Downsizing isn’t a dirty word at Ferrari.
A much smaller outside-side version of the F8 Spider it replaces, The new Ferrari 296 GTS has ditched its 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 engine in favour of a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 supported by ‘Plug-in hybrid system’.
cause alarm? The engineering team in Maranello would say size doesn’t matter, and it is all about how you use what. And on paper there has a point
After all, a shorter wheelbase generally leads to’more agile car and when you look at the numbers, the hybrid system in the 296 is punch.
0-100km/h sprint takes 2.9 seconds; keep your foot in for 3.7 seconds longer and the speedo will be 200km/2h. Flat out, roof up or down, you’ll be doing 330km/3h
The GTS may look like a featherweight, with sinuous supermodel hips and’very low nose but delicate heavy weight numbers’ on the spec sheet.
In the real world, it’s even better than that.
How much does the Ferrari 296 GTS cost?
Opting to go top-down in the 296 adds $84,100 to the GTB coupe’s sticker price.
| Model | Price before on-roads |
|---|---|
| Ferrari 296 GTB | $604,000 |
| Ferrari 296 GTS | $688,146 |
To see how the Ferrari 296 GTS stacks up against it rivals, use our comparison tool.
What is the Ferrari 296 GTS like on the inside?
Breathe in, because the 296 is pretty tiny inside.
A bum is on the floor and, in my case – your head gently tickling the roof lining. Good thing it’s Spider right?
And there’s a lot of drama here, from the button-heavy steering wheel to the wraparound setup in front of the driver and that’ll be before you start up the engine.
You know, as you’d think of a Ferrari, there’s an ‘learning curve’ here.’ The only things that are going through the steering column are the massive carbon paddle shifters (all your controls were placed on the wheel-– that’t indicators, headlights, everything).
You quickly get the indicators and wipers pressed, but the touchpad on the right-hand spoke of the steering wheel is always painful. Sometimes it’s sensitive, sometimes it takes a firm stab to register an input… occasionally even when it just won’t recognize an entry at all.
This makes it a bit of an extremely cool standard display (with swaying central rev counter like we’ve come to expect) into Apple CarPlay much harder than it should be. And getting around Carplay itself requires so much time with your eyes off the road that it is probably worse than just grabbing your phone and doing what it needs to do.
Firstly, these are first-world problems but they do undermine the car’s usability in normal driving. At least the climate controls are within easy reach.
It’s a great sense of quality.’ The little toggles for your gear selection ‘made to look like an old gated manual– and the wheel is amazing, leather on the seats are soft and roof worked perfectly during our time with the car.
It’s the kind of car where a big-mouthed passenger can get you in all sorts of trouble, and passengers are shown their own display (which is what they say to media information or how fast you’re going.’ Be careful who you show your speed as well as being kept on track for this type of advert.
In our tester’s test, the seats weren’t quite so grippy as they were in the carbon-backed buckets of the 296 GTB coupe we also drove but still had plenty of support at the bends. The heating is bun-roasting on cold mornings too.
Then for the boring storage stuff? There is a cupholder, key space on the transmission tunnel and wowed phone charger under dash. You’ll also get dipped into the door pockets.
Who said supercars can’t be practical?
To see how the Ferrari 296 GTS stacks up against it rivals, use our comparison tool.
What’s under the bonnet?
Ferrari calls the V6 in the 296 a piccolo V12 because of its unique, sonorous exhaust note.
| Specifications | Ferrari 296 GTS |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0L twin-turbo V6 PHEV |
| Engine output | 488kW |
| Electric motor outputs | 122kW + 315Nm |
| System outputs | 610kW + 740Nm |
| Battery | 7.45kWh |
| *Transmission* | 8-speed dual-clutch auto |
| Driven wheels | RWD |
| Weight | 1540kg (dry) |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 6.4L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | N/A |
| Electric driving range | 25km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 65 litres |
| Fuel requirement | 98 RON |
| CO2 emissions | 149g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6 |
It’s positioned impossibly low in the car and a quick poke around reveals how tightly it’s nestled under the bulkhead.
The weight of this hybrid system is between the axles, rather than hanging out the back or sitting up high where it could undermine the balance, as paraphraser explains.
To see how the Ferrari 296 GTS stacks up against it rivals, use our comparison tool.
How does the Ferrari 296 GTS drive?
This is a car of stunning contrasts.
A “shaptic start button” is a real-life, like an electric BMW. There’s no high-pitched starter histrionic or explosive burSt of revations; no hint as to the internal-combustion fury that lies inches from your head.
That’s a perfect supercar driver who wants to fly under the radar in town, where onlookers worry about the environment and/or their child’s hearing that you get dirty looks from V8 noises — or what your car says about late-stage capitalism, or… you got the idea.
No noise, but driver inputs are’real sense of purpose at any speed’ Ferrari has dialled back the hyperactive steering from the 458 Italia and 488 GTB (although it is not yet possible to hear that the directness of the GTS off-centre still takes some time to be used).
It needs very careful, deliberate inputs at the wheel; a hard-pressed brake pedal pushes to the top of its travel. A hybrid but not ‘Corolla’.
While the 25km of electric range is possible at city speeds, a twin-turbo V6 behind you and not actually using it feels criminal. When you’re away from prying eyes or your garage, it prods chequered flag on the left side of the sculptural steering wheel to change from Hybrid to Performance mode.
When you lean on the throttle at low revs as the turbo’s hiss, spit and flutter, the V6 fire with flat bark (and settles into a frenetic idle to warm up before simmering down) it makes some interesting noises at city speed; when you go back in the air while dropping off the central rear window funnels more noise into the cabin and lets you enjoy its vast range of moods.
