Ferrari 812 Superfast review – interior and tech
The pinnacle of front-engined Ferrari engineering, the 812 melds mind-warping performance with a chassis that draws you into the action
Sliding behind the wheel of the 812 is a moment to savour. The long arm and short leg driving position is a bit of an Italian throwback, but the low-slung layout makes you feel instantly at home. Visibility isn’t too bad either, which is a good thing in a car as wide and low as this.
As with all Ferraris, the steering wheel is chock full of controls, including buttons for the lights, indicators and wipers, plus the trademark manettino that controls the various driver modes and stability control settings. It is however one of the last Ferraris to not use the infuriating haptic controls, giving the 812 a certain timelessness by comparison. We never knew we’d be saying that when this busy style of wheel first arrived with the 458.
Ahead of the driver is a TFT dial pack that houses a giant rev counter and a phalanx of configurable minor instruments. As an option you could have a similar screen that sits in front of the passenger, distracting them from the fear induced by the car’s ferocious performance. The rest of the minor controls are laid out on a spar that runs between the front seats.
You can’t fault the quality of the interior, but some of the plastics used feel a little, ahem, like they’ve come out of a Fiat. Still, ignore these and take in the beautifully finished carbonfibre inserts and the lovely Alcantara coverings and all is forgiven.
The 812 had the full gamut of tech when new, from satnav through to Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay, back when that was a very expensive option. The infotainment functions are all grouped on a screen to the left of the main dial pack and are accessed via a fairly intuitive rotary and push-button controller. A bit apologetic but also, oddly refreshing, compared to the enormous unnavigable touch screens of today.
