The race in new classes of premium and sports crossovers is gaining momentum: journalists have already run the Lamborgini Urus, sales are not bad at Bentley Bentayga, Jaguar has acquired the third crossover of the Pace family,
even Ferrari relatives got hold of their SUVs - Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Maserati Levante.
Rolls-Royce Cullinan introduced, Aston Martin preparing Varekai (based on the DBX concept) and even unprofitable Lotus, an English manufacturer of light sports cars, is looking for salvation in crossovers with its new Chinese owner Geely.
Why didn’t Ferrari notice the frenzied demand for crossovers for so long and didn’t use a name that can sell on its own, even if you put it on a modified Lada Vesta, a sort of Ferrari LaVesta Cross GT? Until recently, the head of the Fiat Chrysler Auto concern Sergio Marchionne, and since 2014 the CEO of Ferrari (which, by the way, he brought into a separate structure), was categorically against the release of crossovers by a company specializing in racing and sports cars, and urged journalists to shoot him if they will see a crossover with a prancing stallion on the emblem on the roads.
Sergio Marchionne was famous for his harsh statements, but according to the Italian media, this categoricalness came from Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who worked back in 1973 as an assistant to the founder of Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, and later as head of the racing team. It was during his time that the most successful years fall in terms of the number of victories in Formula-1 and constructors' championships.
After the crisis of 2008, Ferrari was puzzled by building a more practical, four-seater car for daily safe use even in regions with harsh winters. Two models of car design were presented, which had to fit the above tasks, and be recognizable as a Ferrari.
One of them, from the famous Italian design studio Giugiaro, almost made it to the Paris Motor Show. The car with the code name F151, about which Luca Montezemolo "whispered" to the Italian media: "Marchionne wanted to build a truck, but I dissuaded him", is now in a private Italian collection without any identification marks and emblems, but judging by the tightly dark glasses, the interior was not designed.
The second prototype, from the equally famous Pininfarina, made it to the assembly line in 2011 as the Ferrari FF. Although it also has a dubious appearance, as for a flagship supercar:
Which of them would not want to save the well-deserved for long history Ferrari brands its image and heritage, and the associations with Formula-1 and red breathtaking supercars that pop up with this name, it is already known for certain that there will be a crossover from Ferrari, and it is not regrettable, but it is Sergio Marchionne who will no longer see him. 
On July 25, 2018, at the age of 66, the head of the FCA and Ferrari died in a coma in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Zurich, where he had been admitted a few days earlier due to complications from shoulder surgery.
We must pay tribute to the outstanding Italian, who in 2004 took over as CEO of the unprofitable Fiat, and in 14 years turned it into a successful concern, having bought out and carried out in 2009-2014 a merger with Chrysler, which is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. During his tenure as chief of Fiat Auto, the value of the concern and its constituent structures has grown 10 times.
Fiat Chrysler Auto is now run by Mike Manley, former CEO of Jeep and RAM. Jeep, by the way, is assigned the main role in the five-year development plan of the concern, developed jointly with Marchionne. And the development of the first Ferrari crossover will be led by Louis Camilleri, the former chief of Philip Morris International. Yes, yes, this is a cigarette giant that has nothing to do with cars, and one can understand the fears of fans of the brand,
but in fairness, it is worth noting that Sergio Marchione also came to Fiat from the financial sector, with no experience in the automotive industry, and it is unlikely that Camilleri will make design decisions on the fly, and decide which engine is better to put.
And before moving on to discussions about crossover engines, I suggest watching a beautiful 3-minute video first Ferrari Utility Vehicle, that very dubious, but in the video just an epic four-wheel drive FF:
Back in 2011, Ferrari engineers taught their almost 5-meter and almost 2-ton shooter break to bring down certain types of off-road worse than the Range Rover. Just not enough for a crossover ground clearance, clearance up to 145 mm does not save and optional air suspension.
And no matter how marketers pervert with names and classes, trying to get away from the already excessive variety of categories, it’s not so important whether it’s a crossover or a GT, a sports station wagon or a coupe off-road, SUV or CUV, hatchback or liftback, because already with the FF model, the company has overcome milestone in history by launching its first four-seater FUV, the Ferrari Utility Vehicle. Yes, and the fact that new SUV from Ferrari will replace, which at one time replaced the FF, says that Ferrari has long had a crossover, in the modern broad sense of the word.
