2007 Maserati Granturismo Reviews

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 roadThe 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. 

Do not mistake this for a GranSport replacement. That was the message from Maserati this week as it launched what will surely prove to be the most beautiful new car of the year. The beguiling GranTurismo coupe will sit between the would-be Porsche 911-rivalling GranSport and the Quattroporte exotic/executive saloon.At least that's what Maserati says. Having experienced the versatility of this superb grand tourer in the Italian Alps, we'd say the newcomer upstages both. Its to-die-for design may belie it, but the newcomer is essentially a derivative of the saloon though with two fewer doors and 110kg less strain on the scales. Despite that it's a still thumping 1880kg.The GranTurismo also shares the saloon's drivetrain, namely the same delicious Ferrari-derived 4.2-litre V8 married to a six-speed ZF automatic transmission with sport mode and manual function via paddle shifters or the gearstick.Positioned as a rival for everything from Bentley's Continental GT, BMW's 650i, Jaguar's XKR and the Mercedes-Benz CL 500, the GranTurismo will be priced between $290,000-$300,000.The precise price will be announced when the Maser stops traffic at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October.Local deliveries begin in the same month, most of the 2007 allocation having been pre-sold. Australian spec cars receive as standard 20-inch rims, Skyhook adaptive suspension, Bose upgraded stereo and comfort front seats.That operatic 295kW/460Nm V8 lacks low-down torque but gets the GranTurismo to 100km/h from standing in a claimed 5.2 seconds - a time which would necessitate use of the sport mode. Almost as impressively, the big GT can go from that speed to zero in 35m. The newcomer might not be intended to supplant the older coupe, but it's tough to imagine it not taking customers.Seating four adults in luxurious comfort, the GranTurismo is almost 4.9m long, with minimal overhangs on a wheelbase that's been reduced by 123cm from the Quattroporte, but retains a useful 260-litre boot capacity.Capable of relaxed and comfortable daily use, the coupe comes into its own when presented with a challenging road. It's a superbly balanced (weight distribution is 49:51) and confidence-inspiring handler.A bewildering array of cosmetic options, including 19 possible exterior colours, 10 shades of leather upholstery with various stitching and trim options (even the Brembo brakes come in a choice of five colours), ensure that no two GranSports will be precisely the same.Australia is Maserati's ninth-biggest market. The GranTurismo is expected to thrust local sales of the feted marque past 200 next year.    Snapshot Maserati GranturismoPrice: $290,000-$300,000 (est)Economy: 14.3L/100km combinedEngine: 4.2L V8, 295kW, 460Nm, 0-100km/h 5.2 secsVerdict: Weepingly beautiful, the GranTursimo is at home on the freeway and the B-road. 

Almost every sportscar worth its fuel bill has a sports button. Few, however, have one as effective as the GranSport's.Punch the button on the centre console and Dr Jekyll becomes Mr Hyde — but watch out, this one can really bite.Choosing the sport option alters not only the engine and transmission mapping — sharpening shift responses and change points — but winds down the suspension to tooth-rattling firmness while pushing the traction control "nanny" further into the background as well as adding an extra edge to the steering sharpness.The final touch is an aural treat. An electronically controlled pneumatic valve system opens the exhaust and turns the pussycat purr from the 295kW 4.2-litre V8 into a jungle rumble.The sound of the engine blipping on downshifts is grand, almost enough to make you forgive the super-aggressive 6-speed Cambiocorsa transmission.The wheel-mounted paddles come easily to hand — not that common in the world of F1-styled paddle-shifts — and that is good, as there is no other option for manual shifting. However, it is the thumping aggression of the changes that make using the clutchless manual-style box either a love-it or hate-it proposition. You can opt to select the auto button but, while that frees you from paddle-work, the gearbox retains its attitude.While the sport mode does give the GranSport a true performance character, in reality it is impossible to live with for any length of time on the average Sydney road surface. Keep it as a special treat to be savoured in those focussed moments.Aesthetically, the Maserati GranSport loses nothing to its rivals. All Italian from the trident mounted on the mesh grille under its purposeful Roman nose to the flaring flanks, it is a fine example of what elicits passion in automobile aficionados. But slide inside and the experience is truly enhanced.The interior is welcoming and encompassing with extremely comfortable sports seats, a steering wheel with leather on the main grip areas and a squared-off carbon fibre top with an embedded silver centering mark.The small central lever, with its lift-and-pull action for reverse, is a bit twee for the car.The seat insert and trim material is both stylish — it should be, having been developed by a leading Italian fashion house — and effective at providing seat-of-the-pants grip.However, it is not all chianti and aged parmesan. There are some things — important things — that really should be better in a car of this stature. Potentially the most critical is the relationship of the accelerator to the brake. In the reverse of what is ideal, the accelerator pedal sits proud of the brake making it not uncommon to catch it with the outside of the foot on the way to the brake.A surge when retardation is needed can really get adrenalin flowing. Problem solved if you left-foot brake — but in reality, that is just a way around an issue that shouldn't exist.Annoying, but not as crucial, is the difficulty reaching some of the comfort controls set back in the stylishly scalloped centre console.The squashed top on the steering wheel also has a way of obscuring the upper areas of the instrument panel.But back to the good stuff. The biggest improvement in the new GranSport is in the steering feel. Previously an area in which Maserati trailed its natural rivals by some distance, it is now on a par with most and close to the best.