Each week we pick a recently launched vehicle and find opinions on it from global experts.

Meet the mid-engine plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer. The SF90 stands for the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team and "Stradale" means road. It produces 735kW of power and 800Nm of torque and is on sale in by Ferrari New Zealand for $905,870. 

Here is what global motoring experts think about this special Ferrari.

Top Gear

The British magazine and website gave it 9/10.

“Depending on how you see Ferrari, the SF90 is potentially controversial. It’s the firm’s new flagship, but isn’t powered by a seminal V12. Nor is it an only-available-to-collectors limited edition. It’s 4wd. There are three electric motors. You can plug it in. It starts silently, and it can drive silently. There’s never been a Ferrari that can do that before.

Nor has there been one where the brake pedal isn’t directly connected to the callipers. Or one without a mechanical rev counter behind the steering wheel. There isn’t even a reverse gear in the gearbox – but relax, there is one elsewhere.  

And yet this is Ferrari’s fastest, most powerful road car ever. Quicker around the Fiorano home circuit than the LaFerrari  – the same as a Bugatti Veyron, but with basically half the engine capacity and turbos, and weighing several hundred kilos less. So yes, it’s fast – 0-100km/h in 2.5secs, ahead of the F8 Tributo, and in the same league as the Koenigsegg One:1 and McLaren Senna, both of which are in a different price league.”

Auto car UK

The British website and magazine gave it 5/5. Wow.

“The SF90 is a proper plug-in hybrid for urban use, capable of travelling up to 24km on flowing electrons alone and always starting in the Hybrid driving mode that defaults to electric power under gentle use. With a short enough commute and charging points at both ends, you could drive it forever while doing nothing more than lugging its V8 around as ballast.

Nobody will, of course – and I don’t for long. Well before leaving [Ferrari’s headquarters] Maranello, the novelty of a silent and not especially rapid Ferrari has worn off, and I switch to the Performance mode that fires the engine into life. Pressing the throttle harder in Hybrid would have done the same thing, but there’s also an eDrive mode that won’t start the engine. Ferrari reckons buyers will be happy to travel electrically at low speeds and that the feature will be popular with owners heading out for an early-morning blast without disturbing neighbours.

Ferrari hasn’t just launched its plug-in hybrid first among its rivals; it has also demonstrated its technical ability with an astonishingly complex drivetrain. The engine is most easily dealt with: it’s a development of the F154 V8 from the F8 Tributo but with a redesigned cylinder head, higher injection pressures, a slight capacity increase, new turbochargers and an ultra-compact intake manifold.”

Car Advice

The Aussies took the fast Ferrari for a spin, and gave it 8.7/10.

“To call the SF90 a technical tour de force would be like calling the roof of the Sistine Chapel a good daub. Ferrari has created a hugely complex hybrid powertrain … with three electric motors.

Two of these are at the front, driving one wheel each and allowing for torque vectoring. The third is a state-of-the-art ‘axial flux’ motor, which is sandwiched between the engine and eight-speed twin-clutch gearbox.  

The electric motors can add up to 162kW of power, and although the front ones disengage at speeds above 210km/h, the rear is then able to use the battery’s entire peak flow, keeping total output the same.

n the blended Hybrid mode the SF90 defaults to when it is started up, faster progress will fire the V8 into raucous life, or this can be done by selecting either Performance or Qualify on the e-Manettino that controls powertrain modes.

And it immediately turns into a proper Ferrari with towering performance and a soundtrack to match, snarling and increasingly savage as the engine closes in on its 8000rpm redline.

Under hard use, there’s little evidence of the electric side of the powertrain. The assistance is added seamlessly and, for the most part, invisibly – but that doesn’t stop it from transforming the way the car drives.

Most obviously this is through the ability to send drive to the front wheels, allowing the SF90 to find huge traction and also to divert power forwards to help pull it out of hydrocarbon-induced slippage.”

Car and Driver

The American website said it is the hypercar for the present and the future.

“There's only one trim offered for the 2020 Ferrari SF90 Stradale, but it comes packed with enough amenities to make it a satisfying pick for shoppers in this price range. Twenty-inch silver-accented wheels connect the car to the pavement. 

This Ferrari's aluminum body is embellished with rocker panels, a wing spoiler, and a black grille, and they give the exterior an assertive look that communicates this coupe's prodigious performance capabilities. When the sun dips below the horizon, the car's adaptive and fully automatic LED headlights are on hand to illuminate the way. 

The list of standard exterior features also includes rain-sensing windshield wipers, rear fog lamps, LED taillights, and heated power-folding side-view mirrors. Within the cabin, driver and passenger can get comfortable in standard four-way power-adjustable seats. 

All models are equipped with interior features such as automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and ignition, a power-adjustable tilt-and-telescoping steering column, and leather upholstery.”