Car review: 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo is a sophisticated supercar

Maserati’s romance with grand tourers started 80 years ago. The affair that began with the A6 1500 in 1947 continued with iconic models like the 3500 GT, 5000 GT, Sebring, Mistral, Ghibli, Bora, Khamsin, and 3200 GT and finally, the first generation GranTurismo. What we have here is the second generation, the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo, the top dog of the petrol-engine line-up.

Design and aesthetics

The new GranTurismo maintains classic proportions, featuring a long bonnet and short boot deck with a swoopy roofline connecting them. It shares the ground-hugging silhouette with its predecessor, but its stylistic details have been tweaked to give it a fresh identity. It now features new vertical headlights (reminiscent of the MC20 halo car) and slimmed-down tail lamps. But the iconic trident logo on the grille and pillar, along with the trio of side fender vents remain, paying homage to the models of the past and present. Beyond aesthetics, Maserati has also focused on the engineering aspects. Over 65 percent of the car is made from aluminum, and it threw in some magnesium as well. The sum of these shapes is a dream machine that appeals to both the child’s imagination and the adult’s desires.

Maserati boffins have chiselled away enough to give it a coefficient of drag of just 0.28 Cx, but it’s still a large vehicle with a footprint of 9.7 m2. Its low height of 1353 mm is in the Goldilocks’ zone, giving it a sportier stance without taking away from the ease of ingress and egress, though I wouldn’t mind seeing butterfly doors here. Once inside, you’ll notice that the interior is completely new.

The layered dashboard with stitching, along with corseting seats with herringbone-styled leather upholstery, genuinely elevates the sense of luxury. Maserati also prides itself in the use of “real material”, thanks to which the GranTurismo gets furnishings of real carbon fibre trims and aluminium. But the secret sauce is in the kind of artistry and craftmanship that have gone into making this cabin. The cabin now exudes affluence and rivals the best.

Straight ahead, in the driver’s view, is a beautiful, well-bolstered 3-spoke steering wheel with the starter button and drive mode selector embedded within the arrangement. Behind that is a 12.2-inch digital instrument cluster with neat graphics with customisable views, like Classic, Evolved, Relaxed, and Corsa. However, the button-operated transmission isn’t my favourite, it feels cumbersome to operate, and the panel partially ejected itself once, exposing a flaw in the otherwise impeccable build quality. Users can also interact with the Digital Clock via the voice commands to operate the aircon, media, navigation and phone calls. Just say, “Hey Maserati, set the temperature to 21 degrees,” and you’re set.

Below is an open-smartphone-style infotainment system with 12.3-inch central display and 8.8-inch A/C controls.

While it doesn’t have the quickest navigation system, it does find destinations, which is more than I can say about some competitors. It also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and the ability to link two phones simultaneously.

For the kind of exterior elegance the GrandTurismo has, the rear seating can be argued as sufficient. It is good for two adults of smaller stature and is accessible thanks to easily movable front seats. Strangely, there is no sunroof. That’s Maserati saying, ‘If you want fresh air, get the GranCabrio’. Also, the boot is adequately sized, but the spare tyre eats up two-thirds of the space.

The GranTurismo’s engine revolves around Maserati Twin Combustion (MTC) technology, first seen in the MC20. The “base” Modena version is equipped with the 490 PS 3.0-litre V6 Nettuno Twin Turbo, while here it has been uprated to 550 PS and 650 Nm of max. power and torque. All of that energy is channeled to all four corners using an all-wheel drive system — presumably a first for a GranTurismo — and an 8-speed transmission.

While the new GranTurismo is happy to putter about comfortably, lean into the throttle pedal and it will rocket forward. In the right conditions, it will hit 100km/h in 3.5 seconds, eclipse the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds and push the ticker all the way to 320km/h. Thankfully, the ventilated disc brakes (6-piston upfront and 4-piston at the rear) operate in a smooth and progressive manner when gentle and with urgency and surety when the pedal is stomped. Maserati claims it will stop from 100km/h in under 35 metres and I wouldn’t dispute that. Yes, there are quicker cars in the segment, but trust me, for anyone without a racing licence, this is all the speed you want.

The double-wishbone front suspension and air springs with electronic damping control alongside the multi-link rear suspension with electronic self-locking differential and air springs with electronic damping control do a commendable job of satisfying the need for cushioning on casual drives and achieving high levels of lateral control on the track.

Verdict

Maserati’s slogan, “The Others Just Travel,” might seem presumptuous, but they certainly have created something special here. Drive into a posh setting and you are guaranteed to make a scene. And about the hefty, starting price of Dh689,000…let’s just say, it’s a reasonable ask for an Italian sportscar manufactured by a company with storied history.

GOOD

Snazzy exterior design and interior architecture; overall build quality; performance

BAD

Still a few quality issues; processing speeds

EDITOR’S RATING- 7.5/10 stars

SPECIFICATIONS