Chris Harris on Ferrari Luce Unveiling: “You had to meet certain criteria to be invited and I am proud to say I didn’t meet them”
Posted by W9967@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 323 comments
On the latest emergency podcast episode of The Car Podcast with Chris Harris and Friends, Chris said:
> As a journalist I can tell you, you had to meet certain criteria to be invited to the unveiling and I am proud to say I didn’t meet them. I was telephoned and asked ‘how positive I was about electric cars’ and I said ‘not very’. And the invite was not forthcoming
Personally, I know it’s nothing new from Ferrari, that they are trying to manage their image and the car’s reviews. But it puts things like MKBHD’s video on the design of the car into perspective and frankly, it shows the brands control over his incredibly careful word selection when he was talking about the exterior of the car.
We are probably going to see more of the similiar tone in reviews of this car untill people can access through other channels and be open about what they actually think.
jisforjoe@reddit
There’s a weird brain rot in people being “car guys” making the method of propulsion their personality.
jrileyy229@reddit
Sounds like they know they wasted a bunch of money on a car that nobody is going to want... And have to control the negative brand image they already know is coming. Seems like investors also believe that as well.
Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit
This could have been avoided by simply not making this car.
pdp10@reddit
Brussels wants it.
ET__@reddit
Lmao. You know how small the production numbers will be? They do special models all the damn time. Trust me, there will be none left “on the lot”.
Se7en_speed@reddit
This will be the car you have to buy to allow to to buy the thing you really want
UmaThurmish@reddit
and they make a lot of money that way, people really dont realize how many more millionaires there are now compared to 20-30 years ago.
there are a shit load, a shit load of millionaires.
jrileyy229@reddit
I do not... Do you?
Obviously Ferrari has their whole ecosystem where they control their buyers... I guess we'll see how strong that really is. Everyone knows this car is immediately going to lose at least half the value... If not more.
biciklanto@reddit
Oh, there will be plenty of these meandering along the marina drive in Monaco. Taste is not a prerequisite of wealth.
oyputuhs@reddit
From these comments, thank god people are willing to go against the grain designing these new evs. We would live in such a bland world with you guys in charge.
V48runner@reddit
Cleo Abram was invited.
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
I do love that the Throttle House boys already posted their genuine thoughts on their socials.
I also love that they're still blacklisted (as mentioned in their 12c review) and are having to source vehicles to review via actual owners, all because they criticized their 296 press car very publicly for the (objectively correct) terrible capacitive buttons on the steering wheel.
It's insane to me they're still blacklisted when Ferrari has publicly admitted they were right in the form of offering an $8k retrofit of steering wheels with actual buttons.
Thoth_the_5th_of_Tho@reddit
Where?
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
Instagram. Thomas posted multiple stories in a row of vomit
Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit
Where? IG is absolutely un-navigable.
vanty@reddit
Instagram
Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit
Which post exactly?
tombatch10@reddit
Ferrari Blacklisted Chris Harris TWICE. He was banned from driving all Ferraris (even owner-supplied cars), which was a bit of a pain considering he owned a Ferrari 612 at the time.
WordWithinTheWord@reddit
How is that even enforceable lol
Lego_Hippo@reddit
Ferrari would penalize/blacklist the owner of the car, although if its a generic spec idk how they could trace it back to the owner.
Mr_Chode_Shaver@reddit
Don’t modern Ferraris all have some type of location tracking that reports back to big brother?
krackenracer@reddit
No.
Mr_Chode_Shaver@reddit
So MyFerarri Connect, the first party app that does location logging through the onboard hardware is working through…special Italian magic?
JeffafaCree@reddit
It runs on gabagool
pssiraj@reddit
It's a series of green tubes.
dzemperzapedra@reddit
Ahh that's what this serverless thing is
Lego_Hippo@reddit
damn thats some real waluigi type shit
-AbeFroman@reddit
Remember how secretive and dodgy The Grand Tour had to be about the LaFerrari they had for comparison with the P1 and 918.
Several-Eggplant4460@reddit
Holy shit if I were spending that kind of money on a car I would be mad if Ferrari told me I couldn't do what I wanted with it
Multifaceted-Simp@reddit
It sounds like the throttle house supplier is rich enough to not care
rivermesh@reddit
They could have traced it from the plates and asked the dealers whose car that was.
TreesACrowd@reddit
It isn't, obviously. I'm not sure what they are even talking about, but the most they could do is threaten not to sell future cars to anyone who let him drive theirs.
unsaltedbutter@reddit
There's a vid of a guy talking about spending iirc 25 million in ferraris to get near the top of the VIP list. Wonder if they would really ban a guy like that.
LastClassForever@reddit
I'm equally curious. Here's 2 scenarios for Chris in this example, where he's banned from driving a Ferrari.
Chris owns a 612. Ferrari "bans him from driving all their cars". How can they do that if he owns one and it's his property?
Chris borrows his friend's car to drive down the street. How can Ferrari dictate he cannot drive that car.
- Damien
tombatch10@reddit
Accourding to his book, he had to call up Ferrari's PR team every time he wanted to drive his own 612, something he decided to go through with just to annoy them as petty revenge for banning him.
meeilz@reddit
I don't really understand this, pettiness aside, what happens if he doesn't call them to ask permission to drive it? What are they actually able to do?
It sounds like me telling my neighbour they need my permission to drive their own car.
tombatch10@reddit
He worked for EVO/Autocar at the time. If he didn't abide by the "rules" they'd have just stopped providing press cars to the magazine.
meeilz@reddit
Ahh gotcha. What a bunch of dbags.
iamr3d88@reddit
I would daily it and call before each end of the each trip. Not just "I'm gonna drive today" but "I'm driving to work," "I'm driving to the store," "I'm driving home."
Bonus points for pulling over near a Ferrari dealership with hazards on and hood (bonnet) up for hours at a time.
lonestarbrownboi@reddit
That's actually hilarious
droiddayz@reddit
If an owner gave Chris a car to drive for a review, that owner would also be blacklisted.
gigamiga@reddit
I could see the Italian Police enforcing it locally lmao
uncleawesome@reddit
Man, if Ferrari just made good cars they wouldn’t have to ban so many people.
BioDriver@reddit
TH was blacklisted for rightfully saying the haptic controls were bad (even though they said the 296 drove just like a Ferrari should), and then Ferrari backtracks on haptics and offers free retrofitting to their owners. I'll never own a Ferrari or even get a presser, so I have no qualms calling Ferrari's leadership soft - they need to learn to respond to criticism better and grow a spine.
MadeFromCarbon@reddit
Retrofit isn't free. It's approximately £17k in the UK.
BioDriver@reddit
Fucking hell, Ferrari really do love bending their owners over a barrel, don't they?
Dark_Knight2000@reddit
To be fair, their clientele is the type to not think too hard about this. They just want their car to work so they can show it off, it costs what it costs.
Real DIY guys who know they could 3D print some buttons aren’t buying brand new Ferraris.
Witherino@reddit
The thought of a regular person needing to take out a loan to replace their steering wheel buttons is crazy
pdp10@reddit
Real car manufacturers, take criticism in stride, and with the good faith in which it was delivered. Engineering is the art of making the right compromises.
PRs people who sell lip balm and gym memberships, probably see criticism as disloyalty and a violation of the social contract. Why are we even loaning cars to third-rate influencers if they're not going to say something nice?!
RangeRoverHSE@reddit
Are they actually blacklisted though or is it just a funny bit? Because they made jokes about not being allowed to drive a Ferrari again because of what they said about the 296 during the intro skit for the Purosangue which they were invited to the press launch of.
Makaloff95@reddit
i mean its ferrari, are you really surprised? XD
TheOsirisOfThisShit_@reddit
Chris Harris and Ferrari have been beefing for decades. I don't think he was ever getting invited. He was banned from even driving Ferrari press cars for several years.
armanddd@reddit
That's not the case anymore. He often reviews Ferraris officially now, e.g. he was invited to test drive the F80 with car magazine people and Henry Catchpole etc. Filmed a test drive of the 812 C at Fiorano a few years back too.
