Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories ACCESS drive fights hunger, creates hope Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Prayers for snow in year's second Mount Ashland blessing Kiwanis club invites fifth-graders to write flag essay AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank Education Kiwanis club invites fifth-graders to write flag essay AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank Ashland High School: Students get schooled in interviewing The future of SOU's McNeal Pavilion doesn't include a pool AuCoin named to SOU Board of Trustees Environment Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda CR-V Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Standing Stone stands up for Emergency Food Bank Find your holiday spirit in Ashland’s Season of Celebration Oregon gained 9,900 jobs in October Politics and elections Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Kitzhaber wins fourth term Merkley wins re-election by wide margin State News Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Robert E. Johnson Death Notices In Loving Memory of Sports Latest Stories Raiders rout Pioneers, to play Carroll in QFs Southern Oregon men place second at nationals; women 18th Atanda's 16 kills powers SOU to first-round rout SOU men, women win Empire Classic openers SOU cross country teams aim to make splash at nationals High school Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Georgia Williams commits to Columbia Gabe Lehrburger, Grizzlies clean house in MWL all-star voting Southern Oregon University Raiders rout Pioneers, to play Carroll in QFs Southern Oregon men place second at nationals; women 18th Atanda's 16 kills powers SOU to first-round rout SOU men, women win Empire Classic openers SOU cross country teams aim to make splash at nationals Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Thanksgiving and shopping Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Frank Mulligan: They say fame is fleeting Granlund cartoon: Buffalo snow Editorial Our view: Keep it simple in OSF courtyard Our view: Expanding the season Our View: Our view: Generating a good idea Our View: Looking beyond the snow Letters Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 15 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 10 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 3 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Guest Opinion: Save the SOU swimming pool Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Herb Rothschild: TPP agreement draws opposition from all sides Guest Opinion: A meaningful step toward political bipartisanship Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Oregon Poetry Association's fall contest winners Movie listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Nov. 20-28 Caleb Klauder Band and The Steel Wheels play the Unitarian Stewart crafts a fine film in 'Rosewater' Theater New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Bass Clarinet Takeover Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ stays true to form Interview: Jennifer Aniston continues to shed good-girl image Movie listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Stewart crafts a fine film in 'Rosewater' Interview: Steve Carell gets grim Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories It Is What It Is: Thanksgiving is wherever your heart is Ride & Drive: 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Kitchen Call: Both sides of the kiddie table Jeff Vrabel: Ms. Pac-Man makes Chuck E. Cheese more bearable Go Ask Alice: Black Friday shopping? It never dawned on me Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW ACCESS drive fights hunger, creates hope ... Ashland Calendar ... AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank ... ACCESS drive fights hunger, creates hope ... Ashland Calendar ... AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank ... Silvio Calabi: Does 'FF' mean Family Ferrari? By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Nov. 10, 2014 @ 7:29 am By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Nov. 10, 2014 @ 7:29 am » Social News If you have to talk your spouse into a Ferrari, the FF is the one, and this is how you do it: No, honey, it’s not a sports car. It’s a hatchback with four seats — there’s room for the kids, the groceries, your mother. It’s got four-wheel drive, for crying out loud, and cruise control. It’s practical! FF buyers even qualify for free scheduled maintenance for seven years, to cover those pesky $150 per hour labor charges and $300 oil changes. And then you’d take her for a ride. Naturally, you’ll do this on a day when the conditions are marginal, and you won’t dip further than about midway into the gas. This is to emphasize the all-weather capability and comfort of the car, and to calm the misgivings that arose when you held down the Engine Start button. The 6.3-liter V-12 lights off like a clap of thunder, an explosive bark that turns heads for a block around. (You might dismiss this as mere Italian bravado.) Oh, and you should set the drive-mode switch — in Ferrari-speak, the manettino, “hand lever” — at least to Comfort, if not Ice/Snow. This softens the ride and decaffeinates the steering, engine and gearbox so that you may tiptoe around as if you were in any old ordinary super-luxury car, sort of. The FF can feel fairly docile while motoring along with the other commuters, and it’s possible to forget what you’re driving for minutes at a stretch. Nudge the gas gently and the semi-automatic dual-clutch transmission stays in high gear as the engine digs for torque. Bang the throttle, however, and your wake-up call is a swift double downshift, a riotous blare from the quadruple exhaust cannons and an almighty 651-horsepower shove. Then, mission accomplished, the car will settle back like some fierce beast that’s relaxed but watchful and easy to rouse. “FF” stands for Ferrari Four, as in four seats and four-wheel drive. Four-place Ferraris have come along before, but this is the company’s first production 4X4. The 4WD system in the FF is unique. While the seven-speed transmission sits above the rear axle—a transaxle—there’s another gearbox at the front of the engine that has two speeds. The first one meshes with first and second gear, and then the second one takes over when the FF is in third or fourth gear. Hit fifth, or about 125 miles per hour, and the front power takeoff disengages. Evidently Ferrari feels that’s the limit for ice or snow, and who are we to disagree? Would you take the FF to its 208-plus-MPH limit on anything other than dry pavement? At most, about 20 percent of the power goes to the front wheels, but both axles can vary the torque from side to side too, depending on need. Four-wheel drive is also available in reverse, but not at all when the manettino is set on Sport. Then, like any other Ferrari, the FF “defaults” to super-high-performance RWD. In any mode, the FF benefits from the latest in electronic traction control. Ferrari’s patented 4RM system saves about half the weight of conventional 4WD. This, plus the rear transaxle and placing that great lump of an engine behind the front axle, helps balance the FF almost evenly fore-and-aft. For a longish, two-ton car, the FF is highly responsive and, while it doesn’t change direction like a jackrabbit, it carves through sweepers like a TGV locomotive on rails. Switch off the traction control, though, and a good driver can pivot the FF around hairpin bends all day long — to music from the thrilling Ferrari V-12 and clouds of expensive tire smoke from the rear. But that would be so wrong. Remember, we’re selling this at home as a family car. No spouse could fail to be impressed by the tailored caramel-and-champagne interior, trimmed in black leather, brushed alloy and carbon fiber, or the superb seats and stereo sound, and the spacious, airy cabin. Clambering into the body-hugging rear buckets isn’t difficult (the front seats purr forward and then return to position) and adults are comfortable back there. It’s an especially nice place to be under the available panoramic sky roof. There’s one last hurdle, of course, to making the case at home: Four-place world domination doesn’t come cheap, or even reasonable. With nearly a hundred grand in options, at least half of which we’d have ordered, this FF’s price tag read $375,087. Plus - Practicality and world domination in one package - Nearly-every-day drivability - Available Ferrari child safety seats (red) Minus - Four seats need four doors - Constant threat to operating privileges - $375,087 sticker Silvio Calabi reviews the latest from Detroit, Munich, Yokohama, Gothenburg, Crewe, Seoul and wherever else interesting cars are born. Silvio is a member of the International Motor Press Association whose automotive reviews date back to the Reagan administration. He is the former publisher of Speedway Illustrated magazine and an author. Contact him at [email protected]. By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Nov. 10, 2014 @ 7:29 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501