The 2023 Ferrari Purosangue is a complete departure from what we normally get from this brand. Could that be a good thing?
It was only a matter of time before Ferrari had to bend to market pressure to build an SUV. With all competitors already pushing this button in the market, it makes perfect sense that Ferrari would want to keep up. This might not be the vehicle that Enzo would have wanted, but it’s certainly the Ferrari that we’re looking forward to driving and want to enjoy when it’s time for some fun and practicality mixed together.
Ferrari Toes the Line
What has Ferrari made in the past? This company has only ever made sports cars and racing machines, but now it’s making a four-door vehicle that certainly looks like an SUV. In some circles close to the brand, calling this vehicle an SUV is an insult. The brand only makes sports cars, and this is their take on a four-door performance machine that can offer an exciting drive. Call it what you want, but this is about to be the most practical Ferrari vehicle ever made, making it extremely unique.
Could this New Ferrari Set a Standard
If Ferrari is going to try and tell us the Purosangue isn’t an SUV, there’s a good chance some of the other automakers in this class are beating themselves up. Some might wonder why they didn’t think to market a low-slung sporty vehicle with room for four and all their gear as a sports car instead of SUVs. Of course, some of these other brands, like Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Bentley, might simply think that Ferrari is being very Ferrari about things. The world loves SUVs; that’s evident based on sales figures and the growth that some of these other brands have experienced since they released their first SUVs.
Let’s Get Into the Ferrari of Things
Maybe we should look at the new Purosangue as a car that competes with other four-door Grand Tourers in the market. This new model certainly has the engine to hit the right notes for this type of driving. At a time when most new models are working toward and embracing hybrid or electric engines, this Ferrari delivers something special. If you’ve missed the feeling of a naturally aspirated sports car, this new model is a departure from the turbocharging found in some engines that were made before hybrid and electric versions were offered.
The new Ferrari Purosangue uses a strong 6.5-liter V12 engine that delivers 715 horsepower and 528 lb-ft of torque. Unlike most naturally aspirated engines, most of the torque is available at low rpm. When you hit 2,100 rpm, 80 percent of the peak torque is available and ready to deliver the acceleration and power desired. This engine for this new Ferrari is shared with the 812 Competizione, but the intake, timing, and exhaust have been changed to handle the extra mass of the Purosangue.
Does This New Ferrari Offer Impressive Performance Numbers?
Tuning the engine of Purosangue to the desired levels means it’s basically hit the limits. As you would expect in this new vehicle, speed is one of the most important aspects of it. The Purosangue can hit 60 mph in less than 3.3 seconds and head toward a top speed of nearly 200 mph. Can you imagine taking three other people in this vehicle and rocketing to this top speed? No matter how you drive this new Ferrari, it always feels like there’s more room for acceleration until you’ve reached the point where it blows past everything else on the track.
The Purosangue Is Like Nothing Else
We’ve never seen anything like the new Ferrari Purosangue from this brand. The body is all new with lower elements made from high-strength aluminum. Carbon fiber and high-strength steel make up the upper parts of the body, giving this new vehicle an impressive shape and build. The glass roof included in this non-SUV weighs 20% less than an aluminum roof would. While Ferrari has made four-seat vehicles before, they haven’t had a four-door model in the past. The Purosangue offers more torsional rigidity than the GTC4Lusso, the other four-seat Ferrari.
That Front Looks Kind of Short
This new Ferrari has a front-mounted engine, but the front of this car looks to be too short to fit a V12 under the hood. Ferrari did a bit of tricky engineering to put six of the cylinders under the cowl at the base of the windshield. This allows for a shorter front that’s much sportier than it would be if all twelve cylinders were ahead of the windshield area. Pushing the engine rearward like this allows for much better weight distribution to give drivers a more impressive feeling on the road.
Another Bit of Trickery from Ferrari
Do you remember some of the hatchbacks that had small rear doors that were shaped differently than most? If so, you’ll understand the desire for the rear-hinged doors of the Ferrari Purosangue. While most vehicles with suicide doors aren’t practical, these doors serve a specific purpose in this model. If the company had put the rear doors on the B-pillar, they would have needed a longer wheelbase, which they didn’t want to add to this car. Instead, the shorter wheelbase and rear-hinged doors allows this non-SUV to be sportier, more compact, and plenty useful.
Is this New Ferrari an SUV?
Ferrari doesn’t want us to think of this new model as an SUV, but it’s hard not to. That said, there isn’t much ground clearance, although it’s more than what you normally find in Ferrari sports cars. This new vehicle isn’t made for off-road driving; it needs to be kept on the road and used where we’ve got paved paths. Maybe the Ferrari Purosangue isn’t an SUV but instead, a useful Grand Touring car that can be enjoyed by four people that want to enjoy a ride in the country together. Of course, that ride might have the scenery blurring by at more than 100 mph, but it’s still a ride in the country.
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