sort of response is fantastic. You put your foot on the throttle and you simply fly. And when you're flying, you get an amazing soundtrack to go with it. Now, that noise, it doesn't sound as V8-y as other V8s I've driven. There's still a little bit of that turbo hollowness there, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a quite a characterful, lovely noise. And Ferrari being Ferrari, they wouldn't Make a car that [UNKNOWN] So if you'll do me the honor, have a quick listen to this. [NOISE] [SOUND] I think it sounds fantastic, I really, really do. The steering, even in the car's sport mode, is a bit light for my taste. But it does work, you can place the car, you know where it is, you know what it's doing. You do get some great feedback from it The brakes, they are quite sensitive. They're enormous, and they're quite sensitive. Its gear box, a seven speed DCT, is again, it's smooth. You can't really detect the changes unless you're properly on it in sport mode yanking the paddle. They do stay in place, so if you are, say, turning and need to drop down a gear for [UNKNOWN] And you have to kind of scrabble for them and that's something that I found an issue with the wheel as well because the indicators are on the wheel and you have to kind of mentally work out which way is which if the wheel's a dodgy angle and not being the cleverest man in the world it takes a little bit of brain power. I will say that you go into a Ferrari Expect hardcore driving experience, because that's what Ferrari has been known for for so long. But this isn't that car. This isn't a car for lapping [UNKNOWN], for going around tracks endlessly. This is a comfortable GT cruiser. It makes a lovely noise, and it's not hard to drive, it's not intimidating. There is room for your stuff. The interior in here is wicked, it does feel super Ferrari-ish. But the thing that has really impressed is the touch screen entertainment thing. You don't get that on the F-12 or anything like that. It's all in the instrument pinnacle. But here it's right there so everyone can see it. And also servicing and what have you, there is horror stories of Ferraris being Incredibly difficult and they're very expensive. But there are plans that Ferrari offer, which means you don't have to worry about servicing, Ferrari will sort the whole thing for you. So in theory all you really need to do is buy one of these and stick fuel in it. That's very user friendly. The turbo tech simply works. Manufacturers nowadays are having to move. Used to this kind of thing. And it's something that's only going to become more and more prevalent within exotic cars. It's not going to go away, but the good thing is when big boys like Porsche and Ferrari are looking at this kind of thing, it means it's not gonna be rubbish because those guys have reputations to uphold. You can't put out a nice car anymore. People are less forgiving. People will put their money elsewhere at the drop of a hat and this car, this engine. This proves that it's not rubbish. There's nothing to worry about. It's really good. It's really fast. And it feels brilliant when you're on it. It'll do all the exciting stuff as and when you want it too. But it's just a bit more relaxed. It's for a life that doesn't require your hair being On fire, everywhere, all the time. It feels light, it's easy, makes a lovely noise, and while it may not be as hardcore as the F12, it still does itself proud. And if you're really keen on having a hardcore California, you can get one with a handling pack. So it has the potential then to be the Ferrari For all occasions. Objectively, it is a brilliant car. It does everything right. Subjectively, well, it might not be the one for you. But who cares? What's wonderful to see here is not only a car that's accessible But one that uses turbo tech really rather well, the same tech that made one of Ferrari's greatest ever road cars. It can be ferociously fast and fantastically noisy when you want it to be, but also so easy to drive that I'll wager even my mum could take one to the library. It may not be the most hardcore car Ferrari offers, but some people Don't want hardcore. They just want fun. [MUSIC]

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