Ferrari SF90 Spider review

• What is it?
• Give me some stats then… 
• Can I drive it on electric power alone?
• What’s the roof like?
• How much is it?
• What's the verdict?
• What is it like to drive?
• How does it sound?
• Can it go around corners?
• Is it uncomfortable?
• What is it like on the inside?
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

It wasn’t that long ago that Ferrari launched the extremely limited 651bhp Enzo to act as its eponymous flagship, with a claimed 400 being put into production and order slots only opened to the firm’s most valuable customers.

Ferrari does still take that particular route with its Icona cars of course, but nowadays those aren’t necessarily the pinnacle in terms of performance. In fact, any old lottery winner can walk into a dealership and place an order for a 986bhp SF90 Stradale, which pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors to produce its 1,000 metric horsepower. Compare that to the paltry 828bhp produced by the 1-of-599, £2 million, impossible-to-get-hold-of Daytona SP3 and you’ll see what we mean.

And now, to really hammer home that the hybridised SF90 is genuinely a part of the ‘regular’ product range, Ferrari has chopped the roof off to create the Spider.

Give me some stats then… 

The SF90 Spider gets exactly the same powertrain as the coupe. That means a combined 986bhp and 664lb ft of torque to blow your barnet off, with the internal combustion engine looking after the rear wheels and two of the electric motors trying to keep up with the fronts.

The 0-62mph sprint is dispatched in 2.5 seconds (the same as the Stradale), while 0-124mph takes 0.3 seconds longer or 7.0 seconds in total. We reckon that’s plenty quick enough though. Head on over to the driving tab of this review for more on how that feels.

Plus, in non-objective news, we also think it looks better than the Stradale, with the two buttresses behind the seats adding some visual drama to the upper half of the SF90.

Can I drive it on electric power alone?

You certainly can – this is a proper plug-in hybrid after all. Charge up the 7.9kWh battery and if you’re light of foot you’ll manage around 16 miles of all-electric running at speeds of up to 84mph. Plus, there’s no reverse in the V8’s gearbox, so all backing up is done on electric power too.

What’s the roof like?

It’s a similar hard-top, flip-back action to lots of recent roofless Ferraris, which means it’s a rapid and rather well-packaged system. It might not be glamourous to talk about packaging when chatting about an almost-1,000bhp supercar, but it’s quite remarkable that Ferrari has managed to squeeze in a folding tin-top, a plug-in hybrid powertrain and a V8 engine into a standard production car.

How much is it?

Ah yes, it’s not cheap. This may be part of Ferrari’s mainstream product range, but prices for the SF90 Spider still start at £418,233. Ouch. Also, it’s unlikely you’ll be avoiding the options list. There’s more on that over on the buying tab though.

If you consider the stats, contemplate the powertrain and experience the sheer performance of the SF90, it really is remarkable that Ferrari is able to offer it as part of its core model range. It’s ludicrously complicated, stupendously-clever and obscenely fast, and now they’ve doubled down on the fact that it’s a standard car by offering the equally-brilliant Spider.

Rival manufacturers must be alarmed at the way Ferrari has embraced hybridisation in its mainstream cars, and the 10-out-of-10 296 GTB proves that the SF90 learnings translate into its smaller supercars too.

The Spider doesn’t quite score that highly in our eyes thanks to its sometimes strange four-wheel drive feel and its poor practicality, but it’s still a technical masterpiece – perhaps even more so than the coupe.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

Surprisingly the SF90 doesn’t actually feel all that quick. Nah, just kidding… it’s an absolute rocketship.

Like in the Stradale, push the throttle pedal at any speed and at any revs and you’re transported into the next dimension. There’s so much traction under acceleration, although you will notice the front wheels helping out as the 217bhp of electric power scrabbles away at the tarmac to assist the 769bhp firecracker at the rear. A slightly strange feeling but one that you can quickly get used to.

A launch control start is absolutely savage, with the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox cycling through cogs at relentless speed and the combination of electric power and turbocharging offering a constant surge forward. Remember, 0-62mph is dealt with in just 2.5 seconds. Overtakes need to be recalibrated in your brain, with just the smallest gap needed to blast past slow-moving traffic, particularly when you’re in Performance or maximum-attack Qualifying mode.

