Ferrari recently announced the Ferrari Luce, the brand’s first EV. A little sad, but even Ferrari is forced to build EVs now. The idea might be cool for $100,000, right? Maybe $250,000. Well, the Luce has a jaw-dropping starting price of $640,000. Not to mention, the four-door exotic EV also carries the entire burden of the Italian brand’s image shift toward electrification. Yet most enthusiasts are quick to forget that before Ferrari’s first EV, there was a plug-in hybrid model called the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. The SF90 has spent years quietly making the case that a prancing horse from Maranello can be electrified without losing the qualities that make Ferrari distinctive. Whether the Luce can match that blueprint is something we currently don’t know. The SF90’s track record, told in part by real owners, is the most honest reference point we have available.
Why Going Hybrid Solved Many Existing Problems
The SF90 Stradale launched in the 2020 model year with a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 that was paired with three electric motors. This combination produced a total of just under 1,000 horsepower, an absurd figure even for a half-million-dollar Ferrari road car. More important than the power output, however, was that Ferrari designed this complex powertrain to drive like a Ferrari rather than just being a performance booster.
Turbo Lag? Never Heard Of Her
Since Ferrari entered its modern turbocharged era with the Ferrari 488 GTB, the most common criticism of these platforms has been turbo lag. For customers who were accustomed to the immediacy of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated engines, the difference in responsiveness was jarring. The SF90’s hybrid architecture takes this issue head-on as the front-axle electric motors supply instant torque while the twin-turbo system builds boost. That dead zone before you felt the torque kick in was eliminated.
We searched FerrariChat for owner reviews and found a 2023 post from an individual who owned both a 488 and an SF90. The owner concluded that the SF90 drives with “zero turbo lag” in a way that the 488’s powertrain “could never claim with credibility.” The SF90’s electric motors blend so seamlessly with the engine that the drivetrain feels like a single, unified power source rather than distinct systems working together. No other modern turbocharged Ferrari has offered this level of responsiveness, and it’s not even close.
The Experience Of Qualifying Mode
As with many exotic performance vehicles, there are often a variety of driving modes you can select depending on the situation. The only mode you really care about on the SF90 is ‘qualifying mode’, as it is the only way to unlock the full near-1,000 horsepower this powertrain produces. Ferrari calibrated the qualifying mode so that the high-voltage battery replenishes continuously, which keeps peak output available on demand.
Another owner from FerrariChat described how they almost exclusively drive in qualifying mode and that the battery is effectively full throughout normal use. They described full-throttle acceleration in the lower gears as what they imagine a “modern version” of the Ferrari F40‘s turbo surge would feel like. The same owner, who also has a Tesla Model S Plaid, noted that the SF90 never produced the fatigue that occurs during hard acceleration pulls in the Tesla. The difference was the sound and physical sensation that the Ferrari retained despite the electric assistance. That distinction matters because it will come into play when evaluating what a fully electric successor would need to be successful.
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Physics Is Physics; Hybrids Are Heavy
One unavoidable drawback of hybrid powertrains in terms of overall performance is their added weight penalty. The question was whether the SF90 could carry the additional weight without falling victim to the predictable and boring formula that most AWD hypercars follow.
A Suspension Setup Worthy Of The Price
If there is one aspect of the SF90 experience that receives critical acclaim, it is the suspension calibration. Another long-term Ferrari customer from FerrariChat who owned both a Pista Spider and an SF90 described the SF90 as feeling like a combination of the Pista and the Ferrari 458 Speciale. The result is a mix of raw capability fused with a playful character that both tempts you with speed while inspiring confidence. This is a genuinely difficult combination to balance, and owners claim that the SF90 is surprisingly comfortable for regular use, but still comes alive when pushed.
If you want a bit more edge, there was the track-focused Assetto Fiorano package, which added Multimatic dampers that produce faster rebound characteristics than the magnetorheological units on prior models. This package rewards you by providing precision that justifies your commitment. The increased stiffness makes the car a little less livable on the road, so you might second-guess taking a second 1,000-mile road trip in your SF90. You might be fine with it; your partner probably won’t be.
AWD Is Always Bad, Except…
Remember when everyone hated the Nissan R35 GT-R on debut because it traded driving engagement for raw performance capability? This formula became the go-to approach for most automakers: too much grip and too little feedback in a car that nearly drives itself. Thank goodness that Ferrari did not employ that kind of AWD system in the SF90.
