Ferrari 296GTB
Modern Ferrari’s obviously have their attractive characteristics but those of you who have been with me on this InstacarHK journey would know that my interest dominantly lies with classics. As such, I have never actively seek to review modern Ferrari’s, even the newest ones, unless there is something specific about them that I want to try out. For example, in our Roma review, a huge part of it was to see if it can fit a baby seat and go on a little trip with my family properly. But other models such as the 812 Superfast or F8, I wasn’t particularly interested to review because you just know their forte would be the speed and handling, and one can hardly exploit much of it from a half-day review on Hong Kong’s busy, narrow, and police-heavy roads anyway.
Today is different. The 296GTB is only the third Ferrari equipped with hybrid technology (the first two being the LaFerrari and the SF90) and the first ‘production model’ of such. Yes, the SF90 is also a production model but its eye watering price of HK$10 million suggests it is more of a special model than an entry-level production model like the 296GTB. The 296GTB represents what is most likely going to be the norm of the Ferrari line up in the near future, at least until all manufacturers are forced by governments to produce pure electric vehicles. I was interested to see what the near future has for us.
As its name suggests, the 296GTB is a 2.9L V6 with plug-in hybrid technology, being a 7.4KW electric motor. The car produces 660HP with the petrol engine alone and in its full-blown hybrid state it can produce 830HP. 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of 205MPH. This car laps Fiorano quicker than the 488 Pista and is within one second of the mighty LaFerrari. On the exterior, the frontend of the car has all the characteristic of modern Ferrari’s. Sleek LED headlights, huge air intakes, and lots of visible carbon fibre. However, it is the rear end that catches my attention. Like the Roma, traditional round rear lights are replaced by futuristic LED lights. While I am saddened by what looks like the end of the iconic round rear lights, I have to say I do like the look of these new LED lights on both the Roma and the 296GTB. What we lost from the round rear lights, we gained from the designs of the rear side intakes and the rear buttress, both of which give an obvious nod to the historically-significant 250LM from the 1960’s. Personally, I am particularly attracted to the rear spoiler on top of the buttress which is a clear copy of the one on the 512BB, my dream car.
When you sit inside the car, you are faced with what is all too familiar with modern Ferrari’s these days. A busy steering wheel with a lot of buttons, both physical ones and LED ones, and a pure LED dashboard. Gone were the days with actual needles on physical speedometers. You press the Start/Stop LED button at the bottom of the steering wheel and hear nothing but an electric whine, immediately reminding you that this is a half-electric vehicle. On the left side of the Start/Stop button are four LED buttons indicating the drivetrain modes of the car: (i) eD for electric drive, being pure electric; (ii) H for hybrid, which is self-explanatory; (iii) chequered flag for performance mode; and (iv) a stopwatch for qualifying mode, which presents the full 830HP of the engine. It must be stressed that these four modes have nothing to do with the manettino, which remains on the bottom right hand side of the steering wheel. The manettino is independent from the drivetrain modes and you can pick the level of driver assistance that you want from it regardless of what drivetrain mode you are in.
I started in the full electric mode first as that was the mode I was most excited to experience. I am obviously no EV fan, but I do have some EV mileage under my belt thanks to my parents’ Model S and Model 3. The electric motor has a 25km range and, in addition to the plug-in charging, it is also capable of recharging itself on the go through KERS-equivalent technology. In the pure electric mode, it is really what one would expect from modern day EV’s, they are quiet and…well that’s it really, there’s not much else to say. One surprise here, however, is that the electric mode in the 296GTB is not fast at all. I was expecting some Tesla-like performance, only to realize that it was not fast at all when I floored it. Turns out the pure electric mode is really just for maneuvering and absolutely not for performance, which is fair, there are the other modes for performance.
Next, the hybrid mode, also the default mode of the car. It runs predominantly on electric drive until you really step on it then the petrol engine comes in instantaneously. The car is already proper quick in this mode and I truly think, at least in a place like Hong Kong, you really do not need any other modes quicker than this. One interesting thing I noticed was that when you first drive in the hybrid mode and it is in its pure electric drive, the dashboard has a blue engine light to remind you that the petrol engine is cold. This made a lot of sense because let’s say you are leaving work during rush hour, given the traffic you’d likely be on the electric motor for 10-15 mins before you reach open roads. While you as a driver may have already warmed up, the petrol engine actually hasn’t operated for one second and remains stone cold. So if the moment you reach the highway you start to gun it, engine damage will be inevitable. This shows the type of new things manufacturers have to think about with new technology.
Moving on to the performance and qualifying mode, I will say at the outset that the difference between the two on public roads is negligible. Yes, you do feel qualifying mode being a tad faster, but no it does not make any real difference and I don’t think there is a need to use the full 830HP. It may be different on the track. The engine and exhaust note is also proper, like a full blown V8 Ferrari, so there is no need to worry about the sound department in light of the hybrid system.
The power in the 296GTB is ferocious; there is no better description. You literally hold your breath when you’re stepping on it going from 2nd, to 3rd, and then to 4th. The impressive thing with these modern Ferrari’s, however, is that the experience they give you is bipolar. On one hand it scares you, with an epic if not violent acceleration – but on the other hand it also feels very composed and makes you feel in control. Unlike the 812 Superfast where you will break traction when you’re anywhere near or over half throttle, there is no such thing from the 296GTB even when using qualifying mode’s full 830HP. The powerband is also very consistent all the way up to the 8,500rpm redline. This is due to the electric motor providing the necessary torque and power in the low end, doing so quietly and discreetly without drawing any attention to itself.
The transmission, while seamless and quick as you’d expect form modern dual clutch systems, I was impressed by how it gives you an aggressive shove every time you shift when going fast. This is likely by design as technically dual clutch systems do not need to give that push during gear changes. Of course, like everything else with this car, it then has a completely different and comfortable character when you drive slowly, with no shoves at all.
In conclusion, the car is fast and capable, but that was completely expected from a brand new Ferrari that costs HK$4.7 million (US$600,000) base. However, what made me smile was that the overall experience was still very in tune with traditional combustion engine cars. I was worried before the review that the hybrid system would already feel very techy and modern, God forbid even Tesla-like, but that was fortunately not the case. In performance and qualifying mode, I can tell you this is the new V8 replacement of the F8 Tributo and you would believe me without any hesitance. This means that at least for the near term the cars that Ferrari releases will still be aligned with what we are familiar with, and that is comforting to know.
Big thanks to Blackbird Ferrari for lending us the all new 296GTB and, as always, a huge thank you to the team for making this possible:
Alex W. (http://www.taipanmedia.com)
Dave (IG: @giggles852)
Alex C.: (IG: @nofishshark)
Adhiraj Rathore: (IG: @supercarsofhongkong)
Martin: (IG: @visualspassport)
See our review video here: