New performance flagship continues old coupe's charm but broaden its appeal with extra practicality, stonking pace and modern sophistication
- How much does the Maserati GranTurismo cost?
- What equipment comes with the Maserati GranTurismo?
- How safe is the Maserati GranTurismo?
- What technology does the Maserati GranTurismo feature?
- What powers the Maserati GranTurismo?
- How fuel-efficient is the Maserati GranTurismo?
- What is the Maserati GranTurismo like to drive?
- What is the Maserati GranTurismo like inside?
- Should I buy a Maserati GranTurismo?
How much does the Maserati GranTurismo cost?
Pricing for the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo is yet to be announced for Australia, but we expect the cheapest 356kW Modena variant to weigh in at around $350,000 – around the same money as a BMW M8 or Porsche 911 C4 GTS.
The more expensive 410kW Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo, meanwhile, is primed to nudge $400,000, while the all-electric 560kW GranTurismo Folgore could cost as much as $500,000.
Reflecting similar price increases in Europe, it’s clear that Maserati is intent on pushing the 2023 GranTurismo upmarket, straying into territory inhabited by the Bentley Continental GT, especially with models like the Trofeo.
Like all Maseratis sold in Australia, the all-new GranTursimo will be backed by a lacklustre three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia. Owners are also expected to be offered a 10-year extended warranty offering peace of mind for those who plan to keep their car longer than three years.
Prices will be released for the Extra10 Warranty later, but servicing intervals are 12 months/15,000km.
What equipment comes with the Maserati GranTurismo?
Since the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo won’t land Down under until the second half of this year, the Italian car-maker has yet to announce full specifications for the cars we’ll get, but it’s likely they will be closely based on the model range sold in Italy.
If that’s the case, expect all versions to come with a 12.2-inch customisable digital instrument panel and a 12.3-inch infotainment system sitting neatly above an 8.8-inch ‘comfort’ panel that incorporates climate controls, slashing the button count within the cabin.
The above is carried over from the upcoming new Grecale medium SUV, as well as the digital Maserati carriage clock.
As with the smaller SUV, Maserati will give buyers plenty of opportunities to personalise their vehicle, which will see the base price spiral.
If you want premium paint it’ll cost an extra €4636 ($A7200). Want to swap out the standard wheels? Maserati charges Italian buyers up to €5490 ($A8500).
There’s no carbon-ceramic brake option but if you fancy black, red, yellow or blue brake callipers, say goodbye to €976 ($A1500).
Then there’s the must-have tech packs. Even the base ADAS package that adds a surround-view camera and adaptive cruise (with stop&go) costs €3782 ($A5900).
A digital rear-view mirror and head-up display costs another €3050 ($A4700)
The Comfort pack adds a gesture-controlled tailgate, heated sports steering wheel and HomeLink connection for €1708 ($A2600), while a Sport Design pack throws in aluminium pedals and footrest, illuminated kickplates and black trim, instead of chrome around the windows for €1830 ($A2800).
Other must-haves include a 19-speaker Faber premium sound system for €4270 ($A6600) and ventilated seats for €1098 ($A1700).
But we think we could do without paying the €61 ($A95) that Maserati charges for a branded set of dust caps for the tyres.
How safe is the Maserati GranTurismo?
There’s little chance Maserati will ever volunteer its 2023 Maserati GranTurismo for full Euro NCAP crash testing, but thanks to the development of an all-new platform overseen in the latter stages by its Stellantis parent company, the new coupe and its incoming GranCabrio convertible sibling should both offer plenty of protection in the event of a crash.
What technology does the Maserati GranTurismo feature?
Maserati is especially proud of the latest Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA) infotainment system fitted in the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo.
Unfortunate acronym aside, the new system is based on the most up-to-date Android Auto operating system and it’s swift and easy to use.
Capable of being configured with multiple tabs, the system can store up to five different users who can save their own profile to more easily access stored settings for music, climate control, seat/mirror positions and more.
Both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available and there’s natural-speak ‘Hey Maserati’ in-vehicle assistant to operate minor functions, reducing your reliance on touch-screens and cutting driver distraction.
What powers the Maserati GranTurismo?
There are just two powertrains offered with the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo: the wild three-motor all-electric Folgore version that musters an outrageous 560kW and 1350Nm, and the very same twin-turbo 3.0-litre ‘Nettuno’ V6 that first starred under the rear boot lid of the MC20 supercar.
Installed in an optimum front mid-ship position under the GranTurismo’s stretched snout, the trick 90-degree bent-six features neat pre-chamber combustion tech that, until now, has only ever been successfully used in F1 engines; it’s effectively a flame-thrower that promotes a bigger, cleaner more potent burn within the cylinder.
