Ferrari Purosangue SUV caught on video testing

FERRARI’S much-anticipated Purosangue SUV has been spied in testing ahead of its predicted release in 2022.

The testing mule has been spotted by spy photographers wearing the clothes of the Maserati Levante — the two car makers are historically intertwined, and their headquarters are just a few miles from each other — although key differences between the Levante and the bodywork used by Ferrari may point to features of its forthcoming SUV.

For instance, the whole car rides lower than Maserati’s SUV, as well as wider, indicating that the Ferrari could strike a more athletic pose than the Levante. It also looks to have a long bonnet and flared wheel arches, like the Roma GT, with which it will share the same underpinnings.

The platform that will be used for the Purosangue is compatible with a number of powertrains, including a hybrid system built around a V6 or V8, as well as a traditional powertrain comprising Ferrari’s famed V12. Ferrari’s chief marketing officer, Enrico Galliera, told AutoExpress that a hybrid powertrain featuring the V12 would be unlikely due to concerns over size and weight.

The Roma is powered by a V8, putting out 612bhp and 561 lb ft of torque. It is likely that the Purosangue will initially be released with the same guise, although a likely four wheel drive system could improve the Roma’s 3.4 second 0-62mph sprint.

However it has been noted that, if Ferrari chooses to utilise its V12, it would set the Purosangue apart from the bulk of its rivals: the Aston Martin DBX and Lamborghini Urus are both powered by 4.0-litre V8s, while the Bentayga Speed, which is powered by Bentley’s W12 engine, is no longer available in the UK and some other European markets.

The ravenous modern appetite for SUVs has meant that luxury car makers have placed the high-riding machines at the forefront of their financial strategies. The Urus reportedly accounts for more than half of Lamborghini’s sales, and the Italian car maker saw its 2019 sales jump 41% thanks to its introduction. Meanwhile, the DBX is a make-or-break car for Aston Martin, a company that has been struggling for a number of years.

A Ferrari SUV was seen as inevitable almost as soon as the car maker became a publicly traded company in October 2015. However, Ferrari reportedly expects the Purosangue to account for a much smaller sales boost than Lamborghini experienced with the Urus: it predicts that the Purosangue will account for one in every five sales, rather than one in two.

The SUV will replace the series of four-seater Ferraris currently represented by the GTC4Lusso. While seen as an inescapable conclusion, the Purosangue has also been met by resistance from Ferrari purists, who believe that the car’s ethos directly conflicts with that of the marque’s founder, Enzo Ferrari. 

Feature image from Varryx on YouTube

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