Ferrari does not want to be called the unknown pure blood SUV, as he considers it a “true sports car”, but it becomes difficult to do so when we look at it, even if we admit that it is a “creature” that stands out from its potential rivals – is it more correct to categorize it as a crossover?
The proportions remind us of the GTC4Lusso — the shooting brake three-door, four-seater – which went out of production in 2020, but the style seems to have received its greatest influence from elegant Roma.
In these first images it looks relatively compact, but it’s pure illusion: the height of 1,589 m (the highest ever in a Ferrari) and the gigantic wheels of 22″ at the front and 23″ at the rear make it appear smaller than it actually is. .
DO NOT LOSE: Pure blood. Ferrari considers closing orders due to demand ‘explosion’
The Purosangue is 4,973m long, 2,028m wide, 1,589m high and has a wheelbase of 3,018m — for reference, compare with the super SUV Lamborghini Urus, which measures 5,112m, 2,016m, 1,638m and 3,003m respectively.
A (not) another SUV
The house in Maranello doesn’t want us to call it an SUV and strives to set it apart from the others, starting with just four seats, with the two rear ones being individual, physically separated by a console.
The boot is also modest, despite being the largest ever in a Ferrari. Purosangue declares 473 l, a value much lower than, say, Urus’ 616 l.
The rear seats feel comfortable… and fold down.
It is the very first series production Ferrari with five doors, but here too the Purosangue distinguishes itself by the inverted opening of the rear doors. However, it retains the B-pillar and to ensure easy access to the rear seats, the doors open 79º.
To these atypical features for a Ferrari we have to add the generous ground clearance of 185mm – it will hardly compete with a Range Rover, but all this extra air between the underside of the car and the ground gives the Purosangue a versatility never seen before . been in creations from Maranello.
The most powerful of all
Differences for potential rivals remain under the ‘skin’. The aluminum base is new and the architecture is identical to that of its front-engine sports cars: the engine is located behind the front axle, longitudinally in the front, and the transmission is mounted at the rear (transaxle). No wonder the weight distribution favors the rear axle, just like its sports cars, namely 49:51.
The engine itself couldn’t be more «Ferrari». It’s an evolution of the 6.5 V12 naturally aspirated dry sump found in the 812 Superfast and 812 Competizione – an unusual and eye-catching choice for a vehicle of this type, especially when all its potential rivals are betting on supercharging to keep it going. couple too “fat” to face the high mass they’re accusing.
The V12 is more hidden than usual, “nestled” between the axle and the cab.
Purosangue is not light – 2033 kg dry – but promises to be (slightly) lighter than its rivals. Still, it forced Ferrari to work extensively on the V12 to deliver more torque at lower revs, precisely where supercharged engines have a huge advantage.
Nevertheless, the figures presented are more worthy of a super sports car than a vehicle with the characteristics of the Purosangue: the maximum power of 725 hp is obtained at a shrill 7750 rpm, while the maximum torque reaches 716 Nm at a high 6250 rpm – Ferrari says that 80% of maximum torque is available from 2100 rpm.
And with this power, this “non-SUV” proves to be the most powerful of them all, with the Aston Martin DBX707 coming closest to the number of horses.
The transmission is made to all four wheels and follows the same principle that we saw in the FF and GTC4Lusso. In Purosangue, we mounted the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox in front of the rear axle, with traction to the front axle being guaranteed by a second gearbox, also dual-clutch, but with only two speeds, mounted in front of the V12.
Not only is the naturally aspirated V12 with 111 hp/l a supercar worthy, so is the advertised performance. The Ferrari Purosangue takes just 3.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h and 200 km/h is reached in 10.6 seconds. The maximum speed? Over 310 km/h — when it becomes official, it will be titled SUV the world’s fastest in its class.
Active suspension is a debut
As you would expect, nothing has been left to chance in this Ferrari, both aerodynamically and dynamically.
Managing the airflow in this way brought new challenges to the engineers of the brand, which led to the creation of original solutions, such as “floating” wheel arches with integrated air outlets (relieving the wheel arch). Also notable for the spoiler hanging on the back.
At the chassis level, the Ferrari Purosangue debuts with a new active suspension developed in collaboration with Multimatic, which should control all body movements and, Ferrari says, guarantee the same performance and behavior as its sports cars.
When comes?
This versatile and intriguing proposal promises a boost significant in sales, but Ferrari doesn’t want Purosangue to dominate them like rivals do; the brand wants to protect the exclusivity of its new model so that it never represents more than 20% of the total turnover.
The interior is heavily inspired by that of the SF90 Stradale and forgoes the central screen, but gives the passenger a screen.
The Ferrari Purosangue undoubtedly promises a lot in the near future. Production will start this year and first deliveries are scheduled for early 2023.
The desired exclusivity can be achieved for its price, which has not yet been officially announced: the English car says it should start at £390,000, which translates to almost €450,000, far more than its rivals.
The V12 is expected to be joined by other engines at a later date, with the obvious candidates being the V6 hybrid from the 296 GTB or, who knows, the V8 hybrid from the SF90 Stradale.
