Will all Maseratis be electric in 2028? That was the official line stated in January 2024 but the world has changed somewhat since then. And things remain unpredictable for any OEM. Barely a day passes without some new rumour of an engine either being re-introduced into a certain car or plans made to modify a future vehicle originally intended to be electric-only.
Stellantis by its own admission has some work to do with Maserati, the marque’s sales having more than halved in 2024 and return on investment not where the parent firm wishes it to be. At least losses have not been sky-high, while the brand’s image remains as strong as the appeal of its motor racing-honed history.
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Something else which cannot be faulted is the appeal of the cars themselves. Or how fresh the latest line-up is, models such as the Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante having been discontinued, leaving two new-ish supercars and an SUV. There is even an electric convertible. For such a small operation, and Maserati is tiny compared to Porsche, the Modena-based firm is a brave innovator.
Four-wheel drive for every variant
The previous GranTurismo was in production for a dozen years. Nonetheless it still looked sexy at the end of its lifecycle, while the V8 under the bonnet was one of the best sounding engines in any car. The successor, revealed in 2022, has had a range of variants added over the last couple of years, and there will be many more to come.
Maserati offers the car in coupe and convertible forms, each available with a biturbo six-cylinder engine (and there is a choice of outputs) or with three motors. Four-wheel drive is standard for all, with IC cars pairing that with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
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By GlobalDataThe range starts with the Modena, available in fixed roof or open-top bodies. These have Maserati’s own Nettuno V6, power and torque being 360 kW (490 ps) with 600 Nm. The same biturbo 3.0-litre features in the Trofeo but ups the numbers to 405 kW (550 ps) and 650 Nm. Choose the Folgore instead and it’s a combined 560 kW (761 pferdestarke) and a staggering 1,350 Nm generated by three motors.
Seduces strangers
While looks are always a personal preference, does anyone think of the GranTurismo as anything other than utterly drool-worthy? I had the car for a few fantastic days and lost count of the number of smiles and thumbs up while on two occasions passers-by said “beautiful car mate”.
There are a lot more Porsches about but I doubt that their owners always see big grins. Or are immediately let into traffic as I was every time I was waiting to do so. People just love to look at this Maserati.
It’s also fairly easy to imagine the GranTurismo as a daily driver. Factors include big areas of glass, width which isn’t excessive and, believe it or not, good economy. An average of between 28 and 45 is seemingly normal depending on how you drive. I was astonished to see the mid-forties on the MPG read-out while on a motorway and keeping speed to a few miles below the 70 limit. Is that accurate I wondered?
Will it really do 40+mpg?
The Nettuno V6 is state of the art with features such as cylinder deactivation clearly working well to keep not only consumption down but emissions too. Push the car hard and yes, average mpg will drop dramatically but not many owners will drive like that or if they do, not often. I left the choice of settings in Comfort and that likely helped, with GT and Sport also available, or for track days, Corsa.
Even in soft-sounding mode, this car goes like a bullet, corners with almost no roll and has incredible grip. You can leave it in drive or instead shift gears via a pair of gorgeous looking and feeling paddles while the small-thick steering wheel surely could not be improved. And the driver feels immediately cosy positioned low but far from uncomfortably so.
Leather, Alcantara, CFRP
Maserati specifies a digital cluster for all the gauges plus two other screens mid-dash. These are positioned below a traditional looking digital clock. The top landscape format display is for infotainment while HVAC functions are below it. Each works well though is also a magnet for finger marks.
You won’t see any smudges on what is open-weave carbon trim, used in the centre console and on the door cards. Black leather and Alcantara cover virtually all other surfaces or at least they did in the press review Trofeo. Doors are the perfect weight and they open wide. And while the glovebox is a good size, there aren’t too many other places to store small items. But this is a supercar, not an MPV.
Curious to see if an adult would be comfortable back there, I climbed into one of the two rear seats and can report that there is adequate space for feet and body. Leg room is a little tight and your head is tucked under the headliner but children would be fine.
Giorgio Sport platform keeps weight down
Both Modena and Trofeo feature forged 20-inch wheels up front and 21-inch ones at the back, while the more powerful of the two 3.0-litre cars has bespoke front splitters and CFRP details within the rear bumper. The same material is employed for side skirts while up front the grille has gloss black slats. The word Trofeo appears on the car’s sides in chrome-effect, outlined in red.
Until you park it, the GranTurismo somehow doesn’t look to be five metres long, but it is. A lot of all that metal is ahead of the A -pillars with the engine set right back below a low bonnet. Rear overhang isn’t something you notice either yet the boot takes a lot more luggage than I had been expecting. Weight, at close to 1,800 kilos, is far from excessive for such a big car with a relatively large capacity engine and four-wheel drive mechanicals.
Summary
Any drive in this Maserati is a special experience and with two-axles traction it would even be a practical vehicle to use all winter. How many other supercars could you say that about? And as its exhausts sound incredibly seductive. The main question for anyone considering buying a GranTurismo – petrol or EV – is whether a GranCabrio could be even better.
The GranTurismo coupe is priced from GBP123,015 with the Trofeo and Grecale costing from GBP148,015 and GBP178,550 respectively, before options. The as-tested Trofeo surges to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a stated top speed of 200 mph.
