If it had made it as pure a Ferrari sports car as an F430 Spider, it risked failing to win over the customers at whom it is aimed. Made too soft, however, it might as well have a Maserati badge on its nose and be £50,000 cheaper. Such are the dilemmas that face companies attempting to broaden their appeal without cheapening their brands.
On the whole it’s a line Ferrari has trodden well. No, the California is not always as much fun as we would like it to be and, flattering headline acceleration figure apart, we’re unconvinced that it feels entirely fast enough.
But despite the inevitable compromises that come from a folding metal roof, the California feels more like a ‘proper’ Ferrari than, say, a Cayenne feels like a proper Porsche. And for that Ferrari deserves much credit.
Like all other current Ferraris, the California’s chassis and body are both constructed from aluminium, while its layout is typical of front-engined Modenese cars: the motor is set well back in the chassis and drives through a transaxle gearbox. Coupled with the roof mechanism, the California has a slight weight bias to the rear.
In other areas it is a radical departure for Ferrari. The 4.3-litre engine, although sharing its block casting with the F430 and the engines Ferrari makes for Maserati, is Ferrari’s first motor with direct fuel injection.
It is not its peak power figure (of 453bhp) that’s the most impressive, but a peak torque figure of 357lb ft. Coming from a high-revving, flat-plane crank V8, this is a record specific output for a naturally aspirated petrol engine of 83lb ft per litre.
The engine drives through a rear-mounted seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with automatic and manual modes. Ferrari does not quote a shift time (the time during changes when there is no torque being transferred to the wheels) because the next gear is always pre-engaged.
The California is suspended at the front by double wishbones, as is typical on Ferraris, but there’s a further departure at the rear, where you’ll find a multi-link arrangement. Ferrari says this allows the small degree of longitudinal sway necessary to provide the California with the desired amount of comfort.
The California’s two-piece folding hood retracts into the boot in 14 seconds. As we’ll see, it’s this as much as any other mechanical aspect that defines the Ferrari’s personality.
The reason the California manages such impressive acceleration figures, despite its power-to-weight ratio, is in part a dual-clutch gearbox equipped with relatively short ratios, but also an ability to launch exceptionally well. With a relatively soft set-up, sticky tyres and a particularly impressive launch control system, the California gets off the line with almost zero wheel slip.
The California is a fast road car and, perhaps more important for the target market, one that is easy to drive. Ferrari’s first application of a dual-clutch gearbox is entirely successful. In automatic, the shifts are well timed and, with the possible exception of slow downchanges from cold, are as smooth as a conventional torque converter’s.
The California gets ceramic brake discs as standard. Outright stopping distances in both wet and dry are impressively short, and in track use the brakes stand up well to hard use.
The first surprise is how well the California rides. Such is the California’s comfort that you could easily use one to travel significant distances.
The reason for the suppleness becomes evident when you turn for your first corner, even before you happen to brake sharply. The California is set up incredibly softly, with noticeable roll on turn-in and dive under braking. Driven at four-tenths, this chassis set-up makes sense, as does the light, direct steering, which helps to make the California seem lighter than its claimed 1735kg. If perhaps not what we expect from Ferrari, this does make for a relaxing car to waft around in, occasionally dipping into the reserves of power.
Up the pace to seven-tenths and the set-up is less successful. If you concentrate sufficiently it is possible to drive the California remarkably quickly (witness our lap times), but the crunch is that it isn’t hugely engaging. Which for a Ferrari doesn’t seem right, and is also somewhat at odds with our experiences of the car at its launch.
Technically this is a 2+2, although as with most +2 seating types, the rears are strictly for small children or very short hops only. A luggage shelf can be specified instead but, either way, two flaps fold down to allow longer loads to creep through from the boot.
The front seats and the cabin layout are otherwise pretty standard Ferrari stuff, save for an electronic handbrake and a swooping central beam featuring the roof and gearbox controls.
Materials quality is generally good, as is the ergonomic layout. To pick faults, you’re looking at small details: the analogue speedo is hard to read and some of the plastics on smaller switches such as the mirror adjusters could be improved. They don’t, though, significantly detract from what is an attractive and functional interior.
The driving position is beyond serious criticism too; we’d steer clear of the optional seat surfacing of our test car, but there’s plenty of adjustment, the footwell is roomy, there’s no discernible offset and the steering wheel adjusts widely.
The California may be an easier Ferrari to live with than most, but don’t think that it’s a great deal easier to get into the ownership experience, which begins with a proper-Ferrari price and can easily be increased by dipping into a typically extensive (and expensive) options list. Ditto prices for insurance and servicing, which are on a par with other cars in Ferrari’s range.
If you drive enthusiastically and often, you’ll need tyres regularly, while residual values are best maintained by strict adherence to the service schedule. The California’s economy is not great, too. The 14.9mpg we averaged gives a range of less than 260 miles, despite a 17-gallon tank.
Initially at least, the California’s desirability and newness will help it to hold its value well. But five years down the line it will probably become subject to the same steep depreciation that afflicts all but the rarest, most expensive cars.
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