Ferrari Roma lands from $409,888 plus ORC

FERRARI’S brand-new Roma coupe has arrived on Australian shores ahead of initial deliveries in the first quarter of next year, bearing a pricetag of $409,888 plus on-road costs.

Its asking price makes it the second most affordable member of Ferrari Australasia’s line-up, behind the $398,888 Portofino convertible and below the F8 Tributo coupe which asks $484,888.

While first deliveries are expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year, new orders will see a wait time of around 12 months to receive their new Prancing Horse model.

The front-engined Roma ushers in a new design language for Ferrari, with sleek, slim headlights that sit in front of bulging front wheelarches, with an aggressive front splitter giving the minimalist front end a greater sense of width.

Unusually, the front grille is finished in the same colour of the body, while 20-inch wheels are fitted as standard  

Its minimalist approach continues at the rear with the quad tail-lights neatly embedded into the rear lip spoiler, while the signature Ferrari quad-exit exhaust pipes are housed within a large carbon-fibre diffuser.

Despite its minimalist look, the Roma generates 95kg more downforce at 250km/h than the Portofino with only 4 per cent more drag.

Under the bonnet lies a 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 engine tuned to produce a whopping 456kW from 5750-7500rpm, and 760Nm from 3000-5750rpm, with power sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Completing the sprint from standstill to 100km/h takes just 3.4 seconds, on to 200km/h in 9.3s and a top speed of 320km/h.

Official combined fuel consumption and emissions figures are yet to be revealed, however Ferrari claims the engine is Euro6d emissions compliant.

Inside, Ferrari designers have tried to give the Roma’s cabin a sense of symmetry as opposed to its strictly driver-focused stablemates, with a number of premium materials used such as Frau leather, Alcantara, chromed aluminium and carbon-fibre. 

On the dashboard, Ferrari has referenced the metal gear lever gate of old to create a new metal plate housing for its F1 controls, while the steering wheel features a raft of controls that allow the driver to control numerous functions without their hands leaving the steering wheel.

The instrument cluster comprises a 16.0-inch digital screen that is curved for easier reading, and can be extensively personalised to suit user’s tastes.

Complementing the instrument cluster is an 8.4-inch infotainment system and an optional 8.8-inch colour head-up display.

Like other Australian Ferraris, the Roma comes with seven years of free scheduled maintenance with intervals of 20,000km or 12 months.

Through the first half of the year, Ferrari has sold 110 combined units, down 9.1 per cent on the 121 it managed to the same point last year.