Rent Ferrari Roma 2021 in Dubai

If you've never driven a Ferrari and a week in Dubai feels like the time to fix that, the Roma 2021 is the one we'd put you in first. We hand it over across the city, usually within one to two hours, and the reason it's the right starting point is that it doesn't intimidate. A 620 hp Ferrari sounds like a lot to manage in traffic, yet the front-engined Roma is the most approachable car in the range: progressive, planted, and happy to behave at sane speeds. The question this page settles isn't whether it's fast enough, it's whether a usable, confidence-building Ferrari is what you want from the week, or whether you're chasing something harder and more theatrical.

Why it's the easy one to drive

The V8 sits up front, which gives the Roma a balance the mid-engined cars don't have. It feels settled and predictable rather than darty, the steering is quick without snatching at every camber, and the car stays composed at the speeds you actually use here. Pull onto the E11 and it gathers pace in one clean, linear pull, the engine note building rather than barking. Drop it into a calmer driving mode and the eight-speed dual-clutch shuffles gears smoothly while the ride stays liveable. For a first supercar week, that forgiving character is worth more than another tenth off the 0 to 100 time.

Spec at a glance

The low nose, and the one habit to learn

The single thing a new Roma driver has to respect is the front. The car is low, and Dubai is full of steep ramp lips and aggressive speed bumps that will scrape an unraised nose. The fix is simple: there's a front-lift control, and we'll show you exactly how it works at handover so you can raise the car before each ramp. Take bumps square and slow, and there's no drama. Get that one habit and the rest of the car looks after you.

At nearly two metres wide the Roma also wants a moment in tight bays, and the multi-storey parks around the Marina and the malls reward folding the mirrors and going slowly. None of that is hard, but a first-timer should expect to take parking calmly rather than rushing it.

The pace, and using it sensibly

The numbers are serious: 620 hp, 0 to 100 in 3.4 seconds, 320 km/h flat out. The point of the Roma is that none of it arrives with menace, which is exactly why a less experienced supercar driver gets on with it. Feed in a fraction merging onto Sheikh Zayed Road and it simply surges; ask for everything and it's properly fast in a way few public roads can use. A car this quick makes the limits easy to overshoot, and Dubai's cameras are unforgiving, so keep half an eye on the speedometer. Salik tolls and any RTA fines during the rental are charged to you.

Seats, boot and your luggage

Read the four seats honestly. The rear pair are for bags or a very short hop with a small child, not adults you'd like to keep as friends. As a two-seater it's roomy and built for long stints. The boot is the genuine surprise: 617 litres behind the rear seats, and folding the backrests stretches it further, so two people with a cabin bag and a check-in case each are sorted for a DXB or DWC airport run. Where it stops is moving four people with full suitcases. For that, take a saloon and keep the Roma for the days it earns its place.

Staying cool in the heat

A small, glass-heavy cabin bakes fast in a Dubai summer, so recovery time is what counts. The Roma's air conditioning hits hard up front and brings a parked cabin down to comfortable within about a minute of driving, which is exactly what a two-up car needs. The rear gets little of that airflow, but you won't be seating anyone back there for long. Park in shade where you can and the first minute is far easier.

Who it's for

Take the 2021 Roma if it's your first Ferrari, you're travelling as one or two, and you want a car that's genuinely fast and beautiful but won't fight you in traffic. The forgiving manners and the front-lift make it the supercar you can actually relax in for a week, not just a nervous afternoon.

Look elsewhere in two cases. If you need usable rear seats or you're moving four people with luggage, a luxury saloon does the job the Roma can't. And if your whole week is about maximum drama and noise, the mid-engined Ferraris are harder, louder and more demanding. For a confidence-building, usable Ferrari to learn the badge on, the Roma is the one to book.