TheOsirisOfThisShit_@reddit
Yes. That's why my post used the words "was banned" and not "is banned". Good job noticing.
armanddd@reddit
since you're fond of tenses, "have been beefing for decades" means the beef is ongoing, as does the second sentence, establishing cause and effect. claiming you actually meant the opposite is disingenuous at best.
he's been invited to all recent launches, so any beef, past or current, clearly doesn't stop him from being invited to launches. as evidenced by the OP which literally states that he was contacted as a potential invite.
W9967@reddit (OP)
There was a period like this but I think he got back in with them after a while. He was invited for 12C and F80 for example. So the beef is old news ar this point.
sprucay@reddit
I dislike the implications that if you're a car, you don't like EVs. That being said, that Ferrari control of the narrative and the most un Ferrari car you could possibly imagine is a travesty.
-Racer-X@reddit
do car guys dislike EVs?
Chris Harris has been very complementary towards one that were good
This car is ugly, not particularly good at anything and $600k
wtfduud@reddit
He just said here that he's not very positive about EVs. His own words.
-Racer-X@reddit
reading comprehension is hard
here is Chris Harris being very complementary of ioniq 5 n (an ev)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcbsW_mvNh8
"dynamically better than an rs6
have a go in this before an m3, m5, audi rs, amg shaped
just when you think you have an ev stance sorted out, this comes in and wrecks it"
maybe because it handles, doesn't look terrible, doesn't cost 600k and the interior wasnt designed for a 4 year old
but feel free to not read this as well
hutacars@reddit
So was he lying to Ferrari when he stated his general stance on EVs?
-Racer-X@reddit
no he outright said the opportunity was presented to him in a way that shows they didnt have confidence in the product
it wasnt " take the keys and have fun"
its come see it next to a sales rep
-Racer-X@reddit
right because 99% of them are commuter cars with no driving dyamics
are you actively waiting for him to review the nissan leaf? how about the kia soul? do you think hes gonna say great things about the hyundai venue?
SorryWerewolf4735@reddit
you said
> Chris Harris has been very complementary towards one that were good
Chris Harris said:
> I was telephoned and asked ‘how positive I was about electric cars’ and I said ‘not very’.
Both can be true. But he leans towards ICE cards by default and needs to be convinced of an EV overall performance and presence. As do most of us. Hence we want someone like him to review the cars.
-Racer-X@reddit
reading comprehension is hard
here is Chris Harris being very complementary of ioniq 5 n (an ev)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcbsW_mvNh8
maybe because it handles, doesn't look terrible, doesn't cost 600k and the interior wasnt designed for a 4 year old
but feel free to not read this as well
SorryWerewolf4735@reddit
Buddy, you are failing so hard at reading through this entire thread. Read more and talk less.
-Racer-X@reddit
he doesn't need to be convinced of anything
he has shown when a good ev shows up he will give it its flowers
his bias comes from ev's being designed to be bland and boring not his hate of them
SorryWerewolf4735@reddit
I hope you get the help you need.
hutacars@reddit
But surely he didn’t know any of that beforehand when he gave his reply?
-Racer-X@reddit
he definitely has his ear to the ground way more than he leads on on the podcast
and as others have pointed out im sure hes not interested in getting into another disupute with them over his opinion
slpater@reddit
The last thing Ferrari made that looks even remotely good was the purosangue. The 812 replacement is ugly. The testarossa is hideous. The 296 is decent but the rear intake just looks off to me. And the amalfi looks like a romantic with a weird underbite
I know ill likely never be able to buy a new Ferrari but just, what of their current lineup is new that doesnt just look... bad. None of it is exciting.
acEightyThrees@reddit
Calling the Purosangue good looking is a stretch.
slpater@reddit
Compared to what its competing against i would say its the best looking. None of the sport SUVs look particularly great to me.
Intel_Oil@reddit
I think it loses out hard against the DBX, Cayenne Coupé (GT) and Urus on the sporty side aswell as Bentayga and Cullinan on the flaunty side.
slpater@reddit
Ive never really liked the DBX and the urus is just ugly to me. I think both trying to do their otherwise signature sports car styling on an suv just doesnt do anything for me.
Would agree the cayenne looks nice if a bit plain.
gimpwiz@reddit
I like the 296, honestly.
SithSidious@reddit
Honestly I think the 812 is kinda ugly especially compared to the F12
slpater@reddit
Id agree. But to me its more like 458 vs 488.
Theres a character that the F12 has vs the performance focus of the 812.
-Racer-X@reddit
their cohost owns a 465 m they are very complementary about
which i feel is even uglier than both cars you referenced, their opinion on them may be skewed slightly
-Racer-X@reddit
right but read this thread
everyone pearl clutching over the fact Chris Harris is honest
its a car for tech bros who dont actually care about driving and just want to flaunt, its basically a 600k waymo
slpater@reddit
I agree. The other comment i made was basically saying if Chris Harris not liking EVs, while reviewing this car swayed you away from it, then you more than likely weren't interested in this car to begin with.
ryencool@reddit
I mean r/cars, other reddits, tons of people ove met in real life, seem to think EV is the antithesis of ICE transportation. Ive seen it so many times, that I know if I mention my model 3, theres gonna be a certain type of response to my post.
Im a huge car guy. I learned and built up a 1992 240sx in highchool, helped wrench on a buddies 72 Porsche that we took to SCCA events back in 90s/2000s. We have a 2023 Model 3 RWD base, and its amazing. The power, the comfort, the ease of use? When you have a 25 mile radius like my wife and I, that we rarely have to go out of? It just makes sense.
Next car will be a Taycan, or whatever the Cayman EV comes out as.
Tw0Rails@reddit
You can get a digital watch that is perfect for timekeeping and all sorts of measurements.
You a watch guy?
goatboy1970@reddit
Every watch guy on the planet loves the Casio F91W. They don't hate digital watches; they dislike bad ones.
guy_incognito784@reddit
Lots of people own both an Apple Watch and a Rolex or Breitling.
strongmanass@reddit
17/20 times I see the watch analogy it's the wrong one. Digital watches are a separate category. The better comparison is mechanical watches vs analog quartz watches. I like watches insofar as they're a wearable item that can be interestingly and intricately designed, but I'm definitely not a watch person as I can't see myself spending 5 figures or more on a timepiece.
The maximum I'd be willing to spend would go to a quartz piece and not a mechanical watch. I don't see the appeal of old, inaccurate technology that needs more maintenance than a more modern solution I leave in a box for 8 months and just put on and go.
Nine_block@reddit
I’m a massive car guy, and I have owned many many enthusiast models from pretty much every marque out there. I like EVs as much as ICE which is why I own a combo of both. There are plenty of us out there. There are also plenty of insecure car folk out there that tie their fragile masculinity to how much noise and fuel their vehicles produce/require. They are an annoying, but thankfully ever shrinking bunch.
wtfduud@reddit
That's one thing I don't get anymore. "This car is cooler because it makes louder farting noises than the other one".
Sure, there was a time, maybe 40 years ago, when the power of an engine was proportional to how much noise it made. But we're way past that now.
twothoutwo@reddit
or you know, it’s just fun to have a cool sounding car. modified cars are fun and driving one that sounds awesome is a joy. what a strange take
wtfduud@reddit
The only reason why "Loud Farting Noise" would be considered a cool sound would be if it's indicative of the car's power. And we're way past that point in history.
twothoutwo@reddit
that is simply your opinion, one that is thankfully not shared by a majority of enthusiasts
wtfduud@reddit
True.
Isaiah1962@reddit
Nothing to do with masculinity! Independence is the reason most don’t own one. I can take a fuel can anywhere and get fuel! I’d like to see you do that with your vacuum cleaner.