This means that there is an all-wheel drive platform for the new flagship FX16 (the F16X index is found), and various chips, such as a fully controlled chassis (steering system rear wheels) and electronically controlled magnetic (magnetorheological) shock absorbers, there is also an imitation of a differential lock to increase patency.
And yet, Ferrari's design and engineering school will not only have to solve new problems, such as how to raise the body and increase inner space, by building the largest and heaviest Ferrari, but also to go beyond his world, overcome an important milestone in his history and build the first car with four doors. Since 1929, cars have been created with two doors, or without them at all, but here for those, for some reason, two more need to be sculpted somewhere. Having no such experience, they promise to do it in their own way - without a vertical rack between the doors, with the opening of the rear doors in the direction of travel. Whether it will be more like a Rolls-Royce or Mazda RX-8 is not yet known, but this again leaves marketers a reason to get creative.
But with power plant the best engineers in the world will be creative. The best, because the two engines installed in the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso take titles for several years in a row best engines of the year in their categories in the International Engine of the Year competition.
With a couple of years left (they promise to show a pre-production sample in 2019-2020), you need to at least overtake the main competitor Lamborgini Urus with its bi-turbo 4.0 V8 and 3.6 seconds from zero to 100 km/h. Rear wheel drive Ferrari GTC4Lusso with similar engine The 3.9 V8 also shows a similar acceleration time of 3.5 seconds, but is 450 kg lighter than the Urus.
If Ferrari takes the path of economy and close competition, further forcing this engine and fighting excess weight, and if it can achieve better handling and similar dynamics, it still cannot show similar price tag, for example, in Russia today the GTC4 Lusso is 5 million rubles more expensive than the new Urus, which is sold for 15,200,000 rubles ($250,000)), and the all-wheel drive V12 6.3 will cost 24 million.
While this V8 engine has enough torque to briskly pull an extra half ton of flagship space and comfort, the presence of such basic version questionable, as are its competitive advantages. Atmospheric V12 6.3 great engine award-winning in its own right, and although it accelerates the GTC4Lusso faster, it is not suitable for a heavy crossover. has less torque than the V8 3.9 bi-turbo, which is critical for heavy weights.
It would be possible to turbocharge V12 to add momentum and overtake competitors, but given the orientation of the future model to Chinese market and its electrification trends are unlikely to do so. Based on what Ferrari already has in its arsenal, namely the hybrid 2013 Ferrari LaFerrari with an electric engine in a block with an internal combustion engine, it can be assumed that the missing torque with an increase in mass will be taken from electric motors to guarantee the wealthy owner of a prancing stallion a feeling of superiority in the milliseconds between traffic lights and impressive traction from the bottom.
Ordinary car enthusiasts and fans of the Ferrari brand still want to hope that the people from Maranello will score on the price tag, come off to the fullest and build something really new, beautiful and interesting, with an uncompromising filling, for proud selfies against the backdrop of parked FUVs. And it doesn’t matter what the new body will be called, because there are less and less differences between them, we are just watching and waiting for an intriguing and amazing car, the best of its kind, and waiting for journalists and bloggers to share their impressions and emotions.
In pursuit of profit, or afraid to repeat the fate of Kodak and Nokia, missing something important, brands can lose their authenticity and integrity, but continue to delight and surprise us. It remains to be hoped that the income from sales of FUV will not only please the shareholders, but also lead to new achievements in the sports life of the company and the hypercar class, and will also allow to push the boundaries of the possible and bring to life bold experiments, like the Ferrari F80:
The trend is really strange, every year there are more and more paved roads in the world, but an increasing percentage of SUVs among cars. 
Could it be mass claustrophobia causing drivers to surround themselves with extra empty space to make traffic jams more spacious? Nevertheless, such brands of supercars as Koenigsegg, which is preparing a crossover together with the Chinese Qoros and Spyker, can still surprise with their crossovers - here it really may not be necessary, well, very much an amateur.
