Ferrari SF90 Stradale (phev) Reviews

... rival the prices on the BMW options' list for things like salad and spuds.So it's no surprise that the top end of town calls the shots at the Palexpo alongside Geneva Airport as Europe's carmakers go head-to-head for the first time in 2012. Ferrari and Lamborghini battle for go-faster bragging rights as Rolls-Royce and Bentley get serious about family motoring for the ultra-rich, while Infiniti pitches an new exotic coupe and even Ssangyong of Korea goes upmarket with a new concept. There are also dozens of one-off dream machines and hotrod tuner cars in Geneva, a show that is traditionally dominated by European design stars including Pininfarina and Giugiaro. But there is plenty, too, for ordinary car buyers as the Fiesta ST brakes cover, Hyundai updates the i20 and teases with the Veloster Turbo, Jaguar confirms an XF station wagon, Audi and Mercedes-Benz previews their A3 and A-Class, and Ford even updates its box-boring Transit workhorse. Picking the best of the best is tough with so much gorgeous stuff on the stands, but Alfa Romeo is the winner for 2012 and edges out the Infiniti Emerge-E with its Disco Volante.The pretty little red coupe is dreamy without being stupid and is already confirmed for production, although the slightly-retro body will be draped over Alfa's existing 8C Competizione chassis - 4.7-litre V8, 335kW, 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds - which means it's no chance for Australia with only left-hand drive.The Ferrari F12 is exactly what you expect from the fastest car to wear the badge - 340km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds - including a swoopy body that taps the past as well as the influences that created the California convertible, but Lamborghini goes even better with an Aventador J preview car that is snapped up for a rumoured $2.8 million ahead of genuine production of an open-topped Aventador supercar.Rolls-Royce updates the Phantom with a new nose that still demands respect, as well as tweaking its colour choices with a two-tone approach that triggers memories of cheap seventies vinyl roofs, and Jaguar gets serious for families with an XF Sportbrake that will still struggle in a world of SUVs.Further down the food chain, the Audi A3 looks good but not as edgy as an A-Class that must break away from the bus pass generation into something closer to the Y-Gen futurists, and Volkswagen previews a more car-like Tiguan crossover with its Cross Coupe.Hyundai has a preview of a new flagship coupe called the i-oniq - did it mean ironic? - Kia shows a Track'ster that will become the new Soul, Honda shows the CR-V design that's coming to Australia, and the pocket rocket Ford Fiesta ST breaks cover with a confirmation for Australia.The action and excitement at Geneva goes on and on, and that is - really - the best thing about the show. Detroit in January hinted that the word's carmakers are finally emerging from the austerity and fear of the global financial crisis and the big-spending effort in Geneva confirms it, with good news for almost everyone from Euro billionaires to ordinary Aussie families.PG PICKS:1. Bentley EXP 9 F.Only one word fits - Ugly. With a big capital U. The hulking British bulldog might tick the boxes for cashed-up families, but this SUV makes a LandCruiser look elegant, and subtle.2. Giugiaro Brivido.Exactly what you expect to see in Geneva, as designers go all-out to impress the crowds - and each other. Not for production but a great looker with huge gullwing doors.3. Range Rover Evoque Convertible. A certainty for production as Land Rover milks its most successful design - ever. This one will never go bush but is being fast tracked for Double Bay and Toorak.4. Ssangyong XIV-2. Who knew the South Koreans could trump the Euros with a design that combines SUV practicality with a coupe-convertible body? A big surprise.5. Toyota FT-Bh: Just when you thought the uglies were done, Toyota lobbed with this. If it's the future for hybrid cars then sales will be slow. Very slow.

