2022 Ferrari Roma exudes grand touring excitement
Mid-motor hybrid supercars and the impending Purosangue crossover SUV are the Ferraris garnering the bulk of headlines these times, but really do not rest on the Roma coupe. This V-8-driven 2+2 is additional than just an entry point into the House of Scuderia. It’s a grand tourer that will come alive in sudden methods.
Certain, it begins at a lofty $243,358—or $311,647 as tested, which include $5,000 (!) for destination—but ignore that price tag tag and start the engine. Driving the Roma will make you experience like a million bucks.
2022 Ferrari Roma – Photograph by Tyler Clemmensen
Inspite of its mechanical relation to the Portofino M hardtop convertible, the Roma’s overall look is decidedly considerably less “base Ferrari,” like it is positioned significantly closer to the unique-searching 296 GTB. Even in this test car’s demure shade of Grigio Medio, the Roma seems like a significantly much more expensive auto: sleek and refined, with just more than enough weirdness to make any auto supporter arrive back again for a second look.
A literal wealth of carbon-fiber accoutrements adorn this Roma examination vehicle, to the tune of $33,242 in shiny insert-ons. The wheel caps, entrance spoiler, side sills, diffuser and lively spoiler are all done up in light-weight product, blended with 20-inch wheels ($2,531), black brake calipers ($1,519) and a sport exhaust program ($1,687).
Other huge-ticket alternatives are found within the Ferrari Roma coupe, together with niceties like the carbon-fiber steering wheel and paddles ($5,062), a top quality stereo ($6,243), an Alcantara headliner ($4,219), a passenger infotainment display screen ($5,906), and an egregious $4,219 line item just for Apple CarPlay. Yeesh.
2022 Ferrari Roma – Photograph by Tyler Clemmensen
2022 Ferrari Roma – Photo by Tyler Clemmensen
2022 Ferrari Roma – Image by Tyler Clemmensen
Nevertheless, the Roma’s interior is absolutely exquisite. The seats are as comfy as they are supportive and truly really feel like they’d coddle any backside over the prolonged haul. As well as, outward eyesight to the entrance and sides is really fantastic for these kinds of a lower-slung sports activities coupe. Headroom and legroom aren’t concerns, either, even for taller passengers, but the pair of rear seats is downright useless for nearly anything other than browsing luggage. Usual.
If there’s a person major nit to choose with the Roma, it is the in-cabin technological innovation. The portrait-oriented middle touchscreen is low-res and laggy, and everything in the reconfigurable gauge cluster is controlled by a 4-way haptic pad on the appropriate aspect of the steering wheel. The controls are rather quick to learn, but the system’s responses to inputs are inconsistent, the menu composition is convoluted, and god assistance any individual who requirements to obtain features like driver-assistance settings or the excursion pc though driving.
I comprehend a robust infotainment suite isn’t a top priority for Ferrari clients, but this is poor. Truly undesirable. There’s a thing to be mentioned for a bespoke knowledge, but not when it will come at the charge of usability. I want to set the UX designers from Ferrari—and Aston Martin, Lamborghini, McLaren, and so forth.—inside a $22,000 Chevy Trailblazer and say, “Here. Just do this.”
But I digress. Once you identify the backlit engine commence capacitive contact icon (RIP, massive pink start off button) and fire up the Roma’s V-8 motor, you won’t care about the discouraging mirror controls or the point that the in-monitor volume changes consider forever to answer. When this vehicle wakes up, so do your senses.
2022 Ferrari Roma – Image by Tyler Clemmensen
The Roma works by using the exact 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 as the Portofino M, neatly nestled in advance of the firewall in a appropriate front-mid configuration. This motor provides 612 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque, and a sophisticated 8-pace twin-clutch automatic transmission drives the rear wheels. Massive, steering column-mounted paddle shifters permit the driver function the transmission, even though toggles on the centre console in the shape of a guide change gate give obtain to Reverse, Neutral, and Automatic. Ferrari states the Roma will speed up from -62 mph in 3.4 seconds and should major out right all-around 200 mph.
Launching the Roma is an intoxicating experience. Where a Porsche 911 Turbo will start from a standstill to warp pace in the blink of an eye with no fuss, the Roma is way much more visceral. The rear tires wrestle to preserve traction though running the sheer brunt of the V-8’s power supply, the twin-clutch transmission slams into every single equipment with force that’ll make your head buck, and the lights on the steering wheel illuminate as the motor inches closer and nearer to the 7,500-rpm redline. So lots of supercars, Ferraris provided, are position-and-shoot affairs, but the Roma is various. You certainly have to maintain on.
2022 Ferrari Roma – Picture by Tyler Clemmensen
The very same is legitimate though making the most of a person of Southern California’s great canyon roadways. The Roma feels alive in your palms, with chatty steering and a suspension that conveys every single alter in highway area via the seat of your pants. The engine seems wonderful it is just one of the very best pressured-induction V-8s I’ve ever listened to. Swift reflexes match properly with the Roma’s playful rear stop, and whilst the coupe has a slight inclination to oversteer around tighter hairpins, it’s generally on the driver’s phrases. Like any terrific Ferrari, the Roma works with the driver, encouraging you to travel it faster. This factor basically does not disappoint.
Which is real throughout extra docile bits of driving as perfectly. The Roma can be equipped with an optional twin-mode magnetorheological suspension—a pricey $5,568, natch—that strikes a excellent balance among taut and plush. Transform the Manettino generate method selector from Consolation to Activity and the suspension stiffens up appreciably without having crunching your spine when accidentally hitting a pothole also tricky. Damp and Race modes round out the available settings, even though I in no way observed a purpose to use both. A additional flip to the appropriate will completely disable the stability command, way too, but that should really only be reserved for keep track of days—something a Roma will most likely never do.
Put together with the aforementioned comfy cabin and fantastic visibility, the Roma seriously could be driven every single working day. The trunk’s huge enough to accommodate a pair of roll-aboard suitcases or a single large checked bag, and Ferrari even delivers modern driver-help facilities like adaptive cruise handle and lane-departure warnings, however the latter beeps incessantly. All that is lacking is an digital front-stop elevate. Watchful on all those steep driveways.
2022 Ferrari Roma – Image by Tyler Clemmensen
The Roma’s higher-conclude competitive established includes automobiles like the Aston Martin DB11 and Bentley Continental GT, the two of which are formidable grand tourers in their personal correct but not nearly as exciting to push. Ferrari’s additional apt foe is the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which is less costly at $217,550 to commence (which include place). Crucially, the Turbo S is more rapidly and more effective, but are those really the most significant attributes to a prospective Ferrari consumer?
No, what matters most right here is exclusivity. When compared to a Roma—or any Ferrari for that matter—911s are rather thick on the floor. Yes, the Porsche is faster and a lot easier to dwell with and the infotainment controls won’t frustrate you to your wit’s close, but the Roma is a Ferrari. And a great one at that.
—by Steven Ewing
Ferrari presented a examination-motor vehicle mortgage for Motor Authority to bring you this firsthand report.