And despite the total increase in the clearance of the car market, there are still custodians of brands of exclusively supercars - Bugatti and McLaren, who are doing well without crossovers and comfortable where they are, although enthusiasts are already drawing options for them:
And look, the times are not far off when we will see a 3-ton electric Bugatti flying at a speed of 500 km/h across a cornfield.
At the end of the 20th century, SUVs confidently set off to conquer the premium segment, and the battle against luxury cars went on all fronts. A serious battle suddenly broke out on the field of sports cars, where SUVs were taken not only by indecent power, but also by their main trump cards - massiveness and cross-country ability. And the first violin was played by charged jeeps from the States. It is to them that our today's review is dedicated.
1993 GMC Typhoon
With the closest relative of this SUV, the Syclone pickup, it accelerates to “hundreds” faster than other Ferraris and is equipped with a turbocharged V-shaped “six”. But it's one thing - a fairly light two-seater pickup, and quite another - when the same performance has a frame SUV with the same engine and all-wheel drive, whose acceleration from standstill to 60 miles per hour does not exceed five seconds!
The car is based on midsize SUV S-15 Jimny, but it’s rather difficult to confuse them with each other - after all, the Typhoon differs from its relative in one piece aerodynamic body kit from elaborate bumpers, sills, and flared fenders that barely fit 16-inch alloy wheels made exclusively for the Typhoon-Syclone line and shod with 245mm wide Firestone Firehawk tires.
To match the body design, the interior of the SUV was also trimmed. All panels were covered in black leather, appeared sports steering wheel, and the places of regular seats were occupied by the anatomical "ladles" of Recaro. At the same time, Typhoon has a rich standard equipment - it includes a radio tape recorder with a graphic equalizer (remember, it is 1993 in the yard), a CD player, an alarm system with a central lock and an immobilizer, a cruise control system, as well as traditional air conditioning and electric side windows and mirrors .
Spurt 1/4 mile
in 14 seconds, slightly less than the Acura NSX supercar
Under the hood of the super SUV, as we mentioned a little earlier, is a 4.3-liter V6 engine, “supercharged” with a Mitsubishi TD04 turbine to 280 hp. With. and 475 Nm. Power is transferred from the engine to a heavy-duty THM-400 four-speed automatic transmission and a viscous-coupled center differential that splits power between the axles 35/65 in favor of the rear wheels. As a result, the dynamics of the SUV correspond to the characteristics of sports cars and even supercars of those years, because five and a half seconds to “hundreds” is the same as that of, or Ferrari 348ts! And you should not think that after 100 km / h a two-ton jeep with brick aerodynamics “deflates”. Tested by Motor Trend magazine in a 1/4 mile spurt, the Typhoon flew around the track in 14 seconds, reaching 153 km/h at the end of the race. And this is only a fraction of a second slower than the Japanese supercar Acura NSX and faster than the above Mustang and Ferrari!
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For safety reasons, the maximum speed of the car is artificially limited at around 200 km / h. But you don't want to go faster in a rear-suspension SUV. Moreover, ventilated disc brakes in front and ... “drums” in the rear are designed to effectively stop the jeep. However, with the help of ABS, they stop the Typhoon from 110 km / h in just 56 meters. Handling is also on top - all-wheel drive allows you to screw into turns at a lateral overload of 0.79g (in those years, this figure was more familiar to supercars than to massive SUVs).
The reverse side of the coin is a lower sports suspension than other jeeps, which does not allow you to get out on serious off-road - the Typhoon owner can only look at them from the asphalt. Like a real crossover, Typhoon only gives you a ride on the dirt road. Another unpleasant moment for real Americans was the inability of the GMC jeep to carry a trailer. However, you must admit that with such “bad” dynamics and speed, a boat or a camper attached to the back will become simply dangerous for other road users.
In fact, Typhoon became the first sports crossover- a powerful and dynamic car that can move confidently in difficult road conditions, as well as easily accommodating five riders and a lot of luggage in the trunk, but at the same time able to compete both in dynamics and in price with the Corvette. After all, for the Typhoon, GMC dealers had to pay $ 29,500 - almost the same as for the Vette.
