MASERATI – the name alone conjures up images of racy sportscars. GranTurismo – sounds much more glamorous than the Anglicised “Grand Touring”. S – must stand for something special.
So, the fastest production car ever to emerge from the “House of Trident” has a powerful name to live up to. And a strong heritage, too, albeit one that has had more than its fair share of ups and downs. But Maserati is Italian. Emotional. Charismatic…
The GranTurismo S is a striking four-seat supercar that arguably best encapsulates just where the “other” Modena marque has risen to in recent times.
As one of a number of sporting brands within the Fiat Auto Group, Maserati’s return to the supercar spotlight has coincided with its move from the Ferrari stable into the house of Alfa Romeo, and this alliance certainly seems to have provided the company with a springboard to achieving its former glories.
sounds special – with a capital S. Under the ever-so-slightly bulged bonnet is a chain-driven quadcam, 32-valve all-aluminium motor with hydraulic tappets and variable cam timing. Maserati has rather cheekily adopted red cylinder heads (shades of Ferrari Testarossa), but what is significant about the motor is that it is mounted just behind the front axle line, a location that notably benefits the car’s weight balance – we measured the 1 937 kg test car at a near-perfect 49:51 front to rear – and, consequently, handling. The V8 pumps out 323 kW of peak power at 7 000 r/min, and a healthy 490 N.m of torque at 4 750, with more than 400 N.m available from 2 500 r/min
Coupled with the engine is a six-speed electro-actuated transaxle, which is linked to the engine by a torque tube containing the driveshaft. Again, this layout improves overall weight distribution. The drivetrain includes a limited-slip differential. Apart from Reverse, “Ice” and “1” (which holds the transmission in first gear for low-speed manoeuvres), the transmission has four major driving modes, namely automatic or manual in Normal or Sport, all of which are activated by buttons.
Auto is the default mode, and provides conventional automatic shifting, including the change-up “nod” characteristic of such gearboxes. Depress the Sport button and the changes are effected in a more sporting fashion. Depress Auto and the gearchanging becomes the driver’s responsibility, actuated in 100 milliseconds by two tall, slender paddles affixed to the steering column – left for downshifts, right for up. Providing everything is up to working temperature, bury the accelerator to more than 80 per cent of its travel, get the revs past 5 500, and MC-Shift comes into play, reducing the shift time to 40 ms. As well as a rev-counter, there is a dial in the centre of the instrument binnacle that, apart from showing the gear selected, is parallel-segmented on the outside, each block lighting up in a vertical sequence as revs rise. The colouration goes from green to orange to red, acting as a visual indicator of when to change up. Artistic and useful.
Now as exciting as all this may sound, the real highlight of the powertrain is the exhaust system. Two electronically-controlled pneumatic valves are located next to the rear silencers. Normally, exhaust gases pass through the baffle system and deliver a strident but still civilised note to the atmosphere. With Sport engaged, the valves open up to create a straight-through exhaust flow that punctures the air with a resonance that is so rich, raw and raunchy that it is almost impossible to avoid driving in MC-Sport mode all the time, plying the accelerator to induce a cacophony of crackles, burbles and wuffles that is as addictive as an A-grade narcotic – or so we’re told. The GranTurismo’s impressive audio system could almost be a delete option…
Deactivate the MSP stability and traction control, and the difference between static, tyresmoking wheelspin and powering off the line is a hairtrigger away, necessitating a practised right foot to achieve times approaching factory claims. We managed an impressive, fuss-free best of 5,18 seconds to 100 km/h, passing the kilometre marker in 23,7 seconds at 232,5 km/h. Top speed is an academic 292 km/h. Stopping from such speeds requires substantial brakes, and the Maserati’s all-ventilated disc setup delivered unflinching, fadefree retardation with a superb 10-stop average of 2,77 seconds from 100 km/h.
Having mentioned that the GranTurismo S is big but manoeuvrable in confines, it proves to be wieldy on the open road, too. With three turns lock to lock, the gearing and weighting are near perfect, and the feedback is excellent. The car can feel a little clumsy at low speeds, but the quicker you go and the more demanding your input, the response improves exponentially. At best on smooth, sweeping roads, where its flat cornering attitude and prodigious grip can be exploited to the full, pushing the limits of adhesion, the S can also be hustled with confidence along tight passes. Once into a rhythm, the GranTurismo reacts with an assuredness that belies its size and weight. Lowspeed ride is characteristically firm on the standard fixed-rate suspension. One other important feature that we have not yet mentioned is accommodation. The GranTurismo is a genuine fourseat coupé, offering surprising space and comfort for rear seat passengers. It has a sensiblysized boot, too.