Ferrari Roma


Debut: 2020
Maker: Ferrari
Predecessor: no



 Published on 30 Mar 2021 All rights reserved. 


From California to Roma, it is closer than you might think.


It is always pleasurable to see the introduction of a new Ferrari, especially as beautiful as this one. Roma has not only a beautiful name but also a beautiful shape. Unlike many recent Ferraris, its form is sleek and pure, not ruined by the needs of aerodynamics. Its waistline rises and falls smoothly over the wheel arches, very much in the shape of 308GTB. The shark nose has a mesh grille fitted flush. The bonnet and sides of the car are clean and smooth, without any openings to interrupt the surfaces. Ferrari has not designed such a pure form for a long time. It might be the most beautiful Ferrari in modern time, at least for one with an engine mounted at a position preferred by Enzo Ferrari. The mid-engined 458 Italia looks more exotic, of course, but the Roma is certainly purer.

The Roma is derived from the platform of Portofino. The Portofino (and its predecessor California) has always been a bit underperforming in Ferrari's lineup. Priced at £166,000, it is the cheapest Ferrari, yet the sales volume does not match its entry-level price. Why? Because it is not great enough by the standards of Ferrari. Its retractable hardtop has some negative effects to its weight, hence performance, as well as its looks. If Ferrari needs to recoup its development cost, the best way is to build a hardtop coupe based on the same architecture. Roma is that car.



Ferrari describes it as a sports car as well as an everyday GT.


Priced at £171,000, the Roma sits slightly above the Portofino but below all other Ferraris. Its direct competitors will be Aston Martin Vantage, DB11 as well as Porsche 911 Turbo, if not the more luxury-biased Bentley Continental GT. Ferrari describes it as a sports car as well as an everyday GT. The latter is evident with the optional +2 seats, although you'd better not to fit human into them.

The car's aluminum spaceframe architecture is based on that of the Portofino, sharing the same wheelbase of 2670mm, but it is slightly longer, wider and lower to achieve the better proportion. The chassis is fundamentally 10 percent stiffer than that of the Portofino even without considering the extra rigidity contributed by the hardtop. Ferrari claims 70 percent of the chassis components are new or modified, although they are usually less critical ones. Suspensions are basically unchanged except the fine tuning of springs and dampers. The front springs are actually the same, while the rears are softened by 10 percent as they don’t need to bear the weight of the retractable roof. For the same reason, front-to-rear weight distribution is changed from 44:56 to 50:50, seemingly less favourable for a rear-drive machine, but consider this: the entire car is 94kg lighter, and the combination of ditching the heavy roof mechanism and a lower mounted driveline results in center of gravity dropped by 20mm. In addition to slightly wider tracks and the aforementioned softer rear springs, ride and handling must be significantly improved. Moreover, the Roma employs the latest generation of electronic driving aids, namely Side Slip Control 6.0 and Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer.



The power feels forceful, the throttle response is sharp, the power delivery is more linear than most turbocharged engines.


The power unit remains to be that 3855 c.c. twin-turbo V8, not the 3902 c.c. unit employed by its mid-engined siblings. However, Maranello has done some modifications to comply with tighter emission regs without losing horsepower. There are new cams with higher valve lift, new turbine speed sensors and removal of exhaust silencers to offset the addition of gasoline particulate filters. As a result, output is boosted slightly by 20hp to 620hp, while maximum torque is virtually unchanged at 561 lbft.

The gearbox is updated from the Portofino’s 7-speed dual-clutch to a new 8-speed unit, derived from that of SF90. Not only it has closer and wider spread of ratios, but it is also 6kg lighter than the old unit and mounted lower in the chassis, thanks to a smaller diameter clutch. It shifts quicker, too, by 15 percent on upshift and 21 percent on downshift, thanks in part to better integration with engine ECU.

The Roma is quoted the same 199mph+ top speed as Portofino, but the combination of lower weight and slightly more horsepower results in quicker acceleration. It takes 3.3 seconds to go from 0-60, just a tenth quicker than the convertible, but 0-124mph is improved sharply from 10.8 to 9.3 seconds. Excluding top speed, it is easily quicker than the aforementioned Aston and Bentley rivals, if not the new 911 Turbo S. As far as a front-engined GT is concerned, it is virtually unrivalled.