2000 - Dodge Durango SP360 Shelby
At one time, the master of American industry, Carroll Shelby, managed to work with all US concerns. Of course, we all know that Shelby is most associated with Ford, but there were times when he was brought in as an experienced consultant in the creation of "something charged." As in this case.
The charged SUV was developed by Performance West Group tuning studio, which built the Durango Super Pursuit concept for the 1997 SEMA show. The 5.9-liter Magnum lower engine was “cheered up” with a Kenne Bell Blowzilla (Americans love impressive names!) 2200 mechanical supercharger, as a result of which its power from the standard 245 hp With. jumped immediately to 360, and the torque of the two-ton SUV was an impressive 558 Nm. However, the company did not limit itself to installing only one compressor: a new exhaust system appeared, welded from 2.5-inch pipes from of stainless steel, added a liquid intercooler and reflashed the engine control unit.
Paired with the engine was a four-speed automatic transmission, through the transfer case distributing the moment to the front and rear wheels. As a result, the dynamic characteristics of the car have improved significantly: a massive SUV accelerated from standstill to “hundreds” in seven seconds, and the speed limit was limited to 230 km / h.
The concept was appreciated by the Dodge management and even gave a blessing to release an exclusive batch. The Performance West Group rightly reasoned that a big name would increase buyer interest, and turned to Carroll Shelby in order to obtain permission to produce cars under his name. The master of the American auto industry drove an SUV and was pleased with such unusual project. According to him, in such a car, he himself would not mind taking his family shopping at the supermarket.
On October 4, 1998, the SUV was introduced to the general public under the name Shelby Durango SP360 (the last index stands for Super Pursuit, and the number 360 indicates engine power). The "charged" Durango differs from its fellow "charged" Durango in a special color in a rich blue Viper Blue color scheme (as you probably guessed, borrowed from the palette for painting the Viper GTS coupe), and to complete the picture, the image is complemented by two white stripes, traditional for Carroll Shelby, and a new aerodynamic body kit with developed bumpers and a hood with false air intakes, developed by RaceTruck Trends. The finishing touch is signature Shelby Daytona forged alloy wheels wrapped in a low-profile good year tires Eagle as wide as 285 mm.
The suspension of the SUV has also been significantly improved. The standard shock absorbers were replaced with sports ones, Edelbrock brands, the clearance decreased by 75 mm, and the ventilated vehicles were instructed to effectively stop the two-ton jeep brake discs Stillen with six piston calipers. As a result, on tests in Motor Trend magazine, the SP360 accelerated to the passport "hundred" in 6.7 seconds, while the SUV flew 1/4 mile in 15.2 seconds. This, of course, is not the performance of the aforementioned Typhoon, but still impressive - especially in comparison with the regular Durango (16.6 on the quarter, respectively).
By the way, it is worth noting that the compressor was ... an option: after all, in basic configuration SP360 was content with only a modified exhaust system and was not even equipped with an all-wheel drive system! But the cost of a car with " full mincemeat"almost doubled that of the serial Durango ($55,000 versus $32,000), and a "regular" Shelby could already be bought for $44,000.
The interior of the SUV has also changed. If the standard Durango had eight seats in three rows of seats, then the Shelby version lost two seats and received separate Cerullo leather seats with individual electrical adjustments, a massager and ventilation. The center console, trimmed with carbon fiber, was extended almost to last row seats, and a plate with the serial number of the SUV was placed on the dashboard. Of course, the equipment of the car included all the benefits of civilization - there was also a powerful hi-fi class audio system with 14 speakers and a subwoofer, two TVs and even a VCR and GPS satellite navigation!
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However, many fans quite rightly believe that the Durango SP360 is not a real Shelby car. And they will be right. All parts installed on the SUV could be bought at any tuning store, and exclusive parts for Durango can be counted on the fingers of one hand - just a couple of plates and unique vinyl graphics distinguish Shelby's product from fakes "in style". SUVs were not even assembled at the Shelby factory: a batch from the factory was distilled to one of the tuning workshops, with which a cooperation agreement had previously been concluded - it equipped the cars with a tuning package. True, the SUV was ordered only through factory dealers and only in 1999, and all additional components were given a proprietary three-year warranty.
