2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale Review

Ferrari’s Model Hierarchy Explained

Ferrari does not practice continuity of its model names. Meaning, there is no such thing as a second-generation 360 or F430; they just get discontinued and replaced by a new model altogether. There is nevertheless clear delineation between the segments segregated by their engine configurations.

Traditionally, the Berlinetta family sits below the V12 flagships, but the SF90 re-writes that rule completely by adopting the mid-engine V8 configuration yet ruling the performance roost. And, unlike the limited-run LaFerrari, the SF90 is a regular series production model.

Ferrari will never build electric cars. So went the famous words of Maranello’s ex-chief Luca di Montezemolo. Less than a decade after that defiant declaration, the message has been swiftly massaged to just saying that Ferrari will never be an EV-only brand amidst news that an electric-powered Prancing Horse is slated to hit the roads by 2025.

Sing all the songs of nostalgia you want for the combustion engine, but when one Government after another draws up regulation to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars, the only way for any car maker to stay in business in the long run is to go electric, like it or not. No exceptions, even for Ferrari.

On the move, the seamlessness of the car’s various systems working in tandem is noteworthy. Response to prodding of the throttle is instantaneous and, most importantly, commensurate with inputs. Braking too, feels accordingly natural and linear – not something to be taken for granted in a PHEV largely dependent on regenerative braking. Even if, as a driver, you’re aware of all the tech in action, you’d be hard-pressed to really feel it.

Considering the car’s complexity, the cohesiveness which everything comes together is impressive. So many disparate components, all breathing as one, responding as one, to the driver’s every command. It leaves us little doubt that the engineers had been nothing less than thoroughly meticulous in their calibration and finetuning of the vehicle.

Ferrari’s first tentative steps toward electrification were taken in the LaFerrari, but today in the SF90 Stradale, the way to the future is firmly paved on a trail of electrons. It eclipses the LaFerrari both in terms of performance and complexity, yet its placement in the line-up is in the Berlinetta range rather than the flagships which the LaFerrari descended from.

If an electric future is, as they say, inevitable, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the ultimate celebration of the glorious times we’re living in today.

V12 Flagship (Limited Production)

V12 2+2 GT

V12 Grand Tourer

V8 Berlinetta

V8 Convertible/GT

SF90 Stradale?

456M

612 Scaglietti

GTC4Lusso

550

575 Maranello

599 GTB Fiorano

F12 Berlinetta

812 Superfast

360 Modena

F430

458 Italia

488

F8 Tributo

California

Portofino

Roma

One Engine, Three Motors

A thousand horsepower. The SF90 is not only Ferrari’s most powerful road car ever, but also features the most complex powertrain setup ever attempted by Maranello.

Sitting amidships is the latest iteration of Ferrari’s twin turbo V8 re-bored to four litres and cranked up to 780 horses – highest ever achieved by an eight-cylinder Prancing Horse. So far so good, but the story only gets more complicated here on.

780PS @ 7,000rpm, 800Nm @ 6,000rpm

220PS

1,000PS

79kWh

The car has three electric motors in total, one of which is sandwiched between the petrol engine and the 8-speed dual clutch transmission driving the rear wheels.

The other two motors, meanwhile, are responsible for driving one front wheel each. They function to provide torque vectoring on the turn and are the go-to motors when the driver selects electric-only mode.

A neat improvisation from Ferrari is that reverse is done only on electric power, meaning the whole reverse gear mechanism can be deleted from the DCT. Neat and elegant, astonishing that no one else had thought of this solution.

Performance

2.5 seconds

6.7 seconds

< 29.5m

Top Speed

The Drive

Well, it’s a Ferrari. A thousand horsepower. So, fast is a given, and you barely need more than a centimetre of throttle travel to confirm that. The trickiest part of this car’s development would undoubtedly have been getting the V8 and three electric motors operating in unison, and they have done a fine job at it.

While the number of possible permutations which the four power units could mix-and-match their delivery is theoretically limitless, Ferrari has opted to simplify things to just four switchable options for the driver, only two of which will be regularly used in your day-to-day affairs – default Hybrid for your regular commute, and full electric for short distance drives, traffic jams, or when you want to slip away unheard.

WORDS KON • PICS TJ

F40

F50

Enzo

La Ferrari

“It’s the steering feel of this car. It gives me so much confidence because of the way it reacts and the way it communicates, that I’m very very sure I can push, or dare to push this car at a faster pace on a winding roads.”

- Bobby

Indeed, this might be Ferrari’s most ambitious car to date, one flawlessly executed to stunning aplomb; it’s as though the engineers know that the days of their glorious V8s and V12s are numbered and that they are pulling out every trick they have in the book while they still can. If the intention here is to welcome an electric future whilst giving the combustion engine a swansong, it’s a glorious one.

The Future of Performance

We are standing at the dawn of a new era, and the SF90 Stradale is Ferrari’s signpost to that future. This is car that, whilst spectacularly ushering in an electric future, also showcases the pinnacle of combustion engine development, tying both elements in astonishing seamlessness.

This car re-writes a few rules; it ignores certain delineations in the performance landscape, a Ferrari Berlinetta-class vehicle stomping on the even more exclusive battleground of hypercars, earning comparisons not only with LaFerrari, but also the likes of the Bugatti Veyron or Koenigsegg Agera.

“No doubt all these tech made the car go faster, but is it better? Did Ferrari lose its plot with turbocharging, hybrid, all these tech? Have they lost their DNA? Well, I’m gonna answer that question with … cooking pasta.”

- Thomas

What We Said

[Ed: WTH??]

“So, those of you who paid three million plus for the Porsche 911 Turbo Exclusive… hahahaha… you’re paying for bodykits… Hahahahah.”

- Bobby

“I like how rapid it feels, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel that scary, doesn’t have that intimidating sensation to it.”

- Kon

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO 400, -1 step, 70mm

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/200 sec, ISO 100, +0.3 step, 29mm

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO 400, 0 step, 24mm

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/800 sec, ISO 400, 0 step, 70mm

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 400, 0 step, 24mm

Nikon D4, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO 100, 0 step, 200mm