The weight of the vehicles is another good reason - every car guy (driver) knows lightness is a major factor in driving dynamics. They’re also destroying roads that weren’t built to handle 2.5 metric tons in the numbers we’re seeing.
But you carry on blaming your great demon “masculinity” if that’s what gets you through the week, 🐈
jse000@reddit
You should stop carrying the fuel can inside the cabin
Nine_block@reddit
Here’s another one. I didn’t say everybody was that way, and I didn’t say that a one car EV solution was ideal. I said that you can be an EV enthusiast and be a real car guy despite people like you who insist otherwise.
Isaiah1962@reddit
“People like” me know it’s the quickest route to “subscription” driving. People like you can’t see further than the end of your nose and deserve what’s coming via EV’s.
Nine_block@reddit
Lame rebuttal. Try harder next time. Thanks for playing.
Isaiah1962@reddit
🖕
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
lol you man child
guy_incognito784@reddit
Found the insecure boomer.
Isaiah1962@reddit
Found the troll
Ghost_of_Akina@reddit
Damn man that’s quite the garage. I love the 296…. Really surprised more people don’t talk about it!
Nine_block@reddit
It is an absolutely incredible car. So much better than my old F8. I can’t get over how much better it drives and the power is absolutely hysterical. The car wiggles and squirms at 100 mph at WOT. I couldn’t love it more 😄
FalloutRip@reddit
My only gripe with EVs is how so many companies keep trying to reinvent the wheel with basic features like door handles, infotainment and controls, etc. but the platforms themselves are broadly great. Like you said, for people who live 99% of their lives within 20-50 miles of home, EVs are an amazing option.
I still sort of regret not going EV with my most recent purchase, and I only didn't because I don't have a convenient place to install a level 2 charger at home. And that's not just hindsight with recent gas prices - 99% of my driving is in or near the city, which is where EVs excel, and then an extended trip 2-3 times a year.
ryencool@reddit
I mean, part of things evolving amd changing is companies pushing the boundaries and trying new things. You dont think transportation 200 yesrs from now will look anything like transportation today? That would be an extremely naive view of how life works. Life is constant change. Some people are ok with that, some arent.
My model 3 has been fine. I have had no issies with the handles, and even at 43 the touch screen isnt a huge deal to me. Some people freak out because its outside of the norm, their comfort zone. The human brain has learned to change and adapt quite well over the past million years. Your brain and muscles learn and memorize the touch screen just like they do with buttons. I can change the temp, airflow, music etc without looking after only a few weeks. On top of that most things have voice control.
So yeah, some design choices are bad, and will hopefully get filtered out. To expect cars 100 years from now to have the sam layouts, buttons, air vent movements, would be laughable. Life is change.
imightgetdownvoted@reddit
Same as you, except I regularly take mine wayyyyy outside of the 25 mile radius. Just got back from a 1200 mile round trip. It’s a fantastic daily. Drives surprisingly well.
Ghost_of_Akina@reddit
I am a 500 mile a week EV driver and the only regret I have about the switch is not doing it sooner. Yes it does add time to longer road trips (I only have a 63kWh battery) but that’s the only scenario where ICE has an advantage.
I’ve had plenty of enthusiast cars and consider myself a car guy. Racing and Motorsport are big passions of mine. But for daily driving situations, my EV does the job and is still more fun that all of my family car purchases I’ve made since having kids.
Nf1nk@reddit
One of my most common trips that I am nervous about an EV for is when I drive 70ish miles to the airport and then leave the car for two weeks and drive 70ish miles home.
Is the car going to lose charge just sitting there? Am I going to have to charge up somewhere on the way home?
Abba_Fiskbullar@reddit
I went on vacation for two weeks and my EV had gone down about 2%, so it's not a worry.
Lochstar@reddit
70 there and 70 back. No problem with any EV. I had the Audi RS e-Tron GT with a total range of like 250 miles and it really doesn’t lose charge. The only time I ever had to use a charger aside from the one in my garage was during trips like Charlotte to Atlanta. Otherwise you just plug it in when you pull back into the garage and wake up the next day back at full charge.
wtfduud@reddit
Surely an airport has some charging spots, in case the battery is low when you come back.
vissor4@reddit
I am a pilot and I drive my Tesla to and from work. It's nowhere near 70 miles but I've left my car for 3+ weeks and only had it lose a few percent of battery unless I leave on Sentry mode and cabin overheat protection. With those turned off, it's not even a thought in my mind. Have had plenty of coworkers get back from trips and have had their cars not start because of a dead battery though.
Goldpanda94@reddit
Teslas you'll want to turn off some of the background features like cabin overheat and sentry mode but for my i4, ive left it at the airport for 2 weeks and lost maybe 1%? It pretty much hibernates after long stretches of inactivity
imightgetdownvoted@reddit
Turn off sentry and it shouldn’t lose any charge. Maybe 1-2%?
leyland1989@reddit
Right tools for the right job. I just bought an Audi e-tron, best daily driver I have ever had in my life. Takes me to work and back for $0.50 instead of $7.
Do I still enjoy my manual hatchback on some back roads? Absolutely.
EV is a no brainer if you have the ability to charge your car at home. If you need to go a long distance, there are enough level 3 charging infrastructure where I live. People still ride horses but it doesn't mean commuting in a horse buggy is the best idea.
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
The reason people respond like that to Model 3 owners is Model 3 owners like to brag about their 0-60 time, like that’s the end all be all of metrics. Any car guy knows that’s just part of the story
Seriously I can’t count how many times a Model 3 Performance or S Plaid has gunned it from a red light next to my GT3
strongmanass@reddit
Just like muscle car owners before them. It was the same even in the sportbike community with the Hayabusa. But neither of those groups got the level of shit that EVs and people who like them get.
mastawyrm@reddit
But those people were all a sub category of enthusiast. The annoying model 3 owners in question are more likely tech bros who didn't care about speed before and just want to feel superior.
wtfduud@reddit
I remember the pre-EV times, where a car's 0-60 time was the end-all-be-all "How good is this car" number.
The only reason people stopped caring about it is because EVs were smoking the competition on that number. So people switched to using quarter-mile time instead
Immediate-Spite-5905@reddit
imo i just personally dislike the electric motor sound, genuinely just does not even slightly do it for me
twothoutwo@reddit
yea…
does this subreddit not realize that ICE’s are a gigantic part of what makes automobiles so interesting? EV’s just do not have that same “mechanical emotion” that an expressive ICE has
IsometricRain@reddit
No point listening to what the "collective" r/cars has to say about anything. Just like what you like and go to actual car forums for actual reasonable discussion.
Several-Eggplant4460@reddit
And yet here you are 🤣
_galaga_@reddit
Sometimes it's not about the EV it's about the elimination of ICE which is what EVs can represent to some.
The first EV I experienced was a rental EV6 and it was fun to zip around in, I totally get it. I'm all for more range, better batteries, faster charging, heat pumps for cold temps and better usability, all that stuff. I'd EV restomod a Checker Cab and cruise around like an idiot if I could. There is a lot of defensive "you'll take the keys to my V8 out of my cold dead hands" sentiment that gets triggered when EV = dead ICE, tho. It's sometimes more about the psychology of having something taken away.
GrynaiTaip@reddit
People dislike Tesla for completely different reasons, it's not the EV aspect.
There's lots of good EV's that get excellent reviews from all the big reviewers.
IsometricRain@reddit
No. This subreddit is just completely detached from what a typical car enthusiast actually is in the real world.