Dodge marketers expected to produce a batch of 3,000 cars, but in the end only 400 Shelby SP360s were made, most of which were sold in the Middle East, where fast and powerful SUVs. As a result, the program was never approved for 2000, and Shelby SUVs have now become very rare and desirable for collectors. Star Coach, one of the licensed assemblers, offered their own tuned Durango at SEMA in 2000, built from the same components and called the Super Pursuit II. He never received approval from Shelby, so he is not considered a real SP360.
2000 Ford SVT Expedition Thunder Concept
Ford also made an attempt to build its own charged SUV. True, it was even less successful: their SVT (Special Vehicle Technica) division created a prototype that never saw the spotlights of car dealerships. The SUV was built on the basis of a full-size Expedition, which shared a platform with a Ford F-150 pickup truck. By analogy with the SVT-charged pickup truck, which was mass-produced and named Lightning (Lightning), the SUV was named Thunder (Thunder). The package of improvements is almost identical to that of the pickup truck: the same body kit, compressor “eight” from the traditional “Ford” Modular line with a volume of 5.4 liters, developing 360 hp. with., and an automatic transmission.
The main difference between the transmission was the use of an all-wheel drive system native to Expedition with a front axle connected using a viscous coupling.
The SUV was equipped with 18-inch wheels shod in Goodyear Eagle tires of a monstrous width of 295 mm, and shortened springs and preloaded springs, increased stabilizers appeared to improve handling. roll stability and gas monotube Bilstein shock absorbers. The dynamics of this “suitcase” is at the level of a mid-engined Porsche Boxster: acceleration from standstill to 60 mph takes 5.5 seconds, and a quarter-mile frame SUV weighing over two tons passes in 14.1 seconds. Mass production Expedition was never launched due to demands from marketers who only approved of the Lightning pickup.
2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS
But where faster problem the release of a charged SUV was decided in the GM concern, which showed a prototype at the Chicago Auto Show frame SUV Trailblazer with the prefix SS in the index, which traditionally characterizes the line of charged cars brand Chevrolet. The full-size SUV was equipped with a 6.0-liter lower V-shaped “eight” with the LS2 index, which was shared by the Chevrolet Corvette sports car. Paired with a 245-horsepower engine, a four-speed “automatic” GM Turbo Hydra-Matic worked.
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The choice of buyers was immediately offered two types of drive: rear or connected through a viscous coupling full. But even with the latest SUV, it was almost not intended for off-road use: a sports suspension with lower ground clearance, as well as low-profile 18-inch tires, affected.
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From zero to “hundreds” SUV with the heart of the Corvette accelerated in 5.9 seconds, while reaching a top speed of 229 km / h. And on the notorious tests of Motor Trend magazine, the SS passed the credit quarter mile in 13.8 seconds. Handling was fine-tuned on the Nurburgring's Nordschleife itself, which is considered an excellent training ground for honing corners. The jeep went on sale a year after the premiere, but the total number of copies made was small - the client did not try the novelty, intended only for the North American market.
2005 - Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
Jeep designers did not stay away from the general trend with the support of specialists from the All-Chrysler branch of Street and Racing Technology. Debut full-size SUV Grand Cherokee with the prefix SRT-8 was held at the New York Auto Show.
The appearance of the seasoned "mud-crawler" was supplemented with 20-inch forged alloy wheels, other front and rear bumpers, as well as twin exhaust pipes in the center. The place of the regular "eight" was taken by power unit from the HEMI line. Previously, the engines of this series, distinguished by hemispherical combustion chambers, became famous in many racing series. Now only the brand remains on behalf, which modern motors carried with pride - after all, the large volume has remained the same! It's no joke, the all-aluminum lower "eight" has a working volume of 6.1 liters and, without any pressurization systems, produces 426 hp. With. and 569 Nm of torque.
