The sports coupe still retains its traditional good looks, but now comes with electric or V-6 power.
The 2023 Maserati GranTurismo, revealed Monday, may not immediately seem exciting, thanks to looks that are clearly an evolution of the 2007 Pininfarina design and a slow-burn roll-out. But let me provide three numbers: 490, 550, and 760. Those are the sustained horsepower figures of the GranTurismo Modena, Trofeo, and Folgore respectively. In short bursts, the Folgore’s output can even reach over 800 hp.
That should be enough to get you excited. And despite the similar sheetmetal, both Nettuno V6-powered models and the EV are based on a brand new platform that’s so far exclusive to Maserati. Identical in size and cabin space, this trio aims to offer much more than the previous V-8 could.
Maserati is hoping the new GranTurismo will help build the company’s newfound momentum. The Trident crew’s dynamic reboot began with the mid-engine, carbon-fiber MC20, only to continue with the potential volume-seller Grecale SUVs. However, 2023 is the year of the GranTurismo, which will be a $200,000-plus dream GT soon available in GranCabrio form as well. And while sports cars have come and gone from its lineup, Maserati has historically been quite good at building incredible GT cars.
Set to reach dealers in Q2 of 2023, the GranTurismo will be available exclusively with all-wheel drive. That system will be defeatable, though, with a rear-drive-only mode for slidey shenanigans. That sounds promising in a front-mid layout twin-turbocharged 2+2, and even more exciting in the EV version, which hides a T-shaped 92.5-kWh battery pack optimized for track usage as well. That delivers up to 760 hp in continuous operation, with peak bursts of up to 818 hp. That means the Folgore jumps to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, reaching 124 mph in just 8.8. A top speed of 200 mph says a lot about Maserati’s vision of electric performance.
The battery pack only cuts trunk space by 1.41 cubic feet. Development of the GT’s modular platform began in 2007, and the result is a mixed-material chassis that’s over 65 percent aluminum, alongside magnesium and high-strength steel. What’s more, the Modena factory is tooled to produce tens of thousands of these vehicles, which suggests Stellantis has bigger plans with this technology.
Unchanged from before is the wheelbase at 115 inches, yet the new GranTurismo is 0.9 inches lower and 0.8 inches wider. The H-point is down 0.9 inches, meaning our butts can go lower in Maserati’s fancy new sports seats. The engineering team is particularly proud of the fact that the GranTurismo sits a few tenths closer to the ground than a Porsche Taycan.
While the Modena and the Trofeo weigh 3858 lbs, the Folgore is 4982 lbs. Almost 1322 lbs of that is the battery pack alone, which is made in Torino by Maserati. Containing 32 modules and running at 800 volts, it is actively cooled by a glycol and water-based solution, capable of being fast-charged at up to 300 kW.
To compensate for its 610 kW peak output, regeneration can be dialed up to a rate of 400 kW, while a single rear wheel can get a maximum of 400 hp in the name of flawless cornering, thanks to the two rear permanent magnet motors being uncoupled. All three 300 kW motors—one up front and one for each rear wheel—can spin at up to 17,500 rpm.
Maserati is using SIC inverters straight from Formula E, while the system output of 1200 hp demands the presence of 8 CAN-bus networks, as well as over 120 sensors communicating with the brain at a rate of 2 milliseconds.
In case you prefer the somewhat simpler gasoline power, the 3.0 DOHC V-6 featuring pre-chamber ignition is at pretty much the same tune in the GranTurismo pair as in the Grecale Trofeo, meaning it also gets wet-sump lubrication. Expect 490 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque in the Modena and 550 hp and 478 lb-ft in the Trofeo, provided by a Nettuno V-6 mounted low behind the front axle.
The transmission is ZF’s much loved eight-speed automatic, evolved into the 8HP75 Gen2. With this smooth unit, the Modena jumps to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, only to reach 188 mph. The slightly beefier Trofeo can pass the 62 mph mark in 3.5 seconds and push hard until 200 mph, giving it the same top speed as the Folgore.
There’s no frunk or any extra storage in the nose, as the electric car’s drag figure was optimized to 0.26 Cd in hopes of a 280-mile range (according to the easier WLTP cycle). With a Cd figure of 0.28, the Modena and the Trofeo can cover over 400 miles on one tank, partly thanks to the Nettuno V-6’s half-bank deactivation mode. No matter how fast it goes or how far it’s going, a GranTurismo needs to be true to its name, so the gas cars come with 10.94 cubic-foot trunks.
Maserati decided to keep some digital features of the interior under wraps until next year, yet if you’ve seen the Grecale Trofeo, you can make a fairly accurate guess about the GranTurismo’s cabin. Rest assured, cloud-based gadgets are mixed with stylish Italian luxury, meaning fine leathers in the gas cars, and modern synthetic recycled fabrics in the Folgore. No matter the drivetrain, available equipment includes 18-way adjustable seats, premium audio by Sonus faber, and more. Traditional Maserati good looks come standard.
The key unsettled question is how the Folgore should sound. Modenas and Trofeos will still offer the exotic soundtrack Maserati buyers have come to expect, but the EV will need a trunk full of subwoofers to provide the same. Even without an exhaust, though, a 760-hp Maserati sounds great to us.
Keyword: The 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Ditches V-8 For V-6 and Electric Power