Is this the first family Ferrari? (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Is this the first family Ferrari?

3:28pm Friday 4th February 2011 in Cars

Diversify or die is the survival mantra for many businesses these days, and even in the upper echelons of the luxury car market there are no names that are too big to fail.

It was less than a decade ago that legendary sports car firm Porsche shocked the world by producing an SUV.

Aston Martin has announced a £30,000 city car in the shape of the Cygnet, and now Ferrari has gone one better by revealing a four-wheel-drive, four-seater called the FF.

It’s not quite a Ferrari estate, but the long swooping nose flows through to a tailgate at the rear, often called a shooting break.

It can comfortably accommodate four people and their luggage, thanks to cabin space and boot capacity that is as much as many family hatchbacks.

But despite such practicalities, it remains a performance car first. A new 6.3-litre direct-injection engine delivers a spectacular 651bhp – more than any other road-going Ferrari – delivered to the road by the company’s first four-wheel-drive system.

The patented 4RM (four-wheel drive) design weighs 50 per cent less than a conventional four-wheel drive system, maintaining perfect weight distribution (53 per cent over the rear axle). All that translates into passenger-terrifying performance: the 0-62mph sprint is despatched in 3.7 seconds, while the top speed will comfortably exceed 210mph.

The public will get its first chance to see the FF in the flesh at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but of greater importance is the fact that a company as prestigious and specialised as Ferrari is turning out products like this, everyday cars that we can afford will become ever more innovative and interesting.