Us Italians are arrogant when it comes to the Ferrari brand. We salute the car whenever we see it in Italy. For me, the Ferrari is the La Dolce Vita of success. It is the sweet life of showing off and commanding attention. When I saw the Ferrari Roma, all I wanted to do was dance with her. Us ladies like to bring emotions physically outwards when we see a supercar.
Ferrari Roma is all about living, dressing, and driving the lifestyle. The Roma is definitely more focused on being a daily driver as evidenced by the two small seats tucked away at the rear. My large handbags fitted nicely in the back. I loved the shark-looking grill and so did many men.
I was in hysterics when I read the brochure marketing for the Ferrari Roma. Ferrari, I quote stated that Ferrari Roma was created for people wanting to be under the radar. On many occasions I woke up early and was told by hotel guests, they knew it was me starting the Ferrari. I hadn’t even taken off yet with the 612 bhp.
What is special about the Ferrari Roma?
As Italians, our DNA is never under the radar when it comes to the triple F words, Fashion, food, and Ferrari
My review is to inspire women of today to buck the cliche that it is only a boy’s dream to drive a supercar. Whilst the cost of the Ferrari Roma is much higher than an average car, this is not the most expensive Ferrari. This is the second cheapest new Ferrari available!
For some Ferrari style fashion tips, I did a dedicated feature.
380 men Versus One Woman In A Ferrari Roma
The first day I picked up the Ferrari Roma, I drove from Slough to affluent Bromely. To attend Chandran Foundation UK, a fundraising charity for children in poverty within London. I was confronted by 380 construction men. This was so empowering on so many levels because who on earth as a woman turns up in a Ferrari Roma, to a men’s event full of construction workers? If only the looks of admiration and envy could have been filmed.
And of course, just like a wild lioness, I revved that 640bhp, in front of them all. It had to be done.
The photographer got confused and started calling me Roma. My bespoke green dress was made for me in Rome, I am Italian and have a Ferrari called Roma. I let everyone believe I was called Roma. You see with a Ferarri you can role-play your day-to-day life however you please. Gentlemen when ladies dream of driving a Ferrari it’s certainly not on a Formula 1 track. We like to role-play instead and include the car at events.
The Ferrari brand commands the wild actress in me to be whoever I want to be even on my own red carpet. Ferrari Roma is a lifestyle car and for me, my wardrobe reflected that. If you are wondering why my green satin dress seems to be always in wind mode. The Ferrari Roma is that powerful even whilst parking. The key was subtle and light to use. I would recommend a good key chain holder so you don’t lose it.
Roma GPS
I have never driven a car where the GPS was so clear on where to go. I never made one wrong turn with the Ferrari Roma. This was important as the grand tour began from Slough to Bromely, back to affluent Chiswick up to Oxfordshire, Cotswolds, and Shakespeare County. I need her to guide me at every turn. Regarding parking, the Ferrari Roma was effortless on every turn.
The Ferrari Roma was easy to park on the streets of Chiswick. Though I did wonder why my wheels kept spinning in reverse on the muddy autumn leaves. So did the male attention who thought I was pretty impressive in doing so. Ladies just go with the flow when it comes to male attention. I did get an offer to be taken to lunch. That is the power of the Ferrari brand.
Ferrari Roma Is A City Car
The Ferrari Roma is a city car as I drove it through the back roads from Bromley up to Chiswick at night. I put her to every manoeuvre test possible through the streets of London. Driving a Ferrari Roma through dense traffic is like parting the red sea. Everyone just allowed me through, as I knew they all wanted just to glare in envy at this white pearl stallion.
Ferrari says the Roma can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and tops out at just over 199 mph. I have no idea sadly, I need to take it on the track.
I am never amazed when I hear people’s comments.
It’s a woman driving it.
Sadly this is still too common for 2022. When I was in Tuscany last month I met up with a Ferrari club of 2,200 members. Only two were women, and when speaking to ladies over fifty they all had a common thread. We would love to drive one but were always convinced we couldn’t. But a new generation Z is forming and I know this dated mindset will slowly waver. After all, Rome was not built overnight. The gaming generation with extra cash is so into showing off supercars cars like Ferrari.
Night Drive
I drove it at night quite a bit. The interior looked spectacular at night and is a beautiful reminder of what I was driving. I can only imagine what I looked like to the public driving it through Battersea bridge.
