What's the difference?
I know, picture Ferrari and you'll likely be conjuring images of potent V12 or V8 engines, a scenery-shaking exhaust bark on start-up and a fuel bill that would make a Sheikh wince.
But this one, the 296 GTS, doesn't have, or do, any of those things. In fact, it doesn’t so much explode into life as it does kind of whirr gently, as though you’ve just switched on a photocopier.
And yet, people I trust on these matters reckon this just might be the best Ferrari to have ever worn the badge. So, I guess we better get to figuring out what the hell is going on with this plug-in Prancing Horse.
Electrified utes are growing in popularity in Australia and carmakers have been paying attention.
While the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute is by far the best-selling as it stands, there hasn’t really been any electric ute to go up against the poorly received LDV eT60, until now.
South Korea’s KGM (formerly known as SsangYong) has just launched the Musso EV, which is a purely electric dual-cab ute. It’s unrelated to the existing, turbo-diesel Musso and is more closely related to the current car-based Actyon and Torres SUVs.
Read along to see how this ute stacks up against its growing set of competitors.
Anyone who says electrification somehow muddies the Ferrari formula is wrong. This plug-in Prancing Horse is among the most potent and direct vehicles I’ve ever driven, and the electric motor only adds to the experience.
Despite having the Musso name, this electric ute is a completely different beast which is much more lifestyle-oriented than the older and unrelated turbo-diesel Musso workhorse.
There really isn’t much competition out there right now in the electric ute space but this makes a compelling case, especially for those looking in the fleet space. It has an appealing price, adequate range, SUV-like comfort and decent payload capacity.