Maserati GranTurismo - Short Review
Today I had the chance to drive a Maserati GranTurismo.
What can I say...beautiful car, even if I can't say that I'm in love with the design.
Last time I drove a Maserati, it was many many years ago and the quality impression was pretty poor, it looked more like a better Lancia model than a little Ferrari brother.
Quality has definetely improved, the interior is very nice, almost at par with its more exclusive brother (sister?), Ferrari.
The sport exhaust system of the GranTurismo is a real treat, it sounds absolutely marvelous below 4000 rpm and it is really loud. I even wonder how Maserati got it street legal, it is REALLY loud and sounds even better than the well known "old" 996 Carrera sport exhaust. When turning off the SPORT mode, the exhaust tone changes completely and the exhaust is almost unnoticeable.
Driving the GranTurismo is fun, it feels very much like the latest BMW M3 Cab with a slightly reduced tendency to roll. Steering feels almost identically.
I didn't have the chance to drive the GrandTurismo very fast or on the track but it feels good and sporty, the chassis seems to be very good. I was however surprised with the engine or better said with the shifting system. Gear upshifts were weird, they took much longer than in my wife's new BMW M3 Cabriolet DKG and shifting itself felt a bit jerky. The car was pretty new, so maybe this changes with time but it was kind of a negative surprise and didn't fit the overall positive experience with the rest of the car.
The car I testdrove was almost in the 997 Turbo price range. Compared to the BMW M3 Cab, I didn't have the feeling that it provided more value for the money but I also have to confess that the brand Maserati always fascinated me and of course there is always the brand Ferrari lurking behind Maserati in a way or another.
I can't make a final judgement after just a short drive but the Maserati GrandTurismo is definetely a sportscar you should testdrive together with the typical 997 Carrera, etc. competition to be able to make a buying decision.
I liked it a lot but for this kind of money, I'm not sure if it is worth it. The BMW M3 offers the same performance, drive feel and quality for almost 40% less money.
--
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor 997 Turbo, Cayenne Turbo S, BMW M3 Cab DKG, Mini Cooper S JCW
