Maserati is in the midst of a renaissance; it’s branching out into new segments with cars like the MC20 and the Grecale. While it’s counting on these models to widen its target audience, it’s not forgetting about its existing customers and the cars that brought them to the brand. The new, second-generation GranTurismo is a blank-sheet redesign that’s evolutionary where it counts and revolutionary where it needs to be.
First, the elephant in the room: this is a big, luxurious coupe launched in an era when big, luxurious coupes are disappearing at an alarming rate. What’s the point? Min Byung Yoon, Maserati’s lead exterior designer, explained the grand tourer (a fast, upscale car designed to quickly and effortlessly drive across a country) is one of the pillars that the company’s image is built on, and keeping this tradition alive is important. Customers care more about image and usability than tradition, however, so the new GranTurismo receives several important updates.
Maserati will offer the GranTurismo in three different flavors: Modena, Trofeo and Folgore. The first two use a version of the excellent 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 inaugurated by the MC20 and also found in the Grecale. Known as the Nettuno engine internally, it develops 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in the Modena, figures that increase to 550 and 479, respectively, in the Trofeo. It’s bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission in both applications, and it spins the four wheels — the original GranTurismo was rear-wheel-drive.
Andrea Baccino, the chief engineer for the Italian firm’s electric powertrains, told me that making all-wheel drive standard across the range is a way to expand the GranTurismo’s usability. It’s now a viable year-round driver, even if you live somewhere in rural Vermont. The system is rear-biased but variable: it can send up to 100% of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels or split it 50/50 between the front and rear axles.
The V6 is front-mid-mounted to achieve a 52/48 front-rear weight distribution, and the GranTurismo weighs around 3,957 pounds, which is surprisingly low considering it’s not exactly nimble: it measures about 195 inches long, 77 inches wide and 53 inches tall. Hitting 62 mph from a stop takes 3.9 seconds in the Modena and 3.5 seconds in the Trofeo, and top speed checks in at 187 mph and 198 mph, respectively.
On the other side of the line-up, the GranTurismo Folgore ditches the V6 and adopts an electric drivetrain.
“We’re going to let buyers decide [whether they prefer the V6 or the EV]; we can scale production up or down depending on demand. We don’t want to influence our customers’ choice,” explained William Peffer, the head of Maserati’s North American division. Bravo, Maserati.
Power for the Folgore (which means “lightning” in Italian) comes from three electric motors: one spins the front wheels and the remaining two are each assigned to one of the rear wheels. The system’s total output checks in at 900 kilowatts (about 1,207 horsepower), but the motors don’t peak at the same time so the maximum output that reaches the wheels is about 751 horsepower and 996 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough to send the electric GranTurismo from 0-62 mph in 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of approximately 198 mph. Built around an 800-volt electrical system, the Folgore uses a 92.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack compatible with 270-kilowatt fast-charging.
Here’s where Maserati got clever: rather than putting the battery pack beneath the passenger compartment, which is the case in a majority of the electric cars available new in 2022, it developed what it calls a T-bone-shaped pack that neatly slots into the transmission tunnel and extends to part of the trunk. This configuration allowed engineers and designers to keep the Folgore’s roof line as low as the gasoline-powered model’s. Weight … well, that’s a different story. The EV boasts a 50/50 weight distribution, but it weighs nearly 5,000 pounds.
Regardless of powertrain type, the new GranTurismo shares no parts with its V8-powered predecessor. This applies even to the components that customers don’t usually see: the coupe is notably fitted with an adjustable air suspension system and massive Brembo brakes.
Visually, the GranTurismo honors its predecessors (going way back to the A6 line released in 1947) with the proportions you’d expect from a grand tourer: a long hood, a short trunk lid and a low profile. Its front end borrows styling cues from the MC20 and the flowing lines that start from the hood define the rest of the design. The swoopy sheet metal gives the coupe a drag coefficient of 0.28 when powered by a V6 engine and 0.26 when powered electric motors; Baccino credits the small gain to the fact that an electric drivetrain requires less cooling.
Only a small handful of styling cues (including the grille and lower front bumper) set the two powertrains apart, and that’s intentional.
“This is one car for us. The GranTurismo is like a brand to itself; it’s the Maserati design king,” Byung Yoon told me. He added that the V6- and battery-powered models were designed simultaneously. His team of designers created one car and made styling changes based on the different cooling requirements of each powertrain. “We didn’t want to change the bumper and add fake stuff; we call it purpose for beauty.”
I can’t tell you much about the interior; I saw it, but I’m sworn to automotive omertà until early 2023. What I can say is that Maserati went to significant lengths to make the GranTurismo a true four-seater, and a pair of average-sized adults should be relatively comfortable in the rear seats. Luxury plays a big role in the constitution of a GT’s character — it always has — and the GranTurismo doesn’t disappoint. While standard and optional equipment will vary from market to market, the list of available features will include 18-way power-adjustable front seats.
The new GranTurismo’s trunk is about 20% bigger than the previous model’s, though measurements for our market haven’t been released. The catch is that the Folgore has a smaller trunk due to the battery pack, and don’t count on the frunk to make up for it: there isn’t one.
Maserati will begin delivering the new GranTurismo in the second quarter of 2023. Pricing will start at around $200,000. As for the GranCabrio, the GranTurismo’s convertible sidekick, it will return within the next year and offer roughly the same specifications as the coupe.
Source: www.autoblog.com