Ferrari Purosangue review: what the car critics say

Ferrari has launched its first four-seat, four-door model, said The Daily Telegraph. It insists that this is “categorically not an SUV”, but “if it walks like an SUV and quacks like an SUV...” The Purosangue – “pure blood” or “thoroughbred” – is a family car. But why would you buy one that is disproportionately heavier, less agile, thirstier and hungrier than the equivalent estate/multipurpose vehicle?”

Unlike, say, the Porsche Cayenne, this car isn’t built on underpinnings shared with any “more humdrum models”, What Car? said. It has a bespoke aluminium structure and the huge engine in the front is “arguably the most spectacular of all engines fitted to tall cars like this”. It “drives smoothly through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox”, has four-wheel drive, quick steering and a very controlled ride.

Whatever you call it – an SUV, a sports car, or a hybrid of the two – the Purosangue is certainly a departure for the brand “both in design and its intended audience”, said Auto Express. The infotainment system is too complex, and the boot isn’t as big as you would expect. And once owners add on a few extras, the car is likely to cost north of £400,000, which is “bonkers”. Still, “there is nothing else quite like it” on the market. Price: from about £313,000.

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In pictures: Ferrari Purosangue