Ferrari 12Cilindri review

The 12Cilindri has a markedly different character from the get-go. It feels somehow more sober and serious than the F12 or 812, cars that you felt you were almost hanging onto when you dropped the hammer. Though the V12 erupts into life in the time-honoured fashion, it swiftly settles into an unexpectedly subtle idle. It also aces the so-called 50 metre test, proving to be perhaps the least intimidating new Ferrari for quite some time.

OK, so the front end stretches out ahead of you into a distant postcode but the front wings rise up to help the driver geo-locate its extremities. As ever, those 21in alloys feel awfully vulnerable.

Like the Purosangue, this is an all-weather Ferrari. There was a time when a big Prancing Horse with large multiples of horsepower would have demanded constant vigilance. The new car reassures the driver in a manner unlike any Ferrari of our experience, and though it’s obviously sensible to get a decent heat cycle into the brakes and tyres (275/35s on the front, 315/35 section on the rear), there’s traction and grip aplenty.

As you acclimatise to the 12Cilindri, its responses are as elegantly engineered as the sort you’d find in a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class. It’s an odd but reassuring feeling, proof that hard- and software can co-exist pretty seamlessly.

Paint me a picture of life behind the wheel.

Despite locating you almost on the rear axle, the 12Cilindri pivots notably around the occupants. Its steering is less frenetic than on other Ferraris, encouraging and delivering more linearity as you start raising the tempo. Given its size, the 12Cilindri isn’t a car you instantly feel like hurling from apex-to-apex, but when you do it’s totally up for it. The brake-by-wire ‘ABS Evo’ system is exquisitely calibrated for maximum feel and progression. The carbon-ceramic front discs are 398mm in diameter, the rears 360mm.

Ferrari’s Side Slip Control is now into its v8.0 incarnation, and it’s 10 per cent faster and more accurate than before, still measuring available grip even as the wheels are being steered. It performs miracles alongside the traction control, an armoury of complex sensors and the Virtual Short Wheelbase (3.0). It all keeps the car firmly on the island without being self-righteous about it.

There’s also a fast-moving active rear axle to manage yaw and enhance agility, an evolution of the system that appeared on the F12tdf and 812 Competizione. This duo were highly-strung and easy to over-drive until you’d fully dialled into them. The new car is instantly there for you, as approachable as it is agile.

Imagine saying that about a V12 some years ago…

Ferrari’s determined commitment to the naturally aspirated V12 is beginning to look like a transgressive act. Lighter components and clever metallurgy means that the engine now revs to 9,500rpm, and 80 per cent of its 500lb ft of torque is available from just 2,500rpm. Ferrari has also adapted the variable torque software used on its turbo cars for this naturally aspirated one, ‘sculpting’ the torque curve in third and fourth gear to deepen the sensation. The 12Cilindri will sit in eighth gear at 40mph pulling just 1,600rpm.

The engineers have worked hard to preserve the V12 howl – there are equal-length exhaust tracts and a six-into-one manifold for each cylinder bank – and every bit of the system has been worked for maximum sonic impact. It’s not as loud as the 812 but it does meet all the toughest emissions tests. Maximum respect to Ferrari’s engineers.

Silly question, but is it fast?

Yes, that is a silly question. Zero to 62mph in 2.9 seconds, 125mph in 8.3s, a top speed of 211mph. The 12Cilindri feels absolutely mighty if you twiddle the manettino into Race mode and engage warp drive. Ferrari wanted to calm down the Competizione, smooth off the serrated edges a little, and it’s definitely a more rounded overall experience. Less visceral, then, but still huge fun.

The eight-speed dual shift ’box is lightning fast and satisfying in action but still enables surprisingly wafty motorway cruising. Leaving it in auto is always an option but when did that ever feel right in a Ferrari? Choosing manual mode on the cleverly designed gear selector and working the big paddles fixed to the steering column is much more interactive. This is an engine that enjoys being exercised, if you can find a section of road long enough to get the shift lights on the wheel lighting up in second, third or fourth (you might need your own track for that). Even at full tilt, everything – steering, brakes, body control – remains in harmony.

And it really does ride serenely, thanks to the magnetorheological dampers. Ferrari’s facility in this domain is now well established but it’s still a welcome attribute. Only the roughest, gnarliest tarmac upsets it.

An angrier XX or GTO version will undoubtedly be along in a few years. For now, the 12Cilindri parks the savagery in favour of a broader and yes, more comfort-oriented dynamic experience. You could daily drive this one, although we’d worry about those alloys.