This year’s Geneva show includes about 180 new car debuts, and the line-up certainly hasn’t disappointed us.A delicious parade of top-shelf exotics and concepts will hog the spotlight of course: the stunning Lamborghini Aventador J, the Volkswagen-linked Giugiaro Brivido, the Infinti Emerg-E, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will all fight for attention.But in the face of economies across Europe struggling – in some cases stumbling towards a crash – it’s clear from the unveilings that there’s a strong move towards downsizing.Skoda’s Citigo, Volkwagen’s Up and even the Volvo V40 are all practical takes on a smaller and leaner world.But the SUVs still get a look-in, with the likes of Mitsubishi flagging their plug-in Outlander, Nissan’s Hi-Cross clearly hinting at the next X-Trail – although they won’t come right out and say it.And Bentley proving yet again that money doesn’t even need to buy style and taste with the ugliest thing on wheels since … possibly ever.Electric, hybrid and range-extender technology is everywhere at Geneva, showing that - in Europe at least – it has long moved past being some kind of geeky indulgence. Every carmaker is talking economy and value. And there’s a lot more chatter about global platforms, with VW taking it to a planned one-size-fits-all extreme.What does it mean for the buyer? At the very least, while our economy looks pretty healthy here, the disasters elsewhere are having a strong impact on industry attitudes, and that means carmakers are going to try harder than ever to win over our wallets.Expect to see leaner cars, smarter cars and – faced with increasing competition from emerging industrial giants like China and India – better value cars. That’s good news for all of us. 

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta ratchets up the supercar bar with unprecedented performance from its new engine, combined with innovative design that redefines classic themes along with extreme aerodynamics.The mid-front-engined sports car is the most powerful and high-performance Ferrari road car ever launched. Ferrari's traditional transaxle layout has been revised to match the more extreme performance of the car.The wheelbase has been shortened and the engine, dashboard and seats have been lowered in the chassis, while the new layout of the rear suspension and gearbox enabled Ferrari's engineers to make the rear volume of the car smaller.The overall result is a very compact car with a lower centre of gravity that is further back in the chassis, and a high level of aerodynamic efficiency. Scaglietti, renowned for its expertise in aluminium materials and construction, designed an all-new spaceframe chassis and bodyshell using 12 different kinds of alloys, some of which have been used for the first time in the automotive sector, and employing new assembly and joining techniques.This has resulted in a 20 per cent increase in structural rigidity while reducing weight (1525kg) with 54 per cent over the rear.The F12 Berlinetta's naturally aspirated 6.2 litre, V12 engine delivers 544kW with a torque peak of 690Nm, 80 per cent of which is available at 2,500 rpm. The engine revs to 8,700 rpm and is mated to a F1 style dual-clutch transmission, which has closer gear ratios developed specifically for this car's performance.The Berlinetta's technical specifications are completed by Ferrari's latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes and the evolution of the magnetic suspension control system.The result is that the new Berlinetta accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and from 0-200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. It also completes a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1'23", faster than any other Ferrari road car.The design of the car is a result of the collaboration between the Ferrari Styling Centre and Pininfarina. It's gorgeous.The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will arrive Australia in early 2013, when local prices and specifications will be announced.

Kids aren’t usually a factor in Car of the Year judging.  But child friendliness rates highly with women buying cars – and with women judging cars.The countdown has been kicked off to decide the Women’s World Car of the Year, and the kid factor is one the judges pay a lot of attention to.“Statistics show that women drive children in cars significantly more often than men – and that means women need to take that into account, both when buying and as judges of cars,” WCOTY president Sandy Myhre said from New Zealand.“Any woman who has grappled constantly with child seats and belts and children considers those things when looking at buying a car.  Men might too but the fact is, women drive children in cars more than men.“Women would not consider that aspect in a Porsche 911 more than a bloke. The point is, it can be considered in these awards - and that is one of the points of difference in these awards.”Myhre points out that significant research into buying habits show that in addition to buying for themselves, women have a major influence in household purchase decisions for big ticket items.Ford Australia, for example, says their research shows that women are behind the majority of purchases of the Territory SUV – either as single women buying one, or in influencing the joint decision with their partner. “A report from Mattingly & Associates in Australia concluded, in part, that businesses that didn't understand this influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business.  That report was aptly called 'When I've Made Up Our Minds',” Myhre says.However, the kid factor is just one of the criteria by which the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be judged.There are four categories in the Women's World Car of the Year – Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Points are allocated to each of ten criteria: driveability, engineering, comfort, child friendliness, style, interior, storage, dashboard efficiency, carbon footprint and colour range.The 20 judges from eleven countries have submitted their own personal short list and more than 300 cars were suggested. These individual choices were then whittled down to form a master list of 32 in terms of popularity. Judges will now allocate points for these cars from a criteria list.The announcement of the winning cars in each category and the supreme winner will be made before the end of March. The supreme award trophy and category certificates will be presented to the car companies concerned at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 – the Paris Motor Show – in September. The supreme trophy will this year be made in The Netherlands. Category-winner certificates will be designed at Peartree Studios in Colerne, UK.The first winner of the Women's World Car of the Year was the Jaguar XF in 2010 and the trophy made in South Africa was presented at the Jaguar boutique showroom in Knightsbridge, London. In 2011 there was a dead-heat between the Citroen DS3 and the BMW 5 Series. The two trophies made in India were presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. 

