Ferrari has taken an interesting direction for the past few years. They've dropped the maximum amount of cars they wanted to produce,
and they want to broaden their horizons. That's why the range of models has been increased. The F8 came incredibly quick after the 488,
there was a convertible V12 GT in the form of the 812 GTS. Its predecessors didn't really have convertibles in recent history.
There's still an SUV being planned, there's an SF90 Stradale hypercar, which is positioned beneath the LaFerrari.
And here we have the Ferrari Roma. A car nobody saw coming, because Ferrari already has the Portofino as a GT-coupé.
Sure, it's a convertible, but it has a metal folding roof. You could compare it with Mercedes making an SL with a fixed roof.
Because it's Ferrari, you always has to keep on asking. So is the Portofino going out of production anytime soon? No, Ferrari says,
despite the fact this is a GT as well, the Roma is much more of a sports car than the Portofino.
And why was that necessary? Ferrari says there were people who wanted a Ferrari sports car, but an F8 or 488 was too extravagant for them.
It was too present, and I can get behind that. A braggy, mid-engined car with lots of vents and openings. It just doesn't look very luxurious,
even though you want a sporty car. And that's exactly what the Roma is meant to give you. It looks more anonymous, relatively speaking,
than an F8 or a 488. However, it's supposed to be more sporty than a Portofino with its roof shut.
A sports car in tuxedo, as Ferrari says themselves. However, that's marketing-talk, it's up to me if it's up to the task.
My colleague Jan Lemkes has already introduced the car in a video, in which he mainly focuses on the interior and design. You should look...
up that video as well, it's really good. Today, I'll be focusing on the drive and everything surrounding that.
I do want to show you guys something, and that's the engine bay. And if we take a look, the engine is very far back. Behind the front-axle.
There's pretty much nothing here. But over there, it's the 3.9-litre V8 found in lots of other Ferrari's. And they're very proud of that engine.
I mean, the F8 Tributo is a tribute to that engine. Which also powers the F8. It's a twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8, which was introduced in the Ferrari...
California T, late 2013 or early 2014. That's how long it's been around. We've seen it in the 488, the SF Stradale, the GTC4Lusso T, and the...
question rises if the engine is still up to the task after all these years. Ferrari says that even though the engine size is the same,
but it's constantly in development. A fun detail is a rev counter for the turbo's. There are sensors which measure the amount of revs...
a turbo makes. Of course, that's tens of thousands of revs. But because they're checking that very well, the engines are able to...
let the turbo's rev more without breaking. That means there's more power. So why is that handy? Well, because of the current environmental...
regulations, there's a particle filter in the exhaust of the Roma. That means you need more power to compensate, and with smart tricks like this...
with the turbo, they were still able to get 620 horsepower from it. The personality of the engine is very high-revving,
despite the fact it has turbo's. We've seen how that worked out in the F8 and 488 Pista, which was very good. So my expectations...
are high in this Ferrari Roma.
I've only driven this for a short while and I can already tell you what stands out in this car. And it's the explosiveness this car offers you.
The typical fiery feel every Ferrari has. Even big GT's like a GTC4 have some sort of constant energy in the throttle, like you're tapping...
a stick of dynamite. And you're allowed to do that, until you put your foot down. That's when it explodes.
That's something which is typically Ferrari. McLaren and Porsche just don't have that. They're very fast and very sharp, and they often beat...
Ferrari's on track and such. But a Ferrari is so much more alive. That makes it more fun. Every metre is fun.
Everytime you switch lanes and steer, it just feels great. It's incredibly sharp. And this Roma doesn't disappoint. It goes beyond the Portofino...
when it comes to power production. Especially the sharpness in the nose. It's very bitey. Even with cars that have a mid-engine-setup.
Those cars can have some understeer because of the light nose, but in this layout with the engine in front of you, yet behind the front-axle,
there's a weight distribution that still pushes the front tires down. And it corners so incredibly fast.
The tarmac is incredibly slippery up here, so I can't really try it out at high speeds, but it corners so incredibly sharp.
Having said that, you'll notice how much it likes to oversteer. If I'm in the middle of the road and I steer into a corner, the backside really wants...
to move outwards as well. And because it's slippery here, when you put your foot even near the throttle, you can feel the car going.
However, it will never go. The traction control is very good. But the way it moves with the sharp steering, makes it feel alive.
In the meantime, in Comfort-mode, it's very comfortable. I mean, Ferrari's aren't very hard cars to begin with because of Italian tarmac,
it's not a bad car to take for longer distances. If we look at the interior, it's a very big step forwards compared to the 812.
That was a very basic car for its money. This has a digital instrument cluster. You could complain that the analogue dial has gone, but you've got a...
digital version in return. And it works just as well. Just like with satnav, it works so much better than in an 812 or 488.
Those were very basic. The drivetrain then, and it's still sublime. It's an 8-speed automatic gearbox instead of a 7-speed,
which is pretty much the same gearbox as in the SF90 Stradale. However, with a different setting, because this doesn't have 1.000 horsepower.
Also, this has a reverse gear, which the SF90 doesn't have. That reverses on electric power.
Those are the differences. However, because of the extra gear, the gears are shorter than in the Portofino.
You really fly through the gears. The turbocharged engine almost doesn't have any turbo lag. That gives it its high-revvy personality.
With short gears, and that's really nice. You're flying through the gears, you're changing gear, and because the gearbox is so aggressive and fast,
I'm changing gear earlier than necessary, because I like it so much.
It's incredibly slippery here, watch out. But the car feels so much alive.
Right, Ferrari said this had to be a sports car which looks like a GT, for people who don't want an incredibly flashy car.
And it works. The experience, the aggression... If you want to brutally wreck everyone in a sprint with 650 horsepower, you can. It's all possible.
At the same time, it only weighs 1.475 kg. That's relatively light for a car playing in the GT-segment.
Just look at how heavy an AMG-GT is, or a Jaguar F-Type R. They weight hundreds of kg's more than this Roma.
And the lightness is clearly present in here, and that makes for a lot of sporty feeling.
I do have to get used to the design. Especially the nose, but I really like the side profile. It's clearly Ferrari's new style,
without air vents and spoilers. I think lots of people will be able to enjoy that styling.
Having said that, it's quite funny to know that this car actually has a lot of active aerodynamics. However, you won't notice them when it's...
parked or just driving regularly. The rear spoiler isn't operable by hand, it comes out at 100 km/h automatically.
If you put it in Race-mode, the spoiler will take up a more aggressive stance. Until you reach 300 km/h, that's when it flattens out to prevent drag.
And again, the driver isn't able to control that in any way. So when the spoiler is up, it's driving faster than 100 km/h.
That's quite funny. Of course, Ferrari sells a lot of its cars because of the name,
and this Roma will undoubtedly sell well. But if I look at the direct competition, the F-Type is much heavier than this so it's not as sharp.
A BMW M8, another GT, is very quick, but it's very bulky. I don't really like that to be completely honest.
And then there's this Ferrari Roma, which does compete with those cars. Or a 911 Turbo. But it does have that sharpness, that feeling that it's alive,
it a car in which you're actually busy driving. Fun driving at that. The electronics will keep the power at bay if you're a beginning driver,
so that makes it very accessible. But when you're taking it out at speed, there's so much depth in this car.
It's not cowardly in any way. You could call it the entry-level Ferrari, because there has to be one, but you could also call the Portofino that.
But it's not like you're missing out on anything if you get this. This has a soul, this has a heart, this has Italian flair and aggression which...
makes a Ferrari, a Ferrari. This car has really made me happy.