Ferrari 296 GTB on test

V6 in Ferrari, plug-in hybrid. Is it just an example of tax savings for company cars? No, also a victim of sedation. It is intended to reduce the anger of the environmentalist zeitgeist – on the fast flat burners, run by old white people. Compared to the previous model F8 Tributo with biturbo V8, the sacrifice has two cylinders, which on the other hand saves on the mass of moving and internal friction, as well as length and overall weight. So a small, light mid-engined two-seater, maybe even cheaper?

Combat weight of 1,639 kg

A battery pack with a capacity of only 7.5 kWh pushes an extra 73 kg onto one’s bottoms. However, according to Ferrari, the 296 weighs only 35 kg more than its weaker 110 hp predecessor, the F8 Tributo. The editorial level later shows 1,639 kg with a full tank. Very strong, new.

The 296 is a plug-in hybrid thanks to a rechargeable battery and an electric axial flow engine that produces 315 Nm, sits between the combustion engine and the transmission and acts as a starter generator, among other things. A three-disc dry clutch engages and disengages the electric motor very well. Unlike the SF90 Stradale, the car assembly drives only the rear wheels. With a power of 830 hp.

The V6 delivers 663 hp. Output of liters: 222, no numbers passed! In terms of impressive names 296 (2.9 liters, six cylinders), Ferrari surrounds the transfer.

In fact, it’s a three-liter that really roars when working – as a result of the daring angle of the bank of 120 degrees. That almost gives him a block boxer look. Up top sit the dual IHI supercharger manifolds, and they roar wonderfully with 2.1 bar boost pressure. In general: listening, that’s what it’s all about at Ferrari. Why such a small V6 cylinder is in doubt.

Acoustic illusion

Now, at Ferrari, they understand acoustic illusions – the naturally aspirated V8 of the F355, for example, screams through the block like a V12 racing engine. For the V6, the engineers created another curiosity: an ear trumpet in the exhaust, before the filters, which washes away unwanted particles as well as unwanted frequencies. Ferrari picks them up first, directs them to a large compartment in a two-seater box. There you sit close to the front axle, your legs are slightly lowered to the right, and forget how many cars are still following behind you – the 296 insists on a width of 2.3 meters, especially when meeting a timber truck. New is not small.

Brief overview: Large instrument display, air-conditioned touchscreen island. And the tangled rudder of Babylon’s control. start button? Touch point at six o’clock – OMG! It’s not as convenient as the infotainment thumb swipe operation via the capacitive field. Fortunately, there is an analog Manettino with an important additional function: if you press it, the shock absorbers change to follow mode.

Economical combustion engine

Let’s finally let the ignition fly – and the bolide sounds electric. This is annoying, but it works for a distance of 20 km in the test. The axial flow motor drives the Ferrari powerfully, easily accelerating it to the recommended speed on the highway. Later we determine the consumption of 33 kWh, converted to 100 km. When the battery is empty, the drive that uses combustion to a large extent in hybrid mode has a content of 8.8 l/100 km amazing. The battery in the 11 kW wall box is fully charged in one and a half hours.

In hybrid mode, the position of the gas pedal also determines when the electrons or carbon compounds should provide energy. A little further away, the V6 barks and fires up nicely. Could this be? The sound is reminiscent of the 3.5-liter BMW M GmbH of the 1980s. At least up to about 3,500 rpm.

With more pressure on the touch field on the left side of the steering wheel, we end up in performance mode, which has enough storage in the battery for adding electricity. What remains, highlighted in red, is “Graduation” – full power, full addition. Here the combustion engine charges the battery strongly and continuously: at partial load, while waiting at the intersection; you see it in the increased idleness of the sawing, you can see it in the display. The two seats even recover when the clutch is removed, which has a negative effect on our coastal tests (see power consumption at 130 km / h).

power without end

On the other hand, the electric motor also likes to make power, it pushes out of nowhere, lifting the 296 forward while the turbos are still swinging. It’s only around 3500 rpm that the IHI’s two superchargers fade into obscurity, thrust and sound double their game: the three-bend crankshaft and 1-6-3-4-2-5 firing order cause acoustic confusion, as seen more cylinders. Eight maybe, in the traditional flatplane mode, one argues. Moments later, it pushes the thoughts out of your head: At 6000 rpm, madness breaks out over the car. About twelve jars? At least there is a full on twelve, but something: Wheelspin still in third gear! heartbeat. And – important – surprise.

