Amalfi vs Roma: which one do you prefer?

Man - if someone were to make those front bumper retrofits for the Roma they would make a KILLING

 

Aston always nails it with their design. I bought a 2020 DBS Superleggera Volante last month and can't stop looking at it haha

 

They say that many people are ordering their Ferraris in green these days, so they are following the trend.

 

Some trends should not be further encouraged!

 

Why not? Today, the most sought-after classic and young-classic Ferraris on the market are not red, yellow, black or silver, and everyone agrees that the wide range of colours available on, say, the Dinos or the BBs made them super sexy... Variety is cool as long as there's something for everyone, but today's bold choices are tomorrow's collector's items.

 

I would have called it the Puroma

 

In my book a V8 makes a GT.

 

Funny that, because personally I thought the Portofino was rather lazy (it might be nice for a GT, I don't know), whereas the Roma positively surprised me as being competent and responsive. Probably perceptions and assessments are personal and subjective.

 

I agree with LVP488 as back then test driving the Portofino felt like I was driving my last SL550, that is very refined with great visibility but no excitement.

 

I’m hyper sensitive than the average person so even little things can affect how I perceive the car handling. Even if the steering wheel is carbon versus Alcantara and things like that. Of course Ferrari on average have more feathery steering and handling other cars, but it’s just a difference not a complaint. I imagine Amalfi will feel more comfortable given the spaciousness vs the more cocoonlike Roma, which I personally prefer.

 

Not to be compared with the new SL/Coupe which is a decidedly different animal.

 

Ferrari makes one V8, the F154. That's it.

The F136F was the best engine ever made the 4.5 V8 NA. It is not available anymore.

The new V6 is a really good engine.

 

Yep.

 

I wasn't comparing the Portofino to the new AMG SL as at that time, it was the prior body style and it was the SL550 with the retractable hardtop.

 

Correct

 

Glad you bought it used. I lost about a hundred thousand on mine. The looks get ugly with that kind of loss.

 

Bentley too.

 

The Aston's looks have always been ugly. Just zero elegance from the exterior. Once you see that falling catfish mouth emanating from the headlights and grill, you can never unsee it.

For my part, Portofino M just oozed Italian GT suplesse. Beautiful car with all of the calls to Ferrari heritage, including and especially the tail lights.

However, from the exterior and front, the Roma is just gorgeous. Sleep, sexy, muscular and balanced. While the rear tail lights and read window leave much to be desired, the car is beautiful nonetheless. Let's skip the interior dash.

The Amalfi? The rear is even worth with misaligned seams running down from the rear window to the bumper and quarterpanels. I just don't know what they are thinking. The front hood is too smoothed out. And the front bumper with that horizontal plane that rhymes with a Tesla Model Y is atrocious. Just trying to hard to echo the current design language. Worse, it blocks the beautiful eyes of the Roma.

Bah humbug.

PS- I'm sure it drives the business. Mid 600s HP seems the sweet spot nowadays. Anything higher and you're really driving a computer driving the car. Then again, probably the same even with the Amalfi.

 

Funny thing, I drove SLs 55 and 63s for many years. In 2021 I ditched my SL and added a Porto and I see absolutely no similarities whatsoever. Speed ,sound , interior, drive ,looks and value the Porto is night and day to me. I use it as a daily driver. Btw the jury is out on the Amalfi until I see it in person. I did pass on the Roma as the interior was tight for me and I preferred the looks of the old school Porto better imho.

 

Ferrari accomplished much with the Cali then Porto in capturing the owners of SLs who expect refinement but with more driving thrills. There're too many angles in the Amalfi though that look monolithic in the photos for my taste, whereas the Roma is about seductive lines and original design elements such as the front end. In the end, it's all personal taste and what makes you smile!

 

I owned a Cali30 HS for almost 3 years + I currently own/daily drive a 2020 Lusso (I truly loooove it!!) + I test-drove Portofinos and Romas. Here’s my opinion FWIW:

* I love the Roma’s rear (makes me think of a 456) + its profile. Not sold about the front, mainly due to the fact that every Roma I saw has a grille with the same color as the rest of the car (no contrast, not appealing to me). The interior is not as spacious as the Portofino and the California, the trunk is smaller (spiders), the big screen/“ipad” is weird, the passenger and driver are kind of separated and there is no space to place things in the middle (the Roma is a GT, not a race car), etc… A great car to drive, that’s for sure, but my opinion is that between a Portofino and a Roma, I definitely choose a Portofino.

* The Amalfi is such a great evolution compared to the Roma: about the same profile, the rear is not that different (but does not look like a 456 anymore), the front is way better looking in my opinion. No more big screen in the middle between the passenger and driver, physical buttons are back. I do not know yet if the interior is roomier than the Roma. We can be sure that the Amalfi will be a blast to drive.

* At last, various comments in the press refer to cars like the Roma and Amalfis as entry-level cars: enough with that stupidy, they are Ferraris, real Ferraris: let’s remember that Ferrari makes 2 kinds of cars: GTs and race car (the brand sells a lot of GTs as that’s what many people want).

* Bottomline, if money is no object, I buy the Amalfi, not the Roma (and between the Cali/Portofino and a Roma, I buy a Cali/Portofino).

 

As I said, it's all personal taste. My first new Ferrari was a Cali T HS and it was their launch car. I was sold on it as my prior car was an SL and there is no comparison in getting your blood boiling between the two. The Cali HS was edgy, fast, beautiful, and had a sonorous exhaust. I owned it for four years but when the Roma coupe arrived, it felt even more exciting and aggressive not to mention having the ADAS was a big plus for this aging guy. After two years of ownership, I ordered a Roma Spider and love it more. Never found it tight in any respect and I'm 6'2". By the way, if you didn't like the body color for the grill which I did, there was an option for two different finishes. For those who own a Porto, it's special because you have the hardtop benefit and it's way more refined than the Cali T HS. I think the Roma should have followed in that direction with a retractable hardtop and could care less about sacrificing trunk space. Maybe the Amalfi will, and the rear beltline should be lower to maintain a more fluid line similar to the Porto.

 

Honestly, I love how Roma looks and also how Amalfi looks as well... LOL both are beautiful piece of art by Ferrari ... I really appreciate the existence of both models ... I mean I liked this V8 2+2 Line up since the OG california ...

My previous car before Roma was 992 Cabriolet ... I thought nothing beats 911 ... UNTIL I changed to ROMA... the comfier ride quality that I wanted and the best design ever in automobile world... Now amalfi continues that tradition

 

I'm critical of Manzoni regarding the new aerospace language of his latest Ferraris and IMO he has gone from bad to worse. However, because Manzoni is somebody capable of the worst and the best it seems to me that with the Amalfi he left the silly futuristic language aside and came-up with a GT much prettier and with a more harmonious design than that of the Roma.