nberry:
It has received rave reviews despite its odd look. I am sure you will enjoy the car.
As to your concern about whether it will be a bust from a marketing standpoint I am fairly confident the car will sell in China and Russia. All that matters in those countries is the Ferrari badge.
However, in the US I am not so confident. It's styling is suspect and an AWD Ferrari just isn't something most Ferrari owners are interested in.
Regarding your color selection, I will not comment. My view about battleship grey on super cars is well known.
BTW, I also have experienced and heard from others about the full court press to buy either the Cali or FF.
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I respect your views being such an active and longstanding poster on these forums. You may be surprised on how the " Silent Majority " that is Ferrari owners who do not frequent this and other forums view this car. It is an gamble by Ferrari necessitated by the need to maintain relevance in core markets Europe and the USA.
The FF makes little concession to top end China and Russian users who need above all cars that can be driven by chauffeurs. The 458 steering wheel controls on the FF and the DCT are not what these guys want. Their needs are met by Bentley's wood and chrome and the favorite of the Russian mafia highly spec'd Range Rovers.
I understand that nearly 70% of Cali sales come from buyers new to Ferrari. From what I am told core enthusiasts cannot support 7,000 plus car sales a year and are relatively stable even declining percentage of high end car buyers. The company needs to evolve to survive and their buisness plan which is well documented shows clearly the distinct streams of road car models for the future.
Having said all that every time I drive my 458 I am still in amazement at what an awesome car it is. The Spider which arrives in May next year will be even more fun in my Four Corner States.
If the FF turns out to be no fun, unwieldy or just plain lacking in road presence it will be back to the dealer for a baseball or football player to indulge in instant gratification.