My impressions of the 599GTB
Just came back from a test drive in the 599GTB. I drove the car for about 5 hours on the Autobahn as well as on country roads with lots of bends. Total distance covered was around 600km.
Unfortunately, the test car was not broken in yet (the odometer showed some 200km at the beginning of the tour...). Obviously, I treated such a brand new jewel with the due respect, i.e. I did not take the engine above 7500/min (and that only at the end of the tour at around 700km on the odometer).
The test car was Rosso Corsa with Challenge rims and ceramic brakes. Tires were Pirelli PZero.
Exterior Design/Cabin
I like the exterior and interior design of the car. The 599GTB in Rosso Corsa looks much better in reality than on pictures. However, personally I prefer black or silver.
- The cabin is fairly roomy
- The finish is excellent, a rattling noise in the back of the cabin indicated the only area for improvement
- The rev LEDs in the steering wheel represent an useful option; the LEDs are much easier to overlook than the rev indicator in the course of the action...
- The Recaro sport seats are excellent: in particular, the adjustable width of the back rest (and the seat base) offers perfect support even in very fast corners
- The Navi should be improved further (no map function available, difficult to operate due to very small buttons etc.)
- The BOSE sound system is of average quality - however, I did not use it much given the nice engine sound
- A cruise control should be offered soon - otherwise the car is very difficult to drive on speed restricted roads
Driving impressions
- The engine is a real masterpiece
- It revs like hell - to let it rev in idle mode (side door open) is an unforgettable experience! You instantly believe that this machine is a derivative of the Enzo engine...
- The engine sound is not as loud as in case of a Gallardo or F430 but still present under all circumstances
- As in all Ferraris I have driven the sound has a very broad spectrum - very nice
- Throttle response is excellent
- The car can easily be driven slightly below 2000/min in inner city traffic
- Having said that, the engine needs revs to develop its massive power
- The steering is light and direct - best steering feel (and feed-back) can be expected in RACE mode
- The Ceramic brakes are extremely powerful; the car's weight is absolutely no problem for the brakes under any conditions
- The brake pedal is not as direct as (for example) in a 997TT with PCCB; the brake pedal has some initial slack
- Brake power can be adjusted very precisely
- The suspension setup provides for a combination of two cars in one: a comfortable GT and an aggressive super sports car
- In the WET or SPORT mode the car is remarkably comfortable; still body horizontal and vertical body roll is limited to a minimum
- In RACE mode the precision of the suspension is further improved
- Driven in RACE mode the 599GTB exhibits only very negligible body roll in tight bends or upon application of the brakes
- In tight bends the car shows initial understeer (only for a fraction of a second, though) and then somehow transforms itself into a very agile and neutral handling car
- Obviously, lots of oversteer can be added any time by applying the throttle
- The 599GTB's front end gets noticeably lighter when the throttle is applied (unlike the AWD driven 997TT, for example)
- The car is rock solid (even at very high speeds) on Autobahn straights and in Autobahn bends; max speed I did was around indicated 295kph (due to traffic constraints and as I did not want to rev above 7000/min for a longer time)
- High-speed aerodynamics seem to work - the car feels very reliable in Autobahn bends even at around 250kph
- Traction is very remarkable for a 620hp RWD car, although I would argue that AWD is the superior concept for high-performance sports cars (see 997TT or Gallardo)
- The F1 gearbox is very fast in SPORT/RACE mode and fairly comfortable in WET/SPORT mode; the Auto mode can be used as a fairly comfortable alternative for inner city driving, traffic jams etc.
Summary
- An excellent car with a great personality!
- Combines a true GT and a true super sports car
- Not quite comparable to a 997TT - which makes the choice between these two cars the more difficult
Unfortunately, the test car was not broken in yet (the odometer showed some 200km at the beginning of the tour...). Obviously, I treated such a brand new jewel with the due respect, i.e. I did not take the engine above 7500/min (and that only at the end of the tour at around 700km on the odometer).
The test car was Rosso Corsa with Challenge rims and ceramic brakes. Tires were Pirelli PZero.
Exterior Design/Cabin
I like the exterior and interior design of the car. The 599GTB in Rosso Corsa looks much better in reality than on pictures. However, personally I prefer black or silver.
- The cabin is fairly roomy
- The finish is excellent, a rattling noise in the back of the cabin indicated the only area for improvement
- The rev LEDs in the steering wheel represent an useful option; the LEDs are much easier to overlook than the rev indicator in the course of the action...
- The Recaro sport seats are excellent: in particular, the adjustable width of the back rest (and the seat base) offers perfect support even in very fast corners
- The Navi should be improved further (no map function available, difficult to operate due to very small buttons etc.)
- The BOSE sound system is of average quality - however, I did not use it much given the nice engine sound
- A cruise control should be offered soon - otherwise the car is very difficult to drive on speed restricted roads
Driving impressions
- The engine is a real masterpiece
- It revs like hell - to let it rev in idle mode (side door open) is an unforgettable experience! You instantly believe that this machine is a derivative of the Enzo engine...
- The engine sound is not as loud as in case of a Gallardo or F430 but still present under all circumstances
- As in all Ferraris I have driven the sound has a very broad spectrum - very nice
- Throttle response is excellent
- The car can easily be driven slightly below 2000/min in inner city traffic
- Having said that, the engine needs revs to develop its massive power
- The steering is light and direct - best steering feel (and feed-back) can be expected in RACE mode
- The Ceramic brakes are extremely powerful; the car's weight is absolutely no problem for the brakes under any conditions
- The brake pedal is not as direct as (for example) in a 997TT with PCCB; the brake pedal has some initial slack
- Brake power can be adjusted very precisely
- The suspension setup provides for a combination of two cars in one: a comfortable GT and an aggressive super sports car
- In the WET or SPORT mode the car is remarkably comfortable; still body horizontal and vertical body roll is limited to a minimum
- In RACE mode the precision of the suspension is further improved
- Driven in RACE mode the 599GTB exhibits only very negligible body roll in tight bends or upon application of the brakes
- In tight bends the car shows initial understeer (only for a fraction of a second, though) and then somehow transforms itself into a very agile and neutral handling car
- Obviously, lots of oversteer can be added any time by applying the throttle
- The 599GTB's front end gets noticeably lighter when the throttle is applied (unlike the AWD driven 997TT, for example)
- The car is rock solid (even at very high speeds) on Autobahn straights and in Autobahn bends; max speed I did was around indicated 295kph (due to traffic constraints and as I did not want to rev above 7000/min for a longer time)
- High-speed aerodynamics seem to work - the car feels very reliable in Autobahn bends even at around 250kph
- Traction is very remarkable for a 620hp RWD car, although I would argue that AWD is the superior concept for high-performance sports cars (see 997TT or Gallardo)
- The F1 gearbox is very fast in SPORT/RACE mode and fairly comfortable in WET/SPORT mode; the Auto mode can be used as a fairly comfortable alternative for inner city driving, traffic jams etc.
Summary
- An excellent car with a great personality!
- Combines a true GT and a true super sports car
- Not quite comparable to a 997TT - which makes the choice between these two cars the more difficult
? 
!
