Iv locked in the Roma ! Not too keen on a convertible, because again that makes no sense in india . Also, I love how the Roma looks. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I think you will also like how it sounds... I drove it last week, was ready to be disappointed given the turbo + GPF set-up but instead I found the engine sound was pretty good. Loud and deep at low RPMs, very engaging throughout... loved it. Would like to hear what other people think, particularly in comparison with the F8, but having now tested the Roma I didn’t find the sound muted at all... in fact I found it louder than other earlier V8 models
Well I could not wait for my son to edit the track film so here it is. Just a few laps, unedited on me driving the Ferrari Roma with one of Ferrari Pilota instructors at Goodwood. It was my first time on this track. I have to say it was fun to drive it on track. Ferrari had fitted a Gopro to the car’ I had a bit of job trying to figure out what the instructor meant but I think I got the hang of it near the end, if you watch the start of the last lap up can hear I just hit the rev limiter in some of the gears.
Dude that was awesome.. The engine sound was killer! wow! was it as fun as it looked? Amazing. I can't wait. My first ICE car.
I was invited to take a test drive of the new Ferrari Roma, who can say no to that? I think pretty highly off my 991.1 S and proclaimed it a better driver's car than the last Ferrari I spend time in, a 599 GTB. So I was curious to see what this new Italian could do and showed up for my 1 p.m. appointment today at Ferrari of Washington. First, look at the specs on this thing. That alone should give you pause. 611 HP 561 Ft Lbs of torque 3,461 lb of curb weight. Eight speed dual clutch transmission Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires So 230 lb more than my Porsche and 211 more horsepower. That's impressive. The car is not as large as I thought it would be, it's fairly compact, I would say Porsche 992 size. It doesn't have a bad angle on it. Extremely crisp and sharp all around the car. There is no carbon fiber on the models we had to drive and truthfully I don't think it needs it. Ferrari says they designed this as a daily driver, not a sports car - more as a Grand Touring ca. In particular I like the rear tail lamps area and front fender bulges like a 1968 Corvette Stingray. The Roma doesn't have a wide entry point in the doorways but neither is it miserable to try to get in, either. For me it's tight, but not contortionist tight. The interior is executed beautifully, the only warts are the cheesy yellow "Ferrari" plastic button in the steering wheel and the chrome around the drive selector switch, which seems out of place in this car. Black Pearl of Carbon would look much better on both. Everything else is magnificent and feels expensive, especially the steering wheel buttons, two of which are Rolex-watch worthy metal knurled. Clearly they wanted this car to FEEL expensive and it does. I loved the three tone leather you can't really see in the photos, but the red and black is broken up with a welt of tan that makes it delicious. The seats themselves are very comfortable and unadorned with quilting and the like. All the switch-gear is haptic, very cool. I didn't screw around with the stereo - who cares? 90% of all the buttons you use are right on the steering wheel, the turn signal activators are more like a motorcycle, love them. Press the button on the bottom of the steering wheel once the car turns on, push it a second time it starts. To drive off, simply pull the paddle on the right one time. At ignition the car has a rumble, but its not loud. There is no screaming flat plane crank Ferrari burble, it's a turbo-muffle like we come to expect on all new performance cars. We were in a pack of three at rollout, I was behind the Ferrari National Rep who was driving a red 488 Italia, the other Rosso test driver was a guy about my age who owns a Cayman. I had the pretty blue car, too! Far sexier than the silver one. Image Unavailable, Please Login The power comes on with a rush. Our leader made sure he was going fast enough for us to really get a good feel for the Romas. I love the view from the cockpit, it wasn't compressed like a Camaro, you could actually see out of this car and didn't sit below the windowsills like in my Aston Martin Vantage. What became apparent very quickly was the refinement and development of this car, it's far superior to the last Ferrari I spent time in. Gone are the hard shifts of that SMG trans from that 599, the 8-speed dual clutch works as well as anything from Porsche. The car is very neutral, unlike the nose heavy 599, there's no understeer that I could pick up on. It has the feel of a mid-engine car, which surprised me. The car is very quick, and it's very responsive. They have, in my opinion, captured the magic of Porsche, which for so long had a near monopoly on handling that was telepathic. You used to have to DRIVE Ferraris and a Porsche was more intuitive. Not anymore, this Roma is more fun to drive than my Carrera S, that's how good it is. It's effortless and glorious, and if you don't have a big grin on your face with this car your senses must be dead. The brakes are fantastic, and the car transitions road irregularities in comfort and doesn't crash over them. It has an authoritative exhaust note that's pleasant but not loud. You can talk on your cell phone or enjoy the stereo without being boomed out of the car by the exhaust tone. The test drive was decent length, about twenty minutes. I saw 100 mph a couple times and pasted half a dozen corners and sweeps. I don't know how the Roma could be any better. I don't think I've ever driven a car as all-around impressive as this one. I was a little shocked that Ferrari could turn out a car this refined, in years past I thought of them more as Italian Shelby's - no more. When we got done the salesman asked if I wanted to order one. YES...YES...I DO. But I know I could not get spousal approval for it, so I had to take a pass. It will be in my dreams for quite some time, my 991 seems suddenly very dated and very analog, even a bit crude in comparison. Thanks Ferrari - for inviting people out for a factory-sponsored test drive. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great writeup @drcollie. If I might inquire, where are you located? Did you drive on surface streets? Highway? Track? T
Ferrari of Washington, Chantilly Virginia. We were on public roadways, however our Ferrari USA Rep gave me plenty of room to exercise the car. I'm an HPDE Instructor for over twenty years so there were specific keys I was looking for in the handling of the Roma and it met all those if not surpassed them. Quite impressive, I think it's the finest automobile I personally have ever driven. These are national cars on a tour, they will be at Ferrari of Washington for I think two more days. Here's the silver one. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Think I remember your handle from Rennlist. I also had a 991.1S. Great analog car that I really enjoyed tracking. I’m glad to hear you were impressed with the Roma. I plan on keeping mine mostly street but I will aggressively align it, add R comps and track it a few times per year. Thanks for the write up.