The droptop baby is losing weight and getting more power and more cornering grip with the creation of the California Handling Speciale, which will also bridge the considerable gap to the hard-edged 458 Italia.  The California HS is just about to go public at the Geneva motor show and the first owners will get their cars in Australia before the end of the year. They will be paying more for the car than the $459,650 of the regular model, just as Ferrari charged more for the HGTE package on the V12-engined 599, although no-one in Australia has the details.  "Yes, there will be an additional charge for this car as it is a different variant. As to what that price will be, it is too early to say," says Ferrari spokesman, Edward Rowe.  Work on the HS includes an extra 22 kiloWatts through exhaust and computer map changes, a 30 kilogram weight cut, magnetically-controlled dampers with faster controls, and sharper steering thanks to a 10 per cent quicker steering rack. There are also more paint colours.  Ferrari claims the bottom line is a reduced 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds and more driver enjoyment.  "The changes are to ensure that the California maintains its lead over its rivals and to introduce new technological solutions as they become available. They broaden the appeal of the California as well maintaining its performance edge over its opposition," says Rowe.  "It's as it was with the 599 HGTE, which provided a similar more aggressive version of the 599 for customers looking for a sharper performance edge."  The California is now Australia's favourite Ferrari, although there is a waiting list of close to two years for the 458. It has also brought new owners to the brand because of things like the boot space and two-plus-two cabin.  "The California has brought new customers to the brand, 70 per cent in Australia and similar figures around the world, and provides owners with a car that can easily be used as an everyday car." Apart from the California HS, Ferrari has just begin deliveries of the all-new FF and the first 458 Spiders arrive towards the middle of the year.  In Europe, Ferrari is close to the unveiling of the replacement for its V12-powered 599 and the car should reach Australia in 2013. The Italian brand has lifted the pace of change across its lineup and is promising its first hybrid model soon, as well as an all-new supercar - the successor to the Enzo - before 2014 and the sharper-edged 458 Stradale models based on the company's race cars.

