Ferrari Purosangue Handling Speciale Revealed With New Active Suspension

When it comes to a performance SUV, you may name the Porsche Cayenne or even the Lamborghini Urus. But never the Ferrari Purosangue. It may be the first four-door, four-seater from Maranello, but it lacked that dynamism to make it to the list of involving-to-drive high-riding vehicles. And to address it, Maranello has added an optional ‘Handling Speciale’ to the Purosangue. 

According to Prancing Horse, the “Handling Speciale configuration has been created to deliver an even sportier driving experience by sharpening the car’s mechanical and electronic responses, without compromising the everyday versatility”. Using the latest generation of vehicle dynamic systems and a new calibration of active suspension, this package reduces the body movement by 10 per cent, claims the Italian marque. As a result, the Purosangue in Handling Speciale configuration reacts more directly to driver inputs, enhancing the sensation of control through successive corners and during rapid changes of direction. 

Even the gearbox has been revised for its response times and more decisive gear changes, particularly in the Manettino ‘Race’ and ‘ESCOff’ modes. This sharpens the acceleration, and in manual mode, the gearshifts become sportier above 5,500rpm. With it, the in-cabin sound has been optimised through a dedicated setting, more pronounced at startup and under acceleration.

And it’s not just changes under the skin, but the Handling Speciale configuration also introduces styling tweaks and personalisation options. These include diamond cut wheels, carbon fibre side shields, matt black exhaust tips, a black rear Prancing Horse logo, a satin-finished Ferrari logo and a dedicated interior plaque identifying the configuration.