I also drove it last week at the salon Prive..Agree with you regarding the engine both in the sound it makes and its totally lag free response..It feels as fast as you'd ever want a road car to be without being too fast like an F8..The engine is a true masterpiece and a cut above the one in the 992 in my experience, especially sound. The test drive was taken in pretty busy traffic and was an issue for me as the Roma was a LHD..I never felt confident to push it hard like i'd have done a RHD Roma especially with an overly vigilant instructor who obviously sensed my misgivings. I also detected a slight imprecision when both accelerating and braking hard which further sapped confidence..I attribute this to having just jumped out of my 488 after a long drive coupled with the fact that the test cars were unfinished pre-production cars..Another point was i found the brakes much too sharp when braking at low to medium speeds, exasperated by an overly light brake pedal..Both of these i suspect will be rectified for full finalised production customer cars.. I thought it looked stunning in all colours and having had time to think, my preferred choice would be one of the blues. TDF or even better Abu Dhabi blue..I suspect that Blu Roma would be the best colour however probably too expensive for me personally.. Mine rode on Michelins and the ride quality was quite superb and even better on the new bespoke Pirellis according to a recent review i've read.. Its a great Ferrari and will sell like hot cakes especially to buyers new to the Ferrari brand..I reserve full judgement until i've driven a RHD full customer production example to see if the brakes and proper suspension alignment will cure the issues i had on my test car..
Thanks so much for the experienced review! I can't wait to hear mine is on it's way! Wow... sounds fantastic.
My friend Jim went today to drive the Roma (997 GTS) and his wife Holly (997 S). His comments on it: “So the Roma is pretty special. It drives fabulously, the ride/handling balance is pretty incredible, and it's FAST. Where the Portofino feels turbocharged and has darty steering, the Roma has a very linear power curve and more intuitive steering. I couldn't unduce turbo lag, it just responded with thrust. Not rubber band, turbo thrust, but just a straight shove. What really surprised me, though, was the ride was firm without being crashy. Damping was very good. You could feel the bumps some but it didn't translate into harshness. Holly was really wowed by it. We both drove it in Race mode with manual shifting. That's likely why the car was so responsive. It feels light on it's feet and is a couple hundred pounds lighter than the Portofino. It's not a Portofino with a roof. The Roma brings Ferrari interiors bang up to date with current tech. Screens and touch screens for everything. Of course the leather and finishing is impeccable. A couple minor niggles: Window switches are ergonomically backwards. The speedo was permanently stuck on km/hr. Nobody could change it. I found the setting in the menus but it wouldn't take. Ferrari is positioning the car as a sports car, not so much a GT. Like a stepping stone from Porsche.”
Go Holly! I have a 997.2S, which I love, so today's a big vote of confidence in my book. Thanks for the reports...T
drcollie, my friend and I drove the two Romas at Ferrari of Washington immediately after you. I eavesdropped a bit as your were chatting with the FNA rep about your impressions after your drive. I should have introduced myself. Thanks for posting on FChat. I'm on the fence about whether a new Roma or used V12 GTC4Lusso (FoW has a nice one in Grigio Ingrid over Cuoio) would be the better choice for me. I've owned six V12 Ferraris (and a 246 GTS) including the 1969 365 GTC and 2010 612 Scaglietti OTO that I presently have. I prefer the analog controls of the Lusso over the profusion of touch screens (a plaintiffs' lawyer's dream, IMO, requiring frequent eyes off the road) in the Roma, but the Roma has been growing on me since Monday's test drive--which I guess was part of its purpose.
I did a test drive today and was very pleasantly surprised. Tighter handling than the PF I had and a very quick GT style car. It also looks significantly better in person especially in the Blue Roma color. Now to the convince the wife on the need to add a Roma as a DD to go with the 488 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Saw my first Roma street parked a few days ago. Striking design in person. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The true beauty of Roma really comes out when there is a frame of reference. All the Roma pics so far have been either stand alone or with a bunch of other Romas. I think this car will be a huge hit and is really bad news for Aston Martin, McLaren 570GT and even some Porsche and Bentley models.
