Ferrari reveals its first-ever SUV

Wednesday, 14 September 2022

The Ferrari's first SUV is more of a slightly tall wagon with a big V12 engine. And it sounds pretty damn good too...

We all knew it was going to happen eventually, but Ferrari has finally jumped on the SUV bandwagon with the reveal of its Purosangue SUV.

But don’t despair, because it barely looks like an SUV at all, and the first ever four-door, four-seater car in the Prancing Horse’s 75-year history, isn’t exactly your ordinary garden-variety SUV either, packing a mighty 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 that pumps out a hefty 533kW and will propel it to 100kph in 3.3 seconds.

The V12 is set well back in the Purosangue’s chassis in a “mid-front-mounted” layout with a transaxle up the back. The engine is based on the same architecture used in other V12-powered Ferraris – a 65-degree angle between its cylinder banks, a 6.5-litre capacity, dry sump and high-pressure direct injection - but the company says it has been comprehensively redesigned to produce the highest amount of torque at low revs possible “without losing the feeling of linear, never-ending power typical of Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated V12s.”

Ferrari’s Purosangue is barely more of an SUV than Porsche’s Taycan Cross Turismo. And we rather like it for that.

As such, 80% of the maximum torque is on tap at just 2100 rpm and it peaks at 716Nm at 6250 rpm.

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The Purosangue is also the first four-door Ferrari and is strictly a four-seater.

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The rear seats are independently adjustable and the rear of the cabin echoes the dual cockpit design of the front.

Basically, the Purosangue looks like a wagon. A Ferrari wagon. And we are good with that!

Ferrari says the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts faster than the previous 7-speed DCT and that down shifts have been calibrated to “optimise smooth shifting with a specific focus on driving pleasure and emphasising the sound of the new V12 engine.”

Unlike its obvious competition, the Purosangue sits on a completely new platform that Ferrari says was designed from scratch with the aim of producing a structure of uncompromising rigidity.

The lower chassis structure is made entirely from high-strength aluminium alloy and together with the structural elements of the upper body, it makes up a spaceframe chassis comprised of closed-section extrusions connected by castings into which load-bearing aluminium sheet metal elements are integrated.

This means that the Purosangue’s chassis is lighter than Ferrari’s previous four-seaters’ despite being larger.

The bodyshell is made from aluminium and carbon fibre, with high-strength steel in important areas and flanking the mechanical joins with structural adhesive, in order to guarantee maximum strength where required and also light weight in areas not subject to stress.

The Purosangue packs an active suspension package that uses Multimatic’s True Active Spool Valve (TASV) system that combines electric motor actuation with a high-precision spool valve hydraulic damper into one fully integrated system to reduce roll and pitch as well as absorb road surface irregularities.

The driver’s cockpit is inspired by the SF90 Stradale and is based on Ferrari’s ‘dual cockpit’ dashboard concept which has been extended and replicated in the back of the car, essentially creating four separate areas in the cabin. The front passenger gets their own 10.25-inch touchscreen, while the rear seats are separate and independently adjustable.

Ferrari says that sustainable materials have been used extensively throughout the Purosangue, with 85% of the launch trim for the car being sustainably produced.

The fabric roof-lining is recycled polyester, the carpet is made from polyamide recycled from fishing nets retrieved from the oceans and newly formulated Alcantara, also derived from recycled polyester. The Purosangue is the very first car in the world to use this special version of Alcantara made of 68% of post-consumer recycled polyester.

For this version of the material, Alcantara obtained the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) certification from ICEA, a leading international standard that verifies recycled material and tracks it from the source to the final product. Instead of the traditional carpeting or leather used to trim the floor, owners can opt for a high-strength fabric used in military uniforms.

Deliveries of the Purosangue (which translates as ‘pure blood’ and means ‘thoroughbred’ in Italian) begin early next year in left-hand drive European markets, with RHD markets coming later. Local pricing hasn’t been announced, but Ferrari says that in Europe the car will be more expensive than its other V12 models, meaning we wouldn’t expect to see much change out of $800,000 in New Zealand.

Unlike Lamborghini or Porsche which both now sell more SUVs than sports cars, Ferrari expects the Purosangue to eventually account for around just 20% of its total sales, with the higher price-point no doubt being a part of that strategy.