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It is truly appropriate that Maserati’s new product range should have three beautiful products, almost as if they form the tip of each spear of the iconic Trident that adorns every Maserati to be produced. The new Gran Turismo, the new Gran Cabrio and the new Grecale are truly marvels of style and engineering and have the potential to elevate the Italian interpretation of the idea of grand touring to an altogether different level. In fact, it was all too fitting when Maserati decided to host the driving experience of these three stunning cars in the picturesque city of Trieste, sitting like a jewel on the shimmering shores of the Adriatic. But we all know that a Maserati, any Maserati, isn’t just a beautiful car. It also marries beauty with cutting edge engineering in the quest for performance, an idea that was reflected in the driving experience by having a section of the legendary Trieste-Opicina race route as part of the driving route.
The race, nicknamed “the Uphill Monza”, was won by Maserati thrice. In 1955, when Franco Bordoni drove the Maserati 300 S to victory, in 1957, with Adolfo Tedeschi piloting a 200 SL Spider and in 1960, when Mennato Boffa triumphed in a Maserati Tipo 60 “Birdcage.” This storied course provided the ideal backdrop for a journey designed to showcase the character of each new Maserati, especially that of the models equipped with the iconic Nettuno V6 engine. It is on roads like these that Maserati’s vision of Italian Gran Turismo comes to life, where design, elegance, power, and craftsmanship merge in a refined balance.
The New Gran Turismo is the ideal balance between aesthetic approach and unostentatious functionality. The classic proportions of the brand's cars that defined Italian grand tourers have been maintained, with that long bonnet intersected by the four fenders. Significant changes have been made to the front bumper of the Gran Turismo, with meticulous attention paid to aerodynamics to ensure the best performance. This results in a slightly shark nose effect to the face of the car that makes it even more assertive and full of presence.
Both the central and side air intakes have been redesigned. The side intakes now have internal slits for suction of the boundary layer of the incoming airflow. All of this results in better airflow and therefore cooling. A new “air curtain” concept has also been developed on the outer side of the front bumper to further improve aero efficiency. There is also a new lighting signature at the front and back. The new Maserati GranTurismo comes with a staggered wheel configuration, 21-inch wheels at the rear and 20 inches at the front.
On the inside, the Gran Turismo combines traditional Italian artistry with premium materials to offer a cabin that feels luxurious. The layout is a sports car’s, with a highly dynamic design for the door panels and a colour division that highlights the design of the dashboard: a slim, delicate upper section appears to soar over the main part, enhanced by the craftsmanship of the various trim levels. The interior finishes are distinguished by the standard adoption of 3D Touch Carbon with copper yarn on the GranTurismo Folgore and options in Carbon Macrotwill and 3D Touch Carbon Fibre. Additionally, a whole range of new-age sustainable materials have been used to ensure that while the Maserati Gran Turismo feels as textured and premium as it ever did, its eco footprint remains as small as possible. The new multi-function steering wheel is inspired by the world of racing and offers a form that unites aesthetics with functionality. Rounding off the sportiness of the entire package are the aluminium sport pedals with the Maserati trident logo and the aluminium dead pedal. Then of course there is the dual screen set up, a 12.3-inch Central Display and an 8.8-inch Comfort, which is augmented by the 12.2-inch Digital Dashboard with irresistible graphics and configured for ease and intuitiveness.
Powering the Gran Turismo is the iconic twin turbocharged 3000cc V6 Nettuno engine, which revolves around Maserati’s Twin Combustion technology. The engine is equipped with cylinder deactivation. In certain operating conditions, the right cylinder bank is deactivated, with its entire valvetrain kept disabled. A pre-chamber combustion system has been combined with the traditional combustion system. This technical solution optimises performance. Speaking of performance, we are talking about 490 HP at 6500 rpm, which goes up by a full 100 horses to 590 HP at 6500 rpm in the Trofeo version. Max torque is 600Nm at 2500 to 5500 rpm and 650Nm at 2500 to 5500 rpm in the Trofeo. Transmission to all four wheels—the GranTurismo gets all-wheel drive as standard—is via an 8-speed automatic. The resulting performance is a blistering 3.9-second run from zero to 100 kmph before hitting a top speed of 302 kmph. This improves in the Trofeo to 3.5 seconds for a 0-100 kmph run and a top speed of over 320 kmph.
New advanced driver assistance features include Maserati Active Driving Assist where Level 2 ADAS is perfectly calibrated to take into account even the most sudden of manoeuvres. Dynamic Road View is another new feature where the digital dashboard now shows a dynamic 3D reconstruction of surrounding vehicles. Rear Emergency Braking prevents collisions with obstructions behind the car that a driver might fail to spot while reversing. Surround View 2D camera that gives a 360° overview of the car and its immediate surroundings. Finally, there’s the Virtual Wall where coloured blocks on the rear camera warn the driver of proximity to an object while reversing. The Gran Turismo is equipped with the latest Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA) multimedia system. At the heart of MIA is the Android Auto operating system, offering speed, great operating performance and data processing abilities.
