MASERATI GRANCABRIO 2024 REVIEW: PEROL OR ELECTRIC? There is a clear winner
There's a clear star in the lineup
When you think of the ideal Maserati large convertible, you may think of some prerequisites. First and foremost, it had to look good – and, moreover, it had the shadow of the MC20 supercar, which is the "tick" on the "tick" track record of this sleek new GranCabrio. It should also have an elegant cockpit – another hallmark of this new car. And then there really should be a noisy V8 under the hood. Yes. All right. About this ......
You know, every manufacturer's fleet has a decarbonization policy, regardless of the size of the brand, and Maserati is no exception. This means that while the new GranCabrio has an internal combustion engine model called the Trofeo, it is the Folgore that dominates the headlines.
It's an ultra-luxury, ultra-high-performance convertible luxury station wagon designed to pull Maserati into the modern electric vehicle (EV) arms race. In case you're wondering, Folgore is the Italian word for "lightning."
When you look at the staggering paper numbers of the electric GranCabrio, you will surely wonder if this is a false claim.
It has three electric motors, one mounted on the front axle and the other two on the rear axle, which means the GranCabrio Folgore has four-wheel drive and is equipped with torque vectoring control on the rear axle. This means that it is able to adjust the power of each rear wheel individually depending on the situation.
Although the Folgore weighs 445 kg more than the Trofeo V6 model, it accelerates much faster than the Trofeo model, accelerating from 0-62 mph in just 2.8 seconds compared to 3.6 seconds for the gas-powered GranCabrio.
It achieves this, and – unusual for an electric car – reaches a top speed of 180 mph, rather than being limited to relatively low speeds to save battery, thanks to the fact that each of its 300kW electric motors produces 402bhp of power on its own.
Before you start the calculations, we have to tell you that Maserati is not going to let Folgore reach its maximum potential of 1,206bhp, but to limit it to a still respectable 750bhp. For a short, limited time, it can boost that figure to 830bhp, part of a process that Maserati calls "MaxBoost".
However, in the midst of all these ridiculous "Top Trumps"-like statistics, the torque value (torsional force) of up to 996lb ft stands out.
This is simply a huge step forward, which means that when you ask for more Folgore, the car is very fast in a straight line, no matter what speed you're driving.
Press the gas pedal and the force generated is enough to jerk your head back into your seat, no matter how hard you try to prepare for the subsequent feeling of being pushed behind by the planet.
It's all impressive, and even if you're used to the power transmission of fast electric cars, we can see how Folgore will conquer new markets for Maserati. However, if we're honest, after the first few attempts at its massive power, the rest of this GranCabrio looks even more elusive.
For example, there's no iconic Marathi soundtrack to go along with this incredible speed. There is sometimes a faint hum and some falsetto that mimics the internal combustion engine, but no real tune (whether synthesized or non-synthetic) can blend in with the scenery on the windshield that fast-forwards tenfold as it accelerates. This makes Folgore's rhythm a strange, unappealing, and distant experience.
To be fair, it's a lot like handling. Maserati has done a lot of work to control the weight of the Folgore, but you will feel it as you approach every corner, as on the straights up in front you easily gain tremendous speed, so it is inevitable to increase the braking.
It is at this point that the GranCabrio Folgore feels uncomfortable, as you almost have to wrestle with it to get it back to the right speed in the corner. It also feels rather bulky for body control, so trying to drive a Maserati softtop like a sports car isn't much fun.
So, as a performance car, the GranCabrio Folgore isn't convincing other than being too fast. But it's also not entirely convincing as a grand tourer, as the Folgore's suspension work is more pronounced at any speed than the Trofeo.
At any speed, you can feel the wheels moving up and down inside the arch, which can cause too many bumps and bumps into the cab on roads where the speed is less fast in towns. It's a little more stable at higher speeds, but it always feels heavier on the foot than the petrol version.
As a result, the all-round outlook for the GranCabrio Trofeo is more convincing than that of the Folgore, and it may be worth getting more column space than sitting in the shadow of EVs.
Its 3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine shares the Maserati MC20 supercar, and the Trofeo uses the same eight-speed automatic transmission.
Indeed, if you've driven a lot of Alfa Romeos with the company's 2.9-liter V6 engine, Maserati's drivetrain will give you a familiar feel and sound familiar, although both companies insist that these are separately developed engines.
Still, while the GranCabrio Trofeo's 3-liter engine doesn't roar as much as the 4.7-liter V8 of the older model that the model replaced, it still sounds great under load and gives Maserati the thoroughly sporty sound that this car deserves.
Even though it's not a nimble sports car, considering it's nearly five meters long and nearly two meters wide, the curb weight of 1.9 tons makes for a much more engaging and enjoyable driving experience than the Folgore, even if the 542-horsepower Trofeo isn't as staggering in a straight line as an electric car.
It's fast enough for most people, as it can still accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 196 mph.
