Fifth Gear Drives the Maserati Granturismo

“This is the sexiest, most desirable, most fabulous-looking car you can buy today”. This is how Fifth gear start by describing the Maserati Granturismo and for the most part we agree. The whole focus of the Maserati GT is on comfort, with ample passenger space and an extremely quiet engine on the inside. However, in a world where the BMW M3 offers much more engine power with a much lighter body resulting in greater performance for a lower price, the Maserati seems to be outdone. I know we are talking about a GT but the balance between driving pleasure and driving comfort is perhaps weighted a little too much towards the latter. At the end of the day the Trident shows itself off proudly on the Maserati’s body leading us to expect a bit more pep in what instead feels more like a lumbering cruiser – powerful, yet unable to perform when needed and rather emotionally unsatisfying. To be precise, it has the feel of a 4-door car that is missing two doors.

However, if it is more pep you are after, perhaps there is a solution after all. In contrast to many other cars where the sport-mode button is there almost for decorative purposes, in the Maserati GT it really finds its raison d’être. When the sport-mode is activated, the steering, suspension and acceleration all sharpen up drastically, making it altogether more satisfying when pushing it to the limit. Unfortunately two problems remain: the Maserati’s excessive weight and the lack of power from its 4.2 V8 which stops it from being top of its category when you compare it to the engines of its competitors. We do however anticipate news of the implementation of a new engine perhaps the 4.7 of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competition that at this moment is being tested in a few prototypes, if our suspicions are correct.

© Source: eurocarblog
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Maserati returns to checker-flag form with its new GranTurismo

The road is littered with the hood ornaments of once-inimitable car marques that champion the past while artfully dodging the present. After decades of corporate upheaval, Maserati appears to have finally outrun that fate and, with its 2008 GranTurismo, rejoined the pantheon of Italian masters.

Behind the masterstroke is renowned Italian design firm Pininfarina—they of Maserati's reputation-forging hit, the sinuous 1946 A6 1500, among others. The GT's fluid yet muscular body, arching from its intimidating oval grille and low-sloping hood to its triangular taillamps, blends the allure of Maserati's racing history with the lithe curves of its recent Quattroporte sedan.

But this is not just eye candy; Maserati wants the GT driven often, and to extremes. Its partnership with Ferrari means that the recessed, low-displacement, high-revving 4.2 V8 (quiet, but with an enticing hum) are nearly identical to those sported by its crosstown cousin in Modena, Italy. With supercar weight-distribution stats, a silky 6-speed hybrid transmission, Brembo brakes, and a Bose sound system to drown out inevitable police sirens, the GT can instill even a grocery run with the white-knuckle drama of a Mille Miglia. But like a cigarette-toting Mastroianni, it will always retain its elegant poise. This is auto-making elevated to high art.

© Source: mensvogue
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2008 Maserati GranTurismo Review

What We Know
The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo, a two-door coupe to complement the Quattroporte sedan, is yet another Italian beauty, this one penned by Pininfarina's Jason Castriota.

Successor to Maserati's Guigiaro-designed coupe and spyder, the upcoming GT is built on a shortened version of the Quattroporte's chassis. The GranTurismo is powered by a 405-horsepower version of the same Ferrari-sourced 4.2-liter V8 found across the Maserati range. In a nod toward the crucially important American market, where Maserati hopes to achieve significant sales gains with the GT, power is sent to the rear wheels through the ZF-built six-speed automatic transmission that just became available in the Quattroporte. With a platform converted from the rear-transaxle configuration necessary for the automated manual gearbox to the front-mounted automatic transmission, the GranTurismo should provide enough rear-seat space to make it something more than a cramped 2+2. Nevertheless, we expect a weight distribution of 49 percent front/51 percent rear, which should ensure excellent maneuverability. Meanwhile the GranTurismo's suspension will be similar in configuration to the Quattroporte's double-wishbone setup, but it'll be supplemented by Maserati's Skyhook active damping system. Throughout the rest of the car, extensive use of carbon composites and aluminum should provide the GT with an exhilarating power-to-weight ratio. Maserati hopes the GT will help alter the misperception that its cars are prohibitively expensive. Prices should begin somewhere around $110,000, putting the GT Coupe in good position to steal business from Porsche's 911 and the Mercedes-Benz SL. A hardtop convertible version of the GT, powered by a larger-bore version of the 4.2 and delivering around 470 hp, should arrive later in the year, and a Competizione model is sure to follow.
What Edmunds.com says
A gorgeous coupe with a Ferrari engine and a reasonable price. What more do you need?

© Source: edmunds
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