autoX Awards 2024: Ferrari Roma Performance, Quality and Value for Money Ranked

autoX Awards 2024: The Roma Spider isn’t the kind of car you’d think of as being the ‘Performance Car of the Year.’

Yes, it has a Prancing Horse on the bonnet, but it’s meant to be more of an elegant cruiser rather than an out-and-out sports car. Plus, there was a time not too long ago when convertibles were for posers, not serious drivers. But, with the Roma, Ferrari has turned all of that on its head.

Yes, it’s elegant and stunningly beautiful – even though I’m not entirely sure about that perforated front grille – but it’s a very serious driver’s car. After all, its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 produces north of 600 horsepower at a searing 7,500rpm. And that makes this one a very racy drop-top!

It immediately feels built for the track. The revs rise with a ferocity that’s unmatched, and with a soundtrack to match. The shift lights on the top of the steering – in pure Ferrari fashion – are incredibly useful on track because of just how fast this V8 motor pulls to the redline. The dual-clutch 8-speed gearbox is telepathic, and I love the large paddles mounted on the steering column – as opposed to the steering wheel – again, in pure Ferrari fashion. The only giveaway that this is meant to be a Ferrari that’s at the more relaxed end of the spectrum are the seats, which don’t offer the kind of support that you get from Ferrari’s more focused sports cars.

Also Read: Ferrari Roma Spider Review: Going Topless!

The chassis, meanwhile, is sublime. The steering is sharp, and talkative, while the chassis is playful and engaging. It just invites you all the time to push it harder and faster. The tail snaps ever so slightly if you get on the power too aggressively, but it’s progressive and inviting. The enduring memory I have of the handful of laps I did in the Roma Spider around the short loop of the BIC is that it’s very approachable and not intimidating in the least.

The Roma is every bit the modern Ferrari, which is to say that it's fast, impeccably built, and a joy to pilot. This isn’t the first Ferrari to win our ‘Performance Car of the Year,’ but it is certainly the most usable. And unlike the previous entry-level Ferrari, the California – which neither drove especially well, nor was very pretty – the Roma Spider ticks all the boxes. Although, I would still have mine as a Berlinetta as opposed to a Spider. The coupe’ is just more organic – it looks as though the designers poured liquid metal into a mould that cast the perfect Grand Tourer form.

And bear in mind that this is a grand tourer that’s equally happy crossing continents as it is scorching racetracks around the world. Sounds just about like the perfect recipe, doesn’t it?

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