The 296 hybrid setup is a terrifyingly effective, more than slick talker; the combination of petrol and electric power (and even on half throttle) is remarkable. Find the room to flatten the right-hand pedal and it accelerates like ‘toy car with God himself shoving you down the road’.
The influx is unrelenting and the V6 revs will make you wonder if I really loved V8 power at all. Digital rev needle, which has been so fast around the yellow rev counter in the lower gears that shift lights on the steering wheel aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential for me.
If you’re in Australia, brake… and breathe or laugh – wait for the flash, grab another gear with the big carbon paddles, hold tight, remember that you are there, then call your friends to tell them how damn good this thing is.
It doesn’t have an all-wheel drive system on hand to put the power down, but the GTS never feels flighty. In Sport, traction control keeps track of things and killing wheel spin before it can become anything more nefarious (although you’re always aware that this is a rear-driven thoroughbred).
It’s a perfect twisting road on thumping it’. The steering is impossible to control and the car always sits up on its toes, willing you to brake if you are going backwards (and then put on power – one bit later), let the engine sing and have the turbochargers whistle for more time; feel like God driving you towards the horizon harder.
The throttle pedal is a lightning response; there’s no sense in Performance – Qualifying – mode whereby the two turbochargers and e-motors are working together to increase the petrol V6 engine, You just get precise power delivery as you squeeze the accelerator. Light throttle, half throttle or full throttle: 296 is stunningly linear in what it gives you.
I can find so many layers here and in various ways of attacking this issue.’ Snapping down to the second gear gives you loads of noise and revs, but corners that might have been a second-placed corner in the F8 are actually third-gear corners here.
When it is in fourth and the 296 doesn’t sling out of slow corners as hard, you enjoy the feeling of the turbochargers frantically building boost – then noisily, unceremoniously dumping it when you lift that never fails to make a 1990s kid laugh.
Then it’s going to be a bit of. Carry too fast into the switchback on the cold, damp Corkscrew Road outside Adelaide and it will push at the front end; get greedy with the throttle (with 2600mm wheelbase) or you’re quickly reminded that this is – back-drive car which has 610kW on tap?
In Sport or Race, the electronic brain gives you a hint of slip before clamping down on things. If your surname is Leclerc that’s probably – it’ll be – lecLERc which means you can inch towards the limits of the car when one bad input will cause an expensive repair bill for people who live in public roads and don’t worry about what to do with their own cars.
Moving past Race to TC (addressed as “Race”) OFF removes traction control but maintain stability control, while the final stage leaves 610kW in your hands and under your right foot.
Although the ‘hardcore, hard-stifling and stiff’ equivalent of Berlinetta is probably not as pure or tough as it sounds like when you think that the convertible roof doesn’t add to this experience. The hardtop down you are exposed to smells and sounds of the world around you and you can enjoy the high-pitched vibrato sound of 3.0-litre engine as its bounces off rock walls or buildings.
If you’re at home, then you can nudge the car into Bumpy Road mode and let the central computer shuffle between electric and petrol power. The ride quality is truly remarkable for a low-slung thoroughbred and the amount of road roar in the cabin is more than acceptable at 100km/h.
It has so many personalities, this car.
What do you get?
So the standard equipment list below is just a starting point for your dream configuration, as no two examples of the 296 will be exactly the same.
Matrix LED headlights * Adaptive indicators * 20-inch alloy wheels * Magneride adaptive dampers * Car protection system * Tyre repair kit * Tyre pressure, temperature sensor * Keyless entry and start * Infotainment system + Bluetooth audio streaming + DAB digital radio * Apple CarPlay * Dual-zone air conditioning * Front, rear parking sensors *.
To see how the Ferrari 296 GTS stacks up against it rivals, use our comparison tool.
Is the Ferrari 296 GTS safe?
The 296 hasn’t been independently crash tested, and won’t be during its life.
But standard safety equipment includes four airbags and, in our tester, adaptive cruise control.
Aside from that, we don’t have the 296 of the active driver aids (including rear-cross traffic alert) which we expect from new cars in 2024. At this rate, it is a more than welcome to get the reversing camera and front/rear parking sensors.
How much does the Ferrari 296 GTS cost to run?
For the first seven years of Ferrari’s life, it offers a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on the 296 GTS and ‘the maintenance program’ which covers all scheduled servicing for its planned service.
Those service intervals are recommended at either 20,000km or once a year, whichever comes first.
To see how the Ferrari 296 GTS stacks up against it rivals, use our comparison tool.
CarExpert’s Take on the Ferrari 296 GTS
It’s a damn pretty 296 GTS, it could drive like an absolute dog and people would queue up to buy it.
Parked up in a South Australian town, it immediately drew a crowd.
Peter – one of the guests was keen on sitting inside and spent the next few minutes photographing the interior and asking questions about how the hybrid system works; another ran out of local bakery kitchen to take a photo for his friends.
Some supercars make people turn up their noses, but something about this car makes punters want to know more.
But the way it drives.’ Hybridised, downsized cars usually need caveats – ‘it’s soulless but damn fast and etc – although the 296 GTS is very charmed by itself all its own merits.
This power slink through town on electric power makes it more usable than ever, and the battery charge increases the fizzy, turbocharged V6 is witchcraft. Faster, with much deeper and polish than any plug-in hybrid system I’ve ever heard about.
That’s a delicious delicacy to the way it handles that’s so comprehensively blown up my running list of best cars I’ve ever driven, that the explosion was on the Richter scale.
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