Marques Brownlee on... the Ferrari 296 GTB

Hybrid supercars are happening, people. For decades we have been used to large engines and lightweight cars, but we are now entering an era of smaller displacement petrol burners that are supplemented by a little battery and an electric motor or two (or three in the case of the bonkers 986bhp Ferrari SF90). 

This is the Ferrari 296 GTB – the SF90’s smaller, friendlier brother, which has a paltry 818bhp going to the rear wheels alone. There’s an all-new combustion engine at its heart too – a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that makes 663bhp on its own. 

The extra 165bhp of electric boost brings two major advantages. The first is the performance advantage, because the electric motor fills in any torque gaps left by the turbo’d V6. And it really does work – the 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds proves that. The second advantage is that you get between 10 and 15 miles of all-electric range if you charge it up. So, if you’re pulling out of your driveway at 8am in a bright red Ferrari, you don’t have to be that annoying neighbour who wakes up the whole street with a cold start. Pull away in ‘eDrive’ mode and you can whisper out to the nearest good road or highway where you can transform into a proper combustion supercar once again.

GOOD - surround sound

It sounds fantastic, brilliant job. Ferrari nicknamed the V6 the ‘piccolo V12’ (little V12) because of its distinct sound. It’s a fantastic drive too – the direct steering and short wheelbase make it feel so light and agile. 

BAD - look at me

It’s obviously subjective but I’d like it to look a little more dramatic. Especially when it has over 800bhp on tap. I’m not a huge fan of any of the wheel designs either. 

GOOD - storage king

You might not expect it, but the 296 GTB also has a big front trunk that makes it quite practical. You can fit two full size duffle bags in there whereas in the SF90 you’ll struggle to get a single backpack in. 

BAD - flair style

The rather imposing stripe down the car is part of the £25,000+ Assetto Fiorano package which also adds some extra aero bits, lots of carbon fibre, fancy Multimatic dampers and a polycarbonate engine cover. That’s a whole lot of cash, though. 

GOOD - self-centred

I love how everything is so driver-focused in the cabin. The display in front of you includes all you need to know and it all feels very purposeful. 

BAD - touchy subject

Can someone please tell Ferrari buttons are better than capacitive touch areas. There are way too many touch sensitive functions in the 296 GTB. It’s incredibly annoying. 

CONSUMER TECH COMPARISON...

Samsung X5 SSD hard drive. We have these in the studio. They’re hard to get, the fastest SSDs I’ve ever used and they’re also bright red and very expensive. 

Verdict

I had reservations, but it blew me away. The performance is incredible. The brakes have so much bite and it doesn’t feel heavy. Drive it and you’ll understand why Ferrari took this direction.

THE DRIVE: 9.5/10

THE TECH: 7/10

THE WANT: 8/10