Most people will heavily prefer gas cars, for good reason, but they don't actively dislike EVs. Everyone who's done any research whatsover know EVs are great around town, or for lower maintenance, or for their torque, etc.
wtfduud@reddit
You already outed yourself.
twothoutwo@reddit
is he wrong though? a vast majority of car enthusiasts will always prefer ICE’s, this isn’t even up for debate. an EV will never bring the same feeling that an ICE does
cheezus171@reddit
But there's no good reason to dislike EVs (I'm talking from the perspective of a Western country, developed world). There are only irrational reasons based in vibes and subjective opinions. And I say that as someone who dislikes EVs. I could buy one, I just got a new car and opted against an EV due to personal preference and the sensations I get from driving a petrol engine. But I also recognise that the rational choice would be to buy an EV.
twothoutwo@reddit
EV’s are perfectly serviceable as a daily driving tool. however, as a car enthusiast, disliking EV’s for feel is a perfectly valid reason. driving sensation is why cars like the S2000 and 90’s Civics are so lauded
car enthusiasts understand the utility that EV’s have, but they’re in a whole other category of machine. they’ll never be able replace the sensations of an ICE-powered sports car
cheezus171@reddit
Yes, you basically wrote the same thing again and I understood it the first time, and agreed with it. But saying it twice doesn't change the fact that it's deeply irrational.
twothoutwo@reddit
it’s not irrational, that’s my whole point. driving sensation is massively important, how is it irrational to dislike vehicles that feel bad to drive?
Imbleedingalready@reddit
I don't agree that most of their reasons are good. I've owned my Rivian for 6 months and have had to explain how to daily/road trip an EV probably 2 dozen times. One pedal driving scares people until I let them drive my truck. They don't understand charging infrastructure. They don't understand the convenience or cost savings of charging at home. After a short ride in my truck they definitely understand and appreciate instant torque!
biguk997@reddit
I like EVs as a daily commuter car, not having to fill up is great. For my fun cars, definitely no EV.
530nairb@reddit
Chris Harris used to talk about how press Ferraris were juiced and he wasn’t very complimentary of a few models. They stopped letting him test cars.
lordtema@reddit
That was a long time ago though. He was invited to the F80 launch.
jaaagman@reddit
I think they’re perfect as commuters and mass market vehicles. Emotionally, they don’t do much for me, but that’s okay. In heavily stop and go traffic, I would take a Gen 4 Prius over my Miata. As a commuter on crummy commutes, it just takes you where you want to go in a relaxing and no fuss manner which I like.
terroristteddy@reddit
I was about to say, I mean it's easy to encounter EV haters and skeptics irl
However, I think the growing consensus online at least is that they're pretty much superior commuters for 99% of people. I myself am super stoked on Rivian!
That being said, it's hard to be excited about EV performance cars. Tesla proved 10 years ago that you can make any EV do a 10s quarter mile, and there's already a wide selection of EV sports sedans and supercars for every price point. But I have a feeling that once you've driven one 1000+hp EV Supercar, you've driven them all....
strongmanass@reddit
And with the help of Lotus, they proved 8 years before that that EVs can be fun and rewarding to drive.
You should drive them before you say that. I haven't driven anything with 1000 horsepower. But I've driven three different 700+ horsepower EVs, and each of them was distinct.
-Racer-X@reddit
the hyndai ioniq 5 n has proven an ev can be dynamic to drive
a tesla model s plaid almost got top 3 in one lap of america this year
but yes on the whole most ev's (like most commuter cars) lack driving dynamics, no one talks about how great a Toyota camry handles
DestructoSpin90@reddit
Fuck EVs
All my homies hate EVs
DarkMatterM4@reddit
EVs are fine for tool-based use (A to B transportation). However, weekend cars should be ICE (except for the 5N and 6N).
popsicle_of_meat@reddit
K. Let me know where you all hang out so I can not. haha.
Yet-Another-Yeti@reddit
I hate EVs but not as a form of propulsion for cars. I hate them because the vast majority are ugly 3 tonne SUVs, electric car drivers in my country as pretty poor drivers on average and the tax you need to pay per mile is a stupid system.
The worst thing about them is the fact there is 0 vroom. When I stick my foot down o want to hear an engine roar not a whining noise from some motors. I also forget to charge my phone, 0 chance I remember to charge a car before it’s almost dead
I would drive an EV for a daily but I would not enjoy it.
Ombortron@reddit
There are many sub-cultures amongst car enthusiasts.
Some car-guys are definitely anti-EV. Others are not.
Personally I like all kinds of cars in all sorts of formats. ICE or EV or hybrid, doesn’t intrinsically matter to me. Lots of fun and interesting vehicles out there, with various propulsion types.
Multifaceted-Simp@reddit
I’ve been in a BMw i3, i7, S, S plaid, 3, old and new y. They all feel the same to me
pdp10@reddit
Some absolutely do. I certainly don't. But then, we should acknowledge that a large portion of the /r/electricvehicles audience is actively disparaging of non-electric vehicles, which is just as unhealthy and unrealistic.
Roboticpoultry@reddit
I like good EVs. And a $650k Ferrari egg ain’t that. Obviously we have to wait to see how it drives and how it holds up but for now I’m not sold on this one
Geofferz@reddit
Go on...
ericcitaro@reddit
Autobots, assemble !
the_421_Rob@reddit
Okay hear me out, the autobots are assholes.
What did megatron actually want? A little bit of energon then he would have returned to cybertron and lived out the rest of his days as a retired gladiator. Every time he had the energon he wanted and attempted to leave earth optimum and his band of hooligans has to fuck up megatron’s shit and push him back to square one.
TLDR fuck Optimus prime.
bork-13@reddit
Energon can occur naturally, but it also can be created artificially by converting earths resources (oil/natural gas/electricity) into energon. I believe an example of this is in the first episode of the original series.
Megatron didn't want "a little bit of energon," he wanted to suck earth dry.
techieman33@reddit
When you look at the grand scheme of things the energy available on one little planet is nothing when it’s measured against what’s actually available in the universe. It would be like getting arrested for taking one water molecule out of the ocean.
W9967@reddit (OP)
It’s like when Scar takes over and suddenly the sky goes dark in the Lion King. Like wtf!? just because a bunch of hyenas are around, we don’t have the sun anymore? Kinda racist tbh, just because darker furred animals are more visible, it’s bad vibes
_galaga_@reddit
Somebody that finally sympathizes with my Megatron t-shirt.
Eggith@reddit
That's a...unique way of looking at it lol
Old-Use-7690@reddit
Found Lightning McQueen's reddit account
sprucay@reddit
Brum Brum, clearly
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
Seriously. The Taycan take Ioniq 5n are proof you can make EVs for car people.
Attainted@reddit
And the VW Buzz! At least design wise.
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
I absolutely adore the buzz lol. Sad it wasnt more of a hit, but it was priced extremely high
Attainted@reddit
Yeah, cost & range were that vehicle's demise. I'd love to see its intended vision done justice again in the future.
ryencool@reddit
Ahhh the Taycan Cross Tourismo, the car of my dreams.
ctzn4@reddit
But wait, there's also the Sport Tourismo, which is the wagon without any off-road pretense or plastic cladding. That one is chefs kiss perfection imo. Too bad it's only available in the GTS trim for the US market.
Intel_Oil@reddit
This Weekend i had friends over and realized that the Taycan ST is basically the Wagon version of the 720s, lol:
https://imgur.com/a/IGuoNr3
Tw0Rails@reddit
Yo the car guys and gals will be dripping wet when you show up to cars and coffee in the Taycan Cross Tourismo.
woodsides@reddit
Genuinely one of my top 5 wagons/shooting brakes of all time. Such a good looking car, and a fantastic driving experience to boot.
Easy-End-2852@reddit
The Taycan is hated by enthusiasts as demonstrated by the horrendous depreciation and the fact that they’re used as forced add ons to purchase a place in line for an internal combustion 911. For a GT3RS you often have to buy 3-5 Taycans from the dealer first.
What a ringing endorsement of enthusiast appeal, proving that your claim is just a weird Reddit opinion entirely divorced from actual car buyers.
rivermesh@reddit
No one actually bought 5 taycans for a GT3RS. They just paid an ADM like a sane person.
The Taycan depreciated because it was an expensive first generation luxury EV and every one of those depreciated heavily. Not because it's a bad car. Besides, you're still losing a massive chunk of change when you drive even a gas Panamera off the lot.
