Ferrari 849 Testarossa 2026 Review

If you’re not already, sit down, because the 2026 Ferrari 849 Testarossa coupe and the accompanying Spider carry telephone number-length price tags.

The coupe, due on sale locally in Q4 of this year, starts at $932,648 plus on-road costs, while the open-topped Spider – due Q1 2027 – opens from $1,015,589.

These prices are an increment of approximately 10 per cent on the SF90 Stradale and Spider respectively, and the outgoing models were obviously no bargain-basement specials either.

Even so, the new Ferrari series-production flagship sits in rarefied territory, so even its exorbitant price tag is unlikely to be a deterrent for its target audience.

The only real opposition it faces is from the $987,908 Lamborghini Revuelto, which has the cachet of its sonorous naturally aspirated V12 engine.

The flagship raging bull has pace and charisma to burn, but the 849 Testarossa has its own unique appeal.

Included as standard are 20-inch alloys shod with Pirelli PZero R tyres, a six-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, audio streaming, real-time traffic, integrated navigation with voice-activation, Apple CarPlay, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and dual-zone climate control.

The standard seats come with four-way power adjustment, but the lightweight race seats included in the $77,837 Assetto Fiorano package – along with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 or Cup2R rubber, lightweight carbon-fibre rims and a bespoke aero package – only offer manual fore and aft adjustment.

The chunky sports steering wheel now has physical switches in lieu of the SF90’s awful haptic controls, plus the return of Ferrari’s iconic red starter button.

Safety features include dual front and side airbags, electronic side slip control, electronic stability control and F1-Trac ABS and driveline traction control.

The car is covered by a three-year warranty, with service intervals at 12 months/20,000km – whichever comes first.

The 2026 Ferrari 849 Testarossa’s headline stats are nothing less than startling. Peak power from the twin-turbocharged V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain is 772kW, representing a 15kW bump over the already stupefying SF90.

The SF90’s 4.0-litre ‘F154’ V8 has been given all-new cylinder heads, engine block, exhaust manifolds, intake plenums, titanium fasteners, valve train system, and fuel rail.

Strapped on to the powerplant are the biggest IHI turbochargers ever fitted to a Ferrari production model, with low-friction bearings and upgraded intercoolers among the measures used to minimise lag. The force-fed V8 redlines at 8300rpm and generates 610kW/842Nm on its own – monumental for a 4.0-litre engine.

The hybrid element of the powertrain – comprising an MGU-K electric motor that supplements the V8 in driving the rear axle, plus two front e-motors – provides torque in-fill at low revs, so the perception from behind the wheel is of zero turbo lag.

Ferrari quotes a 0-100km/h split of 2.25 seconds, 0-200km/h in 6.35sec and a top speed of 330km/h-plus; the former being virtually lineball with Ferrari’s F1 car.

The eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission also received a lot of attention, and the result is even faster and more seamless shifting characteristics. In addition, revised engine calibration is said to make for a more exciting sound during upshifts.

A key innovation in the 849 Testarossa is the so-called ‘Ferrari Integrated Vehicle Estimator’ (FIVE), which – by recreating a digital twin of the vehicle – replicates what’s happening with the car within 1km/h and 1 degree of yaw angle.

In principle, this tech allows even non-pro drivers to get in the car and “push like hell”, according to Ferrari’s boffins.

Ferrari’s claim that the 849 Testarossa is an easy car to come to grips with – even with its gargantuan performance envelope – becomes evident almost immediately. 

Streaming out on Circuito Monteblanco in the wake of one of Ferrari’s test and development drivers – serving as the pacemaker in a camouflage-liveried 849 – it takes just a couple of corners to begin dialling in to the 772kW rocket ship.

Feedback-rich steering that serves as a faithful guide to what’s taking place at the front wheels help build familiarity; there’s an instant feeling of being intimately connected to the car, rather than communicating with it through various layers of electronics. 

The brake pedal has a lovely progression to it – there’s no way of discerning that retardation is being provided partly by the huge carbon-ceramic discs (410mm front, 372mm rear) and partly by regenerative energy being relayed to the 7.45kWh battery pack.

It’s seamless and predictable, with the result that you can soon begin flirting with the ABS threshold in the heavy braking zones, even on damp surfaces.

The cars we drove on track were equipped with the optional Assetto Fiorano package, and therefore had the hardcore aero package, plus stiffer, single-rate Multimatic shock absorbers, stiffened springs and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres.

