Thrill seeker
July 9, 2008
Pulse racing, dry mouth, sweaty palms? Don't worry, it's a perfectly normal reaction to the new Maserati GranTurismo S
The GranTurismo S looks spectacular from almost any angle. It's a truly pretty car
The stock, unmolested and utterly standard Maserati GranTurismo is a perfectly brilliant thing and needs no salad garnish, no wanton frippery. It was conceived as a GT, a car for use day-to-day rather than that day or two when you’re feeling brave and wearing your most daring hat. Moreover, it is widely agreed to be a very pleasant thing to look at without being overwhelming.You could criticise it for being too slow, too soft or too heavy, but they are precisely the reasons why it feels like a superlative GT car. It doesn't wind you up with nerve-rending performance, it rides relatively well yet retains palmish feedback and comes across as substantial but solid. Which is why, when I heard that Maserati was
releasing a gengineered more 'sporting' version, there was an element of scepticism floating fly-like in the Martini of my mood.The good news about the GranTurismo S is that despite the relatively subtle change in nomenclature, the hardware swaps aren¹t the usual breathing and fuelling tweaks wrought with the magic spanner of the company laptop, but something more exotic. Still, let me point out some highlights for you.
First, and rather spectacularly, is the fact that the engine of the 'S' is now basically the same V8 as in the Alfa 8C Competizione; but this time with 4.7 litres of V8 goodness. Power is up from the near-400bhp output of the 4.2 in the normal
GranTurismo to some 440bhp, with torque rising to 361lb ft from 339lb ft.>'It rides relatively well yet retains palmish feedback and comes across as substantial but solid'
The power gets channelled to the rear wheels through a six-speed robotised manual with paddle-shift, now tuned with a system called 'MC Shift' that thumps the gears between ratios in a particularly energetic fashion when you press on. There's new suspension to allow that extra power and torque to translate itself to the road, and a 47/53 front/rear weight distribution to lend some weight to the driving rubber.
There are new 'S'-only 20-inch rims in either anthracite or silver, and the body gets a thorough but subtle reworking of an already beautiful shape, the biggest changes being the new black headlight-surrounds and grille, small side skirts and larger rear aerofoil integrated into the boot-lid.
Larger oval exhaust tips poke out from either side of the rear valance and there are now red slashes on the Maserati trident badges, like spots of recently encountered blood. We're not talking wings 'n' slicks here, but a more restrained enhancement. Think 'M' car, rather than wonky tuner special.
It certainly works. Parked here in a village square just outside Cremona in Italy, you realise that
not only does the GranTurismo S look spectacular from almost any angle, it doesn't appear to have a bogey colour; it can carry off back, white, red, light blue - the true mark of a pretty car. The large wheels suit the huge radius of the arches better than the 19s of the standard version, and even more so when dressed in the slightly too fashionable anthracite paint. Nothing looks stuck-on or out of place. Immediately, we're looking low on reserves of righteous anger.
There are new 'S'-only 20-inch rims in either anthracite or silver, and the body gets a thorough but subtle reworking of an already beautiful shape, the biggest changes being the new black headlight-surrounds and grille, small side skirts and larger rear aerofoil integrated into the boot-lid.
Larger oval exhaust tips poke out from either side of the rear valance and there are now red slashes on the Maserati trident badges, like spots of recently encountered blood. We're not talking wings 'n' slicks here, but a more restrained enhancement. Think 'M' car, rather than wonky tuner special.
It certainly works. Parked here in a village square just outside Cremona in Italy, you realise that
not only does the GranTurismo S look spectacular from almost any angle, it doesn't appear to have a bogey colour; it can carry off back, white, red, light blue - the true mark of a pretty car. The large wheels suit the huge radius of the arches better than the 19s of the standard version, and even more so when dressed in the slightly too fashionable anthracite paint. Nothing looks stuck-on or out of place. Immediately, we're looking low on reserves of righteous anger.Inside, it gets new seats and some coloured inserts on the dash and doors. As usual for a Maserati, you can spec pretty much anything in various colour combinations, materials and
levels of taste, though it's probably wise to opt for something slightly conservative on the inside, or your eyes might get a little tired of life.And from immediate insertion of arse into sports seat, an immediate problem rears its ugly little head; the new alcantara and leather sports seats feature a deeper middle section framed by leather that sits proud of the alcantara bucket. Fine, if you fit into the frame - i.e. anyone under 5ft 10in - but if you're taller, you tend to get a ridge of leather just beneath your shoulderblades that is incredibly irritating. The full leather seat has less of a step and is therefore more comfy, but the alcantara mix looks better. You takes your choice.
Mind you, as soon as you turn the slightly low-
rent plastic key, you'll forget about the seats. You may also forget where you live, the fact you're married and your kids' names. When the GranTurismo S starts up, it harrumphs into life like a thousand-horsepower marine engine, settling back into the kind of angry burble you tend to hear only in the pits at Le Mans, or when someone has screwed motorbike throttle bodies to a car engine.>'When the GranTurismo S starts up, it harrumphs into life like a thousand-horsepower marine engine'
The surprise and delight comes from the fact that such a sinuous- and flowing-looking thing sounds like it is either about to explode or attack, and you're never sure which. Tap the right-hand paddle to engage first gear, undo the electronic parking brake and peer down the voluptuous front wings as you pull into traffic, and there's a real sense of occasion that will make any even faintly autophiliac human get all of a flutter. Forget sexual subtlety and implication: this car is pure porn.
