The latest new car to bring physical buttons back is not a Volkswagen, but a Ferrari – the Amalfi, the company's latest entry-level model for well-heeled buyers on a slightly tighter budget.
Ferrari has revealed what may be its last new V8 model without hybrid technology, its latest entry-level supercar to replace the Roma, known as the Amalfi.
And, in a move mirroring less prestige brands such as Volkswagen, touch-sensitive buttons have been deleted from the steering wheel after they were criticised for being fiddly to use on the move.
Named after a coast popular with holidaymakers in Italy's south, the Amalfi is a heavy update of the five-year-old Roma, wearing updated styling, a new interior, and sharper handling.
Prices are yet to be confirmed – alongside launch timing for Australia – but the outgoing Roma was priced from $453,000 plus on-road costs.
The 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8 has been uprated to produce 471kW and 760Nm – up from 456kW/760Nm – thanks to new turbochargers now capable of being spun at different rates, at higher peak speeds.
There are also new pressure sensors for each bank of cylinders, a new engine control unit, lighter camshafts and engine block, and a Ferrari-first low-viscosity oil.
The V8 is matched with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive, for a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.3 seconds, 0-200km/h in 9.0 seconds, and a 320km/h top speed.
Those numbers are improved from 3.3 seconds, 9.3 seconds and 320km/h-plus in the Roma coupe.
Ferrari highlights a new exhaust silencer that uses a "ceramic matrix catalyst with a trimetallic coating" to extract the best sound out of the engine while still meeting the latest emissions rules.
The Amalfi shares much of the Roma's DNA and underpinnings, but many of its panels are new, with changes as subtle as slightly different body lines on the side doors.
Its front end swaps the Roma's body-coloured mesh grille for an upper body-coloured 'wing' and lower intake – which has been likened on social media to Toyota's latest design language – while slimmer tail-lights feature at the rear.
The rear spoiler has moved from the black panel below the window to a thinner strip along the edge of the tailgate, which has three position settings, and can produce up to 110kg of downforce at 250km/h under hard braking or cornering.
Other aerodynamic highlights include air ducts above the headlights to help cool the engine, and fairings on the underbody to reduce drag.
New for the Amalfi is brake-by-wire technology – which removes the hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and discs, swapping it for an electronic system – combined with Ferrari's latest ABS Evo anti-lock braking software.
It is claimed to allow the Amalfi to stop from 100km/h in 30.8 metres, through brake discs measuring 390mm up front and 360mm at the rear.
There is a "grip estimation system" for the power steering, which claims to use steering angle and other sensors around the car to better calculate how much traction the car has on the road surface, and feed the data to the stability-control systems.
Standard are 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 245/35 R20 front and 285/35 R20 rear tyres, in either Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Pirelli P Zero summer compounds.
A full suite of advanced safety features are available – many of which are now mandated in Europe – including lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, a driver drowsiness alert, and blind-spot monitoring.
Inside, the Amalfi adopts the dashboard layout seen on other new Ferrari models, with two 'cockpits' surrounding the driver and passenger across three screens: a 15.6-inch instrument cluster, 10.25-inch central touchscreen, and 8.8-inch passenger touchscreen.
One big change is the return to physical buttons on the steering wheel, replacing the touch-sensitive controls on earlier Ferraris, including the re-introduction of an aluminium engine start button on the wheel.
Drivers can turn off safety features through shortcuts on the left side of the steering wheel.
Ferrari says the instrument cluster surround and air vents have been "fused into a single block" from the first time, milled from a block of anodised aluminium.
As with any Ferrari, there is a broad range of colours and materials available, plus options such as 'comfort seats' in three sizes with ventilation and 10-chamber massaging, and a 14-speaker Burmester audio system.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, while buyers can pay extra for a front-axle lift system, which can lift the nose of the car by up to 40mm to clear speed bumps while travelling at speeds up to 35km/h.
European deliveries of the Ferrari Amalfi are due to commence early next year. Australian arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, but if history is a guide, local arrivals will follow about 12 months later.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
