Merry Maserati

Already 130 people have joined the queue for the sleek Italian and next year's allocation is sold out.

It is easy to see why. The Maserati is big but Italian styling house Pininfarina has disguised its bulk with finely chiselled lines and short front and rear overhangs.

The Maserati is almost 5m long and tips the scales at nearly two tonnes, with enough room for four adults.

The car shares its 4.2-litre V8 with the Quattroporte, mated to a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, but the engine has been tweaked to provide a more responsive driving experience through the throttle.

The V8 pumps out 298kW at 7100 revs and maximum torque of 460Nm at 4750 revs, of which 75 per cent is available at 2500 revs.

The car's profile is distinguished by subtle uses of chrome to convey light. The Maserati Trident logo is on the rear pillar.

Maserati has worked to give the GranTurismo a balanced and crisp on-road feel, achieving an almost ideal weight distribution of 49 per cent front and 51 per cent rear.

Its on-road dynamics are assisted by the Maserati Stability Program, especially developed for the car.

The chassis uses anti-dive front and rear wishbone suspensions with forged light-weight aluminium hubs and suspension arms.

Maserati is aiming the GranTurismo at the BMW 650i, Mercedes CL500, Jaguar XK/XKR and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

The interior is awash in soft Poltrona Frau leather, available in 10 shades. There is a choice of wood or body-colour trim. Even the Brembo brake rotors can be colour co-ordinated.

And what does Santa's latest toy cost? A cool $292,800.

On the road

The trouble with the northern Italian countryside is that it is beautiful. It's distracting, particularly when pedalling a GranTurismo through quaint villages and lush, rolling countryside around Modena.

You'd like to concentrate on the fine manners of Maserati's latest but the scenery beckons. What you forget is that the GranTurismo hurtles along the twisting roads and addresses hairpin turns with ease. A lesser car would have speared off the bitumen ages ago.

And that's the trick. The GranTurismo is a slick, long-distance tourer but it is also exceptionally adept at pushing on when the roads are less than ideal, with off-camber attitudes and potholes that would do Australia proud.

The agility of the chassis belies its length, and the 1880kg kerb weight and the 20-inch wheels do not affect the quality of the ride.

The Ferrari-sourced 4.2-litre V8 does a good job of providing brisk acceleration and moving this beast off the line with alacrity.

Maserati quotes a zero to 100km/h time of 5.2 seconds and top of 285km/h.

The car's maximum power of 298kW arrives just before the redline at 7100 revs. Maximum torque of 460Nm also arrives relatively high in the rev range at 4750 revs.

Flip to sports mode and the engine revs harder and holds gears when decelerating, giving the V8 a gruff, no-nonsense growl.

If you are intoxicated by the scenery and engine, it is possible to overlook the lavish interior and, unlike its rivals, this super coupe has real leg room in the back.

The bright red leather is hand-stitched, wonderfully crafted and soft to touch.

The switchgear has the feel and solidity of the Germans but with Italian flair.

Only the thick A-pillars hamper the driving experience, but not enough to miss the Italian countryside.

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