Ferrari Roma vs Kia Ev4

What's the difference?

The Ferrari Roma is like a trained assassin in a Zegna suit - capable and clinical yet stylish and effortlessly superior. We believe there’s a replacement coming later this year and it will have to be doing well to top this superb machine.

An electric sedan is really shrinking the buyer pool, which is why Kia has such gentle expectations for the EV4 in Australia. But it's a lovely driving EV with plenty of perks, and the design alone will brighten up Australia's roadways. For my money, I'd either be going for the cheapest one that's sharp value with plenty of kit, or the flagship GT-Line that gets the big battery and the works in terms of equipment. The Earth for me sits in no-man's land.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

If you’re looking for a flash Fazza with spoilers and vents at all points of the body, you’ve come to the wrong coupe.

The Roma is a subtle, beautifully balanced and delicately detailed two-door inspired by all-time Ferrari classics like the 250 GT Lusso and 275 GTB.

Its proportions are impeccable with complex curves and sweeping lines combining to produce an exquisitely pure shape.

Slimline LED headlights are divided by horizontal DRL strips, the broad bonnet incorporates a quietly muscular power bulge and the minimalist ’egg crate’ grille sits below a sharply chiseled nose.  

I’m a particular fan of the split wedge-shaped tail-lights, seamlessly incorporated into the upper deck of the rounded rear end. The active rear spoiler is also neatly hidden away in the leading edge of the boot lid. No shoutiness here, even the exterior badges are works of art.

Crack open the bonnet and the engine sparkles like a jewel in a display case. Scarlet red crackle finish on the intake plenums and cam covers make it pop like a firecracker. 

The interior follows a dual cockpit theme with twin curved sections divided by a flying buttress style console between them housing the gear selection gate and central media screen.

Flashes of carbon-fibre and chromed alloy add a touch of overt raciness, Alcantara on the dash and doors echoes the ‘mouse fur’ of Ferraris past and the contrast stitching around the cabin is flawless. 

The sleek front seats feel as good as they look, the typography of the Roma badge on the passenger side of the dash is super cool, and overall the interior is snug and ultra classy. 

The slippery-looking unit that adorns this page is the EV4 sedan. There’s also a hatch, but it comes out of Europe, while this one comes out of Korea, and that would likely make the hatch far more expensive than this bad boy. It's under study, apparently, but yet to be confirmed.

Anyway, to steal a hackneyed football analogy, for mine this is a game of two halves. I actually really like the front end. It looks sleek and slippery and there’s a real presence from the swollen arches.

I am, however, a little less sold on this rear end, which looks sharp and blocky and almost like it has been bolted on. Also annoying is the fact that it looks like it should be a liftback, with the boot hinged up above the rear windscreen. But nope, it's hinged below it, so you still get a dinky little opening to squeeze your stuff through.

Kia's international designers are pushing the boat out at the moment, and they deserve credit for making things different. Whether it sinks or swims with the general public, though, will be the real test.

Inside, it's all pretty traditional Kia, with all three models sharing the twin 12.3-inch digital displays, along with the little climate panel in the middle. Kudos to Kia for keeping some physical buttons, too. I'm less sold on the use of some cheap, hard plastics, even in the top-spec cars.

At close to 4.7m long, the Roma isn’t compact but its supercar stance comes courtesy of a close to 2.0m width and low-riding 1.3m height (with a 2670mm wheelbase).

The cabin is cozy, as intended, but at 183cm I still have ample headroom in the front. The rear is a different story with the two ‘+2’ seats serving as occasional emergency spots only or a handy option for smaller kids.

For storage there are slim but long pockets in the doors, a surprisingly generous glove box, a wireless charging pad under the centre console, phone-size slits on either side of that console, a single cupholder between the front seats with a lidded box (containing 12V and USB-A outlets) behind it.

There’s a recess for oddments on the transmission tunnel between the rear seats, and armrests either side in the back.

The boot holds 272 litres, which is enough for several soft bags, rising to 345 litres with the 50/50 split-folding rear seatbacks lowered. There are tie-down anchors, which is handy but be aware there’s no spare, only a repair/inflator kit.

Overall, not exactly SUV-like in terms of day-to-day practicality but at least on par with its key competitors.

At 4730mm long, 1860mm wide and 1480mm tall, the EV4 sits between the Model 3 and the Seal in terms of its outright dimensions. Kia says the EV4's wheelbase and interior packaging has been designed to maximise backseat space, which I must admit, there is plenty of.

Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had miles and miles of leg room, and enough head room, though there is some kind of optical illusion that occurs in the backseat of the EV4 – even though you definitely have enough space, the dark materials of the GT-Line still leaving me feeling a little claustrophobic somehow.

Something else not to be sneezed at is the inclusion of the household-style power plug in the back. My laptop died while I was taking notes on my test, and I plugged it straight in and powered it up. Super handy.

At the back, there is 490 litres of boot space, which is about middle ground. The Seal is more like 400 litres, but the Model 3 offers more.

