- Captured images of a mule for the upcoming Ferrari Purosangue SUV confirm a four-door layout.
- The production car is set to go on sale in 2022.
- It's expected to be substantially more expensive than the Lamborghini Urus, which is priced in the $220,000 range.
Enzo Ferrari understood that many Ferrari customers want to be able to share the thrills of driving the company’s products with more than one friend at a time. The 1960 250 GT/E was the first production Ferrari two-plus-two, and the brand has offered at least one model with rear seats pretty much continuously since then. But Enzo always refused to countenance the creation of a Ferrari with rear doors, something he regarded as reserved for vulgar sedans. Which is why the forthcoming Purosangue is set to be doubly radical, both as Ferrari's first SUV and as the first works-produced model to have four doors.
Surprise at Ferrari's bold new direction has faded since the initial shock of learning the company is developing a sport-ute. Former boss Sergio Marchionne famously told financial analysts, "You'd have to shoot me first," when asked about such a direction. But times have definitely changed; Marchionne died in 2018, and the galloping success of the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Lamborghini Urus has proved that ultra-luxury consumers are as keen on a raised ride height and taller seating position as buyers of cheaper cars are.
These latest spy shots confirm that development work is continuing, as we would expect given our expectation of seeing the production Purosangue—Italian for "thoroughbred"—as soon as 2022. Distant images of a heavily disguised mule—which appears to use bodywork from the Maserati Levante—reveal little about the finished form of the final version, but the lowered driver's window effectively confirms the presence of four doors and a B-pillar. Beyond that, we can see sizable brake discs—doubtless carbon-ceramic—and quad exhaust tailpipes we would expect from any Ferrari.
The Purosangue will be based on Ferrari's modular front-engined platform, one that has been designed to maximize dimensional freedom and accommodate different powertrains. With a rear-mounted transaxle, it is likely that the production car will use an electrically powered front axle rather than a mechanical connection, probably a two-motor system similar to the one on the recently launched SF90. Similarly, we expect the production Purosangue to use a hybridized V-8 like the supercar's, with some amount of plug-in range. Ferrari has also acknowledged it is working on a hybrid V-6, although that seems like a less likely choice of powerplant given the Lamborghini Urus's V-8. Ferrari may also choose to follow Rolls-Royce's example with the option of V-12 power, although likely only in less emissions-conscious parts of the world.
We will have to wait until closer to the Purosangue's launch in 2022 for more details and to find out how Ferrari's designers have handled the challenge of combining the brand's styling cues with an SUV. But we can already tell you that it won't be cheap, with an anticipated price that will almost certainly be closer to the $335,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan than the $222,000 Lamborghini Urus.