So, what is the Ferrari Roma? For less than 200K, this is the least expensive Ferrari you can buy, making it a hard bargain for the rich speedo boys looking for a Ferrari to begin with.
Unlike most Ferraris that prefer to look like racecars, the Roma features a more contemporary styling that blends passion with drama the Italian way and there's no judgment for that. When you take it for a spin around city centers, the Roma is a worthy feature attraction that gets all the attention it deserves like most expensive sportscars do in their daily life.
The interior, meanwhile, is a big shock because this is the first time a Ferrari has gone the tall screen approach like most vehicles today, and while it sports familiar Ferrari interior items such as the display near the glove compartment and the complicated steering wheel like most Ferraris had, the Roma comes with a super cool car key in the shape of the Ferrari badge. You insert it and you're in charge. That's it.
Unlike most Ferraris, the Roma runs on a brand new powertrain consisting of a front-mid-engined 4.0L Turbocharged V8 engine producing 620PS of power and 760Nm of torque and while mated to a new 8-speed DCT as seen on the SF90, it can go from 0-100kph in three and a half seconds and onwards to over 320kph. That's quicker than its main foe, the Aston Martin Vantage, by a long shot.
Apart from the performance it delivers, the Roma is a different kind of Ferrari that puts the priority on the road first rather at the track because of its road-focused suspension and chassis setup that sets itself apart from the other relatives but being a Ferrari, it's got a lot of race-derived tech on it, meaning that even if it's prioritized to feel at home on the road, it's worth addictive to drive and you can spend lots of moments toying around with the Roma all day.
While it was known to be the Ferrari that likes to be enjoyed on the road, some might say that the Roma is no doubt one of the best grand tourers made in this era but the question is, would you like it more than the open-top Portofino?
I just said Portofino because the open-top Ferrari we are all familiar with now comes with an updated version called the Portofino M, the improved version of Ferrari's open-top grand tourer that tries to question the Roma's authority.
Although it's priced over ten grand more than the Roma, the improved Portofino picks up where the previous Portofino left off but with some revised styling to match it as well as the new, more complicated, steering wheel as seen on the Roma on the inside, among many other updates in store for the Portofino M.
Like the Roma, the Portofino M's armed with the 4.0L V8 Twin Turbo engine produces 620PS of power and 760Nm of torque and is mated to the 8-speed DCT. Although it weighs more than the Roma, the Portofino M's performance matches the Roma's, meaning it can go from 0-100kph in three and a half seconds and onwards to over 320kph. It's quicker than the old Portofino, of course.
In the past, I said that the Ferrari Portofino truly defies expectations of what a grand tourer should be and in Ferrari's case, be it for pleasure-seeking or for going all-out. The M, meanwhile, is the same but better because the dynamics are even more breathable and more enjoyable to drive than the old one. It's got the new Side Slip Control 6.0 as seen on the Roma as well, meaning that even if its prioritized to feel at home on the road, it's worth addictive to drive, just like the Roma.
So, there we are; the Roma and the Portofino M. They may be road-focused grand tourers but they behave just like a true Ferrari, and looks like all bets are off with these newest grand tourers offered by the Prancing Horse. This is serious stuff and they really mean it.
Photo: Ferrari
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