Picturesque scenery and perfect weather combined with beautiful twisty mountain roads made for a most memorable drive through the Italian countryside. The first thing we noted is how smooth the ride is, as opposed to the harsh, aggressive feeling you get from an F430 -- but trust us, it still lives up to the Ferrari name. There's a lot more nosedive when entering a corner and a considerable amount of body roll going through and exiting a corner, but that's not a bad thing. Again, this is a GT. It doesn't diminish confidence in the vehicle one bit; the soul of a Ferrari is still there -- crisp turn in, amazing feel, plenty of power, and that unmistakable Ferrari sound. The California also comes with optional magneto-rheological dampers, which our test car doesn't have. This system will help eliminate some of the body roll we experienced on our drive and during testing. And while we felt body roll, it certainly didn't hurt handling performance: The California reached 0.99 g average on the skidpad. Again, that's very impressive for a car with such a smooth ride.
The interior is a fantastic step up for Ferrari as well. It's not that other Ferrari interiors have been bad, but this one is the best so far. Our car had the optional racing seats (which aren't available in the U.S.), which in other cars means they're great on a track, but punishing during a long commute. These seats felt perfect, holding and cradling us just right for our day-long drive. While not available in North America, in other markets these seats can be fit to order, choosing from among three sizes, and the driver's seat can be different from the passenger's seat, if you so desire.
Navigation, standard in the California, is a good thing to have if you happen to get a bit lost while playing on the Italian country roads.
Ferrari has taken a big chance, almost reinventing how it makes a car. The California represents a new chapter for the Italian coachbuilder in an already amazing book filled with super exotic masterpieces. Da Vinci would be proud.
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