We drive Ferrari’s rather exclusive R12-million Purosangue

Call it what you want. It’s a heady mix of supercar meets family car. And one that only the Italians out of Maranello can bring to the world.

It’s not often that one gets to drive a R12-million car. Never mind spending a morning running it on one of the best roads in the Western Cape. The Du Toit’s Kloof Pass via the old R101 road.

But this is exactly what the Citizen Motoring did. We were invited by Scuderia South Africa, the official importers of Ferrari in the country, to come spend some time with their Purosangue.

The Ferrari Purosangue unleashes more power than any other SUV in the segment whilst guaranteeing an enthralling engine soundtrack. Picture: Supplied

Vociferous V12 soundtrack

In world being taken over by downsized turbocharged powertrains with hybrid electrical assistance, it is such a welcome treat to be exposed to the Purosangue.

Why? Because at the heart of this Ferrari is a 6.5-litre, front mounted, naturally aspirated V12 that howls all the way to 8 250rpm.

This engine produces 533kW of power at 7 750rpm and 716Nm at 6 250rpm. And at sea level where every bit of this is on tap, not only is the throttle response instant, but the shove feels like it is never-ending.

Supercar fast

The Ferrari Purosangue is proper fast. Like in supercar fast. For those that deal in hard facts as well the aural experience, the claimed performance numbers are:

• 0-100km/h in 3.3-seconds
• 0-200km/h in 10.6-seconds
• 310km/h top speed

Talking of fast, the eight-speed dual clutch transmission is also lightning quick. Pull on the paddles in Sport Mode, and the Purosangue feels more supercar than SUV.

In saying this though, Ferrari have not completely forgotten what the Purosangue should be used for.

Twist the dial, select Comfort Mode, the world calms down, and the car returns to being family friendly once again.

The Ferrari Purosangue is equipped with a new ABS ‘evo’ controller co-designed with Bosch that is integrated with the brake-by-wire system. Picture: Supplied

Trick AWD system

The somewhat addictive Jekyll and Hyde type personality of Purosangue shines through again when you want to tackle your favourite mountain pass. Just like we did.

Coming in at just over 2-tonnes, the Purosangue is by no means a light-weight supercar. But amount of grip and agility still on offer is next level courtesy of Ferrari’s very trick 4RM-S all-wheel drive system.

This system sends power to all four wheels, but only up to fourth gear and 200km/h. Thereafter the front axle is disengaged and the Purosangue becomes rear-wheel drive only.

This has been done so that you have SUV traction as expected around town and for blasting away from traffic lights.

And then you have this rear-wheel drive biased, supercar like agility you desire and expect from a car wearing a Ferrari badge.

Latest in dynamics

To be able to do this, the Purosangue offers independent four-wheel steering, ABS ‘evo’ with a six-way Chassis Dynamic Sensor (6w-CDS), and Ferrari active suspension technology enabled by a Multimatic’s True Active Spool Valve (TASV) system.

A lightweight chassis and rigid structure combined with some of the latest, as just mentioned, iterations of vehicle dynamic control systems take care of pretty much the rest for you out on the road.

The Purosangue has a more commanding driving position than other Ferraris, but you still feel connected to the car. Picture: Supplied

Racy interior

Being a large SUV (sorry Ferrari, I had to say this) the very cool rear‑hinged doors provide easy access to a genuinely spacious and bespoke cabin.

Here the interior of the Purosangue is a mix of comfort and premium materials meets hard-core motorsport‑inspired ergonomics.

With a dual‑cockpit layout and a 10.25‑inch passenger display along with a digital interface for each rear seat passenger, everybody also gets to interact with the car in a way that suits them.

The Ferrari Purosangue’s aero focuses on making the bodywork, underbody and rear diffuser as efficient as possible. Picture: Supplied

When money is no object

You can get yourself a Lamborghini Urus Performante or Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT for around half of the base sticker price of the Purosangue. Or around 20 Toyota Corollas.

But that is not the point, is it? The Ferrari Purosangue is aimed at ultra-high net worth individuals who value exclusivity over a price point.