The Ferrari Purosangue is due to be unveiled this September, and it will possess a V-12, one of the last remaining new cars to come with such an engine as the world continues to shift towards electrification. However, with Ferrari now following everyone else in the supercar realm, such as Aston Martin with the DBX and Lamborghini with the Urus in making an SUV, will the Purosangue be a true sports car?

That's what Ferrari hopes to achieve when the Purosangue's development is finished. At Ferrari's Capital Markets Day, CEO Benedetto Vigna said:

Vigna even says that the Purosangue will be 100-percent a Ferrari and that it will exceed all of our expectations from the brand in terms of performance, innovation, and design. And, as for its engine, it has also been confirmed that the Purosangue will be powered by a V-12, which is getting exceedingly rare by the minute as emissions regulations continue to tighten. Vigna adds:

This would also make the Ferrari Purosangue one of the only few high-end SUVs with a twelve-cylinder engine; the other two being the Bentley Bentayga with its W-12 and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan with its V-12.

Moving forward, future Ferraris will be underpinned by two platforms - one for mid-engined supercars like the 296 GTB or the SF90 Stradale, and the other will be for front-mid-engined GT cars such as the Ferrari 812 Superfast and the upcoming Purosangue SUV. Both are able to accommodate V-6, V-8, and V-12 engines, as well as varying degrees of electrification.

The question now is, will Ferrari deliver on its promise that the 2023 Purosangue will be a true sports car? While the Purosangue's V-12 powertrain is promising, we still have our doubts about whether it will perform similar to a sports car.

There's no doubt that the Purosangue will drive phenomenally, but, this is based on measurements against other super SUVs. Compared to Ferrari's true sports cars such as the 812 Superfast or 296 GTB, though, that's going to be a challenge. There's no escaping the fact that the Purosangue's high ground clearance, tall ride height, and potentially portly weight won't do it any favors in the driving dynamics department when compared to its "thoroughbred" sports cars.

We're confident that it'll drive phenomenally for an SUV, but, we doubt it will drive like a true Ferrari sports car.