When it comes to the reputation for designing and producing incredible supercars, it’s not easy to rival Ferrari, which has led the class for 75 years. Of course, there are more and more competitors, some of them very valuable, but even so, there is no one who does not respect the Prancing Horse brand, founded by Enzo Ferrari. The range of this manufacturer has so far consisted of two-door coupes, with two seats or with the 2+2 solution, in which two small seats in the rear can accommodate “elegant” children up to a certain age. That is why a certain stir was generated when the Italian brand decided to move forward with the design of its first family vehicle, the Purosangue, with four doors and space for as many adults, also offering a trunk capable of handling the family’s suitcases. This new family car has the shape of an SUV, or at the limit, a crossover, since it is lower, slimmer and sportier. And that’s exactly what we went to see Italy in detail, both outside and inside.
Making a crossover was a necessity for Ferrari, since after Lamborghini moved forward with the Urus, the SUV that accounts for more than 50% of annual sales, there was no longer any doubt that this was the way to go???????? And if the brand agreed to design a four-door model, it immediately stated that it did not intend to make the same mistake as other sports car manufacturers -without specifying, of course, which ones- and allow the SUV to surpass more than half of sales, limiting it to only 30%. This despite recognizing that, without limits, the four doors and four seats could far exceed this bar.
But Ferrari placed other requirements on its first family model. To begin with, forcing him to be a true Ferrari. This means that it could not have a high ground clearance, have a very tall body, be very heavy or even look “heavy”, since the objective was to be able to transport the family and face off-road raids, even civilized ones, without problems. . some. But it would have to assemble exuberant and noble mechanics and exhibit a behavior that did not differ from the other models of the manufacturer.
An SUV that looks like a coupe with suicide doors
As we approached the Purosangue, the Ferrari SUV It doesn’t just look smaller than it really is. – It has a length of 4,973 meters and a wheelbase of 3,018 m, compared to the 5,137 and 3,006 m of the Urus –, as felt shorter than indicated tape measure???????? At 1,589m tall, the Ferrari is lower than its rival Lamborghini (1,618m), but only 2.9cm. The tapered, sunken front, the passenger compartment very close to the rear, and the flowing shapes of the model make it easier to identify the Purosangue as a four-door coupe, rather than an SUV or even a crossover.
Despite the generous wheelbase, the estate Ferrari made a significant concession to styling, installing conventional doors at the front and suicide doors at the rear, so called because they open backwards, from front to back. The need to guarantee the necessary rigidity to the structure prevented the disappearance of the central pillar, but even so, the sensation we had when opening the ajar doors – an operation facilitated by having electrical assistance, to open and close – was of large interior space and invitation to come aboard. The front doors have concealed locks, which are convenient to operate, but the rear doors only show a small, barely visible handle, where a little push is enough for the electric lock to open the door.
Purosangue’s chassis was designed from scratch by the brand, which allowed it to be light, despite its length. Using steel, aluminum and carbon fibre, the dry weight is just 2033kg, which should be around 2120kg in homologation condition, i.e. 100 kg below the Urus???????? In order to achieve a perfect mass distribution on the two axles (49.5% at the front and 50.5% at the rear), Ferrari chose to install the engine at the front and gearbox at the reara solution that had already been introduced in the Ferrari FF.
A cabin where everyone seems to be behind the wheel
After reveling in the exterior appearance of the model, it was time to get on board. We started by getting behind the wheel, the best seat in a Ferrari. Sitting higher than usual in a name brand car, it’s clear that access is much easier than in two-door coupes.especially for those who are older or heavier. Visibility is also superior, even to the rear.being the bank conceived as if it were a drumstick of the competition, but still providing the necessary support and comfort.
In front of the driver is a dashboard (which is almost symmetrical)with a digital instrument panel through which all vehicle functions are accessed, as we have already seen in the also new 296 GTS. The driving position is good and the headroom suggests that even the tallest adults will have no difficulty getting on board. But despite the generous center console, which invites you to rest your arm and allows you to store objects, the Purosangue respects the traditional interior of the Cavallino brand modelswhere it is not even missing manettino for the various settings of the chassis and mechanics.
Those who go next to it have a similar seat available, as it should be. But in front of you there is a 10.2” touch screen, the same as the driver’s, which allows you to control what the driver is doing, as well as the status of the mechanics. But this is only for the most curious passengers, since the rest may prefer to select their favorite songs on Spotify or help themselves with the navigation system.
Access to the rear seats is easier than we expected, since the suicide door open at 79º provides more than enough space to carry out the “maneuver”. The rear seats are identical to the front and even an adult over 1.9 meters tall fits in easily, without even feeling confined, given the size and height of the door windows. Closing the tailgate, once seated and belted, is easier with these types of doors, which open from front to back.
If rear seat space is nice, what about the trunk? Without making big concessions, since the tail is quite short, the Purosangue offers a suitcase with 473 litersvolumetry that allows anticipating a holiday trip in a Ferrari or even going shopping for the month without having to change cars. And how equipment of bags that the brand will produce, it will be possible to explore each one of those dm to the millimeter3????????
The best Ferrari engine and many more tricks
To move the Purosangue, Ferrari resorted to his best and most reputable enginethe atmospheric 6.5 V12, so that the turbochargers do not drown out the characteristic roar of the mechanics. With 725 PS and 716 Nm, more power but less torque than the Urus Performante (666 PS/850 Nm), the Ferrari family mounts the V12 at the center of the front., as is already the case in the two-door coupes that also use this V12, which requires a longer front end. And, if you look at the photo we posted in the gallery, it becomes clear that even though the 6.5 V12 is generously long, it sits completely behind the front axle????????
If the placement of the engine helps the correct distribution of masses between the two axles (49.5% at the front and 50.5% at the rear), this would not have been achieved without Ferrari pulling another card up its sleeve. , mounting the double-clutch box and eight gears on the rear axle, connected to the engine by a transaxle shaft. In terms of assets, active suspensions, four-wheel steering and all-wheel drive system can also be considered.
The Ferrari Purosangue has guaranteed success, which will not translate into higher sales volume because the Italians do not want to “scare” their traditional customers, becoming a manufacturer that mainly sells larger and heavier vehicles. Perhaps for this reason, the Purosangue will not compete for exactly the same clientele as the Lamborghini Urus, obviously more voluminous and spacious, in the cabin and trunk. If the Urus is obviously an SUV, the Ferrari is more in keeping with crossover status., changing some interior space for greater agility and lightness, to optimize behavior. The 310 km/h top speed, as well as the ease with which it announces 3.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and 10.6 seconds from 0 to 200 km/h, are just some of the arguments that allow it to aspire to the status of the fastest SUV on the market, the determining factors being the lower weight and lower height, compared to the competition.
Source: Observadora
