Ferrari California review (2008 onwards)

What – Ferrari CaliforniaWhere – Giardino di Constanza, SicilyPrice – £143,320Available – Late spring 2009Key rivals – Aston Martin DB9 Volante, Bentley Continental GTC, Mercedes SL65 AMG

Summary

Stunning new Grand Tourer offers credible alternative to Ferrari F430 for those seeking more creature comforts.

We like: Sonorous engine, terrific new dual clutch transmission, intoxicating on the right road, overall feeling of quality.We don’t like: Engine too noisy at times, steering rather light, gearbox not as good as Porsche’s in auto mode.

Gallery: Ferrari California
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First Impressions

You may have been, like us, waiting for a new budget Ferrari, a Dino for the 21st century, a car to compete with Aston's V8 Vantage. The California isn't it. Instead it's priced slightly higher than the 430, yet Ferrari's logic is impeccable. What we have here is a Grand Tourer, in a similar mould to the 599 GTB and 612 Scaglietti, but significantly less expensive.

The problem is, the entry model in the Ferrari range is currently its most hard-core. The F430, for all its virtues, just isn't user friendly in any sense of the concept. Even some owners of the 360 Modena hesitated in making the transition, so Ferrari needed something to bring them back into the fold as well as appealing to a new raft of potential Ferraristi.

The California introduces several innovations for Ferrari, some major, others minor but no less significant. The folding hard top is, for some, a worrying move away from the traditional fabric roof of all past convertible Ferraris. This is also the first model to have a direct injection petrol engine, dual clutch transmission, multi-link suspension, LED rear lighting, even a folding rear seat."The retractable hard top is not a Ferrari decision, it's a market trend" is the official and remarkably honest line on the change. And while there may be a nod towards the heritage - the bonnet air scoop and front wing gills hark back to the '57 California - this is a car that embraces the bling that is modern marketing just a step too far at times.

There has been much conjecture that the California is designed to entice women buyers. Ferrari is dismissive of the idea, citing the current 97% level of male buyers. Sure, this is intended to be a less demanding car and that will broaden the appeal, but it's going to take a tidal change to ramp up that female ownership level.

The overall concept seems to have struck a core though. In the UK there has already been almost three years' worth of expressions of interest. That's people putting some money down to you or me, but they won't all get to confirm their wish. There's a pecking order to Ferrari deliveries and speculators are at the very bottom.

Performance

Direct injection has offered a subtly enhanced performance envelope to that of the F430. The power is down a touch at 453bhp but there's up to 6% more torque in the low to mid-range. With the California weighing in 5kg less than the 430 Spider, there's still some real promise awaiting.

But the first thing that gets you is not the acceleration but the quality and volume of the sound. Ferraris have always been charismatic, but the sheer volume of the howl from this new engine as it's started up and driven away simply stuns. So much for Ferrari's contention that the California is a car for those who want to be a little more discrete. Dream on.

The dual clutch gearbox is best driven with the paddle shifts. Snick it into first and creep gently away, trying not to frighten small children and animals. Treat this Ferrari with respect and it will be a untemperamental companion. Push the right button and you even get fully automatic transmission, smoother changing than the F1 option in other Ferraris, though not quite as good as Porsche's new PDK system.It takes a while to zone into the California, and there's a serious risk of driving all day without ever getting close to exploring the depths of this car. Find the right road, though, and the performance is explosive. The combination of the thump in the back, the noise and the bang and sharp crack as you change up is simply intoxicating.

Search out a tunnel and you're in an F1 Ferrari. Believe it. Push hard to the 8,000rpm red line, grab the paddle and you're in the next gear in an instant. Not simply milliseconds, but an instant. That's the power of the dual clutch principle and the result is never-ending sequence of rising frequency and sound levels followed by a thump as the next gear engages.

The carbon ceramic brakes haul the car back to reality with real sense of confidence, thank God. Most current Ferrari owners will be familiar with the need to go through a routine before you can get into reverse, but it quickly becomes second nature.

Ride and Handling

There has been a philosophical change in the engineering department at Ferrari. For extremely good reasons, double wishbone suspension front and rear has been the standard setup for, well, for ever. Now the California gets a multi-link rear end to provide the compliant ride characteristics and greater comfort appropriate to this new GT.

The result is simply exceptional. In Comfort, the California deals with road imperfections with distain, so very little of the flaws make their way through to the cockpit. That has an advantage not only in terms of comfort, it makes this Ferrari very fast indeed on roads that would have other supercars slowing to avoid being thrown off line.

It's a situation that makes switching the Manettino to Sport something of an indulgence. Sport speeds up the throttle response as well as altering the threshold of the F1-Trac traction control system. Ferrari is particularly proud of F1-Trac, because instead of cutting the engine power when the computers detect the car is starting to slide, it first brakes individual wheels to bring the car back into shape.

It's works extremely well, and in Comfort the rear wheels will kick out just a touch before the computers save you from disaster. In Sport, however, lots more oversteer is possible and that oh-my-God moment is just a incautious stab of the throttle away. It's brilliant that Ferrari offers the option, just a little surprising the boundaries are so extreme.

Interior

Ferrari does good interiors and the California is no exception. Seat support is superb, there's a massive choice of finishes and the aluminium bridge running from the dashboard backwards is a stylish feature. A couple of tiny rear seats are an option, and the through-load from the boot make this a relatively versatile Ferrari.So does the roof. At 14 seconds to open or close, it's 6 seconds quicker than the 430 Spider with all the additional benefits an aluminium closure can offer. Ferrari claims luggage space is class leading, roof up or down. What is certain is that accessibility to your luggage with the roof lowered is remarkable straightforward, especially if you throw in the extra £3,800 for the tailored suitcases.

Economy and Safety

Even Ferrari ignores at its peril the demands of modern legislation - C02, mpg and safety. Direct injection helps the first two areas, as does the dual clutch transmission, so the 306g/km CO2 figure is quite an achievement even if it still pales compared with regular cars.

The combined fuel economy result of 21.5mpg is also a fair score for a 4.3-litre vehicle producing over 450bhp, though you'll need to stick to Grand Touring rather than Sports Car mode to get near that. There is a decent supply of airbags but no EuroNCAP figure. The stability control system will, of course, help keep you out of trouble.

MSN Cars Verdict *****

Great car at the wrong time would be the easy verdict, but the indications are different. Ferrari does not build that many cars a year, so the chronic oversupply issue that has proved such an issue for Bentley, for example, could be less of a problem.Where Ferrari has perhaps got things slightly out of place is in the emphasis on the Grand Touring nature of the California. Yes, it works as such, or does as long you can live with the noise levels. What is surprising, though, is how well it works as a straightforward, sporting supercar. Ferrari might not have meant it this way, but the California is good enough for buyers to defect from the F430.

Ratings out of five: Ferrari CaliforniaPerformance*****Ride & handling*****Interior*****Safety****Price***Practicality***Fuel economy***MSN Cars verdict*****

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