It turns out that the huge noise means the ‘Sport' button is already engaged, essentially opening a set of pneumatic flaps that allow the exhaust gases to exit the engine unencumbered, and the paddle 'box is set to an aggressive shift pattern with ‘MC Shift' fast changes intialised in the upper reaches of the rev range and over 80 per cent throttle. Basically, the harder you nail it, the faster the changes get.
It's quick, but having driven several cars recently with torque-converter auto 'boxes that actually change as fast (Lexus IS-F and Audi RS6 at 100ms) and have a slushy auto as well, this system will only remain in the game for the next six months.
Clever gearbox technology is hip, and dual-clutch and lightning-fast autos make this MC-Shift feel merely on the pace, rather than able to change it. Pull out onto any back road, and immediately you'll notice the ride simply isn't as composed or elastic as that of the stock car - a function of larger-diameter wheels and reworked suspension.
It turns out that the huge noise means the ‘Sport' button is already engaged, essentially opening a set of pneumatic flaps that allow the exhaust gases to exit the engine unencumbered, and the paddle 'box is set to an aggressive shift pattern with ‘MC Shift' fast changes intialised in the upper reaches of the rev range and over 80 per cent throttle. Basically, the harder you nail it, the faster the changes get.
It's quick, but having driven several cars recently with torque-converter auto 'boxes that actually change as fast (Lexus IS-F and Audi RS6 at 100ms) and have a slushy auto as well, this system will only remain in the game for the next six months.
Clever gearbox technology is hip, and dual-clutch and lightning-fast autos make this MC-Shift feel merely on the pace, rather than able to change it. Pull out onto any back road, and immediately you'll notice the ride simply isn't as composed or elastic as that of the stock car - a function of larger-diameter wheels and reworked suspension.
The 'S' now gets fixed-rating suspension and bigger anti-roll bars ¬ you can't swap between comfort and sports settings - although you can still get Maserati's adjustable 'Skyhook' suspension as an option for £1,700-odd, if you're feeling fragile.
The result is a car that camber-chases more than the original, but feels more planted when you push. Maserati claims 10 per cent less body roll, but it feels even more impressive, and there's a positivity from the steering wheel that doesn't make an appearance in the softer focus of the GranTurismo. It turns in and holds on.
Where once there was comforting but ultimately speed-sapping understeer, there is a tangible amount more grip. And then some more grip. Eventually understeer steals the life from protesting front tyres, followed by a measure of gentle oversteer if you stay on the throttle, but it's an uncomfortable feeling in the 'S' - much better to smooth out the line than drive like a beserker.
Drive into a pothole, and the horizon will vibrate and shudder, and ultimately it would be less comfortable over serious miles, but the car doesn't bounce or skitter.
>'Where once there was comforting but ultimately speed-sapping understeer, there is a tangible amount more grip'
So, once you've discovered that there's more grip than you expect given the weighty feeling of the car, it's time to explore the engine. Engage 'Sport', release the soundwaves from their tubular prison, knock a crease or two out of the floormats with the throttle pedal and you'll be greeted with a pleasant surprise.
There's definitely more torque and power than before, but somehow the 'S' manages to feel much faster than the relatively meagre statistical increase.
Ploughing through the gears is a joy, the engine wailing right up to a 7,400rpm red line, the software blipping the downchanges with noisy abandon and the entire experience generally disguising the GranTurismo's porkiness.
It also scrubs speed with the kind of alacrity you find in a lighter car, thanks to Maserati's new 'Dual cast' Brembo brakes, but really you shed speed only so that you can reboot an engine that lives for anything over 3,500rpm. You want an answer to all those criticisms about the 'too soft' stock car? Here it is. In Technicolor, with knobs on.
Saying that, the 'S' isn't the last word in precision, not in the same way as, say, a 911 or a BMW M6. But it has got glorious attitude. And then there's the bonus: in some ways, this car is more satisfying than any of the more established super-fast coupes because it blends fast with practical; you can get four six-footers in it, plus luggage.
And still sample noise and speed usually reserved for cars costing twice as much. So, thank God, I've been proved wrong in spectacular fashion. The Maserati GranTurismo S is the most beguiling car Maserati currently makes. And probably the best car the company has made for 20 years.
There's definitely more torque and power than before, but somehow the 'S' manages to feel much faster than the relatively meagre statistical increase.
Ploughing through the gears is a joy, the engine wailing right up to a 7,400rpm red line, the software blipping the downchanges with noisy abandon and the entire experience generally disguising the GranTurismo's porkiness.
It also scrubs speed with the kind of alacrity you find in a lighter car, thanks to Maserati's new 'Dual cast' Brembo brakes, but really you shed speed only so that you can reboot an engine that lives for anything over 3,500rpm. You want an answer to all those criticisms about the 'too soft' stock car? Here it is. In Technicolor, with knobs on.
Saying that, the 'S' isn't the last word in precision, not in the same way as, say, a 911 or a BMW M6. But it has got glorious attitude. And then there's the bonus: in some ways, this car is more satisfying than any of the more established super-fast coupes because it blends fast with practical; you can get four six-footers in it, plus luggage.
And still sample noise and speed usually reserved for cars costing twice as much. So, thank God, I've been proved wrong in spectacular fashion. The Maserati GranTurismo S is the most beguiling car Maserati currently makes. And probably the best car the company has made for 20 years.
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