Automotive Engineering - May 2023 - 8

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
TASV's electric
motors apply
direct force
to the vehicle
chassis and
damper piston
rods through
a ball-screw
and worm-gear
assembly.
Purosangue front suspension corner. Each TASV
damper integrates a liquid-cooled, 48-volt
brushless electric motor with dual spool valves that
independently manage rebound and compression.
What happens next? The body is forced
to follow suit, as it does when a car chatters
over a washboard surface. The new
dampers apply a countervailing force to
the body before the wheel even dips into
the hole. The wheels follow the road surface,
the body stays flat and passengers
stay happy.
Below its dramatic clamshell hood,
the Purosangue's 65-degree V12 is
tucked entirely behind the front axle. It
routes those 715 prancing horses
through a rear transaxle and eightspeed,
dual-clutch automated-manual
gearbox. Front wheels boost traction
and ease understeer via a power takeoff
unit and separate two-speed gearbox.
Rear-wheel steering further boosts
agility and control. The physics-scoffing
result is a 3.3-s launch to 62 mph (100
km/h), 10.6 s to 124 mph (200 km/h)
and a claimed top speed beyond 193
mph (313 km/h).
Pushbutton ride control
Like the 812 Superfast that shares much
of its engine and technology, the
Purosangue has a decided Jekyll-andHyde
personality. Increasingly aggressive
behavior is spurred via the brand's
8 May 2023
Ferrari Purosangue driveline showing V12 setback position and rear 8-speed DCT transaxle.
familiar " Manettino, " a red-metal toggle
on a gorgeous carbon-fiber-rimmed
steering wheel. But where the
Manettino's " Corsa " (Race) setting remains
the route to full-blooded performance,
the active suspension has one
more trick up its sleeve. For the first
time in a Ferrari, the Manettino adds a
pushbutton function to let drivers select
suspension stiffness.
Basically, the only reason it exists is
to keep the Purosangue in its softest
setting regardless of what the rest of
the car is doing.
As revealed by Raffaele de Simone,
Ferrari's esteemed chief development
driver, the Purosangue covers ground as
quickly in its cushiest ride setting -
whether on road or the company's
Fiorano test circuit - as it does in firmer
modes. The only reason a driver
might choose a rockier ride is to feel
more jostles and pavement ripples
through the steering wheel.
Naturally, we have to try Mr. Softee
mode. On the slaloming backside of
Monte Bondone, the Purosangue flirts
with 130 mph (209 km/h) on salt-crusted
tarmac, before it's time to mash the
sensitive by-wire brakes. That " selflearning "
brake system constantly calculates
grip and slip targets for hulking
Michelin winter tires (22 in. front, 23 in.
rear), even when we're nowhere near
the limit, to best exploit the tires' longitudinal
force when the limits are tested
- a good thing in this nearly 2.5-ton
94482-lb/2033 kg) hunk of prime
Italian beef. The Ferrari's active suspension
automatically drops the body as
much as 2 in. (50 mm) as it storms into
curves, putting the roll center closer to
that of a typical GT car. The ride remains
pliable, the body flatter than the
snowboards cruising on adjacent hills.
For the world's most-powerful SUV,
it's the definition of an unfair fight. For
regular folks, so is the Purosangue's
price: $398,350 to start, easily soaring
past $450,000 with options. At least
the trick suspension comes standard.
Lawrence Ulrich
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: FERRARI; MUTIMATIC; FERRARI
Automotive Engineering - May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - May 2023
