When a model has been on the market for a while, but it’s not yet time to launch a ground-up replacement, manufacturers will give it a “mid-cycle refresh” or “facelift.” It will still be the same car, but with updated aero, a better entertainment system, and, if it’s a performance car, a moderate power bump, making it more competitive with new offerings.

Ferrari does this too, but is less honest about it than other manufacturers, pretending that their facelifts are brand new models. The Ferrari GTC4Lusso was a refreshed FF.  The F8 was a tweaked 488. Surely the 812 Superfast was an original model? No, it was an updated F12berlinetta.

And so, we come to the Ferrari Amalfi; Ferrari’s “new” front-engined, entry supercar, which shares an awful lot with the Roma it replaces. For example, Ferrari will tell you that the engine has upgraded turbochargers, a raised redline, a new engine control unit, a revised block, lighter camshafts, and new dedicated pressure sensors; but it’s fundamentally the same twin-turbo 3.9-liter V8 of the Roma, producing just 20 more horsepower, and almost identical performance figures. It has the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the only other notable mechanical change is an updated exhaust to comply with new, stricter noise regulations.

The main changes — as with all facelifts — are in the looks, both inside and out. Here, that’s for better and worse, respectively.

To start with the best part; the interior is a massive upgrade. Though it retains the ‘dual cockpit’ design philosophy, the interior is no longer cut in half by that central ‘ramp’ section, and the whole look — from the door panels to the dash layout — is simpler and far more premium. The central screen is now landscape, not portrait, and in the centre is a flat central console, milled from a block of anodized aluminum, and fitted with their new, retro gear selector system. Customers can choose to get this in carbon fiber as well, should they prefer, but they shouldn’t; it looks perfect as it is.

The other significant upgrade is the return to physical buttons on the steering wheel. With the Roma, Ferrari started using haptic touch surfaces, but these were instantly and universally unpopular, so, in the face of customer complaints, they have brought back the buttons. Ferrari told “Top Gear” that this steering wheel can be retrofitted to compatible previous-generation models. The last surviving haptics are for the mirror controls, and though these are annoying, these controls are used so infrequently that it’s not a big problem.

It’s hard to argue that the interior is not a major improvement. With the exterior, the story is a bit more complex. The Roma was a pretty, short, round sports coupe, and though this retains most of its lines, the changes to the front and rear are both cleaner and less interesting.

The Roma used a slatted shield grill, inspired by 1960s Ferraris, and though I found this elegant and unique, others considered it overly busy and distracting. The new Amalfi completely removes this, carrying over the minimalist ‘mask’ design language from the Purosangue SUV, with minimalist headlights and a large lower grill. It looks clean, but also dull and indistinct — and more than a few people have compared its looks with the new Prius.

The rear is also cleaner and less controversial, but to my eye, a downgrade. The rear of the Roma was slightly over-sculpted, but the flat-topped lights and squared-off elements make it look too much like the Jaguar F-Type, and the intersection of so many different shut lines is messy.

In short, it looks more modern, particularly in the interior, and that’s the point of a facelift anyway — even if Ferrari doesn’t want to call it that.