HomeNews and EventsFerrari unveils the Purosangue, but is it an SUV? (video)

Ferrari unveils the Purosangue, but is it an SUV? (video)

An SUV by any other name...

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If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…

I guess that cliché doesn’t apply to the new Ferrari Purosangue. It’s the first four-door Ferrari and features four-wheel drive, but the powers that be at the Prancing Horse don’t consider it an SUV or crossover. Maybe we’re splitting hairs when assigning the Purosangue to a particular vehicle genre, but a four-door vehicle with four-wheel drive is synonymous with an SUV or crossover.

“To enable the company to achieve the ambitious goals set for this project and create a car worthy of a place in its range, a completely different layout and innovative proportions compared to modern GT archetypes (so-called crossovers and SUVs) were adopted,” per a Ferrari release. “The Purosangue, on the other hand, has a mid-front-mounted engine with the gearbox at the rear to create a sporty transaxle layout. The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) is coupled in front of the engine to provide a unique 4×4 transmission. This delivers exactly the 49:51% weight distribution that Maranello’s engineers deem optimal for a mid-front-engined sports car.”

Ferrari Purosangue
Ferrari Purosangue (Image courtesy of Ferrari)

Like a proper Ferrari, the Purosangue features a 6.5-liter V12 engine with a  13.6:1 compression that produces a factory-rated 715 bhp at 7,750 rpm and 528 lb-ft of torque at 6,250 rpm. The engine is paired with an eight-speed F1 DCT transmission. Performance is stout with a 0-62 mph sprint in 3.3 seconds, and 0-125 mph in an 10.2 seconds.

Ferrari Purosangue
Ferrari Purosangue (Image courtesy of Ferrari)

But alas, Ferrari doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as an SUV manufacturer. A quick glance at the newest Ferrari doesn’t give me the SUV vibe as much as the Lamborghini Urus or the Porsche Cayenne but it’s still an SUV, or at least a cool looking crossover.

How do you inform Ferrari that it produced its first SUV?

David P. Castro
David P. Castro
The Santa Rosa, California native is an experienced automotive and motorsports writer with a passion for American muscle cars. He is a credentialed automotive, NASCAR, and IndyCar reporter that graduated from the University of Nevada. A devoted F1 and NASCAR fan, he currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, son, Siberian Husky, Mini Cooper, and 1977 Chevrolet C10.

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