Ferrari Purosangue – The Prancing Horse’s First Ever SUV

The name may be hard to pronounce but one thing’s for sure, this is a gorgeous beast from Maranello. (Can a beast be gorgeous?Yes, it can.) In case you’re wondering, it is pronounced pu-ro-sang-gway, a name that is as Italian as it gets. It literally means ‘thoroughbred’ and it is indeed one.

Combining performance, driving pleasure, comfort and iconic DNA, this is the company’s first ever four-door, four-seater model, but with a completely different layout and proportions from the others. The Purosangue has a mid-front-mounted naturally-aspirated V12 engine with the gearbox at the rear to create a sporty transaxle layout generating 715hp.

The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) is coupled in front of the engine to provide a unique 4×4 transmission. This achieves exactly the 49:51 weight distribution that Maranello’s engineers deem optimal for a mid-front-engined sports car.

80% of torque can be delivered at low revs providing unique driving pleasure at all times. Its aero development focused on making the bodywork, underbody and rear diffuser as efficient as possible. A new way was to synergise the front bumper and wheelarch trim, which generates an air curtain that aerodynamically seals the front wheels and prevent turbulent transverse air flows being generated.

The Purosangue is given the very latest iterations of the vehicle dynamic control systems:

– independent four-wheel steering;

– ABS ‘evo’ with the 6-way Chassis Dynamic Sensor (6w-CDS);

– active suspension system which controls body roll in corners and tyre contact patch over high-frequency bumps.

An all-new chassis has a carbon-fibre roof as standard to keep its weight down and lower the centre of gravity. Because everything is new, designers could create the bodyshell from scratch and incorporate rear-hinged back doors (welcome doors) to make ingress and egress easier while keeping the car as compact as possible.

Inside you get four generous heated electric seats. Obviously, one gets a more commanding driving position than in other Ferraris, but the configuration is the same. The driving position is as intimate and close to the floor as possible to provide greater connection to the car’s dynamic capabilities.

The boot is the largest ever seen in a Ferrari and the rear seats fold to increase luggage space. On top of that, as a standard package, you get Burmester© audio system, and the many optional extras include the brand-new Alcantara® upholstery, derived from certified recycled polyester. These make the Purosangue the most complete four-door, four-seater in the segment.

With its 8-speed F1 DCT transmission, 0-100km/h is done easily in 3.3 seconds. Its powerful V12 sits a 65° angle between its cylinder banks, a 6.5-litre capacity, dry sump and high-pressure direct injection; it is designed to produce the highest amount of torque at low revs possible without losing the feeling of linear, never-ending power, which is typical of Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated V12s. 80% of the maximum torque is on tap at just 2100 rpm and it peaks at 716 Nm at 6250 rpm. Maximum power of 725 cv is reached at 7750 rpm and throttle response of this new SUV is sportscar-like.

With the like of the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus having a certain fanbase that is opposed the SUV culture, Ferrari too will have their haters. But in business sense, it makes dollars and cents.