That explains why – despite displacing only three litres – it produces either 356kW/600Nm in the GranTurismo Modena or 410kW/650Nm in the full-fat GranTurismo Trofeo. That’s still somewhat down on the 463kW/730Nm produced by the Maserati MC20 supercar, largely because the coupe runs different turbos.
Mounted higher than in the MC20, engineers also dumped the dry-sump lubrication system for a traditional wet sump. Finally, on light throttle applications or while cruising around 120km/h, the V6 can now shut-down its right bank of cylinders for greater efficiency and, more importantly (for EU legislators), lower emissions.
While the previous GranTurismo featured a transaxle (its transmission was mounted to the rear axle for better weight balance) the new one has an eight-speed auto bolted onto the back of the engine – for good reason. Early on it was decided the Maserati coupe and cabriolet had to be all-wheel drive and a transaxle would have brought too many compromises.
Thanks to its imposing power and torque outputs, plus all-wheel drive traction, performance takes a huge leap forward over the outgoing model, with the 0-100km/h sprint taking 3.9 seconds for the lower-powered Modena and just 3.5 for the Trofeo. Top speed for the latter is 320km/h.
Those figures are humbled by the BMW M8 Competition, which produces a punchier-still 460kW/750Nm and can launch to 100km/h in 3.2sec, although its top speed is limited to 304km/h.
Of course, both V6 versions of the GranTurismo (and the M8) are comprehensively out-gunned by the battery-powered Folgore, which accelerates to 100km/h in just 2.7sec and can still crack 325km/h.
How fuel-efficient is the Maserati GranTurismo?
The 2023 Maserati GranTurismo averages 10.2L/100km on the European WLTP test regime while emitting 230g/km of CO2.
In comparison, the BMW M8 Competition Coupe returns 11.0L/100km and 251g/km under the same WLTP testing. The bigger Bentley Continental GT, meanwhile, isn’t as far away as you would imagine, also managing around 11.8L/100km and 268g/km.
Anchor: Driving & Comfort
What is the Maserati GranTurismo like to drive?
‘Transformed’ best describes the driving experience of the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo compared to the old relic it replaces. While the previous car had its charms, it was well past its best – both on road and track, where it could get extremely ragged when pushed, despite its motorsport heritage.
It helped greatly that Maserati could start from scratch this time, with an all-new architecture that is both stiffer and lighter than before, in part because lightweight aluminium is employed for more than 65 per cent of its construction.
The body is made of the same metal and with 90 per cent of all its fluids onboard the GranTurismo weighs 1795kg, which is significantly lighter than before – although exactly how heavy the original GT was is difficult to know.
As far as suspension goes there’s a double-wishbone front axle and multi-link rear-end, with single-chamber air springs and adaptive dampers all round. A mechanically locking rear differential is standard on the Modena version, while the sportier Trofeo gets an electronically activated rear diff lock for extra precision.
Despite having an almost identical footprint to the car it replaces, engineers actually shortened the wheelbase by 40mm, while increasing the front and rear track fractionally.
Following in Porsches tracks, there’s also a staggered-diameter wheel set-up with 265/30-section 20-inch rims on the front axle and larger 295/30 21-inch wheels at the rear to deliver better turn-in response.
Maserati says it also worked with Pirelli to develop a bespoke P Zero tyre, but the cars we drove were shod with winter tyres due to sub-zero temperatures.
Stab the start button and the GranTurismo barks into life with purpose, but shortly after slotting it into drive for the first portion of our route, the famous MC20 engine sounded about as exotic as sub-$30,000 small hatch.
Blame (or praise) the fuel-saving cylinder-shutdown system for that. It makes the GranTurismo operate with only half of its engine, hence the three-pot thrum.
Weirdly, it was more pronounced in the Modena than the Trofeo, even though there’s little mechanical difference.
It seems churlish to moan about the noise, such is the huge difference in performance dished up from the advanced twin-turbo V6, but only if you haven’t lived with the previous model’s pretty wonderful-sounding Ferrari-derived V8.
Flatten the throttle and the new GranTurismo – in either Modena or Trofeo guise – flies with a turbo rush past 5000rpm. Aiding the intoxicating performance and phenomenal cross-country pace is a complete lack of tyre slip under even the heaviest throttle inputs out of tight corners.
The all-wheel drive system is also on your side when you reach challenging corners. We managed to coax the rear wheels to arc out once but, overall, the winter tyres and cold slippery roads made managing understeer the order of the day.
