A PURER PERFORMANCE SUV (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Ferrari's Purosangue redefines what the ultimate performance SUV can be, thinks Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Reviewword count: 33

Ferrari thinks its first SUV, the Purosangue, is 'a true sports car'. Quite a claim for a 2.2-tonne family Crossover. But if any segment contender can deliver on that promise, it's this one.

Backgroundword count: 164

A Ferrari. But one unlike any you've ever seen before. The world calls the Purosangue Maranello's first SUV. Ferrari sees this model differently: still a sports car - merely one for a different segment. What's not in doubt is the fact that this is the first design from the brand with a pair of rear doors; the first production-ised one anyway. In 1980, Pininfarina styled a four-door version of the 400 called the Pinin, which Enzo Ferrari reportedly liked but refused to sign off. There was no such dilemma with the Purosangue. Every rival has already created an SUV, models those competing brands now rely on for their survival. Ferrari has no intention of being as reliant as that on the Crossover genre but it couldn't continue to ignore the fact that its owners were crying out for this kind of car. The end result is intended to resemble 'an F1 car in evening dress': you decide. To our eyes, it redefines its segment.

Driving Experienceword count: 291

Lots of engines might have made it beneath the bonnet of the Purosangue but in the end, the brand decided - to start with at least - to stick to the one it knows. Hence the reappearance of the 6.5-litre V12 familiar from the 812 Superfast, here heavily re-worked to counter this Crossover body style's extra weight. The result is 715bhp and 716Nm of torque, making this the most powerful SUV on sale, 62mph dispatched in just 3.3s and 124mph flashing by after just 10.6s on the way to 193mph. More significant perhaps though, is the 4WD powertrain layout, the engine mounted behind the front axle and the 8-speed auto gearbox positioned at the rear. The result is the kind of near-perfect 49:51 front-to-rear weight distribution that Ferrari reckons is optimum for a front-mid-engined sports car. Getting all that traction to the place of action through, is where the Purosangue really steals a march on its bigger, heavier, less driver-orientated rivals. There's four-wheel steering, an e-differential and a Side Slip Control traction system that works with the company's brake-by-wire set-up. The most significant dynamic feature though - and the one that in Ferrari's words 'makes this car possible' - is the electric motor-activated active suspension system. It more accurately controls wheel and body forces, reacting quickly to bumps and dramatically reducing body roll. Only with this fitted was Maranello happy that this 2.2-tonne SUV would handle like a Ferrari should. Of course, it can also do things that a Ferrari normally shouldn't - like handle snow or dirt tracks or ease down steep, slippery slopes (using Hill Descent Control). But there are no off road modes, deep wading and rock crawling is out and (annoyingly) you can't fit a tow bar.

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