Ferrari did it again. Another marvel of engineering, performance, drivability, and sheer luxury has left the Ferrari factory floor. The new Ferrari Roma comes with a magnificent twin-turbo V8 engine, an aerodynamically designed exterior and underbelly, and an almost endless array of features that center around the safety and comfort of the driver.
The Ferrari Roma pays proper tribute to its ancestors such as the Ferrari Enzo, but it also continues Ferrari’s tradition of innovation. Of all the features that the Ferrari Roma can take pride in, these 10 are our favorites.
10 Specially Designed Digital Instrument Cluster
The very first thing that the manufacturer chooses to advertise about this car on its website is the cockpit. The driver sits in the leather-clad luxury that is a Ferrari while also operating a series of controls that Ferrari claims will minimize distraction and maximize driver control.
Several control features are built directly into the wheel, and the digitized instrument cluster and gauges do indeed combine efficiency with safety. They allow a driver more liberal control of the car but not to the point where a driver must sacrifice focus. Ferrari is a smart enough company to know that all the safety features in the world do not make up for a truly focused driver, which is why the company makes a point of making their cars so fun to drive.
9 V8 Turbo Engine With Built-In Speed Sensors
A V8 engine is good enough, but a 3.9-liter V8 with over 600 horsepower is even better. Throw in twin-turbo, all-wheel drive, and an eight-speed automatic transmission, and you have yourself just a handful of the reasons why the 2022 Ferrari Roma is the marvel that it is.
The Ferrari Roma also gets 17 MPG in the city and 22 MPG on the highway. Its engine is installed in front-mid engine layout.
8 Mobile Rear Spoiler
Spoilers are nice, but a disadvantage is their removal and/or reattachment. They are handy, but they are not always needed to improve a car's aerodynamic performance. Well, Ferrari figured this out a long time ago and equipped the Roma with an adjustable, mobile rear spoiler.
The mobile rear spoiler has 3 settings: low drag, medium downforce, and high, all of which create a different pattern of airflow around the car depending on the need of the driver and driving conditions.
7 8 Speed F1 Dual-Clutch Gearbox
While some might be disappointed to hear it does not offer a manual transmission, the 8 Speed F1 standard dual-clutch gearbox is enough to make up for it. The computerized DCT is a key part of the Ferrari Roma’s emphasis on driver safety and satisfaction.
By removing the responsibility shifting gears from the driver, one can both focus on the road and enjoy driving their Roma at the same time, which is exactly what Ferrari wants from their customers.
6 Sideslip Controls
Ferrari does not sacrifice drivability for safety, nor vice versa. However, the car does offer some different methods of assuring driver safety rather than most digitized safety systems offer.
The Ferrari Roma comes with what the company calls ``slip side controls” that operate via an algorithm with the car’s digital safety mechanisms to precisely estimate sideslip for the onboard control systems. According to Ferrari, the layout of the system is “Consistent with the car’s basic mechanical setup,” and that the system will help “boost fun behind the wheel.”
5 The “Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer” Lateral Control System
In addition, to sideslip controls, the Ferrari Roma offers what the company calls “Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer” which operates in tandem with the sideslip controls. Ferrari’s Dynamic Enhancer is a lateral control system that “gently adjusts brake pressure” according to the manufacturer.
The purpose of this adjustment is to make the above-mentioned sideslip controls more accurate and controllable. Ferrari states on the Roma’s website that the Dynamic Enhancer is different from the car’s stability control system.
4 Variable Boost Management Software To Adjust Torque Delivery
The car is also built with variable boost management (VBM). Specially designed by the company, this is software that adjusts torque delivery to the specific gear. VBM increases the car's pickup as the revolutions increase, and according to Ferrari “optimizes fuel consumption.”
The system should create a smooth increase in pickup while allowing for optimal torque when the car is still in a lower gear. This simple software is a rather ingenious design from the company.
3 Specially Designed Exhaust Line
Engineers at Ferrari have also been well at work to continue the tradition of giving their cars each their own unique “sound” which usually comes from the layout of the exhaust system.
The exhaust line of the Ferrari Roma eliminated the use of rear silencers that have been in previous Ferrari models, which minimizes pressure in the tailpipes. Also, bypass valves are laid out in an oval shape, further reducing exhaust back pressure.
2 Aerodynamically Designed Wrap-Around Rear Screen
All parts of the Ferrari Roma are designed with driver satisfaction and aerodynamics in mind, even the seemingly bare-bones rear end of the vehicle.
The rear end of the Ferrari Roma is specially designed, most optimal of which is the wrap-around rear screen which gives the driver almost a 360-degree view, thanks to the also wide wrap-around front windshield.
1 Front Underbody Vortex Generators
Along with an adjustable rear spoiler, the front end of the car is equally noteworthy, although the engineering marvel is less noticeable because it is under the car. The whole body is designed to create seamless airflow around the car, including the undercarriage.
The underbelly of the car is equipped with “Vortex generators” which aside from sounding like something out of Star Trek, transport energy into the boundary layer from an outer airflow. In other words, they help to further control an already separated airflow. You usually see vortex generators on the wings of airplanes, not the underbelly of a sports car. Ferrari Romas start at no less than $200,000, and with all of these amazing technological and aerodynamic features, one can easily see why.