Maserati toyed with adding rear-wheel steering for its big GT but didn’t on weight grounds. A quicker steering rack, shorter wheelbase and less mass to haul around all contribute to delivering a far nimbler feel behind the wheel than before, but the big Maserati two-door still feels more at home crushing continents than entertaining on your favourite country road.
Speaking of steering, curiously we preferred the lighter feel of the Folgore, which had yet to be signed-off, than the meatier weighting of the V6. That suggests there’s still some internal debate about which is best.
At whatever speed you travel, the eight-speed auto – while a huge improvement on the previous car’s horrid automated manual – still seems too eager to shuffle its way to top gear. It also adds unwanted driveline shunt at lower speeds, and feels like more calibration is needed.
Like before, there’s a bumpy setting for the dampers that adds extra comfort on poor roads, but the trade-off is a less controlled ride.
Curiously, despite feeling equally quick, we’d rule out the cheapest Modena and spend extra for the Trofeo, because it has the better throttle response and smoother powertrain. It’s no surprise that engineers spent most of their time developing it, before winding power back for the entry-model.
So, would you choose a Maserati GranTurismo over a BMW M8 Comp or even a Bentley Continental GT? The view over the curved front fenders alone might seal the deal for some, but many will choose the Italian coupe because of the undying allure of the trident fork, as well as its relatively keen pricing, unbeatable packaging and classy design.
What is the Maserati GranTurismo like inside?
With plenty of feedback from existing owners, Maserati knew exactly what it had to do when reinventing the 2023 Maserati GranTurismo, and the work began by ensuring its svelte lines didn’t compromise its interior packaging.
In fact, quite the opposite has happened. Behind the driver and passenger there’s now both more headroom and kneeroom plus a pair of proper rear seats. There’s even an air-vent placed between both seats, plus two USB chargers.
Don’t be misled, the GranTurismo has transitioned into a bona-fide replacement for a large family car and if you’re under six-foot tall there’s ample comfort for a couple of hours in the back seats. One designer also hinted that there’s more space there than in both the BMW M8 and the much bigger Bentley Continental GT, but we’re yet to break out the tape measure.
Within the cabin you can also begin to appreciate the huge step forward Maserati has taken when it comes to the look and feel of the interior, which is now not only well designed but also well built from quality materials with few of the Italian idiosyncrasies that used to haunt previous models.
The simple-to-use three-spoke steering wheel is worth mentioning as its rotary manettino makes it easy to select the five driving modes. The oversized paddles also return and work well.
The GranTursimo carries over its instrument cluster, infotainment system and climate control panel from the Grecale SUV and it’s no worse for it as the system is simple quick and intuitive.
Buyers have the choice of three different cabin designs. There’s the classic Modena variant that blends traditional beige and black leather with a wood finish for the dash, while the sportier Trofeo combines black trim with red stitching and shuns timber for carbon-fibre.
Finally, the all-electric Folgore goes for a more contemporary look with blue and white hues for its sustainable fabrics, some of which are made from used fishing nets, instead of traditional leather to reflect the more eco-conscious buyers the all-electric coupe is expected to attract.
Overall, some may lament the loss of the traditional analogue look and feel of the old GT, as well as its wacky colours and the unashamed mix of wood and leather, but the new three-screen arrangement works well and it’s quick and intuitive to use.
In other words, if you’re in a market for a fast and classy premium 2+2 coupe, there are fewer reasons than ever not to buy a GranTurismo.
Should I buy a Maserati GranTurismo?
Maserati’s last combustion-powered GT will be judged a huge success by the trident-brand devotees that snapped up the 40,000 examples of the original GranTurismo coupe and cabriolet made between 2007 and 2019.
But it will be judged a massive failure if it doesn’t conquer new buyers, or at least pinch some of the incredible 40,410 buyers who bought a Porsche 911 in 2022 alone.
Luckily, the new car finally has all the right ingredients, save a howling V8.
It’s far faster, easier to drive and more comfortable than before, features infotainment that actually works, a cabin that actually feels expensive and, crucially, the sense of exoticness and allure that premium rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz just don’t have.
Our only concern is pricing; we hope the Italian GT isn’t positioned here as a Bentley Continental GT alternative but rather a classier take on the BMW M8.
Either way, the new Maserati GranTurismo deserves to win plenty of hearts and minds as one of the classiest new grand tourers out there.
2023 Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo at a glance:
Price: $350,000 (estimated, plus ORCs)
Available: Second half of 2023
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6
Output: 410kW/650Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.2L/100km (WLTP Combined)
CO2: 230g/km (WLTP Combined)
Safety rating: NA
Keyword: Maserati GranTurismo 2023 Review