The Ferrari Roma marks the return of the Prancing Horse to the era of elegant-looking front-engined GTs, paying tribute to classics from the 1960s.
It’s a refreshing take from Ferrari, which spent the better end of two decades offering ever more aggressive-looking cars, to go back to its roots and launch an effortlessly beautiful vehicle.
Of course, the Ferrari Roma’s design isn’t universally loved, as some have criticized its front end as over-styled, saying that the front grille is too color-sensitive and that the headlights are too busy compared to the rest of the body. Did we forget to mention that some believe that the Roma looks a lot like an Aston Martin? Moving on.
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Harry Metcalfe has reviewed the new Ferrari Roma both on the road and on track to find out what this new, entry-level Ferrari is all about. After all, calling a car like the Roma a simple Gran Turismo is a bit of an understatement, thanks to its twin-turbo 3.9-liter V8 with no less than 612 HP and 560 lb-ft of torque. Paired to this beast of an engine is Ferrari’s latest eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Ferrari claims that the new Roma will accelerate from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds and to 124 mph (200 km/h) in just 9.3 seconds. The top speed is set at 199 mph (320 km/h). There’s nothing ‘entry-level’ about the new Roma’s performance and that is pretty obvious, once you sit behind the wheel.
Metcalfe was left impressed by the power on tap, which can light up the new Roma’s rear wheels very easily. He then went on praising Ferrari’s torque control mapping and of course the engine, saying he didn’t expect the Roma to be so aggressive.
The Ferrari Roma may look like an elegant cruiser but apparently, it’s as sharp as you would expect a modern Ferrari to be.