The FF is dead, long live the GTC4 Lusso. Clumsy badging aside, what you're looking at is a heavy facelift of the current FF, which is the oldest car in Ferrari's range.

Our quick take

If you fancy an old-school supercar in terms of powertrain, get your GTC4 order in now, as this may be one of the last, naturally-aspirated V12s you'll ever be able to buy.

If you have to ask how much the GTC4 Lusso will cost then you probably can't afford it — but, although Ferrari haven't announced pricing yet, expect it to cost a little north of the FF's £226k when it goes on sale later this year.

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso

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That means that the GTC4 is a V12, front-engined, 4-Seat shooting brake. An odd combination though that all sounds, right now if you fancy a Ferrari but ever feel like moving people and stuff, this is as good as it gets — because at the Geneva Motor Show the company confirmed it definitely wasn't going to ever make an SUV.

Plus, there's something really exceptionally cool about a sort of estate-version Ferrari. One that will happily accommodate a family of four but has 681bhp on tap and drag-races to 62mph in 3.4-seconds. A 4-wheel drive system means it'd probably be quite good in the alps too, which is handy if you ski — and let's face it, if you're buying an FF then you probably do.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso preview: FF heritage

But enough of our pre-conceptions, this new Ferrari looks similar to the FF, but has many new panels: the lamps and grille are new, as is the lower rear roofline — which Ferrari says makes the GTC4 less boxy, more aero but gives you the same space inside. Other details you'll (maybe not) notice are the new rear spoiler, window and twin-rear lamps. To our eyes, it's slightly fussier looking, but it's six per cent better than before in aerodynamic drag terms, so the changes must have worked in one way.

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It's inside that you'll notice bigger changes. You might not buy a Ferrari for its infotainment system, but nonetheless the brand has, internally, begun to worry it's falling behind against its tech-heavy competition. It's tricky for small car makers with low production runs to offer big-league tech you see, because all the expensive development of the stuff is only easily amortised when you're producing hundreds of thousands of cars per year.

However, Ferrari's jumped up a level here, fitting a 10.2-inch HD touchscreen interface in the centre console, which while graphically is a bit clunky, is richly coloured and fast in response. It runs Apple CarPlay (natch) and is generally quite nice to interact with, Ferrari retaining things like the analogue climate buttons.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso preview: Passenger focus

But it's as a passenger where things suddenly get rather cool. The FF had a small display on the passenger dash side, which showed revs and speed (which we always liked), but now Ferrari has fitted a full slim interface, which still allows the passengers to see just how quickly they're going and to lose their lunch based on the driving antics of the person sitting next to them. But it also allows them to select music, follow the navigation and more.

As a setup for a more-people-than-driver-orientated Ferrari, it works really well. And it goes without saying that the Manettino-equipped steering wheel, giant yellow rev counter and sumptuous leather trim that are all Ferrari hallmarks also make an appearance here.

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Ferrari GTC4Lusso preview: V12 proper

On the driving side of the equation, things are always going to be dominated by that mega, non-turbo-charged V12 up front. And what a stats list it reals off: 681bhp, 697Nm of torque, 208mph top-speed.

It's now said to sound more "overtly sporting" when you're giving it large, while it's quieter at a cruise — thank the new active exhaust for that.

Elsewhere, the 7-speed double-clutch auto gearbox is standard, and this is the only Ferrari to feature 4-wheel drive. This time it gains 4-wheel steering and the fourth-gen of Ferrari's "slip-slide control" — all known as 4RM-S.

Silly acronyms don't really matter. We bet it's just a hoot to drive.