Paired with it is a five-speed Mercedes reinforced 5G-Tronic transmission, and the all-wheel drive system was simplified as much as possible - there was not even a downshift, and with the help of an electronically controlled viscous coupling, up to 50 percent of the torque, if necessary, was transmitted to the front wheels. Only the cardan shaft, borrowed from the diesel modification of the SUV, could cope with such a moment. The chassis was also modified for the power unit: stiffer springs and Bilstein sports shock absorbers were installed, and even stiffer silent blocks were installed for better handling. As a result, an SUV weighing over two tons "ejected" from standstill to "hundreds" in just 5.5 seconds and could withstand lateral overloads of up to 0.92 g.
The car has received recognition in the markets of the United States and the Middle East, many copies are found on our roads. The production of a charged SUV ended in 2010, when 14,921 cars rolled off the assembly line. But the story of charged Jeeps does not end there. In 2012, the company introduced a new generation of "Indian", and with it showed a "charged" SRT-8.
The new generation Grand Cherokee family received Chrysler 300C-style front optics, rear lights supplemented with LED strips, new front and rear bumpers. The changes also affected the interior - there was an 8.4-inch touchscreen display on the front console, a holographic instrument panel and a multifunctional steering wheel.
Like its predecessor, the new generation machine is built on the platform Mercedes M-class, but her body was significantly strengthened. The number of weld points doubled (up to 5,400), 42% more arc welding, another 38% - adhesive joints. As a result, the body rigidity of the novelty has increased by a convincing pre-election 146%.
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The suspension has also been changed: for better handling, the Cherokee received electronically controlled dampers and stiffer springs, and the final chord was sharper steering with hydraulic booster.
To match the chassis, the engine has also been updated. First new unit HEMI 392 (the figure means the volume of the engine in cubic inches - translated into metric units, this is about 6.4 liters) appeared on the Dodge Challenger coupe, and a little later, its modifications began to appear on other concern cars. The lower shaft all-aluminum V-shaped “eight” became lighter and received an optimized system for changing the valve timing, intake tract variable geometry and the function of deactivating half of the cylinders, which saved up to 13 percent of fuel. In the version for the Grand Cherokee, the engine develops 470 hp. With. and 640 Nm of torque, which is transmitted through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission that can withstand torque up to 1,000 Nm. The same transmission is used in their models range rover, BMW and Volkswagen, and the first experience in cooperation between Chrysler and ZF was a pickup dodge ram 1500. Like its predecessor, the SRT's all-wheel drive system is simplified as much as possible and has only a multi-plate clutch in front and an electronic rear differential lock.
In response to the active development and release of charged versions Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport and BMW X5 in the company are preparing a monster even more powerful than the current Grand Cherokee SRT. Rumors about its creation at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show were confirmed by brand director Michael Manley, but declined to comment. Unofficially, the super SUV will be part of the Hellcat family of extremely charged cars of the concern. Now it includes only a sedan Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Challenger SRT Hellcat coupe equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 compressor. On Dodge cars it produces 717 hp. With. and 881 Nm. One can only guess what dynamic characteristics will have new Jeep if he gets a similar engine.
The class of charged SUVs is currently developing at a rapid pace - now high-speed luxury jeeps are already being prepared by well-known brands, among which are the first SUVs in their history, Maserati and Bentley, and a new one is on the way. SUV Lamborghini. Given the latter, the Americans, who essentially revived the SportSUV class, will have a hard time.
More recently, leaders Italian company Ferrari, which makes sports cars, emotionally denied even the very possibility of appearing in model range automaker of an SUV-class car. Last year, Sergio Marchionne even talked about being shot first if the company suddenly starts producing crossovers.
However, time goes by, or rather flies at a breakneck speed, technologies change the structure of the market, which in turn easily reconfigures the aspirations of company owners, because this is a business, if you are outside the market, outside its trends, you will earn little. And so, the global network gradually began to be filled with information that Ferrari would soon begin developing its own SUV.
The front of the crossover Ferrari F16X
The edition "Car" reports that in four years the "stable from Maranello" will acquire an unusual for the company hybrid four-wheel drive horse. However, the company itself prefers not to call the future model a crossover, and insists that this car rather belongs to the class of a high five-door coupe. Sources close to the development department said that future crossover Ferrari received the working title F16X. The first SUV from the company is based on an aluminum platform, which is being prepared for the 20th year for the successor to the GTC4 Lusso sports car.
