Published:
6 November 2013The F12 continues Ferrari’s recent trait of extremely light and remarkably quick steering, as Maranello attempts to make its cars feel more agile than their kerb weights – in this case, a respectable 1715kg full of fuel – would suggest.
At just two turns lock to lock, and with a decent turning circle, the F12 feels endowed with the steering DNA that runs through Ferrari’s other models. The Ferrari’s steering is so quick and light that this car belies its weight, albeit not its size, on turn-in, which is notably brisk. Then it settles into steady-state understeer if you let it.
There’s so much power here, though, and it comes in so quickly, that you can push through any understeer at any speed, in any gear, with a flex of the right foot.
That’s when you’ll feel the need to be on top of your game, because such is the ferocity and immediacy of the response – of both throttle and steering – that it can get quite unsettling. Keep your nerve, though, and you’ll find that this is a faithful, well balanced car that can be steered on the throttle easily and without fear.
At lower speeds, that makes the F12 feel like an easy-going companion. The magnetorheological dampers have soft and firm settings, and you’d use both, because neither is pushed to an extreme. And with a progressive clutch take-up and tractable engine, only the car’s physical bulk, of which there is plenty (although much of it is unseen ahead of the windscreen), makes it feel a little unwieldy.
