Roma driving impressions anyone?

Tom: I have not driven the 812 but owned an F12. The F12 never felt like a mid engine car. In fact just the opposite. With that v12 up front it felt too much front loaded and handled poorly. Fast in a straight line but moved around too much when turning. Other more experienced drivers have said the same thing. I would expect the 812 to be similar.
Now for the Roma. First of all it weighs 350 lbs less than my F12. That is huge. Second Ferrari pushed the engine in the Roma back to achieve a 50/50 weight balance. Although I have not been able to be too aggressive with the car while I am going thru the break in process I can feel the sportiness ( lightness ) of the car compared to the F12 and am enjoying it more. Looking forward to more "testing" when it gets broken in.

 

The 812 is much sportier than the F12. That said, all three cars mentioned (812, F12, Roma) are front-mid engined and have more weight at the rear than the front (rear weight bias).

 

Published weight distribution for the Roma is 50/50.

 

The Roma feels nothing like an 812. The 812 feels very fron-mid mounted, more so than the F12 which does feel quite front heavy by comparison.

The Roma does not put you over the axle, so it's no BMW Z like or like a Merc GTR.

Not sure how I would classify the feeling. A mix of Jag F type and Merc SL AMG perhaps? Somewhat generic and not distinctive Ferrari.

Sent from my SM-G930F using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

It’s sporty and feels nice for a GT street car. I had thought perhaps it was so quick it might be fun on the track. The weight of the car was too much and the turn-ins were far from track car worthy. This is not to denigrate the car as it certainly is not and was not designed to compete with the Pista or even the F8 as a track worthy car. It is a handsome and unique looking Ferrari. For a true GT, I find the wheel base a bit too short, as with the Cali and Porto. Longer wheel bases absorb the road differentiations better on a long drive. I routinely drive eight hours at a time at least twice a month, and prefer a bit heavier and longer car for the comfort.

So the car winds up being a nice daily driver in and about town. It has that unique look and in Bianco Fuji looks just enough like the ubiquitous Teslas soiling the landscape that I truly enjoy pulling alongside them, pushing manual, downshifting two or three gears, and flooring it so the people saving our planet know both what an engine sounds like and that I am not drinking the kool-aid.

 

Not as nose heavy as the F12, but that’s due to overall weight and not balance - F12 is rear biased 52-53%. Tighter steering to me.
My thoughts after 30 mins test drive:

 

See if you can figure out how to DIM the touch pads on the steering wheel for night driving. Also on the light and mirror panel on the left side. Display pad in center gets washed out from sun do to its 45 degree angle. Spots up all the time. Get a micro fibre cloth. The nav display is not that great compared to so many out there. Too many touch pads. Try adjusting the side mirrors underway and you will find yourself taking your eyes off the road for way too long a time. Not safe. Adjust when stopped. I ordered the all leather interior but you can still see where they cut corners. My F12 interior was like a RR compared to the Roma. The door handles will get scratched over the years by people with long finger nails. Could have done better there. The walk away lock in irritating. Should have had a defeat setting for it like stop/start. For $$$$ you don't get a power close or open on the trunk/boot? I have said it before, the graphics display is mediocre. So many other manufactures have more advanced displays. For their first attempt I guess you have to give them credit but
Ferrari could have done so much better. Also so many owners have received cars that had software errors of all kinds. Why were these cars released? Can't open it up yet. Have more miles to go. This is going to be my last Ferrari. No more paying max price and then receive mediocre service. I will keep it as long as it continues to interest me. Ferrari has changed. So have I. After this, adios.

 

I have to say the build quality may not be up to snuff on the latest cars out of the factory. I was at Corso Pilota last week and they had a new fleet of f8's with 40 miles on each. We were doing the auto cross track and in two different cars, when I hit the brakes hard and swerved (as instructed) the button panel above the driver where the auto on off and dome lights are mounted, fell out. No worries it popped back in easily but it happened the same way on a different car the next time I did the course.

 

Hahahaha

 

I found the Roma to have a very taught feel and was fun to drive. It seems to be much smaller in person than it appears in photos, and this impression is heightened when behind the wheel. I felt like I was driving a small car (not from the comfort standpoint - the Roma is very comfortable) from the perspective of having the car wrapped around you, and easily able to determine where all edges were located. You definitely feel like you can sling this car around and could easily maneuver through city traffic without fear of clearing the long nose or width of the car. The Roma hasn't lost the go-kart kind of feel that I've enjoyed in the rear-mid engine Ferraris. It's not designed to be a track star, but its road handling won't leave many wanting from a joy of driving perspective. Again, the Roma was fun to drive and made me smile. For me, the sound was also a pleasant surprise, being more aggressive and louder than I imagined it would be.

 

i drove it a while ago and like many aspects of it. except for the modern stuff, i hated them. Here is what i thought after the drive:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/my-ferrari-roma-review.631861/

 

Hi everyone,

I own a Ferrari Roma equipped with ADAS, but without the optional Matrix LED adaptive headlights.

I was wondering if any other Roma owners have:

• tried to improve the light output with aftermarket bulbs (LED/Xenon) that are road legal,
• had any official support from Ferrari dealers (e.g. Sa.Mo.Car in Rome) for upgrading the headlights or improving illumination,
• or simply kept the standard headlights and never felt the need for an upgrade.

Any direct experience or advice would be very much appreciated


Thanks!

 

Hi Luca - I have owned a Roma for about six months now. I haven't done a huge amount of night time driving but the headlights seem very solid to me. I don't feel the need to have more illumination. The only minor annoyance is that the button behind the wheel to "flash" the high-beams turns the high-beams on if you hold for like 1 second.. I wish that was a little longer. But that's not really an issue with the headlights themselves more control of the headlights.

 

According to Ferrari, the weight distribution on these cars is as follows:

F12berlinetta: 46F, 54R, 3,362lbs dry

812 SF: 47F, 53R, 3,362 lbs dry

812 GTS: 47F, 53R, 3527 lbs dry

Roma coupe: 50F, 50R, 3,245lbs dry

So- weight on Roma is about 100lbs less, and weight distribution is a little less optimal.

I think the Roma does drive a bit smaller and feels a little more nimble than the V12s. But, as effective as the V8 is, its just not the V12.

 

To address your question, I have not driven a 812, Corvette, Z anything. But vs a 296 it’s not a mid-engine feel.
The Roma Spider is my second Ferarri. I drove a demo enough to know I wouldn’t be driving my FF if I had both. The Roma was so much more fun, but the FF didnt allow me to lower the roof either. I have also driven the 296 quite a bit and admittedly while it is even more fun, it’s a race car you can drive legally on the street. It could not be a daily driver for me as at 6’4” I can’t pop in and out of it as I can with the Roma. I have 4,000 miles on my Roma after a 1,117 mile trip last week. As a long distance car it’s excellent. The mileage on a 360 mile run was 22.5 mpg. So I did not have to stop to refuel. I was not obeying the speed limit often. Accelerating from 85 mph to over 140 was quite quick and smooth. On what I describe as rolling curvy roads it’s a lot of fun. Unlike the 296, I have not taken the Roma Spider on the track.
Regarding comments about the headlights, they are to me excellent. If the haptic controls on the steering wheel really annoy you, get the Amalfi.