2024 Ferrari Purosangue

UK Example, physical with us for sale in London.

The Ferrari Purosangue is a car that, up until very recently, we thought we might never see—an SUV with a prancing horse on the nose. Ferrari doesn’t call it an SUV, despite it being a tall, high-riding all-wheel drive car. In other words, an SUV.

Where it’s most natural rival, the Lamborghini Urus, uses a twin-turbo V-8 developed by Porsche, the Ferrari Purosangue is powered by that most magnificent of engines. It’s a 6.5-litre V-12 making 715 hp and 528 lb-ft of torque, with a redline set at 8250 rpm. By our reckoning, that makes the Purosangue the highest-revving SUV ever.

Ferrari’s current 65-degree V-12 started life as a 6.0-liter unit in the Enzo and went on to power the 599, FF, F12, LaFerrari, GTC4Lusso, 812, Monza SP1 and SP2, and Daytona SP3. In the SP3 and 812 Competizione, it makes 828 hp and revs to 9500 rpm.

The all-wheel drive is a development of the system Ferrari created for the FF. Instead of relying on a center differential, the Purosangue has a two-speed gearbox driven off the front of the V-12. The gearbox for the rear is an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle. By mounting the V-12 well behind the front axle and utilizing a transaxle, Ferrari was able to give the Purosangue a near-perfect weight distribution of 49 percent front, 51 percent rear.

The weight distribution might be great, but Purosangue is a heavy vehicle. Ferrari claims 4482 pounds in its lightest configuration, but that’s a dry weight, which doesn’t include any of the fluids necessary for driving. Expect drivable cars to be closer to 4800 pounds.

Still, the Ferrari should be very quick. Ferrari says 0-62 mph comes in 3.3 seconds, while 0-124 mph comes in 10.6 seconds.

This is the first four-door from Ferrari ever. It’s built four-seat cars for years, but this should be its best family car yet. Rear-hinged “suicide” doors give the Purosangue a much cleaner look than a normal four-door. Ferrari ditches the traditional infotainment screen in favor of individual screens for driver and passenger. There’s also no navigation system, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard—a Ferrari first. It’s the first Ferrari to be offered with massaging seats.

The aluminum spaceframe chassis of the Purosangue is all-new, and despite being larger than the GTC4Lusso’s, it’s lighter and stiffer. The Purosangue is the first car to use Multimatic’s True Active Spool Valve (TASV) dampers. They use an electric motor attached to the piston to control its motion.

Like the 812 Competitizone, the Purosangue is one of the only cars to have fully independent four-wheel steering. Each rear wheel can steer independently, unlocking all sorts of possibilities. For example, both rear wheels can steer inward, creating more toe-in under braking.

The Purosangue doesn’t have a rear-window wiper. Instead, the integrated rear wing guides air down the rear window, helping keep the glass clean.

Purosangue buyers have a choice of glass or carbon-fiber roofs. Carbon fiber obviously saves weight and lowers the center of gravity, but glass makes the interior feel more spacious.