It’s the car Ferrari promised to never build, but here it finally is: after what feels like an eon, Ferrari’s first SUV, the Purosangue, has finally been revealed. We take a look at why this is such big news.
For a long time, Ferrari resisted calls to make an SUV, despite the fact that other performance and luxury marques – like Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche – had all done down the SUV route (which has proven to be a highly profitable exercise for each of those brands, by the way).
Maybe the famous Italian marque felt the winds of change (or smelt the scent of money) but in 2017, then-CEO Sergio Marchionne greenlit the development of a Ferrari SUV under the codename F175, with Ferrari officially confirming their SUV project in 2018.
In late 2021, we got the best look at what the Purosangue might look like in the flesh when spy shots captured a camouflaged ‘test mule’ whipping around Maranello. Then, earlier this year in May, current Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna teased more details about the upcoming SUV, including Ferrari’s plans to launch it with a naturally-aspirated V12 engine.
Now Ferrari has given us a look at what the Purosangue’s actually going to look like, as well as given us some concrete performance figures. First impressions? There’s a lot to be excited about…
WATCH Ferrari’s launch trailer for the Purosangue SUV below.
Why ‘Purosangue’?
Purosangue is Italian for ‘pure-blooded’ or ‘thoroughbred’, and is named after a noble Italian horse breed – all very appropriate for a brand that’s often called ‘the Prancing Horse’.
It also reflects Ferrari’s intention to frame the Purosangue as a pure-blooded, proper Ferrari. Ferrari fans have been famously sceptical about the prospect of a Ferrari SUV, and for good reason: for a company that’s always been about racing first, an SUV seems to be the antithesis of everything Ferrari’s about.
Let’s ignore the fact that Lotus – a similarly racing-focused marque whose founder Colin Chapman’s motto was “simplify, then add lightness” is also planning an SUV, a fully-electric one at that… Clearly Ferrari’s just got its finger on the pulse.
What makes the Ferrari Purosangue so special?
As previously mentioned, the Purosangue is Ferrari’s first-ever SUV – although Ferrari themselves aren’t using the term ‘SUV’; instead, they’re styling the Purosangue as their first-ever ‘four-door four-seater’. But don’t be fooled, the Purosangue is not a sedan.
It’s not a small car by any means but it has rather graceful proportions. The rear suicide doors definitely help its sleek look, as well as do much to differentiate the Purosangue from other high-end SUVs (the only other comparable vehicle with suicide doors is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which is not a bad company to be in).
Ferrari has also placed a very explicit focus on comfort with the Purosangue, which is in of itself rather unique. It’s the first Ferrari to have four separate and independently adjustable seats (Ferrari has made four-seater ‘2+2’ cars before, but most Ferrari rear seats are rather hypothetical in nature). Note that it only has four seats, not five.
The cockpit-style interior design language Ferrari debuted with the Ferrari Roma back in 2020 has been carried over to the Purosangue, with all four passengers getting their own little cockpits. It’s a very cool design but also one that’s no doubt highly comfortable, too.
They’ve also been quick to point out that it is the only car with its proportions to sport a mid-front-mounted, naturally-aspirated V12. Yessir, the Purosangue will be plenty fast: 533kW/716Nm from a 6.5L V12 with a top speed of 210km/h and 0-100 in 3.3 seconds.
2023 Ferrari Purosangue specifications
POWERTRAIN
- Mid-front-mounted, naturally-aspirated 6.5L V12
- All-wheel-drive
- Max power output = 533kW @ 7750 rpm
- Max torque = 716Nm @ 6250 rpm
- Max revs = 8250 rpm
- 8-speed F1 DCT
- SSC 8.0: 4RM-S evo, Ferrari active suspension technology, F1-Trac, ABS ‘EVO’ with Grip Estimation 2.0, ECS
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
- Length = 4973mm
- Width = 2028mm
- Height = 1589mm
- Dry weight = 2033kg
- Weight distribution = 49% front / 51% rear
PERFORMANCE
- Max speed = >310 km/h
- 0-100 km/h in 3.3s
- 0-200 km/h in 10.6s
- Reaches 100-0 km/h in 32.8m and 200-0 km/h in 129m
PRICE
- Prices start at €399,000 (~$AU591,000) in Italy, Australian prices TBC
- It will be Ferrari’s second-most expensive production car behind the SF90 Stradale, which starts at €440,000 ($AU653,000)
- The 812 Superfast, which has the same V12 engine, starts at AU$613,888 locally
- Production to be capped at 20% of annual production (=3,000 cars)
- Orders are officially open now but there’s already been strong demand for the Purosangue since May
- Australian deliveries to begin before the end of 2023
Find out more about the Ferrari Purosangue at Ferrari’s online showroom here.
Read Next