Easy-End-2852@reddit
Wrong
rivermesh@reddit
Ok. Did you buy a Taycan or a Panamera? How can you say so?
Easy-End-2852@reddit
Yes obviously.
strongmanass@reddit
People comparing Taycan depreciation to the 911 instead of the Panamera is one of the most dishonest comparisons in car forums today.
rivermesh@reddit
My luxury sedan didn't appreciate like my production-limited sports car AAAHHHHHHHH!!!! I THOUGHT IT WAS A PORSCHE!!!!!
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
As a GT product owner who got mine at retail, that was true years ago but isn’t any longer
And being forced to buy one - you also had the option of Cayenne or Macan, didn’t HAVE to be Taycan 🤣
Oo__II__oO@reddit
Even the Mustang Mach-E GT really hits the right notes for a fun, sporty compact SUV.
popsicle_of_meat@reddit
This is on my short list for a new daily in the future. Once I remove all "Mustang" badges I'd love to drive one.
UnknownColorHat@reddit
As someone who owned 2 Mustang GTs in the past, don't worry about the Mustang name on the Mach-E. Its taking the "its an EV" heat for when the fastback will go EV to save it in 5-15 years. No other way for the fastback to exist for another 60 years.
popsicle_of_meat@reddit
They could have just called it the "Mach-E" and been fine. Even the hardcore Mustang purists wouldn't have squawked much. But to put "Mustang" on a vehicle that shares absolutely zero qualities with any other Mustang ever made (other than having 4 wheels) is baffling. From all accounts I've read, though, the Mach-E is a great EV.
jaymagic1125@reddit
While a lot has changed in the EV space, the progress towards associating electric with enthusiast will continue to be an uphill battle, because quite frankly, while fast, most EVs suck or have sucked from an enthusiasts perspective, especially at anything remotely affordable and while that has changed a lot over the last decade, it's not a lineage that can be early shaken. It's like the changes with Hyundai and Kia. There are many who still associate these vehicles with poor quality and reliability, but in reality, many of their models have better reliability than comparable Toyota and Honda offerings. We shouldn't be surprised that human nature is quick to judge and slow to change.
tufftricks@reddit
The problem is the lack of actual enthusiast EVs. I'd love a stripped down go-kart of an EV rather than a 2.5 Ton teched out brick shithouse of a plastic nightmare.
Hacksaures@reddit
With how large the batteries are and how heavy the motors are, would a 150hp hot hatch even be possible?
wtfduud@reddit
Battery-size decides range, not power. You can have a fast-as-shit hatchback EV, which can drive for 30 minutes before it's out of juice.
Hacksaures@reddit
Thats what Im saying though, my 90hp daihatsu mira drives like a go kart too, but it can also easily go 215 miles on a full tank. A 30 minute runtime is literally an actual go kart.
wtfduud@reddit
Oh I meant if you actually juiced it up to hundreds of horsepowers.
At 90hp, an EV hatchback should have no problem reaching 215 miles.
For example, Renault 5 E-Tech has 150hp, with a 250 mile range.
wtfduud@reddit
Which is weird, because in theory an electric car should be way more modifiable than a petrol car.
Imagine an EV that you assemble like buying a new PC. I want this body, this battery, these motors, this ECU, this steering wheel, these seats, these speakers, this middle-console etc...
wtfduud@reddit
Which is weird, because in theory an electric car should be way more modifiable than a petrol car.
sprucay@reddit
But even ice cars these days are 2.5 ton teched out brick shit houses of plastic nightmare. What you want is not sellable. Now, I'm not saying we should all worship at the altar of BYD, but so many people seem to assume it's going to be shit because it's an ev instead of giving it a fair shake.
GR3Y_B1RD@reddit
I feel like EVs just tend to be shitty for car guys, it’s a different market at the moment. I’m looking forward to what Caterham is doing with the Project V, looks like a car that no person that’s in it for the driving will hate on. Let’s hope it will see the light of day.
sprucay@reddit
But you've just made my point. Would you drive a caterham 500 daily? Maybe you are a masochist, I don't know, but the idea that a car isn't dedicated to being fun is bad is such a derivative argument
GR3Y_B1RD@reddit
Yeah I probably am a masochist, the car I wanna have one day is an Elise, Exige or Emira, whichever I can get my hands on. For me fun is more important then function, I can rent cars for that.
So I think it's about your needs, if you need function go for it. Imo there are many EVs out there that can do that, but I feel like we are missing some well handling sports cars like Lotus or the Miata. But I think the amount of people that care for this type of car is also a dying breed. Personally I settled on motorcycles anyway and I can absolutely see myself with an EV to transport those, but that creates range issues.
It's a massive topic tbh, I have rewritten this a few times now haha
d0nu7@reddit
As a car body tech who owns an EV, it’s just the basic facts right now that a large majority of car guys don’t like EVs. I’ve been on this sub for a decade plus and I’ve barely seen the attitude change.
sprucay@reddit
Right, but that's self perpetuating. Most people I know that hate EVs have never driven one. Most people on here seem to talk like they want a sequential dog box, no less than 8 cylinders and manual steering for their daily driver otherwise what's the point. It's a wider issue about lack of nuance online really.
NotSaalz@reddit
I agree with you. Tried a couple and it was overall a very positive experience.
That being said, it didn't stop me from missing my car in some instances, and I don't drive a sequential V8, just a small 1.8T 4CL from a S13. With 1/4th of the power, I just enjoy it more when funny driving, as if I'd be way more connected to the car. The lack of power steering, the shift knob, the engine sounds...
I just hope there's a way we can keep (I live in EU, where ICE is doomed basically) both alive. Trying an EV has convinced me it's the unarguably best option for a daily by a thousand miles, but I feel like I miss something for the weekends.
Geofferz@reddit
It's probably already sold out already so it's moot.
Michelanvalo@reddit
Not a chance. No one wants this thing.
Geofferz@reddit
Hard to know isn't it? Ferrari good, electric bad so.... What
Michelanvalo@reddit
Even in the world of EVs, it's a bad EV. It's overpriced, it's ugly as sin. The range and power is nothing special. There's nothing about the Luce that screams Ferrari other than the badges. This thing should be closer to the Lucid Air Sapphire in price, which is $250k, than $600k.
Ferrari might make owners buy it to get a shot at the V12s. But that's the only way I see it really selling.
sir_lotad@reddit
I watched MKBHDs video on it and Ferrari made him use their camera which I assume was so they could review the video before sending it to him/ allowing him to post it.
bobotwf@reddit
EVs are the digital watch of the car world.
Digital watches are more accurate(better) than mechanical watches, but if Rolex made one it would be mocked.
EchoRebooot@reddit
Exactly. Plenty of car people love EVs when they actually feel special or innovative instead of corporate and sterile
RiftHunter4@reddit
They're a luxury brand, not an enthusiast car manufacturer. People are still in denial about that.
Suck_My_Thick@reddit
I noticed the 3 or 4 youtube onsite impressions just came off as Ferrari ads. I guess they will be invited to the next launch.
UmaThurmish@reddit
Remember when Ferrari told the Top Gear trio they can't test the La Ferrari vs 918 vs P1, and refused to provide them with a car, and when Top Gear tried to get a car from someone they told them they would ban that person from ever buying another Ferrari lol.
Darktrooper007@reddit
They did the same thing to Car and Driver when the latter tried to test a F50.
Nefilim314@reddit
Fortunately, I think it’s a pretty vocal minority of “car guys.” I think it really boils down to negativity being more provocative than positivity.
ET__@reddit
Guess it’s off your shopping list now
sprucay@reddit
Hah, fair point. Thing is, the brand and "aura" are really the only thing that makes Ferrari special these days. Most other supercars are subjectively very similar, especially in day to day use. Therefore diluting the brand with this thing is bonkers. It's not even that it's flat ugly- I find it interesting and it's not bad from certain angles. But it looks like a honda, not a Ferrari.
hutacars@reddit
This reasoning does not paint him in the positive light he seems to think it does.
