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2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo First Test: Full Numbers for the Land-Based Missile

When you acquire a car with a prancing horse on the hood, you expect greatness. And the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo is indeed great. It delivers thrilling acceleration, lightning-quick shifts, and a gorgeously spare interior. As a daily driver, the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo provides an appropriate aura and mystique that make the hoi polloi turn their heads. Its Bumpy Road suspension mode gives you a magic carpet ride over freeway expansion joints and the peasantry. Similarly, under hard-driving or instrumented-testing conditions, you should be overwhelmed by a Ferraris awesomeness. And while the F8 Tributo we tested delivers cheek-rippling off-the-line numbers, we were merely whelmed by many other performance measures when compared to other vehicles of its ilk. --> Call us a bit jaded, sure, as we drive more than a few Ferraris around these parts. And weve become accustomed to some truly spectacular accomplishments out of Maranello of late, such as the stoopid-fast 812 Superfast and the classic GT experience of the Roma. So it was a bit startling when the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo didnt exactly deliver what was expected. On paper, it looks ready enough: The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 churns out 711 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque through a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. With a curb weight of 3,398 pounds, that translates to a weight-to-power ratio of a stunning 4.8 lb/hp. With a 060 mph time of 2.9 seconds, a 0100 time of 5.8 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 10.5 seconds at 139.3 mph, the F8 Tributo is seriously quick .   And although we rarely test at the half-mile, we did for this years Worlds Greatest Drag Race , where the race-winning Ferrari F8 posted a formidable 16.2 seconds at 169.4 mph. (Actually, it was 16.16 seconds. We needed the second decimal because the second-place Porsche 911 Turbo S crossed the finish line in 16.19 seconds, or trailing by 5.7 feet.) So far so good, right? Coming down from those speeds is also pretty impressive, braking from 60 to 0 mph in a mere 98 feet. However, you would expect a $386,288 exotic to perform that test better than a mere base Corvette Z51 or a nose-heavy Mustang Shelby GT500 except it doesnt. As for the figure eight (or, appropriately, F8), the Tributo completes the task in 22.8 seconds at 0.93 average g. How hard does it accelerate in the wee gap between the two circles? Quick enough to upshift from second to third to fourth gear, then back down to second under braking. But look through our test results archive, and you find the Tributo is bested by its predecessor, the 488 GTB, which turned a 22.6 at 0.99. Others quicker around el ocho include two cars from this years Best Drivers Car competition, the Porsche 911 Turbo S , and the Lamborghini Huracn Evowhich ended up winning the whole shebang. The Ferrari would sometimes walk pretty seriously sideways exiting the corners, but if you keep the steering aimed at the target, all is gooditll settle down and go there, said testing director Kim Reynolds (who is known to be quicker around the figure eight than Ferraris own factory test driver) . The software in CT mode is excellent, letting you dance the car but not have to chase the tail. Thats his way of saying the F8 Tributo is a bit of a handful. Other drivers felt leery about pushing the limits; our road test editor Chris Walton called it spooky. And Walton doesnt spook easily. Another yardstick we use for these exotic cars is their lap times at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca , measured as part of our Best Drivers Car competition . In this case, the F8 Tributo completed the circuit in 1:32.27, which is pretty dang quick for a road-going production car except it accomplished the feat only after a complete brake rebuild . Whats more, its predecessor 488 GTB lapped Laguna Seca 0.6 second quicker. Still, that makes the F8 Tributo the second-quickest production Ferrari weve taken around the circuit. Theres also the matter of how the F8 Tributo accomplishes these test results. While its numbers are impressive, the staff was underwhelmed by its wooden brake-pedal feel, looming corner-exit oversteer, and super-quick steering ratio combined with too-light steering feel. We were also bummed by the lack of a thrilling engine or exhaust note; it sounded a bit restrained, especially compared to the Huracns window-shattering shriek . Whereas the 488 GTB that won BDC back in 2017 felt connected to our hearts and minds, Walton concluded this test and described the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo at speed as intermittent thrills and chills followed by clenched teeth and relief. Some people want that sort of driving dynamic from their high-priced exotic car ($277,480 base price, with $108,808 in options, as tested). Heck, some folks prefer it. But after the wonderment with which we beheld the 488 GTB, we feel the new F8 Tributo is a bit of a step backward for Ferrari. POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8 alum block/heads VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 238.1 cu in/3,902 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 9.6:1 POWER (SAE NET) 711 hp @ 7,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 568 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm REDLINE 8,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 4.8 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 4.38:1/2.81:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 11.9:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 1.9 BRAKES, F; R 15.7-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 9.0 x 20-in; 11.0 x 20-in, carbon fiber composite TIRES, F;R 245/35R20 95Y; 305/30R20 105Y Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 KR DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 104.3 in TRACK, F/R 66.0/64.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 181.5 x 77.9 x 47.5 TURNING CIRCLE 38.7 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,398 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 41/59% SEATING CAPACITY 2 HEADROOM NA in LEGROOM NA in SHOULDER ROOM NA in CARGO VOLUME 7.1 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.3 sec 0-40 1.8 0-50 2.3 0-60 2.9 0-70 3.5 0-80 4.2 0-90 4.9 0-100 5.8 0-100-0 9.5 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.2 QUARTER MILE 10.5 sec @ 139.3 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 98 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.06 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 22.8 sec @ 0.93 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 92.27 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,250 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $277,480 PRICE AS TESTED $386,288 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 4: Dual front, front side/head BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/Unlimited miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 3 yrs/Unlimited miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/Unlimited miles FUEL CAPACITY 20.6 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 15/19/16 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 225/177 kWh/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.17 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium The post 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo First Test: Full Numbers for the Land-Based Missile appeared first on MotorTrend .

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/ferrari/f8/2020/2020-ferrari-f8-tributo-first-test/

 

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