A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Panamera (see here if you missed it), a family hatchback that translates the true Porsche feel as much as its format and weight allows for, and the first generation of which currently offers pretty exceptional value for money. But whereas to my mind, the Panamera is the daily driver that presents the best “price-adjusted” offer in the EUR 40-50.000 price segment, it’s not the only car out there providing a nice bridge between a word leading sports car tradition and something that actually qualifiees as (almost) reasonable with daily driving potential. This week we’ll therefore travel south from Zuffenhausen, over the Alps to Maranello, to explore Ferrari’s best offer in this regard: the splendid, 12-cylinder Ferrari FF. Just like the Panamera, in addition to all its practical benefits (and there are a lot!), it remains one hell of a car that right now offers exceptionally good value for money – albeit in a higher segment.

The FF (Ferrari Four) was presented in 2011 and built until 2016 as successor to the 612 Scaglietti, and as could be expected, it split opinions among Ferraristis right from the start. Obviously this wasn’t the first four-seater from Ferrari, but “Four” in the name also referred to this being the first four-wheel drive Ferrari in history. The system was developed by Ferrari and doesn’t weigh more than 45 kg. Without becoming too technical, a second, two-gear gearbox right over the front axle complements the main, 7-gear dual clutch box and transfers power to the front axle over two multi-plate clutches. The low weight comes at the expense of function as the system only works in gears 1-4, which doesn’t change that it’s perfectly useful for example on snow. On solid ground and in all gears, the car is otherwise rear-wheel drive, and the 45 kg are a reasonable price to pay for the increased function, although the true purists will remark that the driving experience becomes less playful than with a rear-wheel drive, “classic” Ferrari. All others will find it a true sports car to drive, also with an almost perfect 53-47% weight split (rear-front). The FF also has an adaptive suspension with five driving programs, controlled by the “manettino” on the steering wheel, and the car can and will be raised a few cm as required.

The other area of contention ten years ago was the looks. 2011 was still a few years before shooting breaks became as popular as they are today, so for most, those concerns are largely gone by now. Looking at the FF today I think it’s aged extremely well. Given we started this with a comparison with the Panamera, there’s no real contention on which one looks the best… Pininfarina has done an excellent job in a classic combination of a long front and a short, dynamic rear gives the car perfect dimensions.

All this is of course fine and good, but the most exciting part of the FF is no doubt what you find under the hood, namely a 6.3 litre, naturally aspirated V12, derived from the Enzo and the biggest V12 Ferrari had ever put into production at the time. Producing 660 hp and 683 Nm torque, those who don’t get goose bumps when it comes alive are either deaf or completely heartless. Ferrari will tell you that the incredible sound is helped by the 65-degree angle, i.e. 5 degrees more “open” than a typical V12 engine is built in. I find it hard to believe that it would have sounded much less with less of an angle though… Once alive, the incredible engine will take the FF all the way to 335 km/h, of which the first 100 km/h only need 3.7 seconds.

If this doesn’t sound like an (almost) reasonable daily driver so far, let’s look at the practical side of the FF. Firstly, it’s a true four-seater rather than a 2+2, and the rear seats are really quite comfy, even for grown-ups. Secondly they as well as the central part can be individually folded, the central part for example to transport skis. Thirdly, with all seats in place the FF offers 450 litres of luggage space, which increases to over 800 litres once the seats are folded. What Ferrari will not offer, but offer you to buy, is of course a very chic luggage set to help you make the most of that space to arrive in style! And finally the FF has a 91-litre tank, meaning you can do at least 500 km before you have to stretch your legs and admire it from the outside, which certainly won’t hurt. The quality of a daily-driver however also lies in its quality and reliability, and it’s here that the FF impresses even more. The interior looks fantastic and is well built – clearly a level above the previous generation. Guarantee and service packages when the car was new were extensive in most markets, and the quality is also proven by how unlike many other Ferraris, most FF’s have a lot of km on the clock and it’s rare to find a car that has barely been driven.

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The FF offered owners a lot of options for individualization and it’s not rare to find cars that cost EUR 350.000 or more as new. This can obviously be interesting when you look to pick one up today, and if you plan on buying one and will be more than two persons using it, I would be on the lookout for the panoramic glass roof which makes the rear much lighter. Quite obviously though, the most important by far is making sure the car has been properly serviced and that both the engine and the electronics are in order. Ideally, one owner will have used the car in a way where it wasn’t his city driver and where he didn’t require assistance of the four-wheel drive system too often. If you can find that, then it’s less important if the car has 20.000 or 50.000 km on the clock. And if you know your Ferraris, there’s nothing hindering you from considering cars with even higher mileage. Those will start at EUR 90-100.000, those with less km start coming in at EUR 120-130.000, and there’s quite a few cars in the market, so realistically some negotiating potential as well. That price fall is not unique compared to other Ferrari models but at one third of the price as new, to me the FF is the one that offers the best combination of many qualities, making it an (almost) reasonable purchase, and one that will make you smile every time you turn the key!