I had the chance to drive both the Roma and the 812 GTS back to back today and I everything I thought was totally wrong. I expected to hate the Roma and love the 812. After all I love the GTO and Tdf so naturally the GTS right? Wrong. Drove the Roma and was blown away. Fast and a little quirky. Love the engine hood bulge and the sound was amazing compared to what I expected. (I expected it to sound like a vacuum cleaner - but nope. It's all Ferrari) Several weird things about the interior like the interior door "handle" among many but that's beside the point. Then drove the 812 GTS and first off I didn't fit. The regular seats are too high up and not at all comfortable. (Drove the Lusso there by comparison and fit wonderfully) Everything about the 812 was a disappointment by comparison. Sound was lackluster, shifting sluggish, and fit in the car (aforementioned seats) was uncomfortable. I have both on order and don't plan to cancel either but first impressions have been made.... Image Unavailable, Please Login
812 is the car I would love to get next. You might have changed my mind though with the Roma. Still a few years out since I just got my California T though.
I've never driven the 812, but I will say that my take on the subject is that one is Impossibly Capable and the other is Heartbreakingly Beautiful.
You might want to hold on until you experience noth. The odd thing is that people seem to get very different experiences. My experience with the GTS is that it is very crisp and responsive. Almost Pista Spider like. Gear shifts equally fast compared to the SF. The issue with demo cars is of ten that the cars "learn" and adjust. If that GTS had been driven softly, then there's a good chance it might be why it felt sluggish. When I demo a new F car, I always ask them to please use the quck release on the battery and let it sit for 10 mins. This resets the ECU's and removes any potential bad habits the car may have picked up. The few I've spoken to about the Roma, has actually described it as sluggish. Soft and hesitant throttle, hesitant gears, and a slower and slightly more numb feeling in the steering. I will reserve judgment until driven. Not sure when as I have no desire for it. I can go to my dealer and take one out and they ask every time I'm there, but I just don't have much of an interest. Sent from my SM-G930F using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Great writeup, thanks so much for sharing! Yes to GTO, TDF, Lusso - my favourite 3 So I went for the Ferrari experienza test drive event. They asked me if I wanted to drive cars I had on order (GTS and Roma) .. I said nah I want to drive the F8 spider. My goes SA is why? I said because I gotta drive those eventually and I just don't like building impressions of cars I have on order. After the F8 spider drive, I looked at him and said.. holly man I think I want one of these as well!!! And I drove my Pista there for context
When I test drove the F8 I drove my Pista there so was able to hope in and out of both and somewhere I posted the exhaust note of both cars running side by side too. I passed on getting the F8 but only because I have the Pista Spider. As for the Roma vs. GTS, I was able to really push the Roma a lot more so than the GTS which could play out to my disappointment in the GTS. I honestly didn't fit in the GTS at all so I cut the test drive short. The GTS today had the electric seats not the sport seats so perhaps another drive in a different car could be in order.
I would say that the F8 spider needed to be pushed and then you had some good fun exhaust notes.. I just really enjoyed having the top down and I actually fit in the car (6'2.5). I ordered the comfort full electric seats for the GTS and am a little concerned about the interior squeeze.
which is odd because I fit in the 488 Spider/Pista Spider and the 812 SF without issue. Inside the GTS my head hits the roof and I’m also about 6’3
How about a Roma with the 812 motor? Would need to modify the rear end to fit much larger rear tires as the Roma's 285's are already inadequate.
So odd! I had ACL surgery years ago so when a car is hard to fit I have to bend my left knee in an awkward twist to fit and after a while it just starts to hurt..
I had the dealer come out and see if they could fiddle with the heat but no such luck. I have to switch to the Sport seats.
I drove the Roma and was very impressed. Comfortable, sounded good and, very planted in the turns. I really don't think people know how good the chassis is on that car. I am sure they will expand the Roma to a lightweight one at some point and I can't wait to see that one.
I just got back from a roma test drive. I was genuinely impressed with it. Hands down the coolest looking hood I've seen from the driver's seat. It felt quite planted with minimal body roll (didn't really get in the twisties to be sure). Not as engaging as I would like, but still fun. It would be a great daily if I wasn't poor and destitute. For a weekend car, I would pick something else.
The car adjust various parameters such as throttle response, shifting etc. basted on your driving style. It is very pronounced in Auto. When you disconnect for about 10 minutes or more, the various ECU's reset. This means that the way the car drives is not affected by the previous test drive.
I test drove the Roma and, IMO, I was totally unimpressed with everything about the car......guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla.
Okay. Decided I need to figure out what's what. Will go and spend a few hours Wednesday with the Roma. Will give me a point of view and I reckon that my dealer will stop asking me to test it. Sent from my SM-G930F using FerrariChat.com mobile app
