Just a few scant years ago, the automotive market place thought that the iconic Italian car maker, Ferrari, had gone corporately mad. They had announced their intention to produce a Ferrari sport utility vehicle (SUV)! Enthusiasts were appalled; schoolboys tore posters of legendary Ferrari sports cars from their bedroom walls: The world was aghast.
Inevitably, the world was wrong as it so often is. The Purosangue (Pure Blood – it’s all Ferrari) was launched to great acclaim in 2022 ans has undergone some advancements since then. It was the first four-door Ferrari ever produced and the most exciting addition to the SUV sector in many years. By this time, we had seen prestige SUV models from Bentley, Rolls Royce and Lamborghini (see our current listings for this prestige car makers on our website Home Page) all of which were and are surprisingly successful.
Ferrari were not content to match this; they determined that they would raise the bar for what a sport utility vehicle would be capable of with the added benefit of what can only be perceived as outrageous performance, bringing the Ferrari DNA to to this sector for the very first time. At a test event this writer was allowed a full half hour alone with this startling vehicle. Those thirty minutes were convincing. Automotive love was in the air and any doubts were dispelled. The Ferrari Purosangue is a sports car, it just happens to have four doors, four seats and decent luggage capacity.
About The Ferrari Purosangue
The Purosangue’s bodywork has been deftly sculpted and chiselled to create its unique shape. The design features two separate and distinct levels: the lower more technical underbody and the gloriously sinuous, imposing upper body. This division is underscored by the fact that the upper volume seems to float on the wheel arches.
The aim of this premium model is to offer customers the practicality and utility of an SUV-type vehicle combined with the hallmarks we expect from the Ferrari brand: Enormous speed, fabulous looks and sharp handling; and all this with a higher ride height and greater weight. This car is quite an achievement. Don’t concern yourself with options; there’s only one variant and it comes fully loaded with such features as a high-end ‘Burmeister’ sound system, surround view cameras, automatic rear doors, four-zone climate control, electro-chromic panoramic roof and fully electric sports massage seats, all as standard.
Powered by a 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12, with 715BHP (723PS), it has supercar-like performance, charging from rest to sixty-two miles per hour in a lively 3.3 seconds. Interestingly,
the four-wheel-drive system is operational from 1st to 4th gears, but from 5th to 8th the Purosangue is purely rear-wheel-drive, as is the Ferrari tradition. This serves to enhance grip under violent acceleration but relax the car at high-speed cruising. There’s a new active suspension system which has been highly praised which allows the Purosangue to handle and feel like a proper Ferrari but with the comfort of a Grand Tourer.
The Premium Interior
The interior is meticulous. It looks and feels like an extremely elegant, sporty ‘lounge’ yet still very much Ferrari. Inside, a generous amount of space is revealed. Equally surprising is the sophisticated luxury of the interior which exudes a sense of both elegance and modernity. Modern design meets GT sports car sensibility. The layout is deliberately compact to optimise both the available space and its ergonomics.
Just like the magnificent Ferrari SF90 Stradale passenger environment the front passenger is aided and abetted by a 10.2 inch display that provides all the information required to help them participate in the driving experience. It’s an entirely digital interface throughout. The Purosangue’s interior architecture is based on the dual cockpit dashboard concept which has been extended and replicated in the back of the car, creating four areas quite distinct in terms of their functionality.
Comfort-related controls are located on a hideaway rotary interface in the central section of the dash, and the rear passengers have access to the same functions via a second rotary interface. The central tunnel, which has been given luxury trim, is combined with a Y-shaped structural element dominated by the metal gear-shift gate. Less obvious but equally well-designed elements are the window lifter buttons, the rather elegant double cup holder made of glass and the key compartment combined with the wireless device charging zone.
The lower area has small oddments compartments. For the first time in the history of the brand, the cabin has four separate and independently adjustable seats. The integration of comfort-focused components, the use of variable density foams, and the new suspension system mean that the Purosangue delivers unprecedented occupant comfort and a layout that exudes the sportiness and elegance typical of Ferrari’s design language. The heated backseats are adjustable and recline independently. When fully raked forwards, they significantly increase the Purosangue’s luggage capacity.
Instead of the traditional carpeting or leather used to trim the floor, owners can opt for a high-strength fabric used in military uniforms, because of its exceptional toughness and durability. A new very elegant and contemporary dark brown semi-aniline leather has also been introduced. Lastly, trim sporting the optional new carbon-fibre weave integrating very fine copper wire offers a highly decorative take on traditional carbon-fibre.
The Drive
This is a unique, expensive prestige car, so buyers would expect to performance to match the name. Don’t worry; it does.
Development, we learn, of the Purosangue’s dynamic performance focused on creating a car that was completely unprecedented on the world stage: a model offering usability and comfort standards delivering signature Ferrari vehicle dynamics and performance on a par with the rest of the range of out-and-out sports cars.
The Purosangue’s engine maintains the architecture that made the company’s most recent twelve-cylinder engine so successful; a 6.5-litre capacity, dry sump and high-pressure direct injection. It was designed, however, to produce the highest amount of torque at low revs possible without losing that feeling of linear, never-ending power that 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.
Intake, timing and exhaust systems have been completely redesigned, while the cylinder heads are derived from the 812 Competizione. Huge attention appears to have been lavished on improving mechanical and combustion efficiency, employing ‘Formula 1’ inspired calibration concepts. The result is that the most powerful engine ever developed by Ferrari for a four-seater car is also the most powerful in its segment, as well as the only one capable of delivering that instantly recognisable Ferrari V12 soundtrack. Drive is through an eight-speed, oil-bath, dual-clutch transmission.
Technical perfection is the name of the game with Ferrari but there’s another aspect of the car which is probably reason enough buy one: A piercing, blood-stirring V12 howl when the loud pedal hits the luxury flooring beneath your feet! Pair this with strong everyday drive-ability and the Purosangue feels every bit as exciting as a sports car.
Ferrari With MHH International
MHH International export high-end luxury cars from the UK to worldwide destinations that include Kenya and New Zealand. Their comprehensive service is tried and tested as demonstrated by the number of client testimonials available to view on the website. There are full listings of new and used cars from most premium brands and that includes Ferrari. Please get in touch with our experienced team to enquire about sourcing the superb Purosangue or any other current model from the Italian motoring maestros.