The Roma will get you from A to B with remarkable comfort.


While the exterior looks purely Ferrari, the interior is less traditional. In fact, its twin-cockpit design looks more like a Corvette than Ferrari. The instrument pod, too, has abandoned Ferrari’s traditional analogue rev counter for a 16-inch full TFT display, which is shared with SF90. On the bridge-style center console, an 8.4-inch tablet touchscreen is provided for controlling air-con, heater and audio. The steering wheel has touch-sensitive pads as well as a touch-sensitive engine start button – sorry, no more dedicated red engine start button on console. The famous Manettino switch, too, is located at the steering wheel, but now it provides 5 modes, including Race mode, which is available to Ferrari’s GT for the first time. Other modes are Wet, Comfort, Sport, Race and ESC-off. In addition, the suspension has Bumpy road setting.

The rear seats are basically usable for luggage, but the front seats are soft and comfortable for long trips. Space is of course far more generous than a McLaren calling itself “GT”. After all, this is a car built from aluminum spaceframe instead of a carbon-fiber tub. It feels every bit a GT should feel. You sit nearer the rear axle, visibility is not great but good enough for everyday driving. The view forward over the long bonnet with rising flanks at either side is quite exotic. The controls on steering wheel are handy, easy to navigate and view from the TFT screen up front. In contrast, the touchscreen with haptic feedback is a little clumsy, but you rarely use it anyway. Driving a Ferrari is always about the driving experience, although the Roma will get you from A to B with remarkable comfort, thanks to its supple ride in Comfort mode and effective suppression of road noise. Delightfully, exhaust noise remains ever present, although some might find the flat-plane crank V8's soundtrack too gruffy for a grand tourer.



So good in every aspect that its gorgeous look is only icing on the cake.


The Roma might be the one of the least powerful Ferraris, but it is still very fast for a GT. The power feels forceful, the throttle response is sharp, the power delivery is more linear than most turbocharged engines, and it is eager to rev beyond 7500 rpm. Meanwhile, the dual-clutch gearbox is just perfect, incredibly responsive. It picks up speed with greater enthusiasm than the Portofino.

Yet the chassis is even better. For starter, its steering ratio is direct but not as overly aggressive as other current Ferraris. This gives it a calmer and more intuitive feel that suits a sporting GT. When attack corners, the Roma rolls less than the Portofino while it rides better. It feels lighter on its feet, more precise and more agile. Mid-corner bumps don’t seem to hurt its composure either, as its softer suspension and stiffer structure absorb bumps easily. The chassis steers neutrally, with power slide available under ESC-off, but you need a track or an empty hairpin to demonstrate. The brakes, carbon-ceramic optional, serve up phenomenal stopping power and superb feel.

What the first V8-powered GT from Maranello excels is the combination of speed, comfort, handling and driver engagement simultaneously, something not even Aston Martin manages to do as good. The fact that it also looks gorgeous is only icing on the cake.
Verdict:
Specifications





Year
Layout
Chassis
Body
Length / width / height
Wheelbase
Engine
Capacity
Valve gears
Induction
Other engine features
Max power
Max torque
Transmission
Suspension layout
Suspension features
Tires
Kerb weight
Top speed
0-60 mph (sec)
0-100 mph (sec)
0-124 mph (sec)
Roma
2021
Front-engined, RWD
Aluminum spaceframe
Aluminum
4656 / 1974 / 1301 mm
2670 mm
V8, 90-degree, flat-crank.
3855 cc
DOHC 32 valves, DVVT
Twin-turbo
DI
620 hp / 5750-7500 rpm
561 lbft / 3000-5750 rpm
8-speed twin-clutch
F: double-wishbones / R: multi-link
Adaptive damping
F: 245/35ZR20 / R: 285/35ZR20
1570 kg (dry: 1472 kg)
199 mph (c)
3.3 (c)
-
9.3 (c)


















































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AutoZine Rating

Roma



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