Ferrari’s press material for the SF90 makes a promise that stands out somewhat among all the technical description around it: that the car’s hybrid system “does not make for a more complicated driving experience” than a conventional supercar might offer. The driver simply selects whichever power unit mode he or she likes and then concentrates on driving while the electronics take care of the rest.
It’s a fine theory, and it holds water up to a point. There are, however, some compromises to acknowledge here with regards to the handling purity and agility of the SF90 compared with Maranello’s modern mid-engined dynamic template, and the car’s associated drivability and capacity to entertain on a track.
This is certainly a fast and effective supercar when it comes to generating a lap time, and its handling balance, outright grip, body control and all-round precision aren’t remotely open to question at road speeds. If you like getting from A to B quickly, picking off slower-moving traffic with a torque-rich ease and ready composure that even a Nissan GT-R or Porsche 911 Turbo S driver would struggle to fathom, this supercar is quite emphatically for you. There is welcome extra weight about its characteristically fast power steering beyond what most modern Ferraris offer, and there’s a slightly dampened but still keen sense of accuracy and composure about this car that makes it feel unexpectedly intuitive and reassuringly stable on a fast, weaving A-road.
