The Ferrari Roma is one of the biggest surprises for the past few years from Ferrari. It's all the way down the range, which sounds weird for...
a car which produces 620 horsepower. Also, you shouldn't look at it as a hardcore sports car. Instead, it's got a lot of GT-vibes.
Today, I'm going to find out how it holds up to a 'real' GT; the Bentley Continental GT.
And I won't be alone on this cold and wet day.
With the first Bentley Continental GT, Bentley created a supercoupé above the Mercedes-Benz CL.
Incredibly luxurious and a tad sporty. A true Gran Turismo. And even though they always aced the 'Gran'-part, it never really was a 'Turismo'.
But they've solved that by building the second generation on the platform of the Porsche Panamera. Having said that, this is one of the...
sportiest Bentley's ever made.
The first time I saw the Ferrari Roma, it immediately reminded me of the Ferrari 365 Daytona from Miami Vice.
That came before the Testarossa, and Don Johnson absolutely rocked that car. I think the Roma is just as stylish with kind of the same classical...
lines as back in the day. Of course, that's what Ferrari wanted to achieve, but they really did it. It immediately reminded me of the old designs.
The Ferrari Roma looks great on the inside as well. Very modern. It's not meant to go as fast as possible anymore.
The finishing is good, it's got state-of-the-art multimedia aboard, there's a customizable digital instrument cluster, buttons on the steering wheel.
Usually when you're driving a Ferrari, those aren't features you'll want to talk about. You'll only be think about racing.
But it was worth the mention. Also, you're nicely encapsulated in here. It's a sports car with a middle console which really folds around you.
Even though it's meant as a daily driver, the steering is incredibly direct. It really forms around you as well.
You're nicely tucked in, which isn't really true to a GT. That really gives you sports car-vibes.
This is meant as a daily driver, and even though the V8 makes a lot of noise for the outside, it's pretty quiet on the inside.
It's relaxed, and with the Manettino on Wet, Comfort or Sport, it will take a long time before it changes down in automatic mode.
It will put all of the 760 Nm of torque to work.
When you're around 1.500 RPM however, it starts rumbling a little. That could become annoying, but you'll be driving at around 95 km/h,
which aren't Ferrari-speeds.
So what is Ferrari aiming at with this Roma? Well, cars like the Aston Martin DB11 with V8, or the Mercedes-AMG GT C.
But does this car have the same personality? I think this is much sharper. Especially the steering, which is typically Ferrari.
I think the Mercedes-AMG GT has quite vague steering, for the type of car that it is. This just is incredibly direct.
It's still a Ferrari in which you want to go absolutely wild.
It revs so beautifully. It just wants to rev. Luckily, the ESP in a Ferrari is incredibly good. Even when it's wet, there's so much confidence.
7.500 RPM, which isn't a lot for a Ferrari, but it sure is enough to raise your adrenaline-levels.
This morning, when I drove it here, I put in Wet-mode with adaptive cruise control on and I put the gearbox in automatic mode.
And that's when you notice how good the ESP is. You're really able to take it easy with this car. So is this a daily driver?
Absolutely. For a Ferrari, it's a really good daily driver. But is it a GT? Well, no. It's too nimble, too sharp. Not a GT in my book.
No, this is a GT. Double windows, air suspension, carpets this thick, leather and wood everywhere, a lot more luxury, that's what makes...
a GT a GT. The complete overkill of comfort. And there's nothing on this car that stimulates you to throw it around.
It all starts with the drivetrain, which is a 4.0-litre V8 with two turbo's. That's not even 100 cc more than the Ferrari has, but it feels like...
it's got over two litres extra. It sounds much deeper, it's a crossplane V8 as opposed to the flatplane V8 in the Ferrari.
In the Ferrari, that flatplane helps to produce a very high specific power output. Also, lighter parts mean a very direct throttle response.
High specific power, a lot of revs, but this? This almost feels like a big diesel engine.
When you put your foot down, you'll release 770 Nm of torque. It will never encourage you to reach 6.800 RPM.
At around 5.000 RPM, it will change up, but if it didn't, you would change up as well.
You'll have so much torque at your disposal, it's just incredibly easy to go faster.
Despite it weighing over 500 kg more than the Ferrari, the real world performance isn't that different.
Especially when it's wet out, because this car has four-wheel drive. And that brings us to the chassis.
Like I said, it weighs 500 kg more than the Ferrari. That means that the Bentley and Ferrari are in completely different universes when...
it comes to sportivity. However, because the engine is now mounted behind the front axle and because you've got four-wheel drive,
active roll-stabilizers and three-chamber air suspension, you're able to corner as well. Back in the day, you could easily drive very fast...
on straight roads, and you can still do that in here, but corners are much easier now. It's easier to control, it's easier to position and it will stay true to it.
Also, it's a car which offers you some feedback. It's not a sports car though, don't get me wrong. The Ferrari is the clear winner when it comes to...
being a sports car. However, the Bentley seems to enjoy going fast, it enjoys that a lot. And it will give back to you.
The only thing you have to worry about at high speeds is braking. No active stabilizer or anti-roll bars will save you there,
because if you have to brake, you won't be able to stop a mass of 2.065 that quickly. That's the only drawback really.
Other than that, this is a sublime machine. Much more comfortable than the Ferrari, but that also means it's less sporty.
Let's find out how Stéphan thinks about that.
Marco Gorter, talk to me. - Hi Stéphan, with your nice and red Ferrari.
What's better, a red Ferrari or a red Bentley? - Well, I don't know really. I like them both, and...
that's kind of the whole story today. As a GT, this Bentley is much more comfortable and therefore the better car.
However, Ferrari being able to produce that much power on the rear wheels and keep it in line, is an incredible achievement.
Yeah, because it's a daily driver for Ferrari. And even though there are some GT-features, it's still quite the sports car.
And I think it's meant to be, because if Ferrari says they've made a daily driver, it'll still be twenty times hardcore than the sportiest Bentley.
So, mission passed for the Ferrari Roma? - If you ask me? Absolutely.