Ferrari SF90 Stradale review

Lots new in here, most notably the steering wheel and dash. No mechanical instrumentation, but instead a shapely 16-inch screen, controlled by a steering wheel touchpad for your right thumb. Three main screens to swipe through: media, nav and vehicle, plus various view options including a full blown nav screen. It works logically, but not brilliantly, and occasionally the fat part of your thumb switches the screen view while you’re cornering. Swiping and clicking are a bit hit and miss – but Mercedes has struggled with this, so it’s no surprise a small company like Ferrari has as well. 

The steering wheel is part-digital too. There’s no actual start button, nor are there physical controls for the various hybrid modes. Those pads respond well. The manettino still twists properly, and pressing it switches the dampers into bumpy road mode. There are shortcut buttons for aircon settings and neatly integrated cruise control – it’s a busy wheel but after a while, apart from frustrations with the touchpad, you get on with it. 

As far as gadgetry and infotainment goes, it feels a marked and considerable improvement over the F8. That’s creaky in terms of its functionality, this is much better. The premium JBL sound system is also way better in here. And there’s an all-new key (basically a badge with buttons) that slots deftly into a slot on the centre console. 

Definitely a sporting cockpit, rather than a luxury cabin, though. I’m sure with softer seats than the optional carbon buckets, a less black colour scheme and less extensive carbon everywhere, you could make it feel more welcoming, more suited to touring rather than hammering. Then again, you’re going to struggle for space. There’s a useful window box behind the seats, but the e-drive gubbins up front means the boot is no more than a shallow 74-litre tray.