Since they have incorporated the drama of the F40 biturbo impact into the characteristics of the V6. Washes two seats in the break area. The airlock is too sudden, the gear changed too quickly, the speed too high, the brakes have to intervene too early. The trick is to spot the odd climbs with small bends and maximum bends – find the 2nd/3rd gear radii. Moreover, expert and willing to end up in the frustration area of ​​the least challenging and most powerful.

Surprisingly, caution is required, especially under ideal conditions: on dry pavement and warm tires, you cannot avoid pulling with g forces – Ferrari screams for future power, it wants to be challenged, to give, to show its skills. A world-class entertainer who calls a talented sidekick into the driver’s seat. And after self control.

After all, the power consumption of the line helps to keep 740 Nm in the trick. After all, the feel of the brake pedal helps to reduce the measured overspeed. After all, analytical feedback from the front and rear axles helps to accurately classify what is happening. At least the self-driving behavior, which tends to under moderate load, helps the safety situation. And after all, the high-end suspension in Soft mode helps keep the wheels where they can transmit maximum power. If the two seats did not have this stubborn mechanical traction, then its 830 hp would be more of a burden than a pleasure – look at the central engine and the tendency to spin.

If the conditions and talent are exactly right, you can turn basic power into driving pleasure. Once you understand that it wants to be driven by a sensitive rather than a heavy gas foot, then the 296 is very quick in relation to the radii and shows speed not only on the speedometer – although sometimes there are strong numbers. Which, on the other hand, is also true: this Ferrari mercilessly shows its driver when he stumbles into a corner. Anyone who currently believes that he can reach the end of the nature of this two-seat mid-engine out of two exits will only get to know the long eighth gear, the stable center position of the steering wheel and the curiosity of Michelin about. ruts to increase performance explosion.

Getting it right takes practice

During the rain, the very simple dosing of the electric-turbo combination helps; but what starts out as gently as it does when you step on the gas has motivation even with minimal pedal travel. In any case, the cool Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S can do little for a lot of motivation and hand it over to a well-tuned ESP. Or, with “CT off”, lead them to the tail pan. Its correction needs to be done, otherwise the indirectly translated orientation threatens to overreact, which creates chaos in surfing. It is more compliant in the dry than in the wet and can be balanced better below 6,000 rpm than above.

Another note from Hockenheim: Only on the racetrack can the Bravehearts do the exciting work in their dens according to their status. But a 1.6-tonne truck is no more reliable as a tracking vehicle than a 2.3-metre-wide sports car to whet the appetite for country roads. So is the 296 a high street bolter and a boulevard flâneur?

Height Weight Spiral

He is drawn to where there is space. Ferrari doesn’t show any intention of bringing back the weight of the pixels. Political obstinacy about electrification ultimately reinforces it. The extra pounds from a hybrid car are only offset by the extra horsepower. 296 simply puts the number of pistons in the diet, which more than compensates for the boost pressure and electric power. Despite the cylinder exemption, it is not cheap – the seller wants at least 283,185 euros, for the F8 Tributo it was 228,660 in 2021. In return, you get an excessively large, excessively heavy and excessively powerful hybrid sports car that burns incredible performance of driving to the track that makes you dizzy: 2.9 seconds to 100, 7.6 to 200 and 19.3 to 300 km/h.

Let’s consider it without the hybrid for a moment: Without the battery pack and the electric motor, we can offer almost five percent in size and a targeted 150 kg for the thumb, ending up at 1,489 kg. 663 hp will be pure joy with it. And we first.

Some customers have probably already asked for such a variant, as one hears – quite contrary to the supposed zeitgeist.

Opinion poll

Of course – otherwise it’s not a real Ferrari for me.

Not at all – it is not for nothing that more than half of Ferraris now leave the factory in a different color.

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Conclusion

The tester praises the cooperative chassis, high limit, effective ESP, smooth hybrid drive, brute force, trouble-free electric drive. The sports driver, on the other hand, complains about the incomprehensible width and too much weight; less will be more (happy driving).