W9967@reddit (OP)
Considering that this was the pre-invitation screening and the fact that apparently people like Shmee posted about not being able to say what they want in front of camera during the launch, it should be alright. Let’s be honest, this is Ferrari checking in for leniency before the event.
And I am saying this as not a big fan of Chris’ reviews since a few years.
trail-g62Bim@reddit
I know this isn't really on topic, but any time I see something titled an "Emergency Podcast" it just kinda makes me roll my eyes. As if Ferrari releasing a car turns on alarm bells and panic in the populous.
Bonerchill@reddit
Populace*
Populous refers to the size of a population, populace refers to the population as a whole.
trail-g62Bim@reddit
Thanks. My grammar used to be great. Like many things, it is getting much worse with age.
Bonerchill@reddit
I’m only sorry it had to be in the form of a correction- it’s something I see semi-often and hope it was taken as knowledge sharing rather than highlighting a fault.
a49991@reddit
“I didn’t even want to be invited!”
🚨EMERGENCY PODCAST🚨
pablxo@reddit
The fact that MKBHD of all people is one of the reviewers as opposed to Harris tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about this car, it's conception and where this falls in terms of image to Ferrari.
This car was made to appease to the tech bros and tech adjacent crowd and not the drivers / enthusiasts.
ikilledtupac@reddit
he does as he's paid to do. EG: Lucid.
Wirenfeldt@reddit
I'd argue that it was something Ferrari hardcores could buy for themselves or their spouse to run around in that is both a hopefully comfortable daily runaround, on top of earning points with your local Ferrari dealer to get access to the low volume stuff..
pablxo@reddit
>Ferrari hardcores
>Electric 4 Door
Yeah no.
If you're going down that route of "earning points" with your local Ferrari dealer, you have better options and at a cheaper price point.
If hauling a family around is your thing get a Purosangue.
If you want the good boy points. then just buy 3 Roma's for the price of this.
The Luce just makes no sense, and I honestly loathe that Ferrari went down this path at all.
Wirenfeldt@reddit
I was thinking more along the lines of "my wife has just about driven her Electric Mercedes into the ground so i'll get a Ferrari next time to get points with my dealer"
An electric car is demonstrably convenient as a daily driver so long as you don't drive 200 miles to and from work..
Twiggyhiggle@reddit
What Mercedes costs 600K?
wtfduud@reddit
Mercedes AMG GT Black
Twiggyhiggle@reddit
lol if a someone’s wife is driving an AMG GT Black, I don’t think they would want an electric Ferrari either.
Wirenfeldt@reddit
None.. But i figure that anyone who is pretty deep in the Ferrari points scheme isn't going to send the spouse off in an electric Fiat 500 if they are committed to going Electric in their personal runaround, so the Electric Merc range was about the nicest electric car i could think of as a would-be Luce trade-in..
pdp10@reddit
Right, great product at $130k.
n05h@reddit
It is so very clearly a car designed by a non car person. It just looks, and likely feels like a Silicon Valley car. Remove the badge and you would never think it’s a Ferrari. The only cues are the taillights, but even those are so horribly implemented it could be any brand trying their own take. That in itself is testament to how bad this design is
400Volts@reddit
If you put a Honda badge on it and said it was the next generation Honda Go I would believe you
ctzn4@reddit
Someone else said it looks like Ferrari bought the Apple Car prototype and made it real, and I can't unsee the association now. Kind of makes sense too, since Jony Ive was Apple's SVP of industrial design and Chief Design Officer.
JimmyGodoppolo@reddit
More than that, once the Apple Car project was canceled, the team designing it went to two places: the Sony EV project and, you guessed it, LoveFrom
ElegantBiscuit@reddit
Thank god for that because before all the apple car news, Apple was in its worst jony ive era of touchbars and USBC only, at the same time they were on Intel chips. The worst offenders were the trash can mac pro, and the 12 inch macbook which was $1300 in 2015 with a single USBC port, no fans, and an intel processor. Basically a netbook that cost as much as a medium-high tier gaming PC. Since the hardware guys started taking back control from the designers around 2020 when the apple car rumors started ramping up, we've gotten more ports, more battery, and much more power efficient apple silicon chips, for around the same price.
Modern publicly listed company Ferrari is jony ive's natural habitat where he can thrive and be his most unfettered and hedonistic self. Striking and, let's say ambitious, design and feel for a lot of money and with absolutely none of the practicality, shipped at high volume to ensure dilution of the brand. A mentality of thinking that anything that happens outside of the showroom and outside of a display case is not their fucking problem. Things that look great to clueless and easily impressed shareholders who know or care about nothing except for money.
Him and the likes of Alan Dye who was primarily responsible for liquid glass are the kind of C suite assholes who only seem to fail upwards. Taking a massive shit and riding off in a golden parachute into the next company to take another shit, and doing it again and again until they finally retire.
Ok-Book-4070@reddit
it is, it was designed with Jony Ive
pablxo@reddit
That's my biggest gripe with it. It's so Silicon Valley.
W9967@reddit (OP)
MKBHD and his crew weren’t allowed to film with their own gear.
I can understand not every product needs to appease the small enthusiasts group but I think Ferrari know what they have or more accurately don’t have with this one, and they are trying to damage control.
Michelanvalo@reddit
They weren't allowed to film with their own gear? But I just watched his video and he's clearly using his selfie camera for most of the review. Did Ferrari give him a camera?
W9967@reddit (OP)
He says early on in the review that they aren’t allowed and says sth like “we have to use this X Brand cameras they gave us” and continues to comment on the angles throughout the video
Michelanvalo@reddit
That's very strange. I admittedly skipped around a bit in the video as I'm not a fan of his style. What is Ferrari controlling the camera model for?
W9967@reddit (OP)
This is the iffy part; when they invited Harry Metcalf for 296 and history of Dino video, they provided him a tv level production crew. They didn’t do that here.
Haazo@reddit
When the marketing campaign for this car started with a big interior reveal first and foremost, they definitely were well aware of the reception the exterior would get. When has a car launch ever led with interior first, months before any exterior details? There were some comments here about that fact, predicting the exterior would be god awful if they are choosing to lead their reveal with interior only, and they were right.
IsometricRain@reddit
Which does also (slightly) apply to Chris Harris, who's one of the only people who gave a very positive review of the new BMW M5. An absolutely unnecessary car targeted at the "tech adjacent crowd", as you say.
MrBleah@reddit
I mean, who gives a shit? How many of us on here are contemplating buying a $600,000 electric Ferrari?
W9967@reddit (OP)
You could say this about many things but when we end up with a trend and it trickles down to the cars we shop for, then we are effected. The current trends of screens, mediocre or obnoxious/gotti designs all started from somewhere. Some people still think of screens as a positive and only after I share a few experiences they realize its more of a cost cut than a feature.
It’s worth scrutinizing and discussing bad design or poorly done products even if they don’t effect us directly today. Ferrari is an influencial brand and it takes one narrative to take hold, for us all to be effected by this.
narwhal_breeder@reddit
Ferrari asking reviewers if they will like the car before hand is very funny and very on brand.
Annoying_Orre@reddit
Even Shmee150, the ultimate “brand friendly” car influencer, wrote in his own instagram caption that he couldn’t say everything he thought about the car while on camera at the launch.
Ferrari are well aware that they’ve made a really polarizing (aka ugly) car and they’re really trying to control the early messaging about it
W9967@reddit (OP)
Wow. Good to hear he is at least open about it. This kinda confirms my assumption about MKBHD
hi_jack23@reddit
You mean the supercar brand unveiling an EV didn’t want to invite people that are broad EV haters, and likely wouldn’t give this car a chance to even show its own merits simply due to its method of power?
What a shocker.
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
It’s also just a Ferrari thing in general. If you say anything negative about their cars you’ll never be asked to review them for a very long time
hi_jack23@reddit
I can definitely see it just being a Ferrari thing, but if they actually gave him a call ahead of this event to ask these questions it would show they were at least considering extending an invitation.
