Ferrari Roma vs Porsche 991.1
 

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. :)

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.

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And the silver one.

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Man that car is ugly

Thanks for the review. Cool you got to drive one. I like the first one - the blue/gray colored one. When I saw the first shots of it I liked it because it was unique for Ferrari. I think it's edgy in an interesting way. It's not classic like the iconic 911 shape, which makes it intriguing as well. The design is polarizing, as Quadcammer notes above. For me, it's a winner.

Does not come with a stick so count me out. And no drop top so that is a double out for me.

That looks like an Aston not a ferrari....terrible design

I’d go for a Lamborghini or Audi R8 first...

Great review.
Amazing specs.
Does not look like a Ferrari to me, reminds me of an Aston or Maserati.

Fantastic that you got to test drive it :)

Good to hear that you liked it and your impressions. Thanks for the post. It’s front always reminded me of a dolphin, nothing wrong with that but not my cup of tea.

I think this should be compared with 992 Turbo S.

Really does look like an Aston. Great review. They must really be trying to sell these, offering extended test drives like this for non Ferrari owners. Times they are a changing in Maranello

Sounds like a fun day in a Ferrari. Sounds like it drives nice. Nice interior but the exterior looks like an offspring of a Jag that mated with a Lexus.

I went to a launch party and it is a stunner in person. It may have Aston aspects but you don't see it in person due to its smaller size. Only quibbles I had has the storage space seemed very limited or at least the rear opening to the trunk area was restricted enough to make it seem that way. Didn't like the center stack in the interior, but don't like the 992's either :)

Got to hear start up which was definitely muted. Better than the 991.2 though.

I don't lust after other cars. I like R8s but wouldn't get one. The Roma on the other hand I would consider if not for the price. My wife is tolerant enough of my 911 purchases, but the Roma would cross the line.

I have a long experience working on and owning Ferrari's, and I swore after my 430 gearshift coupe (the last mid engine V8 with a stick) that I was done with them. But I bought 4 more after that. The current models do not interest me, though I am getting one of the first MC20's (though I hate those type of doors on any car but I am going to try it), which interests me more than the Roma. I don't think the car is ugly, though there is an Aston look (not really an insult not the the BMW 850 coupe it looks like a Mustang), which look better than they drive. I think Ferrari is not exactly sure what direction they should go in, they are no longer Enzo's little company, they are public (with their own stock) and that means they (like all other mass produced autos) need to sell cars, as well as their what seems like unlimited amount of stuff they can either license their name to or sell themselves. They used to be special, now they are just another car.

Wow that car is gorgeous. Sort of a cross between Jag F Type and Aston Martin , which for a GT car is not a bad thing. It'll be #1 on my list when I win the lottery.

What was the MSRP on the car?

Man, I like you, but you crazy. The light grey one is gorgeous.

If that car showed up in your driveway, you'd have a smile on your face all day.