Ferrari Purosangue Reviews

Arriving three years after its launch, the Ferrari Purosangue Handling Speciale isn't an unhinged track-focused creation in the same vein as the latest 296 Speciale. Instead, it's the Prancing Horse's answer for those current Purosangue owners who wish their four-seat, four-door Ferrari drove more like a lighter supercar. What's wild is the Purosangue was hardly a dynamic dunce and, even without the €40,000 ($A65,000) option ticked, it remains in contention as one of the sportiest SUVs ever, but as the Ferrari nudges middle age the upgrade could help it maintain its edge. Under the bonnet, engineers have left the glorious naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 well alone, with it still producing 533kW and 716Nm of torque for an identical 0-100km/h sprint of 3.3 seconds and a 310km/h top speed. The current car's eight-speed dual-clutch rear-mounted transaxle-style transmission also carries over but now punches home more aggressive upshifts over 5500rpm in Race mode and can kick down for the optimum gear around 25 per cent quicker than before. Further recalibration of the valved sport exhaust, meanwhile, provide for a noisier cold start and extra V12 noise when you're in the mood to annoy the neighbours. Achieving its aim of adding extra nimbleness to the 2033kg Purosangue, engineers say the big Ferrari benefits from all the work that went into developing both the F80 hypercar and upcoming Luce EV that all share the same active suspension. The suspension differs from usual active or adaptive dampers by using 48-volt motors to apply force to each individual wheel and reduce the pitch or drive associated with accelerating or braking. The same system effectively cancels out body roll too, with the tech able to adjust the trick dampers every 0.05 seconds. Without any hardware changes, engineers say the HS calibrations slash body movements by 10 per cent – crucially – without any penalty in ride comfort. A subtle advertisement that you've ticked the box for the HS upgrades, the sharper Purosangue comes with black diamond cut alloy wheels, black carbon-fibre fender shields, special kick plates, satin black exhaust tailpipe finishers and a black Prancing Horse. Inside, all models come with a Handling Speciale plaque but no other changes. Ferrari says it won't offer the pack retrospectively, with it only available from the latest 2027 Model Year Purosangue as a factory option. Behind the wheel, the Ferrari SUV still takes time to adjust to, not least once the V12 fires up. It's still hard to compute that such an exotic soundtrack accompanies something with four seats and a reasonable 473-litre boot. Select first gear via the oversized carbon paddles and the Purosangue smoothly shifts away and, if we're completely honest, it doesn't feel as fast as its claimed figures suggest. Of course it is, we're just spoilt by both turbocharged V8s and, whisper it, EVs. To extract the best from the Ferrari SUV, you have to drive it like a proper supercar. Luckily on a proving ground owned by the carmaker's former owner, we can stretch the Purosangue's legs. It's then you find how noise regulations have muted some of the Ferrari's voice. Over some narrow undulating blacktop that mimic an Italian country road, grip mustered from the wide rubber is overwhelming, while the body control is exemplary both when cornering and under hard braking. The Ferrari, of course, still isn't a supercar on stilts, it scuffs its snout too easily and feels too nose-heavy for that but it's still easy to extract plenty of joy from the driving experience and provides lots of confidence to push. Does it matter that it wouldn't be able to keep pace with a Cayenne Turbo Electric? Or an Aston DBX feels like it offers added mid-gear punch for more effortless overtakes? Probably not, the Italian still feels special in a way the other fast SUVs just can't. Fuel consumption is unaffected with the new pack and remains high at 17.3L/100km which limits range, even with a large 100-litre tank, to around 578km. What could be a problem is whether most owners will be able to tell the difference between a car that is and isn't fitted with the fancier suspension tune? Again, we doubt it, but when most owners easily spend between $100,000-$200,000 on options to make their Purosangue their own, what's another $65,000 in the mix? In Australia buyers are given a wide range of colour choices, with its classic Ross Corsa (Ferrari red), Blue Pozzi (navy) and Giallo Modena (bright yellow) all included in the price. Most ignore the free hues and splash out on premium colours that include everything from shades lifted from classic racing cars to more daring four-layer paints, like Rosso Magma. Standard features in the Ferrari Purosangue include: 22-inch front and larger 23-inch rear alloy wheels Carbon-fibre roof Power-closing rear doors Electric tailgate Leather and Alcantara seats Twin screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 21-speaker Burmester sound system Four heated, massage seats Safety hasn't been neglected in the family-friendly V12 wagon, even though there's no official EuroNCAP test or ANCAP crash test result. Standard safety kit includes: Auto emergency braking (AEB) Adaptive cruise Lane-keep assist Blind-spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Traffic-sign recognition Hill-descent control Every Ferrari arrives with a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the option of extending coverage for up to seven years at the point of purchase. Also available is Ferrari's 'Power20' protection, which covers the engine, transmission and all other major mechanical and electronic components for 20 years from the point of purchase. The recommended service interval is 12 months/20,000km, and there's also a seven-year capped-price servicing program, called '7-Year Genuine Maintenance', which allows you to prepay for all your servicing needs.

The Purosangue is the first high-riding, four-seat, four-door vehicle ever produced by Ferrari.