First Drive: Maserati’s GranTurismo Trofeo brings the spirit of old-school Italian grand tourers
The new Maserati GranTurismo certainly has the looks, but are they backed up by a great driving experience? Jack Evans finds out.
What is it?
You could argue, then, that the petrol GranTurismo Trofeo which we’re testing is the more old-school version that buyers could pick. But is it one? We’ve been finding out.
What’s new?
The Italian firm offers two flavours of petrol-powered GranTurismo, too, with more road-going Modena versions and higher-powered Trofeo variants meaning that there’s a model to suit all types of drivers. Oh, and pricing? The GranTurismo starts at £133,320 for the Modena, rising to £163,590 for the Trofeo and finishing at £179,950 with the electric Folgore. After options, our test car came in at an eye-watering £212,060.
What’s under the bonnet?
However, it is no less potent. You get 543bhp from the GranTurismo in Trofeo specification, which when combined with 650Nm of torque gets you from 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 199mph. Despite this performance, Maserati claims you should still see around 28.2mpg combined – so you shouldn’t have to spend half of your long-distance adventure finding a petrol station.
What’s it like to drive?
The GranTurismo doesn’t have the silky smooth ride that you might expect from a fully-fledged GT car and, at slower speeds, grumbles over speed bumps and potholes. However, once you’re up to cruising speed it whisks along very pleasantly – though there is a bit of tyre noise generated at motorway paces.
How does it look?
The headlights have been redesigned, too, and this helps to make the GranTurismo an even sharper-looking car than before.
What’s it like inside?
Up front, you’ve got a decent view out and though you sit quite low in the car there’s a good level of visibility. It’s a mixed bag in terms of material quality, mind you, with the high-end leather being contrasted somewhat by some low-rent plastics for certain controls on the dashboard. The buttons for the gears, for instance, have a shiny, not-so-pleasant feel to them and lack the theatre that you’d expect – particularly for a function that you’ll be using day in, day out. However, at 310 litres, the boot space on offer isn’t bad at all and provides enough room for several weekend bags.
What’s the spec like?
Inside, there’s a 12.2-inch full digital driver’s cluster, as well as a 12.3-inch high-definition touchscreen with Android’s Automotive software. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are easy to connect to and do a great job of mirroring your smartphone on the car’s display. The 14-speaker Sonus Faber sound system is also included on Trofeo models and it sounds great – it’s the kind of speaker setup that you’d want on a long journey.
Verdict
The Maserati GranTurismo moves the game forward enough without changing things too much. While the V6 engine may not deliver the same kind of drama that you’d get from the older V8 it is no less potent and, when combined with a comfortable and well-appointed interior, helps to make this a car that you’d be quite happy to spend long stints behind the wheel in.
It’s expensive, yes, but as an all-round proposition, the Maserati GranTurismo is very appealing.
