Test drive: Maserati GranTurismo
I had the chance to try out the Maserati GranTurismo last weekend.
It is looking great in the flesh. A lot better than on any picture I've seen. Elegant and brutal at the same time.
As expected performance is adequate, but not mind-blowing. The engine is not running very smooth, the whole front of the car is shaking. Steering is on the right side of heavy and direct, I liked it a lot.
Car is very low in the front, speed bumps are your #1 enemy.
Sound... well... maybe I expected too much because of the engines heritage, but this car could definetly be louder. Sound is nice though and above 5000 RPM it speaks up!
Auto tranny is working smooth, with quite direct manual shifting via the paddles (at least fast compared to the Tiptronic Porsches I've driven where you press the button and then wait some seconds before any shifting action may happen).
Impressions of the interior was very mixed... everything covered with leather looks nice, everything else... slightly cheap and thrown togehther. Seats are OK, but the headrest is fixed (which is strange IMO since it looks like a separate item). Lots of space for the rear passengers, trunk size not keeping up.
+ Looks
+ Looks
+ Looks
+ Steering
+ Auto Tranny
+ Looking and feeling more compact than it is
- Power (and fuel consumption probably)
- Exhaust/engine volume
- Interior plastics
Overall verdict... perfect if you like coupés, do need rear seats and think that a 650i or CL Merc is too boring.
It is looking great in the flesh. A lot better than on any picture I've seen. Elegant and brutal at the same time.
As expected performance is adequate, but not mind-blowing. The engine is not running very smooth, the whole front of the car is shaking. Steering is on the right side of heavy and direct, I liked it a lot.
Car is very low in the front, speed bumps are your #1 enemy.
Sound... well... maybe I expected too much because of the engines heritage, but this car could definetly be louder. Sound is nice though and above 5000 RPM it speaks up!
Auto tranny is working smooth, with quite direct manual shifting via the paddles (at least fast compared to the Tiptronic Porsches I've driven where you press the button and then wait some seconds before any shifting action may happen).
Impressions of the interior was very mixed... everything covered with leather looks nice, everything else... slightly cheap and thrown togehther. Seats are OK, but the headrest is fixed (which is strange IMO since it looks like a separate item). Lots of space for the rear passengers, trunk size not keeping up.
+ Looks
+ Looks
+ Looks
+ Steering
+ Auto Tranny
+ Looking and feeling more compact than it is
- Power (and fuel consumption probably)
- Exhaust/engine volume
- Interior plastics
Overall verdict... perfect if you like coupés, do need rear seats and think that a 650i or CL Merc is too boring.
...F's Dino may be a more upscale version of this same ethos, but w/a more powerful brand.... 
but I didn't try braking very hard to be honest.