One specific owner on FerrariChat stated that they had grown bored with AWD performance cars but noted that they were unable to feel the front motors working in most driving situations in the SF90. Indeed, the SF90 is truly tuned to feel like an RWD machine, with front traction kicking in only when truly necessary. If you think the back won’t kick out if you blip the throttle mid-corner, it will. Another owner noted how, after 500 miles of driving, the on-screen indicator showed front-axle intervention only in momentary flashes under full-throttle situations in lower gears. The result is a Ferrari hybrid that feels alive and responsive at the wheel instead of one that feels burdened by the weight of its electronics.
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The Acoustic Argument Remains Unsolved
The F154 twin-turbo V-8 first appeared in the 2015 Ferrari California T, and was met with disapproval from most Ferrari purists who craved the high-revving engines of the past. The version found in the SF90 is the best iteration yet of this platform and has never sounded better. The Ferrari Luce, however, is a whole different story.
A Turbo V-8 That Finally Found Its Voice
The Ferrari F154 V-8 has consistently drawn criticism for its lackluster sound since its introduction as the sole powertrain for the Ferrari 488 in 2015. It was not until the SF90’s introduction in 2020 that Ferrari perfected the formula to make this engine sound aggressive and engaging. An owner of a 488 Spider wrote that the SF90’s exhaust note was “appreciably better” than any other turbocharged supercar they had driven. They called the exhaust note “raspy, fruity, and engaging” under load while remaining reasonably quiet during relaxed cruising. Another owner described the engine’s pitch near redline as more fulfilling than the 488 while acknowledging that their Ferrari 812’s naturally-aspirated V-12 engine remained in a separate category.
One interesting detail several owners have noted about the SF90’s exhaust note is that there can be a loud, booming resonance around 2,000 rpm at highway speeds in eighth gear. Despite this, the overall improvements to this once-criticized platform’s sound quality represent the most meaningful step forward yet. Will a fully electric powertrain like the one featured in the Luce be able to replicate the sensation of an Italian V-8. Right now, it’s looking unlikely.
The Cost Of Smiles Per Gallon
While the SF90 looks massively impressive on paper, its most compelling quality is not found on the spec sheet. After reviewing accounts from multiple owners, the SF90 elicits an emotional response that simply cannot be conveyed in the press materials or journalistic reviews. The hybrid hypercar provides such precise communication through both the steering and chassis that the machine feels like a direct extension of your mind. Smiles per gallon is the focus here, with a multidecade Ferrari customer stating that driving the SF90 made them feel as if they were behind the wheel of their first Ferrari. That experience is priceless, and it is also exactly why most owners of the halo hypercar feel it is worth the money, despite its exorbitant price.
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The Price Gap Nobody Is Discussing Honestly
The Ferrari Luce is expected to start at around $640,000, which positions it above the SF90 Stradale’s base coupe price of about $524,000. That is a difference of about $116,000, almost the cost of a brand new 2026 Porsche 911 Carrera, for a car that has no fire-breathing Italian engine. For customers who already own or have driven an SF90, the Luce does not present a straightforward value proposition.
What You Get For Half A Million In Practice
At launch, the SF90 was the crème de la crème Ferrari, setting a new benchmark for hybrid Ferrari performance. The owners who navigated the buying process—including those with Tailor Made allocations— concluded the car was reasonably priced for what it offered, despite extended production delays and post-delivery quality corrections. One owner detailed how they experienced months of factory delays due to custom seat construction and paint imperfections that were corrected after delivery.
Even then, they still called the SF90 “worth every single penny,” ranking it above every Ferrari they had owned in over twenty years of buying Ferrari road cars. If there is one thing most owners agree on as a real issue with the SF90, it is the haptic steering wheel controls. Other complaints focused primarily on interior details, such as the standard synthetic headliner, which has the look of “a cheap Porsche.” Regardless, none of these issues outweighed what the car delivered when driven properly.
The Standard The Luce Has To Beat
Considering the Luce’s $640,000 starting price, it enters a bracket where expectations are even higher than those of the SF90 Stradale. The Luce must figure out a way to not only justify its price but also prove itself worthy of being the Italian brand’s first fully-electric model. The SF90 worked because it modernized, but did not sacrifice the traditional emotive sensory experience that Ferrari owners are gladly willing to pay for. If the SF90 has anything, it is a true Italian personality. The harder you drive it, the more it rewards you. Is it perfect? Far from it. However, the SF90’s imperfections feel less like failures and more like personality quirks, just like the legendary Ferraris of old.
How the Luce will create the same level of emotional connection that is expected of a vehicle of its price point remains unknown. Considering just how good the SF90 is, it is sad to see that Ferrari set itself up for failure with the Luce. Ferrari may not have intended the two models to be in direct competition, but this outcome was inevitable. If you are going to spend that much money on an electrified Ferrari, the correct choice between the two options is obvious.
Sources: Ferrari, Porsche, Tesla, Nissan, FerrariChat owner accounts