Five years ago, if you’d asked Ferrari engineers why they
didn’t use turbo-chargers, you probably would’ve gotten colorful responses
involving a lot of suggestive hand gestures. With very few exceptions (F40), forced
induction used to be blasphemous in Maranello- not enough aural emotion.
And now here we have the new California T, short for turbo.
What are we to make of this? Is Ferrari simply holding out on its entry-level
American customers, leaving the good, naturally aspirated stuff slightly out of
reach? Or has turbocharging somehow redeemed itself in better Modenese society?
Ferrari California
T front view
Before we answer the foregoing, know that the updated Cali
brings more than just a pair of turbos. All the sheet metal is new with the
exception of the folding roof. To flatten the car’s tall and ungainly rear end,
Ferrari pushed the taillights outboard, trimmed the trailing edge of the deck lid
by 0.5 inch, and reorganized the exhaust pipes from oddly stacked pairs to
more-conventional horizontal duals. The visual trickery works from the outside,
making the rear seem lower and wider. But there is no disguising the high trunk
from the driver’s seat. In the rearview mirror, it still looks like the car is
wearing a large backpack.
The new turbocharged engine is based on the Maserati V-8,
though block architecture is about all this 3.9-liter shares with the engine of
its corporate brother. The Ferrari version gets a flat-plane crankshaft,
special heads, and complex headers with three piece cast-and-welded
construction and equal-length runners. Those headers feed equally spaced
exhaust pulses to twin-scroll turbos, which charge the intake manifold with a
maximum of 18.9 psi of boost.
Ferrari California
T engine
In a frank moment, Ferrari admits that the 3.9’s throttle
response is slower than the outgoing 4.3-liter engine’s, though we found
negligible turbo lag. From Ferrari’s perspective, direct injection is the key
to making a turbo engine suitable for its clients. It may not quite have the
response of a naturally aspirated Ferrari mill, but it’s still got the goods: A
60-mph dash shouldn’t take more than 3.5 seconds with the quarter-mile coming
up in 11.6 ticks. Both are major improvements over the old California.
Ferrari claims the engine downsizing will pull the Cali out
of gas-guzzler-tax range, and we estimate E PA mileage of 17 mpg city, 24
highway. But the company also acknowledges the obvious: A heavy throttle will
diminish efficiency. We’d love to hear Ford admit that of its EcoBoost-branded
engines.
Ferrari California
T rear view
Still, the combination of improved fuel economy from a
smaller V-8 and increased performance bestowed by turbochargers was too much
for Ferrari to ignore.
Mash the accelerator pedal and there is just a faint whistle
indicating that this engine is force-fed. Lumber along in a higher gear and the
turbos muffle the exhaust note. At high rpm, though, the engine emits the
unmistakable wail of a flat-plane Ferrari V-8.
Ferrari California
T interior
Engine management manipulates the maximum available torque,
depending on the selected gear. About 430 pound-feet is on call in first
through third gears, ramping up slightly for each gear thereafter to a maximum
of 557 at 2750 rpm in seventh. This makes the 552-hp engine feel more likea
peaky, naturally aspirated V-8.
Like Barry White's, “smooth” is this touring car's mantra,
and the T does touring as well as any other 2+2 out there. With the newest
magnetorheological dampers and 12-percent-stiffer springs, the T rides
exceptionally well. What appear to be spine-smacking potholes come and go with
little more than some flutter and noise.
The California T
is quicker, more efficent and better-looking than the car it replaces, that
seems like a good deal to us
Test driver Fabrizio Toschi says the car will turn a
one-minute-28-second lap at Ferrari's Fiorano circuit, but that “it doesn't
matter in this kind of car.” Lightly weighted steering barely loads up in corners.
Nonetheless, the standard carbon ceramic brakes are built for track duty, with
plenty of feedback and pedal feel.
Will Ferrari turbocharge all its future models for
incremental gains in efficiency? Probably not. But we'll be sure to check back in
five years.
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Specifications
·
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger,
2-door convertible
·
Base price: $202,000
·
Engine type: Twin-turbocharged and intercooled dohc 32-valve
v-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
·
Displacement: 235 cu in, 3855 cc
·
Power: 552 hp @ 7500 rpm
·
Torque: 557 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm
·
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual
shifting mode
·
Dimensions: Wheelbase: 105.1 in; Length: 179.9 in; Width: 75.2
in; Height: 52.0 in; Curb weight: 4100 lb
·
Performance: Zero to 60 mph: 3.5 sec; Zero to 100 mph: 7.8 sec;
1/4-mile: 11.6 sec
·
Top speed: 196 mph
·
Projected fuel economy: Epacity/hwy: 17/24 mpg
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