Volkswagen Arteon vs Ferrari Roma

What's the difference?

The value, driving dynamics and appearance are on point for a premium play here. If you can forgo the badge snobbery attached to the German big three, then you'll find lots to like about Volkswagen's Arteon.

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.

It's really all about the looks here, and while the Shooting Brake is particularly handsome, the regular Arteon looks premium and polished, too.

VW tells us injecting a bit of sportiness was a key aim here, both inside and outside, and that's particularly true of the R-Line model, which rides on bigger 20-inch alloys, compared to the 19s on the Elegance, with their own bespoke design.

The body styling is more aggressive, too, but both trims get lashings of chrome along the body work, and a sleek, swept-back style that looks more premium than overtly sporty.

In the cabin, though, you can see that this is an important car to VW. The touchpoints are almost all soft to the touch, and it's both understated and tech-saturated at the same time, including the swipe-to-adjust function for the stereo and climate, with new touch-sensitive sections added to the centre console and steering wheel.

It feels, dare we say it, premium. Which is likely exactly what VW was going for...

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. 

Interestingly, both body styles share near identical dimensions, with the Arteon stretching 4866mm in length, 1871 in width, and 1442mm in height (or 1447mm for the Shooting Brake).

Those numbers translate to a seriously spacious and practical cabin space, with an acreage of room for backseat riders. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had heaps of space between my knees and the seat in front, and even with the sloping roofline, plenty of headroom, too.

You'll find two cupholders in a pull-down divider that separates the back seat, and a bottle holder in each the four doors. Backseat riders also get their own air vents with temp controls, as well as USB connections, and phone or tablet pockets on the rear of each front seat.

Up front, the theme of space continues, with storage and cubbies sprinkled throughout the cabin, as well as USB-C connections for your phone or devices.

All that space means a sizeable boot area, too, with the Arteon serving up 563L with the rear seats in place, and 1557L with the back pews folded. The Shooting Brake ups those numbers - thought not any as much as you might think - to 565L and 1632L.

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 $453,000 before on-road costs, the Roma Coupe lines up almost directly with a trio of well-credentialled, well-equipped and ultra-fast 2+2 supercars - the Aston Martin DB12 ($455,000), Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo ($450,000) and Porsche 911 GT3 ($446,700). 

If you prefer a roofless experience, the Roma Spider convertible will set you back $520,300 (BOC).

And as you’d expect, the standard features list is impressive; the options list even more so.

Aside from the safety and performance tech covered a little later, highlights include 18-way power front seats, full-grain Frau leather trim, eight-speaker JBL audio (with digital radio), dual zone climate control, an 8.4-inch hi-definition central media display, a 16-inch (highly) configurable instrument cluster, adaptive cruise control and 20-inch forged alloy rims.

There’s also LED exterior lighting (including auto dusk-sensing headlights), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, rain-sensing wipers and built-in nav, as well as Alcantara, chromed aluminium and carbon-fibre trim details. There’s more, but you get the idea.

And when it comes to options, the sky’s the limit with the likes of carbon-fibre everything, beefier audio as well as custom colour and trim options available through Ferrari’s ‘Tailor Made’ and ‘Special Equipment’ programs.

One popular addition is an 8.8-inch HD touchscreen for the front passenger (co-pilot?) displaying data on the car’s performance and status as well as allowing selection of music, sat-nav info and climate functions. Super cool and it will set you back $9500.

There are two drivetrains on offer here — the 140TSI with front-wheel drive in the Elegance, or the 206TSI with all-wheel drive in the R-Line.

The former's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol produces 140kW and 320Nm, which is enough for a sprint to 100km/h in around 7.9 seconds.

But the lust-worthy engine tune is definitely the R-Line, in which the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol ups the grunt to 206kW and 400Nm, and drops the sprint time to a brisk 5.5 seconds.

Both pair with VW's seven-speed DSG automatic.

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.

Volkswagen says the Arteon Elegance will need 6.2L per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, and will emit 142g/km of C02. The R-Line needs 7.7L/100km on the same cycle, with emissions pegged at 177g/km.

The Arteon is fitted with a 66-litre tank, and a PPF or petrol particulate filter, which strips some of the nasties out of the vehicle's emissions. But, VW says, it's “very important" that you only fill your Arteon with premium feel (95RON for the Elegance, 98RON for the R-Line) or you risk shortening the life of the PPF.

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.

Full disclosure: we only spent time behind the wheel off the R-Line variant for this test, but even still, I feel pretty comfortable suggesting that it's the punchy powertrain you want.

Surely the very first hurdle any company hoping to play with the premium-brand big boys must clear is that of easy, effortless momentum? It's difficult to feel like you've made the premium choice when you're engine is straining and striving under acceleration, right?

And on this, the Arteon R-Line shines, with plenty of power underfoot whenever you need it, and a delivery style which means you rarely, if ever, fall into a hole waiting for the power to arrive.

For mine, the suspension might be a touch too firm for those seeking a truly wafting drive experience. For the record, it doesn't bother me — I always prefer to know what's happening underneath the tyres than be entirely removed from the experience — but a result of this sporty-feeling ride is the occasional registering of bigger bumps and road imperfections in the cabin.

The flip side of the firm(ish) ride is the ability for the Arteon - in R-Line guise - to swap personalities when you engage its sportier settings. Suddenly there's a snarl to the exhaust that's absent in its comfortable drive modes, and you're left with a vehicle that tempts you to head for a twisting back road to see what it's about.

But in the interests of science we instead headed for the freeway to put the Arteon's autonomous systems through their paces, with the brand promising Level 2 Autonomy on the highway.

While the technology still isn't perfect — some braking can occur when the vehicle's not entirely sure what's happening ahead of it — it's also pretty impressive, taking care of the steering, accelerating and braking for you, at least until you're reminded its time to put your hands back on the wheel.

It's also bloody big, the Arteon, with more space in the cabin - and especially the backseat - than you might be thinking. If you have kids, they'll be positively lost back there. But if you cart adults on the regular, then you'll hear no complaints.

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. 

No surprise, ANCAP and Euro NCAP have not assessed the Roma, but you could mount a solid case that the car’s high-level dynamic ability is its greatest active (crash avoidance) safety system. 

Over and above that there are the usual anti-lock brake, traction and stability control systems (the latter is Ferrari’s adjustable SSC ‘Side Slip Control’) as well as AEB (with vehicle and cyclist detection), adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition plus front and rear parking sensors.

Also worth calling out ‘FDE’ (Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer) which works in parallel with the SSC to help modulate lateral movement in extreme circumstances.

If a crash is unavoidable there are four airbags - dual front and dual side front (head). That’s an acceptable count in a 2+2 coupe, but it would be nice to see a front centre bag.

The Arteon is covered by VW's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and will require servicing every 12 months or 15,000kms. It will also get VW's capped price servicing offer.

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.