A new era begins for Ferrari - after whetting the appetites of petrolheads all around the world with numerous teasers, the Italian marque has finally unveiled its first ever SUV. Before we dive into it, we need to acknowledge why it’s here.
You see, SUVs have been gaining popularity day by day and the wealthy business tycoons who splash their cash on super rare supercars do need a utility vehicle which can take them to business meetings and have the ability to be the star of the show on the weekend getaways with family.
So, the rich need a status symbol and their loved brands whose supercars they have in their garages are quite happily rolling out SUVs because at the end even they have to think about the business aspect of stuff.
After Aston Martin, Maserati and Lamborghini, Ferrari has also joined the party with the Purosangue - an SUV that the firm claims is “a true sports car”.
Just like some of Ferrari’s greatest hits, the Purosangue has a front-mounted V12 which is a heavily reworked version of the naturally aspirated beast found in the 812 Superfast. The 6.5 liter engine features a dry sump and high-pressure direct fuel injection and produces 715bhp. All the power is fed to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox.
Thanks to those supercar-like stats, the Purosangue can do 0-62mph in 3.3sec and 0-124mph in just 10.6sec. Getting back to the gearbox, the clever people at Ferrari have put it at the rear of the SUV thereby giving the Purosangue a 49:51 front-to-rear weight distribution which is deemed to be perfect for a mid-engined sports car and now, the Italian marque’s first SUV as well.
Further talking about its sporty bits, the Purosangue is built around an aluminum alloy platform which, along with the carbon fiber roof, helps to reduce weight and give the Purosangue a low center of gravity.
Step inside and you will find lots of leather and a 2+2 seating with four fully sized seats, something that’s in a Ferrari for the very first time. The front passengers also get a 10.2 inch display.
Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s marketing and commercial chief, said: “We believe it’s a game-changer. It has the performance of a sports car with the comfort and versatility of a less extreme car. For us, the strategy was to develop a sports car in a different segment.”
“We’re not calling it an SUV,” insists Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. “We’re not even talking about SUVs.”
THe Purosangue is expected to start at around $400,000.