Of course, this only applies if this speed is legal and/or appropriate; Basically on an empty highway or race track. Neither place will appeal to convertible GT owners.
The Trofeo is absolutely superior in flexibility on twisty roads and will never deliver the kind of feeling that Folgore has in similar situations, the feeling that it's like you're trying to quickly move a grand piano down a very narrow staircase without damaging it.
Conversely, the GranCabrio V6 steers sharply, feels more balanced and composed – although its body roll is greater than the sharpest driver would like – and has better payoff overall, with a cohesive display that belies the binary "aim and shoot" approach you'll need in Folgore.
But more realistically, the Trofeo is a further proof of its prowess, and that is that it consistently rides smoother than the Folgore.
On a petrol Maserati, you will never be as keenly aware of the dimensions of the alloy wheels at the four corners of the car as you are on an electric car. So, while the near-silence of the Folgore drivetrain gives it an edge in terms of noise, when it comes to the all-around rolling comfort required for a prestige grand tourer, there's no doubt that the Trofeo performs much better.
In other ways, GranCabrio is an impressive piece, whether it's a Folgore or a Trofeo. The styling is clean, if not breathtakingly flashy, it's a sleeker evolution of the car that came before for a long time, with only a few elements of the MC20 added.
These include smaller upright headlights and a simpler oval grille with the famous Trident logo, although the rear light clusters of the new GranCabrio look a lot like the old ones.
There are very subtle differences in the exterior of the Trofeo and Folgore, including a different grille and front bumper air intake depending on the cooling requirements of their respective drivetrains, while the EV's charging port is located under one of the taillight clusters – a bit awkward, to be fair, as it could have been more neatly integrated elsewhere in the body.
Another feature of Maserati, past and present, is the long distance between the front and rear wheels, and for the GranCabrio this feature is designed to maximise cabin space.
In a way, it worked. You'll still call it a "2+2" rather than an outright four-seater, especially if you're really going to drive it on a luxury trip across a continent; No one will thank you for letting them sit in the back seat of a Maserati for thousands of miles.
But taller passengers can sit comfortably in the second row, although the position of the front seats needs to be carefully adjusted. In short, two couples can ride the GranCabrio to dinner, as long as one of each couple is no more than six feet tall.
Passenger space is more important than luggage capacity, though. If the romantic ideal for this class of cars is that they will travel long distances on vacation and are equipped with a cargo compartment that can accommodate luggage, then you need more than an insignificant 172 liters (with the Trofeo hood open) - and with the Folgore hood folded up, this figure drops to only 114 liters. The Fiat 500 Electric has a larger trunk capacity than any GranCabrio model.
This means that Maserati's well-decorated rear seats will inevitably be used to store luggage more often than passengers' buttocks.
But other than that, the cockpit of the GranCabrio was quite successful. It's beautifully decorated and assembled, and the interior barely squeaks, crunches, and moans while the car is moving, whether the hood is raised or lowered.
Technically, the 12.3-inch main touchscreen looks good and works well, the 12.2-inch digital driving instrument cluster is also excellent, and the 8.8-inch "comfort display" houses climate control with a set of very discreet drive selection buttons above it.
There's also a digital version of the traditional Maserati clock on the dashboard, the 'Econyl' seat trim in the Folgore is made from recycled nylon for eco-friendly features, the fabric roof can be raised or lowered in just 14-16 seconds (including when driving at speeds of up to 31 mph), a configurable head-up display, a powerful 815-watt, 13-speaker Sonos Faber sound system, and even small air vents on the front seats, Warm air can be blown around the passenger's neck.
Our only grievance about the GranCabrio cabin was the unnecessary "push-button exit" door release, which—just like the others—requires a secondary, spare physical lever to be placed in the door box. Instead of these, we can use a single, sleek mechanical door handle.
But overall, it's a very good grand tourer. This means that the ratings in this review are for Folgore, not Trofeo. The electric GranCabrio is a car designed to satisfy people with extremely short attention spans – probably young billionaires who made their fortunes via the internet, mostly through YouTube.
Cramming all the powerful EV running rigs into a long, low, light luxury tourer is an incredible piece of engineering, and making the most of the amazing output that a Folgore motor can produce is truly an eye-opening experience.
So it's not for nothing. But as a car designed for driving enthusiasts, it still has its shortcomings. It always came across as heavy and dull, and the car masked its apparent lack of cornering speed with ballistic electric impulse on the straights. It's a very effective strategy, but it's not particularly tempting.
Luckily, if you want a Maserati GranCabrio that feels more enjoyable to drive, the V6 Trofeo is always an option – and we think, rightly or not, that it's a car that is clearly superior to the Folgore in an age when we should all be using electric cars.
Beautiful appearance, good cabin quality, good acoustics? That's right, the GranCabrio Trofeo ticks all these boxes...... There are a number of other advantages as well.