New Purosangue SUV Allows Ferrari to Legally Print Money

• New Purosangue is the most family-friendly Ferrari ever made
• Four doors, four seats and the biggest trunk in Ferrari history
• V12, four-wheel drive, hill descent control, but made for performance on pavement
• Smaller and lighter than a Lamborghini Urus

Ferrari calls the new Purosangue a "four-door sports car." Does that make it an Italian Nissan Maxima? Nope. Instead, the Prancing Horse is refraining from calling the Purosangue what it actually is. With four doors, four seats, a tall driving position, the biggest cargo area of any Ferrari history, all-wheel drive and hill descent control, what else could the Purosangue be but an SUV?

How does the Ferrari Purosangue compare to the Lamborghini Urus?

Potential buyers will likely cross-shop the Purosangue with the Lamborghini Urus, which instantly became that automaker's best-selling model after its debut several years ago. With a reported price tag of about $400,000, the Ferrari costs almost double the standard version of the Lamborghini. The Purosangue is smaller in every dimension, lighter in weight, and faster in a straight line. The Ferrari's curvaceous bodywork stands in sharp contrast to the angrily angular Lambo, too, even if we detect a hint of Genesis GV60.

You could argue that the Purosangue and Urus are different enough that they won't appeal to the same customers. But buyers at this price point likely have the means to buy both, so why not try on each of these Italian stallions?

Sure, but is the Ferrari Purosangue really the best luxury performance SUV?

Ferrari says the Purosangue's naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine accelerates the SUV to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds; for reference, a Urus we tested sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. We have a hard time believing the Urus' twin-turbo V8 could compete with the Purosangue's lusty exhaust note, which crescendos just south of the V12's lofty 8,250 rpm redline. There's nothing quite as titillating as a Ferrari at wide-open throttle.

Open the doors, and a luxurious, high-tech interior beckons. Heated, leather-wrapped, individually adjustable seats for four people await, with rear passengers entering through rear-hinged, power-actuated portals that open to a 79-degree angle. The front seats face a dual-cockpit dashboard with digital displays for the driver and passenger, and Ferrari promises true four-passenger comfort within the snug confines of the Purosangue. This new Ferrari also has a larger cargo area than any of the company's previous models, complete with folding back seats to expand cargo capacity. But the trunk is about 25% smaller than what you'll get in a Urus.

A standard carbon-fiber roof helps trim some weight and lower the center of gravity. Buyers can alternatively spec an optional electrochromic panoramic glass roof, which can change from opaque to transparent at the press of a button.

What makes the Ferrari Purosangue special?

For starters, you don't see many V12 engines in modern vehicles, especially brand-new models like the Purosangue. Here, the 6.5-liter, dry-sump 12-cylinder generates 715 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 528 lb-ft of torque at 6,250 rpm. However, as much fun as it might be to rev the engine into the upper reaches, the V12 supplies 80% of its maximum torque at just 2,100 rpm, ensuring accessibility and traditional Ferrari linearity in the power delivery.

An eight-speed dual-clutch transmission features dry-sump oiling and powers an all-wheel-drive system employing torque vectoring at the front axle and an electronic differential at the rear. The transmission is mounted at the rear of the Purosangue, and in combination with the V12's front-rear engine location, helps to ensure a front-to-rear weight distribution of 49% to 51%.

Massive 22-inch front and 23-inch rear wheels, adaptive dampers, four-wheel steering from the automaker's 812 Competizione, and a recalibrated braking system designed for improved capability on slick surfaces, all collaborate to ensure proper Ferrari driving dynamics. And if you venture off of the pavement in your new four-door sports car, a hill descent control system is ready to assist. Y'know, just in case you want to actually treat the Purosangue as an SUV.

Edmunds says

Judging by the Urus' success for Lamborghini, the Purosangue will likely become the top-selling Ferrari in short order. If those profits translate to R&D for the next generation of supercars and hypercars, we say go for it.