Ferrari Roma 2021 Review

The new 2021 Ferrari Roma is indeed a Prancing Horse, but not as you know it.

Cast aside the stereotype, because the new 2+2 GT has arrived in Australia bearing a fresh design language, a screen-savvy new interior plus loads of new safety and technology.

It’s a discreet play by the manufacturer synonymous with sound, theatre and look-at-me design – designated primarily in the form of operatic V12s and beguiling mid-engine coupes.

In the company of the ageing and equivalent Portofino convertible, the Roma also provides a glimpse at Ferrari’s future.

The 2021 Ferrari Roma slots into a Prancing Horse range that already includes a pair of front-engine V8 grand touring models in the form of the Ferrari Portofino drop-top and Ferrari GTC4Lusso T coupe.

It aligns more closely with the Portofino on price – at $409,888 plus on-road costs, compared to the Portofino’s price tag that’s a pinch under $400K – not to mention stature.

But like all sports car exotica, take that figure as a starting price because it will soon balloon with options. A case in point, our test car totals $599,731 plus ORCs.

The Ferrari Roma shares its 2670mm wheelbase with the Portofino, but is 70mm longer at 4656mm and 36mm wider at 1974mm, giving it a substantially beefier footprint on the road.

Although the numbers read as though this is really just a Portofino in new metal, Ferrari claims the Roma is 70 per cent new and far more agile than its drop-top equivalent.

For the statistics-conscious, there is said to be 10 per cent more torsional stiffness than the Portofino despite a 75kg lighter kerb weight – at 1570kg.

The Roma’s design is said to draw inspiration from the legendary 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, bringing to play simple and elegant character lines devoid of aggressive air intakes, scoops or aero.

The Roma marks a significant uplift in cabin presentation for Ferrari, deploying a brand-new, twin-cockpit interior concept with a 16.0-inch virtual instrument cluster and 8.4-inch portrait-style touch-screen atop the centre console.

There are some neat new tech pieces like “Ciao, Ferrari” voice-enabled functionality, plus climate control and the myriad other mod-cons expected in new vehicles.

Safety has also been overhauled in the newest generation of vehicles from Maranello. Standard equipment comprises front and side airbags, stability control and ABS, with an optional $15,000 ADAS package adding lane departure warning and forward collision warning, among many other acronyms.

The newest Ferrari is technically a four-seater, though the rear pews are realistically just for show; Ferrari admits as much by marketing the Roma as a ‘2+ Coupe’.

Nestled inside the expensive options catalogue are add-ons including Matt Aluminium Opaco paint ($21,718), carbon-fibre exterior pieces exceeding $60,000, a $9773 surround view overhead camera, and much more.

Granted, to the end user that probably means very little, but it’s worth pointing out nonetheless.

As with every new Ferrari, the Roma is backed by a free seven-year servicing plan, but the standard factory warranty is just three years (with unlimited kilometres).

Underneath the long snout of the 2021 Ferrari Roma lives a 456kW/760Nm version of the supercar marque’s familiar 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8.

It is indeed an evolution of the Portofino’s bent-eight, gaining new camshaft profiling, a new inductive rpm sensor designed to spin the turbocharger faster, as well as new catalytic converters and petrol particulate filters to make it Euro 6 emissions-compliant.

The twin-turbo V8 is hooked up to the new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that offers the added benefit of being 6kg lighter than the old seven-speeder, plus smoother and faster shifting.

Ferrari boasts a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 2.37kg/hp (3.22kg/kW) and says this yields a sharp 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.4 seconds, 0-200km/h in 9.3sec and a top speed of 320km/h-plus.

That beats all of the Roma’s key rivals in the all-important race to triple figures, save for the newly-unveiled Porsche 911 GTS, which performs it one-tenth faster.

The Roma incorporates the latest SSC 6.0 (Side-Slip Control) with the so-called Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer, which is essentially a torque-vectoring by brake system.

The Roma rides on the same springs as the Portofino at the front, with the rear springs said to be about 10 per cent softer, and its track widths are wider at both ends, making its spring rates effectively softer all round.

There’s also a three-position rear spoiler integrated into the bottom of the rear glasshouse. It ditches driver adjustment and instead moves independently depending on speed and driving style.

Few people are likely to confuse the internals of the 2021 Ferrari Roma with most other Prancing Horse models of the past.

Wholesale change inside the cabin lends a much more contemporary layout that also seems to turn down the testosterone factor that permeates the DNA of a modern supercar.

For example, the traditional large centre tachometer that usually takes pride of the place in the instrument cluster has been traded for a swish, but more understated, digital screen.

Elsewhere, Ferrari’s signature red starter button is now a haptic switch integrated into the steering wheel’s lower capacitive screen. There is still the famous manettino dial to flick between the five driving modes, but even it exudes a more digital presence than before.