The 849 Testarossa makes such rapid progress that a complete recalibration of the brain is called for. Any straight sections in the circuit are simply monstered, with the pairing of brawny twin-turbo V8 and trio of electric motors doling out thrust in a linear and seemingly endless wave – all the way up to the 8300rpm redline.

Corners rush up in a virtual blur into your field of view, so you need to process information faster than ever before. It’s visceral and dramatic, yet there’s never the feeling that the car is about to spit you off the track.

Even when the chassis twitches under hard braking and heavy throttle loads, the 849 stays true to the intended trajectory.

The chassis engineers and brainiacs who calibrated all the vehicle dynamics software deserve a sincere hat tip. Even though the electronic safety net always has your back, the impression from behind the wheel is that it’s you who’s responsible for the on-track heroics, rather than the car.

As eye-opening as the track session was, the road loop in the afternoon proved no less insightful.

Mounted up in an eye-catching Giallo Modena (yellow) example in the standard configuration, there’s the opportunity to discover another dimension of the Testarossa’s persona.

With the Manettino switch on the steering wheel now set to Sport rather than Race, there’s a more docile and civilised demeanour, in contrast to the fire-breathing beast we had unleashed on the track before lunch.

The initial stretch of the route was on the freeway, with the 849 Testarossa loping along at a relaxed 140-150km/h cruise.

The twin-turbo V8 that had been singing at the top of its lungs out on the circuit is now discernible only as a muted hum in the background.

Turning off the freeway and heading towards the mountainous roads winding across Sierra Morena, it’s an opportune time to engage the Bumpy Road setting to iron out some of the lumpy tarmac we’d be traversing.

Carving across the mountain pass, a couple of things become apparent. Firstly, the 849 Testarossa is just as satisfying and engaging to drive on challenging real-world roads as it is on the racetrack.

The crisp steering, reassuring brakes and torque-laden powertrain combine to deliver brisk yet non-taxing progress.

The second discovery is that the Bumpy Road setting actually works. It’s hard to fathom that an overtly performance-focused car shod with 20-inch rims and tyres with a rubber-band profile could ride with such a high degree of compliance. Chalk that up as another win for the chassis engineers.

Out in the less frenetic environs of the real world, there’s also the opportunity to take in the 849 Testarossa’s revamped interior, which represents a comprehensive makeover of the SF90’s cabin. 

The new dual-cockpit layout is partitioned by a floating pillar that also houses the transmission selector – this design was conceived to optimise space and improve ergonomics, according to Ferrari.

Accessibility has also been improved by reducing the width of the bottom of the door panel and adjacent areas.

The standard seats are undoubtedly the better choice unless you’re going to be doing frequent track days; the optional carbon-shell seats come with a four-point harness, which would become tedious to fasten and unfasten on a regular basis.

As for the 849’s very design, arguably the most dramatic view is the rear three-quarter angle, with the striking twin-tail derriere inspired by 1970s Le Mans racers, most notably the sublimely sculpted 512 S. 

Where the Assetto Fiorano package brings a pair of fixed wings that stand proud from the bodywork, the standard car has a more elegant Kamm-tail configuration whereby the rear bodywork curves up to form a pair of integrated spoilers.

The doors are also an interesting stylistic and functional element, with their three-dimensional surface incorporating a hollowed-out duct that feeds 30 per cent more air to the intercoolers than on the SF90.

As per the 12Cilindri and F80, the 849 Testarossa has a visor-like treatment at the front and, although I didn’t warm to it when I first saw the car a couple of months ago, it’s starting to grow on me.

There’s really not a whole lot to fault in the 2026 Ferrari 849 Testarossa, but the most obvious criticism is a price tag that puts the car out of reach for all those who don’t belong among the top 0.1 per cent of the most affluent people in the world.

But Ferrari flagships have never been about affordability, so no surprises there.

The second gripe relates to the paltry 74-litre frunk, which is too small to swallow so much as an aircraft trolley bag – the Lamborghini Revuelto offers 112 litres of luggage capacity up front, plus additional storage space behind the seats.

The 2026 Ferrari 849 Testarossa is an undeniably better car than the SF90 it replaces, and it now has undeniable want factor.

The only genuine rival is the Lamborghini Revuelto, which also drips with charisma and competency.

If you’re in the market for an 849, you probably already know you want one. 

There are far worse ways to spend a million dollars, provided you have the wherewithal… 

2026 Ferrari 849 Testarossa at a glance:
Price: $932,648 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Final quarter of 2026
Powertrain: Twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 petrol-electric
Output: 610kW/842Nm (electric motor: 162kW)
Combined output: 772kW
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Battery: 7.45kWh lithium-ion
Fuel: 9.5L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 216g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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