10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Ferrari Purosangue Yields to SUV Demand But Not to Dodge Charger

Ferrari has been unambiguous about its disinterest in indulging the vulgar demands of the car-buying public at large — unlike other rarified-air automakers like, say, Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce — and offering an SUV interpretation of its iconic ultra-luxe exotic sports cars. With the unveiling of the 2023 Ferrari Purosangue, which seems an awful lot like an SUV, some might apply the quacks-like-a-duck standard to arrive at the conclusion that Ferrari has, at long last, given in to market pressures. But if you read one of Cars.com’s most popular news articles of the past week, you’ll find multiple reasons — as the Italian sports car nonesuch insists — that the Purosangue is definitely not an SUV [that’s not a facial tic, we’re winking ironically].

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Volvo C40 Recharge Can’t Generate Interest Like Mazda CX-50

For one, despite being Ferrari’s lone factory-built four-door model, the so-pronounced puh-roh-SAN-gway is only available in four-seat configuration, with no bench for a fifth passenger. (Not very SUV-like, right?) It lacks off-road capability, ride height adjustments and trail modes. (Where’s the “sport”? Where’s the “utility?”) It does have all-wheel drive — if you consider an AWD system that only works in the lower four of eight gears and is intended primarily for on-pavement traction management. Similarly, whereas a generally higher-riding feel may say “SUV,” the low-mounted seats scream four-seat sports car. And don’t even get us started on the towing-capacity nonstarter, a 6.5-liter V-12 engine making a stunning 715 horsepower and 528 pounds-feet of torque, and the host of other Ferrari-fabulous performance bits.

For more of Ferrari’s face-saving rationalizations as to why the 2023 Purosangue absolutely, positively isn’t an SUV — despite looking suspiciously like an SUV — follow the link below to Cars.com’s No. 2 news story of the week.

With the Purosangue likely to cost closer to a half-million dollars than not, you may find another article making this week’s countdown a little more practical. Ringing up in fifth place is our monthly roundup of the best deals on new cars we could find, among them the 2022 Dodge Charger — which, let’s face it, may be about as close as you or we ever come to owning a Ferrari. The iconic four-door muscle car is available through Oct. 3 with a factory discount of $1,000 to $3,250, bringing the approximate price after savings to $31,000 to $56,500, or roughly 2% to 9% off. But if you’re in it more for the utility than the sport, you’ll also find considerable discounts on the 2022 Chevrolet Equinox and Jeep Compass SUVs, as well as on the 2022 Ram 1500 in Big Horn or Lone Star configurations.

For the full breakdown on these new-car deals, follow the link below to the No. 5 article of the week.

Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Ford Mustang, Toyota Crown, Lexus RX, Nissan Maxima, Kia Sportage Hybrid and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy

2.  Ferrari Unveils 2023 Purosangue: The Car It Said It Would Never Build

3. 2024 Ford Mustang Up Close: If This Is the Last One, It’s Surely the Best One

4. 2023 Toyota Crown Up Close: What Exactly Am I Looking At?

5. What’s the Best New-Car Deal for September 2022?

6. 2023 Lexus RX Review: Still a Comfort Option?

7. 2023 Nissan Maxima Enters Final Year Starting at $39,235

8. Is the 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid a Good SUV? 6 Pros and 4 Cons

9. These Vehicles Are Most Vulnerable to Theft, Says IIHS

10. 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid Review: Great (With a Catch)

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