This recent fascination with touch-screens has been at the expense of everyday convenience for many car-makers. Ferrari isn’t immune. As classy as the new layout looks, sometimes it’s nice to have at least a volume knob handy for convenience.

The steering wheel’s haptic buttons are prone to the occasional misstep, too. For example, we erroneously hit the voice command button while attempting to turn on the left-hand indicator, which then prompted a chorus of unwanted responses from the car’s infotainment system.

Otherwise, though, the Roma is a fitting match to its GT positioning. The cabin has just enough odds and ends storage, including a neat little pocket for your smartphone at the side of the centre console, and vision front and rear is clear enough for you to make lane changes with full confidence of your surroundings.

The old H-pattern switchgear layout for reverse and other features is a pretty cool touch, too, while the 387-litre boot offers space and an aperture big enough for a full-size suitcase or a couple of overnight bags.

The Roma’s seats don’t really offer the support and bolstering that a quasi-supercar buyer might demand. They feel relatively flat, but on the flipside they are easy to get in and out of.

As a comparison, the second seats are merely for show. You could keep someone confined back there if you had too…

Despite Ferrari’s emphasis on this model being a grand tourer, we’d argue the 2021 Ferrari Roma resides very much at the sporty end of the scale.

An uber-fast steering rack, boisterous engine and surefooted dynamics imbue Ferrari’s new coupe with a ridiculous turn of speed on ordinary roads.

Over our 200km stint, the Roma is clinically fast, dispatching public roads with an efficiency that dilutes the drama.

Perhaps more redeeming though, the Roma’s driveway-friendly stature and ease of vision is such that this isn’t the grimacing, nervous drive experience you might expect. It’s much more pleasant.

Beginning with the engine, now complete with a stop-start system at idle, the 3.9-litre twin-turbo tootles along effortlessly around town – a stark contrast with its fire-breathing on-paper outputs.

Similarly, the dual-clutch automatic resists any of the binding or lurching that tends to afflict other like-minded gearboxes at low speeds. Its preference clearly lies towards efficiency in daily conveyance, reaching its eighth ratio as low as 45km/h while doddling about.

At speed, the gearbox’s shifts are almost imperceptible, with barely a break in acceleration.

The V8 is supremely fast under full acceleration, yet it lacks the machismo of a bona fide Ferrari donk of old. Its whip-like expediency through the rev range to the 7500rpm cut-out is almost over as it begins.

On a public road, you want to will the engine on and reach its turbocharged crescendo, but the sad fact is that you do so at the whim of the points on your licence. And it just ain’t worth it on today’s speed camera-frenzied roads.

To our ears, the exhaust is equally dull – especially in the presence of old atmo Ferrari mills.

The engine’s most useable feature is torque. At 1500-2000rpm you can begin riding the crest of the wave, with almost instantaneous go-forward and the ability to blast you into the horizon at any moment.

When that moment inevitably comes, the latest generation of Ferrari’s much-vaunted Side Slip Control is a worthwhile accomplice, helping keep unwanted lateral movement at bay.

Those moments can readily rear their ugly head on a tight pass; too much gas and full-throttle upshifts constantly have you praising the electronic wizards at play.

Ride comfort is another of the Roma’s real strengths. Riding on 20-inch wheels, it feels settled and composed on loping highway miles or pockmarked passes alike. There is an inherent level of control here that bodes well for the Roma’s long-journey amenity. Firm, yet compliant; a good balance.

At cruising speeds, hairpin corners almost feel like minor kinks in the road, such is the level of roadholding and immediacy of the controls and carbon-ceramic brakes.

The steering is precise and evenly weighted, without affording your hands the voodoo-like intimacy of the 911’s much-revered rack, while the Roma’s front-to-rear balance feels sound, underlined by a true rear-drive bias.

It is an incredibly light car to throw around, and not overly afflicted by the positioning of the engine under the bonnet.

Perhaps the biggest sweetener to this overload of performance will be the Roma’s track virtues. Based on our initial half-day drive, there are no qualms in saying the Roma is likely to hold its own on a circuit, despite the GT positioning.

Unquestionably fast, laden with tech and convenience, the 2021 Ferrari Roma is, well, a Ferrari without typical Ferrari-isms.

The Roma is likely to appeal to a whole new demographic of Prancing Horse buyers, which is largely the point, really.

While those buyers will be unwittingly missing out on the signature supercar drama, the truth is it probably won’t matter.

This is the most memorable Ferrari grand tourer in recent memory, and a car finally capable of standing up to the Porsche 911.

A brave new guard indeed.

How much does the 2021 Ferrari Roma cost?
Price: $409,888 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 456kW/760Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 225g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested