The Ferrari Purosangue is an SUV that Stays True to Ferrari’s Legacy

The Ferrari Purosangue can be seen as many different things. It is badged a Ferrari—but is it? After all, it has four doors and four seats. Four real, actually comfortable, seats. Not like the 2+2s of old that were really just spots to put bags and helmets. Four proper seats, which are surprisingly accessible with the rear doors that open wide in what Ferrari calls the “welcome.” 

And yes, they can open them and close themselves with the proper push if you so desire. Inside, it is every bit Ferrari in terms of fit, finish, and design, but with a bit more of a nod to space and comfort. The passenger even has their own cockpit info system, though they can’t affect the settings of the driver. But they can tell them how many G’s they are pulling, and, interestingly, we have learned that you can actually fall asleep in the passenger seat of a fast Ferrari. It is that…comfortable.

So what’s in front, under that nice long hood? A wonderful 725cv 6.5 liter V12, normally aspirated so it has a very linear pull when you roll on the throttle. Most of the torque (80%) comes in just around 2100 rpm and goes all the way up to 6250 rpm and 716Nm. This means you have Grand Touring power delivery as opposed to hyper-screaming turbos. It is elegant and precise, and sounds awesome whether inside or out of the car. 

If you look under the long hood, you will only see a portion of the long engine, which tells you (along with how the car handles) that they pushed mass and weight back towards the center. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission works to do that as well, being more compact to lower positioning in what is the Ferrari with the highest ride height ever. 

The gear ratios are designed shorter at the low end but very progressive, which also contributes to how such a large, relatively high Ferrari can handle the way it does. It was extremely easy, and hugely fun, to angle the car such that the front wheels hook around a tight uphill curve and let the rear pivot a bit, which means you get the car straighter more quickly and therefore can put the power down earlier.

How does it handle? The Purosangue is the most flexible Ferrari ever in terms of how you can use it and how it delivers, yet it is pretty high up the curve for all the little niche areas of vehicle dynamics. Long-legged grand touring is perhaps the easiest to accomplish, with the big V12 and more suspension movement and control than ever. It is, seriously, the most comfortable Ferrari ever. 

Going into the twisty mountain roads of New Zealand in the pouring rain and with errant cows here and there brought out something else. With the new suspension, the new vehicle dynamics, and traction system (with power going out to all four wheels)— combined with the center-skewed balance—you have a surprisingly flickable car. 

The sportscar hypercar turbocharged V8s were flickable, but they were always flat and best on tracks and good roads. The Purosangue is surprisingly nimble. It takes in different road surfaces surprisingly well, but still allows you to play.

The Purosangue is the most different Ferrari yet, with four doors and four seats and sitting higher off the ground than ever before. But it also has the V12 so very classic in voice. That voice, by the way, can be a subdued polite rumble in town and a glorious full song at speed. The car looks every bit a prancing horse, but different.

It has the swoopy long hood when you drive up, so it definitely makes a statement. Sitting in New Zealand traffic (such as it is) the car blends in a little more when seen from the rear, which looks more like a swoopy estate or shooting brake than it does a (shudder) SUV.

How to describe it quickly? Every bit a Ferrari but higher off the ground and more comfortable. The widely-opening “welcome” doors make the step out of the back an easy (er) yet elegant move. You can pack two large suitcases and two carry-on rollers in the trunk and still close it. We thought there would be a follow-up car for luggage on this three-day trip (as there are for most luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary brands) but they actually said, “You don’t travel with an extra car for luggage normally, do you?”

Something people often think about the Purosangue is that it exists to bring new people into the Ferrari fold. That isn’t exactly correct. For many luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary carmakers, the SUV platform is bringing in new buyers. With Ferrari though the Purosangue is something you are actually offered only if you have a few other serious horses already. 

So the Ferraris that will draw new Ferraristi in will still be the light mid-engined sports such as the 296 or the grand tourers such as the V12 Romas. The Purosangues will be for after you have gone up those other ladders and want a little more Ferrari in your everyday life–which is always a good thing.

Velocità Motors is the official and authorized Ferrari importer, dealer, and distributor in the Philippines.

This article originally appeared in the Premiere Issue of Robb Report Philippines.