The Italian Automotive giant Fiat has now developed and released a new version of the Maserati lineage, the sensually beautiful, sleek, 2-door, 4-seater coupe, Maserati Gran Turismo S, another masterpiece of impeccable design and technological innovation from that great car designer, Pinni Farina.
Powerful powertrain
The Maserati Gran Turismo range is offered in three versions. The Maserati coupe is powered by a 4.7 litre V-8 engine developing 433 bhp at 7000 rpm and 361 lb/ft torque at 4700 rpm connected to a new dual-clutch electro-actuated gear box which facilitates manual shifting also. Due to the technological advancement in the gear box with a transaxle layout the shifting of the gears in the manual sport mode is done through the MC-shift which takes only 100 milliseconds. The manual shifts are useful to change gears on the freeway and the automatic comes in handy while driving within the city roads, and to facilitate quick mode changes, you have elongated paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel rim, within finger reach of the driver. The transaxle layout has a large solid element carrying the driveshaft front axle to the rear mounted gear box, which distributes the front/rear weight in the ratio 47/53.
The base model Maserati carries a 4.2 litre V-8 engine delivering 405 bhp and 339 lb/ft torque. The Maserati S Automatic is fitted with a 4.7 litre V-8 that delivers 434 bhp and 461 lb/ft torque.
The powerful engine of the Maserati has that trademark quality of Ferrari and displays its performance without any qualms. High revolutions are reached quickly due to the new engine design, the response to the accelerator is phenomenal. The vehicle shows great road grip and the cornering is superb with minimal body roll.
Skyhook suspension
Another unique innovation in this Maserati S is the Skyhook suspension system. This system comprises automatically adjusting shock absorbers to adapt to the different road conditions. The front suspension consists of a double wishbone and the rear consists of a stabilizing bar with springs, which helps in holding up the front of the car from going down when braking hard, and the rear portion of the car from doing down while accelerating suddenly. The suspension system can also be raised up by about a few inches to prevent the chassis from hitting speed breakers or when going over bad terrain by the operation of a switch. Once you are on normal ground the suspension automatically lowers itself to normal height.
Exhaust system
The twin exhaust system comprising two exhaust pipes culminating in a single silencer at the rear, is so designed that the bafflers inside the silencers can be opened or closed by two pneumatic valves operated by a switch on the dashboard, which will give a quiet driving experience in the city and when changed to sport mode, you can hear the loud and throaty growl that usually emanates from a race car, which makes heads turn even from a distance much before the Maserati S coupe comes into sight.
Brembo brakes
The large 20" wheels of the Maserati S with broad tyres have spokes styled like it's trident logo and the Brembo brake calipers can be seen through the spokes. The disc diameters are 360mm in front and 330 mm in the rear. With aluminum hubs and cast iron brake discs, the braking effect on the vehicle was found to be remarkable.
The Maserati GranTurismo S costs AU$328,500 and is available through Maserati Australia. There is also the standard Granturismo available at AU$298,800.
What do you think of the Maserati GranTurismo S?
Exterior
Interior
Performance