I was driving at 4 am back to Slough on the M40, it started to pour down with rain. There was a strong wind and heavy rain. I felt the wipers could have been stronger, they felt clunky and hard to see through the rain. I was not familiar with the wipers during the night and it took a while to find the small nob. This made me feel very unsafe, it is on this occasion due to the car interior being all black. I would opt for brighter colours such as a red interior. It is a press car and if it was my own as I said before the wild horse needs time to get familiar with.
Steering Wheel Gadgets
For those that are not aware, when you are driving a Ferrari all the bells and whistles happen at the wheel. This is so your hands are always sturdy on the steering wheel, these cars are powerful tamed horses. It takes a while to get used to changing everything on the steering wheel, even the indication.
Now regarding the hidden engine start/stop button, that took me a few explanations. But once it use to it, I loved it. I get why they opted for the touchpad, targeting the gaming generation I assume. But to adjust the door mirrors and also the infotainment options was too sensitive and time-consuming. It is actually very sensitive when I was going around the roundabout or turning a corner. I kept hitting the tough pad which messed with all my GPS and screen options.
Regarding the audio and climate again very frustrating just give me a manual volume control for the audio and similar for the climate set-up. Both of these nestle within the domain of the 8.4in the central display, which meant my manicure ended up in a mess. On many occasions, my stick-on nails were ruined.
I would prefer to interact with a proper, machined piece of metal or physical button, this is the beauty of owning a Ferrari. I loved the metal reverse and manual buttons that was a brilliant reminder of what I was driving.
How Did It Drive?
I don’t stand alone when taking off in the Ferrari Roma. Foot on the brake and pull towards me using the right paddle is how it works, and off we go. That for me is a fantastic call to action that I was in the Ferrari Roma. As I drove Ferrari Roma, it was like a duck to water and she certainly was much more solid on the road as opposed to the Ferrari GTC. It rained a lot around Oxfordshire so I started to use the paddles. With a Ferrari, you must test her 612bhp with gusto.
As technology would have it the turbo would always override my aggressive driving. That is what petrol head Jimi told me. The wheels would always spin so it took a while for me to treat Ferrari Roma with delicate acceleration. It may have had something to do with the engine that is mated to an 8-speed lightning-fast dual-clutch automatic transmission. That sends all the power to the rear axle and is one of the newest systems Ferrari has to offer.
The dual-clutch means that the gearbox will always anticipate your next move and have the next gear ready for you. Gearchanges are as a result instantaneous. I have to say I found it frustrating and annoying. Paddling in manual mode took time to get used to. But a light touch to the accelerator before launch was a game changer. Just like a white stallion, you have to get familiar with the riding experience.
Boot Space Design Flaws
The boot space was better than I anticipated, enough to take a large enough man’s bag for a weekend getaway. Keep in mind the back seats are extra space too. Perfect for a wedding suit or a bespoke green dress made in Rome. But there are two design flaws when I tried to close the boot, there was nothing to pull the boot down, so in my case when it rained the Ferrari Roma was filthy and it meant my hands got dirty. As I had to close the boot with my hands on top of the boot.
What shocked me as a woman of expensive fashion taste? Every time it rained or the morning dew was on the boot. Lots of water was trickling into the boot all over my very expensive wardrobe. This is why women engineers must take part in designing supercars. We are cut from a different cloth. Also regarding a coffee break, where was my coffee mug holder? My oversize mobile phone was hard to tuck away due to the design. Ferrari Roma is a stunning everyday lifestyle car, these issues need to be addressed.
Conclusion
A week before I drove the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster and which is a great car before you step up for anyone wanting to get behind a wheel of a supercar, like this Ferrari. Is there a difference, of course, there is. The obvious question is there is a premium for the Italian car and is it worth it? I would buy one in a heartbeat, she is gorgeous in every way. I never stopped smiling.
Ferrari has always charged more for its models and its strategy has always succeeded. As a result, Ferrari is the most profitable car company in the world today. The profit they make for each car eclipses that of any other brand. But what it really comes down to is exclusivity. I drove this Ferrari in the richest parts of Britain, I never saw a Ferrari once. It was one of a kind, just like me.
Ferrari makes around 8,400 cars per year. Porsche makes nearly 250,000 cars. And I saw lots of Porsches where I went. That’s what drives the price difference. Ferrari Roma is a fashion and lifestyle car. Everyone that spoke to me, which was a lot of men said it was the most beautiful-looking Ferrari of them all. As a lady’s supercar, it belongs in a woman’s world.
Step out of the way fellas, here we are, living our sweet life dreams. We got the cash to buy our own, Ferrari.
