A GT, or Grand Tourer, is by definition a high-performance automobile designed for long-distance driving. Most often it is a rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé with some kind of 2+2 seating arrangement. The key to enjoying a GT is by understanding that it is not an outright sportscar.
A GT must offer supreme comfort and therefore may compromise somewhat in the realm of performance. The BMW 6-series, Jaguar XKR, Aston Martin DB9 and Mercedes-Benz CL are all typical GTs. And the Maserati GranTurismo does not fare badly against these cars. However, when you place very high-performance grand tourers such as the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Bentley Continental GT or Nissan GT-R in the GT category suddenly the Maser doesn’t size up so well.
Let me start from the beginning. The Maserati is undeniably a stunning piece of automotive design. Some automobile designs embrace lines, edges and angles to attain beauty – as in the Lamborghini Reventón (Bespoke, Vol.II, issue 2). Some embrace perfectly proportioned curves – as in the Alfa Romeo 8C. But in this case legendary design studio Pininfarina has managed to create a perfect marriage between edges and curves to form a modern minimalist retrospective to Maserati’s famed racers of the 1950s. One look at that menacing open grille treatment is enough to knock onlookers off their feet.
Let me tell you that the inside is no letdown either. The leatherwork is glorious. The rear seats are surprisingly comfortable – even for adults. This is an amazingly roomy car that envelopes you in a cocoon of luxury. An atmosphere that is very much in tune with today’s comfort-biased, traffic-clogged world.
So why does it seem like I am about to add some negativity to this review? That is because I was never particularly moved by this car. First, I may have mentioned that the interior is quite spacious but to be perfectly honest it damn well better be so considering this car is almost the length of its Quattroporte sibling which is a full-size sedan. But then again, combining four seats with a classical GT shape inevitably results in a hefty car. And that it is.
The weight of this vehicle is the most detrimental factor to its likeability. At 1,880kg it is over 200kg heavier than the Jaguar XKR. These days, almost every car company on the planet is obsessively trying to save on weight in order to make gains in performance and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. But Maserati has nonchalantly added weight to its steel-bodied coupé without even a thought of carbon composite panelling, aluminium technology or any other such techniques.
Don’t get me wrong this is no slouch but I cannot help but wonder how its Ferrari-built V8 would fare if it was teamed with a lighter vehicle. Of course the smooth ZF automatic 6-speed transmission does a solid job and works in close harmony with the capable engine but it is happiest in auto-mode. Try changing gears yourself (even in sport mode) and you’re left wondering why Ferrari didn’t have a chance to work its magic on the gearbox.
I even found the exhaust note weak. Considering that when you start the car you are greeted with a meaty growl from its quadruple tailpipes, I was disappointed to hardly hear the engine note when I was pushing the car hard through a series of tough corners. Surely a car with such a menacing presence should have a roar to match?
After an uphill slog I started to realise just how much this car could be improved with a few key tweaks. If I were in charge, the first order of the day would be to have the engineers design a slimmer and more modern key. I would also ask that the backrests on the seats have a little more padding as strangely they seemed a little hard. I would also dispatch a team of engineers with the mission of wringing out an increase in horsepower from the current 399bhp to a more challenging 500bhp. I would let the exhausts sing with all their lungs by fitting some butterfly flaps. And lastly and most importantly I would shave off at least 200kg of weight.
However, negativities aside I was very, very impressed with what the GranTurismo did right. This is definitely a car I would be glad to do some long distance running in. Did I mention how good looking this car is in real life? This is a GT in the true sense of the word. It feels well built, it is responsive, and it gives an image that probably no other brand can come close to. A car says a lot about its driver, and I think there isn’t a person in the world that doesn’t believe they’re a Maserati sort-of-character.
Yet, no matter how much you like the car, you can never fool yourself into believing that it is perfect. There is such a vast array of sporty choices in the 120,000 USD that in the end the rarity and image factors will be the reasons in convincing you to put a down payment on this particular model. It’s as if the management at Maserati have bet their futures on people valuing comfort over performance. And they may just be right.
Whatever the case, this Maser is an everyday car with a genuine sense of occasion that will appeal to the person who is searching for luxury, rarity and desirability. A car in which the ease of driving is the number one priority. The fact that it does not offer enough speed will, I hope, dissuade very few potential customers.
This car is mature, confident and sophisticated. Yet, if you’re like me, and expect some speed from one of the most illustrious automotive racing brands on the planet, then you’d better wait for the GranTurismo S.
Specs
Maserati GranTurismo
Rear wheel drive, 4.2litre V8
Base Price 114,650USD
0-100km/h 5.2 secs
Power 399bhp
Contacts
EURO MOTORS
Manama, Bahrain
Tel +973 17 750 750
AL ZAYANI TRADING CO.
Safat, Kuwait
Tel +965 4721414
G.A. BAZERJI & SONS CO. LTD
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel +961 1 883 450
ALFARDAN SPORTS MOTORS CO.
Doha, Qatar
Tel +974 4 322577
FAST AUTO TECHNIC
Jeddah, KSA
Tel +96626835184
AL TAYER MOTORS
Dubai, UAE
Tel +971 4 3037 878
