This high-powered Italian 2+2 grand tourer comes priced before duties, customisation options, taxes and insurance at RM968,000 and is accompanied by a seven-year maintenance programme which covers all regular maintenance intervals of 20,000km or once a year with no mileage restrictions.
The 1,570kg (kerb) Roma has a wheelbase of 2,670mm while measuring in at 4,656mm-long, 1,974mm-wide and 1,301mm-tall.
Power comes from a 3.9-litre (3,855cc) front mid-mounted (behind the front axle) turbocharged 90-degree V8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft and a 9.45:1 compression ratio for the oversquare cylinders that have an 86.5mm bore and an 82mm stroke.
The engine drinks from a large 80-litre fuel tank (filled with only RON98 petrol or higher) to produce 620PS from 5,750 to 7,500rpm (red-line) and 760Nm of torque from 3,000 to 5,750rpm which is then managed by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) that's been trimmed down to weigh 6kg lighter than its seven-speed DCT predecessor.
Ferrari says that the engine exhaust note and flow have been optimised to a point where they've dropped two rear silencers, given it a new geometry for the by-pass valves and made it oval in shape to relive back-pressure in the pipes that would rob the engine of power.
This allows the Roma to launch from 0 to 100kph in 3.4 seconds and reach 200kph in 9.3 seconds before reaching a top speed that's in excess of 320kph while rolling on 20-inch forged wheels wrapped by 245/35 (front) and 285/35 (rear) Pirelli P Zero tyres.
The partially obscured brakes use 390mm (front) and 360mm (rear) cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discs that get abused by the front six-piston and rear four-piston Brembo "Ferrari" callipers.
To further help it stick to the road, the Roma gets fitted with the Italian sports car builder's latest evolution of its Side Slip Control 6.0 system which incorporates an algorithm that's touted to deliver a precise estimate of side slip to the beefed-up Electronics Control Unit.
To do this, data is collected from the electronic differential, F1- Trac traction control system, SCM-E Frs magnetorheological suspension dampers and the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer which regulates the braking pressure of the callipers to help it feel even more effortless, intuitive and predictable when powering out of corners.
Further managing power delivery, the Roma gets gifted with five driving modes of Wet, Comfort, Sport, Race and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Off.
Being a Gran Tourer, there has to be the element of convenience which is why it also comes with a 275-litre boot (expandable to 345 litres) as well as Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) that include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning with traffic sign recognition, blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert and a 360-degree camera view.
Not to mention, the Roma can also be fitted with optional automatic LED headlights with anti-dazzle high-beam function to prevent blinding on-coming motorists. Likewise, the low-beam's light intensity can be automatically varied when the vehicle detects road signs so as not to dazzle the driver itself.
When travelling at high speeds, the Roma will make use of its integrated rear spoiler that can be deployed in three stages of Low Drag (LD), Medium Downforce (MD) or High Downforce with the latter creating a 135-degree angle to the rear screen and generating up to a maximum of 95kg of downforce while only increasing drag by 4%.
In MD mode, the spoiler only generates 30% of maximum downforce with a less-than 1% impact on aerodynamic efficiency and while puttering about at speeds less than the 100kph the spoiler remains in LD mode. Hitting speeds above 300kph and the spoiler automatically reverts to MD mode for maximum stability and aerodynamic efficiency.
However, the system is intelligent enough to recognise that should the Roma get thrown around corners, the spoiler will automatically be raised to HD mode to ensure the car's 50:50 weight balance can be fully exploited.
Inside, the cockpit is nothing short of being driver-centric with the use of the Prancing Horse brand's, Dual Cockpit concept which separates the driver and front passenger which being upholstered in a combination of full-grain Frau leather and Alcantara before getting accented by chromed aluminium as well as carbon fibre.
Furthermore, high-tech elements have been incorporated into the cockpit which sees it getting fitted with a completely redesigned Human-Machine Interface (HMI) philosophy that wants to keep "Eyes on the road and hands on the wheel".
In doing so, a fully-digital and full-colour 16.0-inch curved instrument cluster display now stares back at the driver which can be personalised to include information such as navigation, audio and large circular rev-counter to name a few.
The steering wheel for the Roma is also new which introduces a series of multi-touch controls that allow the driver to keep their hands from wandering too far away and includes controls such as the five-position manettino, headlight controls, wipers, voice control, cruise control and signal indicators as well as an integrated haptic touchpad control on the right-hand spoke.
An 8.4-inch high-definition central display resides on the centre console to divide the driver and front passenger which acts at the infotainment system, satellite navigation and climate controls.
As an optional extra, the passenger can have their own personal 8.8-inch full-colour high-definition touchscreen which not only allows to display the vehicle's performance figures and status but also access to the audio, navigation and climate controls.
"The Ferrari Romas evokes a sense of nostalgia and this stunning coupe presents a timeless elegance and urban sophistication while also emerging as the pinnacle of performance in its category. We are delighted to introduce this graceful addition to the local market," said Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd group CEO (Automotive Group) Datuk Nik Hamdam Nik Hassan.
Those interested in the Roma can make an appointment with Ferrari Malaysia for a private viewing session from now until June 29.
