tech
Ferrari's Purosangue Puts Passenger Comfort Over Cargo Room

Ferrari's Purosangue adds two rear-hinged doors and a pair of dedicated bucket seats to the automaker's four-seat lineup, but the vehicle's rear hatch does not open into a flat cargo floor, according to a review published by Ars Technica. An immovable firewall separates the passenger cabin from the cargo area, and the rear seats do not fold, the outlet reports.
How is the Purosangue different from Ferrari's earlier four-seaters?
Ferrari has built back seats into its cars since the 1960s, starting with the 250 GT 2+2, according to Ars Technica. That second row remained an occasional-use afterthought through the 612 in the early 2000s. The FF, Ferrari's first true four-seater, introduced all-wheel drive and what the review calls "Breadvan" styling but kept a three-door hatchback layout better suited to cargo than to rear passengers, a design carried into the GTC4 that followed it. The Purosangue reverses that priority: the extra pair of doors gives rear occupants direct access to their own seats, while the trunk stays walled off, per the review.
Why does Ferrari reject the SUV label?
Ferrari markets the Purosangue as an "FUV," its own shorthand for Ferrari Utility Vehicle, rather than an SUV, according to Ars Technica.
Ferrari says the Purosangue is not an SUV but an FUV—a Ferrari Utility Vehicle.
The distinction rests partly on engineering choices atypical of a traditional SUV: a front-mid-engine layout, a near-even weight split, and a body that the review says "shrink[s] around the driver" despite its size, drawing on a test drive around Rome ahead of Ferrari's Luce reveal.
What powers the Purosangue and how fast is it?
A naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 sits behind the front axle, producing 715 hp (533 kW) and 528 lb-ft (716 Nm) of torque, according to Ars Technica. Power reaches the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle gearbox, while a separate power transfer unit at the front of the engine drives the front wheels, making the Purosangue an all-wheel-drive Ferrari. That layout produces a 49:51 front-to-rear weight distribution, the outlet reports.
How practical is the Purosangue for cargo?
The five-door body includes a working rear hatch, so the Purosangue is technically a hatchback, according to the review. But the firewall between the trunk and the cabin, combined with rear seats that stay fixed in place, limits how much gear the vehicle can swallow. Ars Technica concludes a Costco run is plausible, but owners headed skiing or cycling will likely need a roof rack. That trade-off is the throughline of the review's assessment: unlike Ferrari's earlier breadvan-style four-seaters, the Purosangue was built to serve the people in the back seat rather than the boxes behind them.
What are the Purosangue's dimensions and weight?
The vehicle measures 195.8 inches (4,973 mm) long, 79.8 inches (2,028 mm) wide, and 62.6 inches (1,589 mm) tall, with a 118.1-inch (3,018 mm) wheelbase, according to Ars Technica. Curb weight comes in at 4,784 lbs (2,170 kg), the outlet reports, making the Purosangue Ferrari's heaviest and largest current production model by a wide margin, even as its road manners were described in the review as compact-feeling from behind the wheel. The review also notes sufficient ground clearance to handle rough pavement and road construction without concern, a detail drawn from real-world driving during the outlet's test period.
Ferrari has not published a rival direct comparison in the material reviewed, and Ars Technica's assessment does not weigh the Purosangue against specific competing four-door luxury vehicles by name. The review instead frames the car primarily against Ferrari's own history of four-seat models, tracing a shift in design priority from cargo-friendly hatchbacks to a passenger-first, five-door format with distinct rear doors and dedicated bucket seats.
For readers weighing the Purosangue against the broader four-door luxury-performance segment, the review's central point is narrower than a class comparison: within Ferrari's own lineup, the Purosangue marks a departure from the brand's prior practice of treating rear seating as secondary to trunk space. The full test drive, including handling impressions from Rome and additional road-clearance observations, is available in Ars Technica's complete review.
AlterEgo — A keyboard for character voices. Five free persona rewrites a day.
Questions
Is the Ferrari Purosangue an SUV?
Ferrari markets it as an FUV, or Ferrari Utility Vehicle, rather than an SUV, according to Ars Technica's review.
How much cargo space does the Ferrari Purosangue have?
The vehicle has a working rear hatch but an immovable firewall separates the trunk from the cabin, and the rear seats do not fold, limiting cargo capacity, per Ars Technica.
What engine does the Ferrari Purosangue use?
A naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 producing 715 hp (533 kW) and 528 lb-ft (716 Nm), paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle and all-wheel drive, according to Ars Technica.