Additionally, while I’m sure there’s much more context to their full conversation, if I’m the PR rep being told by a journalist that they’re not into EVs, I won’t try to waste their time inviting them for impressions of a car they’d already have a tainted view of - especially when there’s 5 others that would gladly take their spot and actually have some interest in the EV space.
_galaga_@reddit
It's further up in the thread but Chris was into the Ioniq 5N and had very positive things to say about it, so it's not really accurate to reduce him to a broad EV hater. Imo more importantly he has a history of getting in trouble with Ferrari for speaking his mind about them. They've banned him from reviewing their cars before so its much more likely they're avoiding him because he won't play their PR game.
hi_jack23@reddit
I was being hyperbolic in my original comment, but EV hater versus general disliker is a semantic argument that doesn’t discount my point. If I’m the PR rep and a journalist says they’re “not very enthusiastic” about EVs that tells me I shouldn’t waste my time with them, and should find a journalist that would actually be interested in it.
I think people want to make this about Chris personally because of his past with Ferrari, but I don’t see anything in this particular instance that suggests they were being vindictive over that. In Ferrari’s minds, this is supposed to be a pivotal launch into a whole new line of cars and it’s a much better look to have a crowd excited for the future than lamenting the past.
_galaga_@reddit
I get you, you’re looking at it as the marketing person and a lot of people put themselves (as weirdly as this sounds) in the buyer’s perspective and they want unbiased takes from experts and that can create a conflict.
My point about Chris was that he isn’t biased against EVs so the marketing person is more likely avoiding potential criticism with respect to this particular EV. He has been vocal about Ferrari in a way many reviewers haven’t been (probably because they’ll also get banned) so that’s a risk specific to Chris from a PR PoV.
I also don’t think it’s fair to dismiss Ferrari banning him a couple times in the past, they banned him even when he owned one, because history and relationships do matter for high stakes exclusive launches like this. Agree to disagree, tho, no worries.
The3rdbaboon@reddit
EV hater? Chris Harris Drives the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N | An EV with a Sense of Humour
hi_jack23@reddit
I was being hyperbolic, will edit my comment to clarify that
Standard-Juice-3738@reddit
Nah man, Chris Harris tells it like it is
daver456@reddit
And then they unveiled a minivan that no one likes.
400Volts@reddit
The moment I saw it I thought "Oh they're gonna make people buy 10 of these to have a shot at the next cool one"
AnonymousEngineer_@reddit
I'm actually somewhat with Ferrari on this. While I'm not a huge fan of EVs being given glowing reviews by the tech press who don't otherwise know anything about cars, it's not particularly fair to the product if old journalists just rubbish everything because it doesn't have a combustion engine in it, either.
A product should stand on its own merits.
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
Tbf it’s also a 5000 lb Ferrari that looks like a Mercedes EQS. Regardless of powertrain that’s just a slap in the face of their brand history
FreeTheMarket@reddit
Kind of irrelevant to OPs point.
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
My point is that pro/anti EV sentiments are less relevant because overall the car is just a turd independent of its powertrain
hi_jack23@reddit
They’re irrelevant now that we’ve all seen the car, but were absolutely relevant when Ferrari was sending out invites.
ctzn4@reddit
The EQS looks better. There, I said what I said.
Also funny that both Mercedes and Ferrari are going for the round tail lights in a black plastic strip look in the back.
Kamukix@reddit
The EQS looks WAAAAAAY better than the Luce. The interior of the Luce is okay though.
maduste@reddit
They saw BMW’s purposely obtuse design language and decided to follow suit, apparently. Embarrassing.
ctzn4@reddit
At least the Neue Klasse i3 still looks like a 3-box sedan instead of a wedge with 4 wheels.
StxrStruck@reddit
Not at all relevant to what OP said. And, Ferrari is on record as saying that they want this to be drastically different from their ICE cars and they want it to be extremely polarizing. They want to target young, affluent luxury buyers who are potential first time clients. This car is also meant to be totally separate from the ICE product lineage and not compete with it - the styling tells you that up front.
airfryerfuntime@reddit
Chris Harris is also know for being being biased against electric cars, so why even include him? I hate Ferrari, but I don't really have an issue with this.
cook_poo@reddit
Yeah if they know he’s going to shit on it without giving it a chance, why would they invite him?
If he was a “car guy” that just liked fun cars (ice or EV), it likely wouldn’t have been a problem.
The3rdbaboon@reddit
They don't know that and he doesn't just hate EVs for the sake of it Chris Harris Drives the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N | An EV with a Sense of Humour
The3rdbaboon@reddit
Got any links to articles or videos of him giving a biased review about an EV?
The3rdbaboon@reddit
He's been complimentary about other EVs he has driven. He liked the Model 3. You seem to be implying that he wouldn't have given it a fair review but if you watch a lot of his content you'd know that isn't true. Ferrari know the cars a dud in terms of styling at the very least hence why they are trying to control the narrative like this. If Ferrari themselves believed that the car would stand on it's own merits then they would let Chris review it because if it's a good product he will say so, like he did with the Tesla Model 3 and all the other recent Ferraris he's driven. But they are obviously not confident in their own product and that says a lot more about this car and the company than it does about Chris.
Nefilim314@reddit
I think both types of reviewers have their place. I like MKBHD as a resource for people who use cars as transportation.
Everyone glazes over the actual livability of a vehicle as a mode of transportation. Like the Civic Type R/Integra Type S sounds like the ideal dad car right up until you realize there are no rear passenger air conditioning vents and your kids in rear facing seats would be sweating buckets.
AnonymousEngineer_@reddit
I'm okay with people who review cars based on their practicality and liveability rather than just being performance focused - it's important because ultimately most people aren't shopping for a pure toy, otherwise we'd all be driving Caterhams and Lotus Elises.
What I don't like is the tech press getting cars for review, spending pretty much the entire time focusing on the infotainment, interior gizmos, how quiet EVs are and how fast they accelerate, and then instantly deeming them as the best thing ever and "the future".
I mean, they could at least try to drive the thing and let us know how it rides and handles before just gushing over it and giving it a glowing rating.
bigev007@reddit
They stick with what they know. Those people don't know about cars, but they DO know about the tech. Go somewhere else for the car side with less focus on tech
slpater@reddit
Its not fair to assume someone like Chris Harris isnt capable of being objective and making clear that while I dont care for EVs. I wont let that detract from reviewing the vehicle for what it is.
-Racer-X@reddit
again this quote is being taken out of context
he goes on to say that they basically came out already hedging because they knew it wasnt a good product
if it was a good product they would give him the keys and let him go wild, not have to manage everything
he has been complementary to EVs that deserve it in the past, this particualr car is just terrible & 600k
W9967@reddit (OP)
I agree that some obvious negative bias can be managed maybe. But I don’t think this is what we are seeing. MKBHD was not allowed to film with his own crew’s cameras even. And his video feels incredibly careful in what he says to an extent where it doesnt feel like his regular way of speaking. That level of control is just off.
Boggie135@reddit
I'm with Ferrari there. Why would you invite someone who doesn't like electric cars to the launch of an electric car?
lordtema@reddit
Chris Harris is not a anti-EV guy though, he has spoken highly about certain EVs and doesnt hold a general disdain for them. He`s not Jeremy Clarkson.
julienjj@reddit
Looking at the pictures, even if they tossed 2 V12 in it, it's just ugly.
A Prius is nicer looking.
dottyandted@reddit
I'd expect something this bland and uninspiring from Tesla, not Ferrari.
