Can Ferrari’s SF90 Do A 700 Mile Road Trip?
Ferrari’s 1000 horsepower hybrid SF90 is their most powerful car yet. But can it be enjoyed on a road trip to Isle of Man?
One thousand horsepower is kind of the new standard by which all new hypercars must measure up. The SF90 does that handily, thanks to a turbo V8 and electric power. It has, in fact, four individual power units. But how good is it on a road trip? Harry Metcalfe from Harry’s Garage set out to answer this odd, yet relevant question. Being a hybrid actually lends itself well to long haul drives. By Metcalfe’s calculations, the hypercar gets nearly 23 miles per gallon when you don’t dip into the throttle all that much. Plus, with an all electric range of about 20 or so miles, there’s a number of times where it comes in handy. But, it has nearly nothing in terms of storage capacity in the front boot. So pack light.
With a destination like Isle of Man, the country roads are naturally going to be a draw. But the TT course is the main attraction. Several sections of which are unrestricted. What a perfect environment to get to know the SF90. Harry at first is impressed with the notion that 1000 horsepower is able to be tamed so easily. “Brake management is good. I know a lot of it is coming from the regenerative braking, but I’m not feeling it from here,” he notes. The steering is sharp, but feels just a bit disconnected. That’s troublesome, and being so fast with so little feel has its drawbacks.
“You are a passenger. And you just witness the things flying at you. That you don’t believe you’re going that quick into a corner. It’s just unnerving.” Meanwhile Metcalfe points out that the 812, with just 2 wheel drive delivers a more lively and enjoyable experience, because you know when you’ve pushed the car to its limits.
Metcalfe does point out that other manufacturers struggle with the 1000 horsepower mark. Namely McLaren and the Artura. But ultimate speed sacrifices driver involvement. Metcalfe concludes, “Ferrari has a car called the 296 GTB in the range… and I predict that might be the better car over the SF90.”
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