Sadly the EV4 is yet another EV that does not have a spare wheel of any kind. Instead you have to make do with a tyre repair kit.

In modern Kia EV style, the EV4 arrives in three trim levels — the Air, Earth and GT-Line — and then in Standard Range or Long Range battery sizes.

The range opens with the Air, which is a pretty sharp-feeling $49,990 before all of your on-road costs. Kia says drive-away pricing is coming, but how much it will be is still to be figured out.

That money buys you the Standard Range battery, which we will come back to in a moment, along with 17-inch alloys, flush-finishing door handles, LED lighting, rain-sensing wipers and heated wing mirrors.

Inside, there are two-tone cloth seats, an artificial-leather steering wheel and dual-zone climate with rear vents, while tech is handled by Kia’s loveable dual 12.3-inch screens (one for your entertainment, and another for your diving info), with a smaller 5.0-inch screen between them that handles climate settings. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo and four USB-C connections, too.

All EV4 model grades get two vehicle-to-load (V2L) connections (so you can plug things in with a normal household plug), with one in the backseat and the other as part of the exterior charger – though the latter is an accessory on the Air. All also get access to the Kia Connect app and over-the-air updates, too.

Stepping up to the Earth ups the spend to $59,190, which is a gigantic financial leap, but you’re mostly paying for the bigger battery and longer driving range, as well as 19-inch alloys, cloth-and-synthetic-leather seats, a powered seat for the driver, and Kia’s very cool and comfortable mesh headrests.

Finally, the GT-Line tops the range, and is yours for $64,690. It gets a more polished look, courtesy of the exterior plastics being swapped out for gloss-black detailing, and it rides on its own 19-inch alloy design. It also gets a sunroof, a powered boot, dynamic welcome lights and projection headlights.

Inside, there’s a heated steering wheel, full synthetic-leather seats, relaxation seats to get comfy when charging, and ambient interior lighting. You also get ventilated front seats, a better eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and wireless device charging.

That is a big, broad pricing spectrum, and something tells me Kia has worked very, very hard to get that entry-level model below $50k, where it can compete with the likes of the BYD Seal ($46,990) and Tesla Model 3 ($54,900).

Enzo Ferrari famously said “aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines” and notwithstanding the fact the Roma is slippery in the wind tunnel (Cd .30), its front-mid mounted 3.9-litre turbo-petrol V8 engine would surely meet with il Commendatore’s approval.

Sending drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission, this all-alloy, 90-degree unit features dual twin-scroll turbos, a flat plane crank, dry sump lubrication, direct fuel-injection and a single-piece cast exhaust manifold to produce 456kW from 5750rpm to the 7500rpm rev ceiling, and 760Nm from 3000-5750rpm.

Worth noting its 'front-mid' placement as the entire block is positioned low down and behind the front axle centre line.

All EV4 models are front-wheel drive, with a single front-mounted motor producing 150kW and 283Nm, fed through a single-speed gearbox. That’s enough, Kia says, to knock off the sprint to 100km/h in around 7.5 seconds. The Air is the fastest, at 7.4s, while the heavier Earth and GT-Line claim 7.8s. Top speed is a claimed 170km/h.

The Roma’s official (WLTP) fuel consumption figure on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 11.2L/100km, the 3.9-litre turbo-petrol V8 emitting 255g/km of CO2 in the process.

Not exactly miserly, but even with that engine begging to be revved we saw an average of 12.9L/100 over a combination of urban shuffling, twisting B-roads and some freeway running.

A start/stop function is standard and with an 80-litre fuel tank on board, the Roma’s theoretical range is around 715km, dropping to approximately 620km using our real-world number.

Let’s talk about range for a moment, because it's bloody impressive. Not quite the best out there, but the furthest any electric Kia has ever travelled between charges.

There are two battery options, a 58.3kWh NCM battery in the Standard Range, and a 81.4kWh unit in Long Range models. The Standard will deliver 456kms in driving range, but the Long Range ups that to 612kms, both on the WLTP cycle. 

The EV4’s 400-volt architecture does slow down charging a little, though, with DC fast charging capped at 128kW. That means going from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 mins when using the fastest chargers. If you’re using a 50kW charger, it’s up to almost an hour and 20 minutes for the bigger battery, which is a long coffee stop.

Plugged in at home, provided you have an 11kW wallbox, it’ll take just under five and a half hours, or just over seven hours, to go from 10 per cent to fully charged, so an overnight charge no matter the battery size.

Press the PS (Partenza Sportiva) button on the console, slip the manettino control on the steering wheel into ‘Race’ mode, left-foot brake (hard) and floor the throttle. Wait for the PS light on the dash, keep the accelerator pinned and lift off the brake.

Ferrari says the Roma will then proceed to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, and in the interests of a thorough assessment I may have found a quiet light commercial area near Maranello, replicated this procedure and validated the claim.