Slasher1738@reddit
Interior is interesting, the exterior is a big whiff
Donut-Dog-Man@reddit
Bro who the crap is paying a million dollars for that thing eww
Blckbeerd@reddit
Nobody, that's not the price
Donut-Dog-Man@reddit
AI got me again when I googled it it said around a Mil lol I swear
Leading-Race9202@reddit
Why does nearly every car company in Europe/American make the ugliest or just uninteresting looking designs for EVs?
bigev007@reddit
They had several other notoriously EV-hating journalists there. Harris is just whining because he knows it'll get your attention, and it makes him look "superior" to all the others who attended if you believe him. Why would any automaker bring Harris to a reveal anyway. It's not a launch drive, which is where his presence makes sense (and Porsche absolutely did not just hand him a 918 at the reveal, that isn't how the industry works).
n54master@reddit
I thought he was blacklisted from them from years ago anyway so why would they care?
Slice5755@reddit
That is over. He was actually on the F80 launch.
W9967@reddit (OP)
It changed after a while and he was invited again on multiple occasions. He was also phoned as he mentioned on the podcast, basicaly “prescrening” before getting an invitation again
James_Vowles@reddit
the fact they give the car to mkbhd and not proper car journos probably tells you everything you need to know
Guygenist@reddit
These so called “car journos” all say the same thing every review. They take the cars on a power slide, say a bit about it oversteering or under steering and make up random things about “soul.” Nothing of value is really lost.
James_Vowles@reddit
Nothing of value is gained more like. A mkbhd review is like reading the spec sheet. That's it. Car journos are brave enough to give their opinion on things like Chris Harris, and can use their experience with other cars to understand each car they review better.
W9967@reddit (OP)
I think MKBHD is a really good product reviewer and the right person to include in the mix. He always has a unique take and genuine interest in the products he reviews.
I don’t think it’s acceptable for Ferrari to try to influence/control his review, not let them film with their own gear and presumably ask the same “how positive are you about this particular product category” question beforehand.
Patruck9@reddit
I didn't even bother looking the car up until now.
This is really a 0% effort by Ferrari in design. They took a Tesla and did a Mansory.
Tumbleweedwhacker@reddit
Was just enjoying the ridicule of the Luce over at r/Ferrari when I saw this:
Luca di Montezemolo gave a harsh verdict: “If I were to say what I really think, it would be unpleasant, so I prefer not to comment. I just hope someone removes the Prancing Horse from that car. We risk destroying a legend, which saddens me greatly. At least this is a car the Chinese won’t copy.”
Then I stopped laughing.
W9967@reddit (OP)
HOLY SHIT thats harsh…Where did he say this!?
Tumbleweedwhacker@reddit
The whole interview is posted over at r/Ferrari
W9967@reddit (OP)
Wow… this is not just disappointment. He must be seriously angry about what is being done with the brand he devoted his life to.
IsometricRain@reddit
Stopped laughing?
That last line is funny as fuck. "At least this is a car the Chinese won't copy".
Tumbleweedwhacker@reddit
The man is almost crying, look in his eyes. I won't laugh at that.
African-Rain-Blesser@reddit
It’s wild that everyone rightfully calls out Vinfast for their shadyass control of what people say about that car, yet Ferrari fanboys turn a blind eye when their beloved company does similar things.
_0110111001101111_@reddit
What fanboys? This entire thread is roasting them, as is most of the internet.
African-Rain-Blesser@reddit
Ferrari has been pulling this type of shit for years (decades?). Lest we forget, they even had the audacity to ban him from driving _privately owned_ Ferraris because they didn’t like what he said, yet there’s still been plenty of Ferrari dickriders who give them a pass for that
time_alliance@reddit
This is so classic Chris Harris-equal parts self-deprecating, witty, and just the right amount of cheeky. That line about not meeting the invite criteria is chef's kiss, and it's exactly why his takes are always so refreshing compared to the usual overly polished, PR-friendly automotive content. Love how he's never afraid to lean into the humor of it all.
pdp10@reddit
The first thing I thought of, looking at photos, was the Mondial. And that's not an insult; I'm old and sanguine about the Mondial. In 2026, anything that's not advertised as an SUV or a CUV is a win, right?
But then I see the MSRP, and spray my champagne all over the keyboard. Well, maybe a model to shop in ten years, when Ferrari has learned a new lesson in depreciation.
W9967@reddit (OP)
Agreed on both points. I mean… isn’t the electric M3 going to be the competition of this car at a fraction of the price? Ofc there should be a Ferrari margin on the price but 6x?
austic@reddit
makes sense why would they give people access who will be honest and roast them. Schmee is such a sell out and will do anything the big brands say.
abuamiri@reddit
Without additional info to back that up, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest Ferrari had control over MKBHD's content. If they targeted journalists/reviewers who are EV friendly, or at least not openly negative about EVs and Harris apparently is (based on his response), then it makes sense MKBHD got an invite. He did daily a Model S Plaid for a while and even bought a second when the first got totaled (I believe). He has been scathingly critical about some brands (remember the suggestions he drove the nail in Fisker's coffin?), and quite regularly criticizes Apple on some of their stuff. I would think a Tech reviewer would be more concerned about blowback from Apple, vs his side hustle car channel and Ferrari. All of the above being said, the Luce looks comical. I sure hope it looks better in person than in the stuff I've seen so far.
W9967@reddit (OP)
You right that we cannot immediately asume they had control over his content. It would be more accurate to say they are trying to influence and control.
However, I cannot understand why they would limit the gear usage while not providing TV production level support like they did with the Harry’s Garage video on the 296 and history of Dino. If they were concerned about quality, they could have ensured better gear availability like they did with Harry.
This + what Harris said points more towards an “understanding” so to speak. And if you watch MKBHD’s video, he just sounds different and more measured, at least to me.
SacagaweasUncle@reddit
Sili Valley tech bro mobile
IsometricRain@reddit
Silicon valley tech bros are the GT3 touring, Mclaren, Ferrari F8 or 296 types.
No self respecting silicon valley CEO is driving a damn Luce, aside from Jony Ive's buddies.
Godvater@reddit
This coming from Chris Harris is something since he has been absolutely soft towards Ferrari since his ban.
lefthandsore@reddit
My hot take: the issue isn’t the car, the issue is the brand. It doesn’t look or feel like a Ferrari. If Apple released this, everyone would be drooling and lining up to finance it.
Significant_Gear_335@reddit
The issue is the brand and the price. If any typical production car company released this for 80-100k it would sell like hot cakes and would be adored. The issue is that it’s ugly for a Ferrari and over 600,000 dollars.
c0reM@reddit
Is this car made just to help lobby lawmakers saying “we tried EVs, nobody bought them and an EV mandate would destroy the company”?
Then they can say “journalists rated it favourably and still nobody bought them”.
Because it’s impossible that they are so blind that they actually think this is a desirable product to anyone with eyes.
This has to be a regulatory bargaining chip. Surely.
Wolfo93@reddit
It's not that you need to like it, it's that you can't be negative about it. Ferrari did not made an unveiling with journalists. It made unveiling with PR staff masquerading as journalists
RevvCats@reddit
Ferrari Luce media application questionnaire
Questions 1) will you get down on your knees and suck off our unwashed cock and tell the public it’s amazing regardless of what horrid shit we put in front of you?
There is no question 2
arsinoe716@reddit
If this was designed as a Ferrari, there would be no issues.
Denaris21@reddit
Someone said it looks like is was built on a rebodied forklift chassis. That's all I can see now lol.
mkvii1989@reddit
To be fair, Ferrari has always been like this. From only allowing some models to be sold to certain "qualified" customers, to refusing to provide a LaFerrari for Top Gear to do a comparo of the big three back in the day. They're obsessively protective of their image.
geoantho@reddit
Ferrari didn't meet the criteria to build a nice car so no worries, Chris.
matmanx1@reddit
Electric cars can be excellent appliances when they are designed and built to be so. The Luce has subpar range, questionable looks and a ridiculous pricetag making it both a terrible appliance and a bad Ferrari. I don’t think Chris Harris is going to lose any sleep over the lack of an invite.
W9967@reddit (OP)
Looks like the quotation didn’t work properly on the post body. Only the paragraph with > is the quote from Chris. The part starting from “Personally…” is my opinion.