Just as I finished signing the press car loan agreement for the California, the pen ran out. I hoped it wasn't a bad omen of some kind.We've driven plenty of fast and expensive cars before (the two don't necessarily go hand in hand) but there's just something different about a Ferrari.It was raining outside and showed no signs of letting up as the weekend was about to unfold.Just my luck. But the weather didn't dampen the reaction everywhere I took the car, as you can see below.THE OFFICENot even the boss has one of these beauties.  As soon as it became known there was a Ferrari in the carpark the word went around. Then the questions started followed soon afterwards by the inevitable: "Can you take me for a ride?"CO-WORKER (female)What is it you like about Ferraris? "The sound of the engine and the fact that everyone looks at you."MCDONALDS"Gee. Nice car mate. How's it go?" Pause. "Sorry. What sort of coffee was that again?" "Black. Short black (what else?)"THE CLUBWe've always been intrigued by the way you see these cars parked right where you can see them at big hotels and other public places. Maybe it works differently in the Eastern Suburbs, but there were no special privileges in the offing a large Sydney football club in Sydney's west.THE WIFEShe's over it. She's been over it for years, what with the never ending stream of cars that I bring home. "But it's a Ferrari darl?" "So . . ."FRIENDSYou suddenly find you have lots of them (lots of female interest too).OUT AND ABOUTEveryone looks. It's hard not to. There's cars and then there's Ferraris. Even at idle, the note from the exhaust (there's four of them, count them) is loud enough and strident enough to cut through the Friday afternoon throng.SHOPPING?No way. You wouldn't even contemplate taking a car like this into a shopping centre carpark, let alone leaving it unattended. Beside's there's probably something about it in the agreement?WHAT'S IT GO LIKE?Who cares. I want one anyway. It's not the first time I've driven a California, but it's the first time I've got to take one home and that please God is where I'd like it to stay. With it's retractable metal roof and rear seat, it's a Ferrari for all occasions. But you'd be hard pressed to fit anyone with legs in those tiny back seats.HOW FAST?The 4.3-litre direct injection V8 pumps out 338kW of power and revs to an amazing 8000rpm. The noise from the vertically stacked quad tailpipes is sensational. With paddle shifts and a 7-speed robotised gearbox, you can rip through the gears incredibly fast.It puts away the dash from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed of 310km/h.THE PRICE?At $459,000 (plus on-roads) it's the one sticking point. It's way beyond the reach of most people, but I guess that's what makes it so special and to some extent the people that can afford to buy them too.FERRARI CALIFORNIAPrice: from $459,000Body: four-seat convertibleSafety: front-side airbags, anti-skid brakes, ESP stability control, pop-up rollover barEconomy: 13.1L/100kmEmissions: 305.6gm/100kmEngine: 4.3-litre V8Output: 338kW/7750revs, 485Nm/5000 revsTransmission: seven-speed dual-clutch manual, rear-wheel drivePerformance: 0-100km/h, less than 4 seconds; top speed 310km/h

Two specially prepared 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s — the most powerful and best handling Jeep vehicle ever — were recently delivered to Alonso and Massa at the Fiorano circuit in Maranello, Italy. The identical vehicles were custom-built vehicles with Ferrari input. Fiat owns both Ferrari and Chrysler/Jeep. Each SRT8 features an aggressive exterior look with an SRT-exclusive design, which adds classic Ferrari brand styling cues and the unmistakable Rosso Corsa signature colour. The seven-slot Jeep front grille is painted matt black and features custom red inserts. An offset, black driver's stripe with a white accent customises the front and rear bumpers, bonnet, the entire surface of the roof and the rear spoiler. Additional details include a matt black painted dual-pane sunroof, carbon fibre mirror surrounds and a gloss black rear light bar with red accents on the Jeep logo. To complete the exterior trim, the Italian flag has been painted on the underside of the rear spoiler as a tribute to the Ferrari F150 Formula One car. Ride height has been lowered 35mm and both vehicles ride on forged aluminium, 20-inch wheels painted black. The cabin is enhanced by exclusive Ferrari Red leather inserts on the seats with sculpted bolsters. Also the door trim panels, the central armrest and the instrument panel boast leather. The leather-wrapped SRT8 steering wheel with mounted paddle shifters features red contrasting stitching. The instrument cluster features yellow dials which give the cabin a look of the GT cars produced in Maranello. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is powered by an 6.4-litre HEMI V-8 engine with fuel saver technology that switches off four of the eight cylinders when full power is not required, to ensure increased fuel economy. The HEMI V8 powertrain delivers 344kW and 624Nm of torque propelling the SRT8 model from 0-100kmh in under 5.0 seconds. It brakes from 100kmh-0 in 35m. The Grand Cherokee SRT8  will be available here later this year.