The new Gran Cabrio brings the joy and rich legacy of open top motoring from the house of Maserati to the customer. It is now presented in a new guise with significant refinements and innovations that invest in design, driving dynamics and quality. The Maserati Gran Cabrio stands out for its unparalleled open-air experience and is available in five colours – Black, Blue Marine, Titan Grey, Greige and Granata. Each one available with a canvas roof that can be operated at speeds up to 50 kmph and can be opened or closed in just 14 seconds at the touch of a button.Comfort in the passenger compartment, even with the top down, is ensured by the neck warmer, which envelops the driver and passenger by blowing warm air directly from the seats.
Under its skin, the Gran Cabrio shares its architecture with the Gran Turismo, which began in 2017 from a ‘blank slate’. In fact, Maserati had created the architecture to give birth to both the Gran Turismo and the Gran Cabrio from the start. The body makes use of lightweight materials like aluminium – more than 65 per cent of the car is made of this, magnesium and high-performance steel. The result is a very rigid structure, necessary for exceptional handling and dynamic characteristics, but one that is not overly heavy, which would detract from its performance characteristics. With a 51:49 front to rear weight distribution, the Gran Cabrio promises excellent handling too.
Like the Gran Turismo, the Gran Cabrio gets the iconic 3000cc V6 twin turbo petrol with 490 HP and 600Nm offered as peak output, which goes up to 590 HP and 650Nm in the Trofeo version. From absolute standstill to 100 kmph comes up in 4 seconds for the Gran Cabrio and in 3.6 seconds for the Gran Cabrio Trofeo. Top speed is 300 kmph and a little over 316 kmph for the Trofeo. The goal is to refine driving sensations for Maserati purchasers even in everyday use, restoring the brand’s authentic character while at the same time letting owners experience the unlimited joys of open top grand touring.
The Grecale is Maserati’s luxury SUV offering, which combines a distinctively sporty nature with everyday usability and daily luxury. It stands out for its interior roominess; a mid-size SUV with a full-size cabin. The Grecale also sets the benchmark in quality with its use of authentic materials to offer that perfect blend of elegance and sportiness.
The Grecale takes the Maserati design philosophy and develops it on a vertical rather than a horizontal aspect, adapted here for the requirements of an SUV. The grille at the front is low and imposing but not overbearing, a hallmark of Maserati’s legacy of subtle but powerful presence. Bianco is the standard colour for the Grecale with its distinctive ‘shark nose’ inspired front bumper. The range of metallic colours is of course more diverse and includes Verde Royale, Night Interaction, Bianco Astro, Blu Intenso, Nero Tempesta, Grigio Lava, Orange Devil, Giallo Modenese and two matte hues – Grigio Lava Opaco and Rame Folgore. This handsome SUV rides on either 20-inch or 21-inch alloy wheels.
On the inside, high-quality materials merge with high Italian craftsmanship to create an ambience that is understated but luxurious and authentic. It is the presentation of contemporary beauty filtered through the characterstic Maserati style. The new steering wheel offers an unprecedented form inspired by the geometry of the octagon, to improve both aesthetics and functionality. The geometric form of the steering wheel is also taken up by the sophisticated, specially revamped digital clock, which has now evolved from its familiar circular shape to an octagonal silhouette.
With the Grecale version, Maserati imagines refined travellers crossing continents; cosmopolitan personalities whose dynamic rhythm requires interiors that can offer warmth, harmony and a deep sense of belonging. Like in the case of the Gran Turismo and the Gran Cabrio, the Grecale too benefits from the use of sustainable materials that preserve the richness of texture that is important to the perception of premium while reducing the footprint on the planet.
The Grecale’s six-cylinder 3000cc twin-turbo Nettuno engine revolves around Maserati Twin Combustion (MTC) technology, with technology inherited from Formula 1, based on pre-chamber architecture. It comes with a wet sump, with deactivation via a completely redesigned technology and in certain operating conditions, the right cylinder bank of the 90-degree V6 engine can be deactivated. On the Grecale the engine produces 390 HP and 500Nm of torque, which goes up to 530 HP and 620Nm of peak torque in the Trofeo. Zero to 100 kmph is achieved in 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 260 kmph while the Trofeo posts a time of 3.8 seconds to 100 kmph before posting a top speed of 285 kmph. The Grecale comes with different drive modes, which can be activated via the Drive Mode selector on the steering wheel – GT mode, Off-Road mode, Sport mode and Corsa mode (available on the Trofeo only).
All versions of the Grecale get an all-wheel-drive that delivers torque on demand to the front wheels. The Trofeo version gets an electronic limited slip differential to further improve independent wheel torque control. In order to ensure a balance between dynamic handling and ride quality, the Grecale uses a multi-link front suspension comes with semi-virtual steering axle, front-mounted EPS and semi-active shock absorbers. The rear suspension is also multi-link, with a lower control arm. Air suspension is an optional extra.
All the three new cars – the Gran Turismo, the Gran Cabrio and the Grecale are offered with the bespoke Fuoriserie programme. This is Maserati’s own customisation programme where Maserati designers interact with customers to create their bespoke version from preset choices. Making each of these very specials cars even more desirable, special and memorable.