Ferrari F16X - rear view
It is also known that the novelty will lose the central pillar, and the rear doors will open against the direction of the car. As for the engine, then, most likely, in engine compartment will host a powerful eight-cylinder hybrid, but the V12, apparently, will not get the “high coupe”. Despite the estimated cost of the first crossover at three hundred thousand euros, Ferrari expects to double sales. Now the company sells about 8 thousand cars a year.
Porsche Cayenne has gained great popularity. The management of Ferrari watches with interest their successes and reflects on the expediency of the appearance of a car of this class under their brand, in order to increase the company's profits. This five-seater car, five meters long and two wide, will shock the whole world, if, of course, it appears and gives the company a large number of new clients.
On the Internet you can find several variations on the theme of the Ferrari SUV.
Here is the first one, dated 2007, from the autoweek.com forum
Images from autoexpress.co.uk
Images from worldcarfans.com
Image from automarket.ro
Little is known about the technical characteristics, exactly like everything else. The engine is already familiar from the Ferrari F599 Fiorano, although it has been modified. It will produce over 600 hp. and 600 Nm of torque. Two-thirds of the thrust will go to the rear axle. Such characteristics will allow, despite the weight of 2200 kg, to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in less than five seconds and have maximum speed at 300 km / h, and very few can do it - Porsche Cayenne from TechArt and Gemballa, yes Cherokee from Hennessey. All-wheel drive transmission, most likely to be developed jointly with another automaker, possibly Mercedes. More cheap option is expected to be built on the company's own platform, a rear-wheel drive 612 Scaglietti paired with a high-tech traction control system tuned for off-road conditions. And, of course, the car simply must have the best handling in the class. To lean on the road, it will be wide (315) 22-inch wheels.
Ferrari intends to outshine the competition not only with performance, but also with a price tag of around 250,000 euros.
“, and the undisputed leader in beauty, a version made on the basis of a beautiful sports car, created to push the boundaries of what is permitted…” Likely a similar slogan would come up with a hypothetically possible crossover from a sports car manufacturer located in Maranello.
To begin with, it must be said that indeed, unfortunately, the image that you see in front of you on the screen is just a rendering of a photograph. does not plan to create its own crossover in the near future, let alone remake it in the style of Audi, production model, which is the Ferrari FF.
And so what we have.
1. Impression. I had a similar feeling when I first saw an urban all-terrain vehicle made from an ordinary station wagon, with an aggressive look, a rough, but at the same time attractive “off-road” body kit, which directly said: “Get behind the wheel, test me! I can go so far off-road that you have to follow a tractor for a long time to get me out.” In fact, of course, there was no need to talk about any off-road properties of the car, but it looked very evil and advanced.
With Ferrari, everything repeated in exactly the same way, but is it worth trusting your eyes? Can we try to think logically?
2. Logic and experience suggest that it is impossible to grasp the immensity and connect diametrically opposed concepts in one car.
, continued to develop in this direction and still goes side by side with motor sports. People already have a stereotype, "Ferrari" is a synonym for the words "motorsport", "victory" and "speed". Therefore, it will be very difficult to find buyers who could accept such a car and would want to buy it.
After all, what they want from Ferrari will be completely absent from of this type model (let's call it X-FF for convenience).
Dynamic and speed characteristics due to high ground clearance, and aggressive off-road tires will be lost forever. There will also be noticeable problems with cornering, an overestimated suspension will prevent them from passing quickly and clearly. The meaning of Ferrari will be clearly lost.
this "off-road vehicle" can also be doubted, for obvious reasons.
Another reason why they can't make a rally-style gravel road car lies in the complex, well-thought-out, and therefore very demanding quality pavement suspension.
So who is it for? this car? Rather, there can only be two types of buyers. First- . The second is a very rich owner of yachts, private jets, mansions and a huge garage with a fleet of exotic cars of all kinds, who will buy the X-FF, just as another nice addition to your collection. There is no third option.
What do you think, is it a good idea to create such a car? And would you buy it?