The new, big sister to the 458 Italia aims to put down about 525kW from its 6.2-litre, direct injection V12 engine borrowed from the four-seater FF. But the front-engined coupe won't get the FF's all-wheel drive system - rather will keep the weight (and price) down with rear-wheel drive through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It won't even expand on Ferrari's carbon-fibre program, sticking with an aluminium chassis and body panels. It follows the limited-edition track-only 560kW 599XX launched in December that traditionally signifies the tail-end of a model series. The new car is known inside Ferrari as the F152 but has more recently been dubbed the 620. Ferrari Australia says the 620 name is just - at this stage - speculation, though carries some logic. It would signify a 6.2-litre engine with a superfluous "0'' to hint at its engine.  But Ferrari seems intent on keeping names as unpredictable as possible - the FF carries no numbers; the 458 indicates 4.5 litres and eight cylinders but is actually a 4.8-litre unit; the "F'' prefix is added and removed at whim - such as F360 but 458; and after Maranello, Modena, California and Italia, Ferrari is running out of choice geographical names. The 599-replacement (which is the most accurate name to date) goes on display at next month's Geneva motor show. It will stabilise the range at four models, adding to the 458, California and FF.

The racing version of the Ferrari 458 Italia road car took the lap record at the legendary Mt Panorama race track during a practice session. Allan Simonsen at the wheel posted a 2:04.9560 time at the weekend around the 6.2km track. This is more than four seconds quicker than the existing lap record for a GT3 category car and the quickest for any form of non-open wheel racing car. It was the first outing for the newly arrived Ferrari 458 GT3, which will be campaigned in Australia by Maranello Motorsport and their sponsor Il Bello Rosso.  The Ferrari is now a front runner for the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour event in February. Straight out of the box, the Ferrari has proven to be highly competitive. Simonsen was thrilled with the race package of the Maranello Motorsport entry. "This car is damn fast! Given this is our first test, it's certainly nice to break the lap record finally and we did it in style," he said.  "From the first laps at Bathurst the car was very quick, given it has a great setup baseline from running in Europe this year so we knew we'd be able to work from where they'd left off. "The power and the chassis are so complementary and I'm feeling really comfortable in the car and with the team. These new generation cars are all going to have a fast pace, and there's no doubt the (Bathurst) 12 Hour is going to be very fast and incredibly competitive it's an event I'm definitely looking forward to on the calendar."

Every year, the US department store’s Christmas catalogue features a special car among its range of fantasy gifts for the obscenely overindulged – and similarly wealthy.This year it was a Ferrari FF priced at the equivalent of $390,000, or $90k higher than the standard one (although don’t expect to see it here at that price, given our import duties and LCT which are likely to push it to twice that price). The NM Fezza comes in a special ‘Grigio Caldo’dark grey colour, and includes matching custom luggage, seven years of maintenance and a snow driving experience in Aspen. Only 10 of the cars were available, and they were all snapped up in less than an hour.Pretty quick but nowhere near the three minutes that disposed of last year’s Chevrolet Camaro catalogue car.The Neiman Marcus fantasy gift section also features an annual watercraft, and this year’s is a handbuilt 27-ft Hacker speedboat for $250,000 – or a bit under $10,000/ft.Buyers can feel a warm glow knowing that $3000 from each sale will go to the Double H Ranch charity – cofounded by Paul Newman – for children affected by life-threatening illnesses. Also on the ‘gift with a social conscience’ list is the WET dancing fountain, which for a mere $1,000,000 will deliver “a personal scale fountain showcasing two of its amazing underwater robotic nozzles dancing as a couple”. Personally, we’d prefer to drink ourselves cross-eyed and just stare at the kitchen tap – which should be dancing pretty well by about the first $100 worth.  However that would deny Water.org the $10,000 Neiman Marcus will donate from each fountain towards providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries.Most of whom could probably find a better use for the million than blowing it on a stage-struck garden feature. At the $420,000 level you can opt to tour the flower shows of Europe, dragging along nine friends – presuming that floral nerds have that many.Or any. From that price, $5000 goes to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for the preservation of stuff that would be considered weeds here.  And for what seems like a much more down-to-earth $75,000 you can get into a tent full of garage sale crap.Admittedly, the catalogue’s flowery language  describes it as a canvas ‘Dream Folly’ filled with “pièces de résistance: one-of-a-kind, down-filled pillows, linen wall coverings and a custom, handcrafted crystal chandelier”.  Gold Coast caravan park, then.