How does it sound?

Obviously all of this speed is made even more visceral by chopping the roof off, and Ferrari has managed to avoid too much buffeting, so thankfully the main sound isn’t rapidly-travelling wind noise. Of course this powertrain doesn’t quite have the soul of a big V12, but it’s an angry, urgent noise that suits the hectic, sports car nature of the SF90. They certainly haven’t toned it down to be a better roofless grand tourer.

Can it go around corners?

Of course it can. Braking into a corner you’ll notice (or should we say won’t notice) how well integrated the SF90’s regenerative braking is. The brake-by-wire system blends said regen to get charge back into the battery with proper pad to disc friction, and somehow the result isn’t a disjointed pedal. Perhaps it’s not the last word in feel, but you’re never left wondering what the car is up to underneath you, and the stopping power is remarkable.

The electronic power steering too is ultra-direct like in all modern Ferraris, but at road speeds at least the SF90 Spider doesn’t feel overly twitchy. Flick the regular Manettino from Sport to Race or CT Off though and you’ll be thankful for the rapid response. Opposite lock will be needed, but that’s only because the cornering speeds are huge, with the ultra-clever torque vectoring on the front axle allowing you to attack bends at ludicrous speed, confident in the knowledge that the tech will sort you out.

Is it uncomfortable?

It’s not. Obviously weight comes in to play when you’ve got a hybrid powertrain and folding roof, but the Spider’s chassis is strong and the suspension well-judged. It can get a little fidgety on the most bumpy of roads, but this is a sports car. Plus, if the surface is really poor then you’ve got the ‘bumpy road’ mode that’s activated by pressing the Manettino. Unless of course you’ve specced the optional Assetto Fiorano pack – that brings passive Multimatic dampers, 21kg of weight saving and an extended rear spoiler for extra downforce.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Other than the headroom, not too much has changed in here from the coupe. Ahead of you is a very busy steering wheel, with Ferrari sticking to its ‘eyes on the road, hands on the wheel’ philosophy. All of your drive modes are on there, as well as the Manettino, lights, indicators, wipers, a touch-sensitive start/stop button, phone connectivity controls and a haptic touchpad that looks after the screen behind.

It’s not the most intuitive thing to use, that touchpad, but the screen it looks after is a lovely curved 16-inch unit that shows all of your dials, media and navigation. You’ve then got climate controls within easy reach on a separate touch-sensitive panel to your side, while the drive selector aims to ape an old open-gate manual gearbox. We don’t mind that – it’s nice to see Ferrari having a bit of fun.

The optional JBL audio system is impressive too – although you’d hope it would be for £3,552. What’s not so great is the boot space. In fact it’s rather laughable. We praised the packaging earlier, but thanks to the twin electric motors and fancy aero up front there’s a very small letterbox under the bonnet that supposedly passes as a boot. Plus, unlike in the Stradale there’s no space behind the seats in the Spider. Two-up road trips? Forget it unless you don’t mind re-wearing underpants.

Buying

What should I be paying?

Hmm, perhaps it’d be best not to ask that question. If you’re scraping around to try and stump up the £418,233 base price then you’re in trouble, because once you’ve added a few essential options the SF90 Spider gets perilously close to costing half a million pounds.

We’ll set out a few examples here. Apple CarPlay connectivity is a £2,400 option. The handy nose lift function is £3,264. Alcantara seats are £1,056, and if you want them to be electronically-adjustable then that’s an extra £4,032. Leather and Alcantara carpets are a mind-boggling £3,360. The titanium sports exhaust (which surely should be standard fit) is £1,440 and front parking sensors are £864. And that’s all before you start wanting certain bits made out of carbon fibre. Then things get REALLY expensive. Oh, and the Assetto Fiorano pack is an additional £39,360.

But alas, a 1,000bhp Ferrari was never going to be cheap, and if you look at it another way then £500,000 could potentially be construed as good value compared to the Icona series. Plus you get a four-year warranty and seven years of servicing thrown in too. Try those arguments with your better half, see how the persuasion goes…

Keyword: Ferrari SF90 Spider review