Yes, even at 1570kg, with 760Nm of pulling power available from 3000-5750rpm, the Roma is exceptionally fast in a straight line. And the twin-turbo V8 that’s been so reserved and docile around town lights up to deliver glorious engine noise and a characteristic exhaust howl.

A flat-plane crank arrangement often makes a vee engine lumpier than a more conventional cross-plane design, but it will rev hard and fast, and in this case the compact size of the Roma’s twin turbos enhances throttle response even further.

Speaking of the turbos, variable boost management helps to smooth acceleration while keeping an eye on fuel economy and despite the flat-plane configuration this engine is perfectly civilised.

A tall top (eighth) gear makes for easy cruising but the tight B-roads and lesser highways we spent most time on didn’t allow for any high autostrada speeds.

But how’s this for a flex? Ferrari says the active rear spoiler will stay in its low-drag position until the car hits 100km/h, then pushing through medium and high drag (135-degree) positions as speed rises. But… “over 300 km/h, the spoiler is always in MD mode because in such conditions it is preferable to have a more balanced car”.

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front with a multi-link set-up at the rear and twin solenoid (magnetic) adaptive dampers all around.

Rubber wrapping the 20-inch forged alloys is top-end Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S (245/35 fr / 285/35 rr) and front-to-rear weight distribution is 50/50.

What that all adds up to is a comfortable, responsive and deeply satisfying drive experience. In standard Ferrari fashion the dual-clutch transmission is rapid-fire perfection, the steering is light but accurate and feelsome, while the in-cabin ergonomics are superb.

Push as hard as you dare in tight, flowing corners and the car just continues to grip and bait you to try harder. And if you do give in and start to run out of talent the ‘Active Yaw Control’ and limited-slip ’E-diff’ will step in to imperceptibly save your bacon.

Moving the manettino through its five positions - ‘Wet’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’, ‘Race’ & ‘ESC-Off’ rapidly transforms levels of ride comfort, steering, transmission and engine response. You can also set the ride to Comfort with other attributes dialled up to 11 for a cross-country sweet spot. 

And when it comes to slowing rather than going, the Brembo brake set-up is circuit ready with vented carbon ceramic rotors all around (390mm fr / 360mm rr) clamped by six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston units at the rear. They take a while to warm up, but never feel anything other than mega. 

I learned something new and exciting (well, to me, at least. You might be very bored) from Kia's ride and handling guru on this launch. And that is that the tuning frequency for common city road imperfections, like bridge expanders, is actually the same as for the bigger, bouncier undulations you get on country roads. And so you can tune to prioritise one or the other, not both.

In real terms, it means a car that feels custom-built for the city, gliding over urban roads with mega comfort (which is exactly what the EV4 does), feels slightly less at home out of town, where there is more obvious movement in the cabin.

Bored yet? Ok, the point is that, while never uncomfortable, the EV4 feels right at home in the city, which is where it's expected to spend most of its time, but weirdly firmer on longer adventures. 

This really is easy, city EV motoring, done well. There's no alienating floatiness to the ride, no lifeless lightness to the steering, it's comfortable, quiet and – despite no headline-grabbing power figures – more than potent enough to get you up and moving.

There's nice weight to the steering, and though the front tyres gave up their grip a couple of times when pushed with some steering lock on, there isn't much in the way of aggressive body roll, and it all feels pretty confidence inspiring. 

The power is most effective from around 10km/h to 80km/h, before the urgency starts to fall away – it's slower to respond at freeway speeds – but that too just leans into its city credentials.

There's really not much to complain about here. It feels well sorted, and quite fun to drive. There is nothing that really stands out as spectacular about the drive experience, but nor is there anything to complain about. It's just really solid motoring, which isn't always guaranteed these days.

There’s no ANCAP rating on the EV4 yet, but the brand says it's confident it will adopt the five-star scores issued in Europe. All models get seven airbags, like active cruise control, AEB autonomous emergency braking (meaning it will anchor up if it senses an accident), front and rear parking sensors, an active blind spot monitor that will take evasive action if it senses a collision, and lots, lots more.

Only the GT-Line switches up the standard safety kit offered on the other two grades, adding a surround-view monitor, a camera that shows what’s happening in your blind spot, powered child locks and a reverse parking aid that will brake for you if it thinks you're going to hit something.

As the name implies, Ferrari’s ‘7-Year Genuine Maintenance’ program means you won’t have to worry about servicing costs for the first seven years of ownership. Everything from labour and parts to lubricants and brake fluid is included in the free-of-charge package.

For reference, maintenance is recommended every 12 months/20,000km, which is a healthy distance and roadside assistance is complimentary for the first 12 months. 

Warranty cover is three years/unlimited kilometres, which trails the mainstream market but matches high-end competitors like Aston Martin, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche.

Kia ownership proposition is simple, and pretty strong. You get a seven-year warranty no matter how far you travel, an eight-year warranty for the high-voltage systems, again no matter how far you travel, and capped-price servicing. Pre-paying your service costs will set you back $688 for three years, just over $1300 for five years, or just under $2000 for seven years.