SHARP Drives: The Ferrari Purosangue is a Winning Horse

There has never been another car, let alone another Ferrari, like the new Ferrari Purosangue. Some say it’s the least “Ferrari” Ferrari, but those who’ve driven it say otherwise. Giving the throttle pedal a little exploratory blip is all it takes to identify the Purosangue as being as pure-blooded as the rest of the thoroughbreds in Ferrari’s stable.

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, it’s not an SUV. Not really. Its proportions run close to that of an SUV, but it’s not meant to be an off-roader, nor is it meant to be the archetypal errand-runner. Ferrari didn’t set out with any of those rigid SUV parameters in mind, but rather started from the idea of four comfortable passengers, a bit of cargo space, and an almighty V12 engine that might just make you believe in a higher power.

To put the Purosangue through its paces, we took it for three full days on the road, starting in Montreal and heading through Vermont, Massachusetts, and into New York before hopping back home.

In Montreal, the Purosangue did what modern Ferraris inevitably do best: draw a crowd. Passersby were quick to ask what it was, how it drove, what it sounded like, and occasionally how much it cost (it’s $486,385 before options, taxes, and fees, please and thank you). No matter where you are, the cult of Ferrari runs strong.

Stuffing three days’ worth of luggage into the rear hatch filled the trunk. It’s not the most spacious cargo area compared to other ultra-luxe automobiles, but cargo-hauling ability isn’t why one buys a Ferrari. The firm’s goal was never pure practicality, even in this larger four-door form. At no point did we find ourselves lacking space, but in a pinch both rear seats can be lowered individually to provide extra room.

What really matters here is the open road, and within moments of getting out of the city we were starting to see the Purosangue shine. The legendary V12 makes one hell of a first impression. As other automakers march toward electrification, the Purosangue is a beacon of unfettered internal combustion. Its 12 cylinders sit in a 65-degree V, with a whopping 6.5 litres of displacement. Let the engine run to its 8,250 rpm redline and it roars with all the gravitas of the charging Roman chariots of Circus Maximus. Perhaps not as guttural and raw as the old 812 — there has clearly been a nominal amount of exhaust tuning to make the cabin a touch quieter — but it’s still enough to make the small hairs on your neck stand up.

The scenic roads through upstate Vermont allowed us time to relax and enjoy the creature comforts found within the cabin. With suspension dialled to comfort, the Purosangue soaked up broken pavement. We dug into various infotainment menus and options, setting up navigation routes, cooled seating, and a suitable day-tripper soundtrack. Despite a slight learning curve with the haptic controls of the infotainment system — because Ferrari does things their own way — the rest of our comfort set-up was relatively simple.

Day two delivered the winding back-country we’d been craving, especially after our lunch stop in historic Sarasota. Carving back into Vermont and down into the Berkshires yielded miles of pristine winding pavement, giving the Purosangue a chance to earn its thoroughbred title (“purosangue” is Italian for thoroughbred).

A lot went into getting this chassis properly planted, and we’d be remiss to not sing its praises. Ferrari took lessons from its other recent successes here; the car uses four-wheel steering designed for the 812 Competizione, and an upgraded precision ABS from the 296 GTB. They also threw us a curveball: an all-new trick suspension system that holds the weight of the Purosangue using 48-volt actuators. Those electronic actuators can load each individual shock absorber to mitigate body roll rather than relying on conventional roll bars. It’s similar to the active suspension technology banned from Formula One racing in the 1990s because it was too good. Here, on the road, it feels borderline magical.

Between its well-controlled mass, its snappy eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and sonorous V12 mill putting power down, miles were demolished in moments. Running in Sport mode, the Purosangue experience boils down to supercar-level excitement in a package that allows for more than one comfortable guest. It’s a Ferrari you can live with, comfortably, without sacrificing the heart and soul of the brand. If you’re looking for a high-performance four-door, the Ferrari Purosangue is head and shoulders above the rest. It’s not just in a league of its own, it created a whole new sport.

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