GRANDEST DESIGNS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Maserati's GranCabrio luxury sports GT convertible comes in two very different forms in second generation guise. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 41

Only Maserati still offers a proper four-seat luxury GT sports convertible in the form of this car, the GranCabrio. The second generation model offers a chance choice of a supercar-derived V6 or a full-EV powertrain. Either way, it's very desirable indeed.

Backgroundword count: 142

The idea of a four-seat luxury GT sports convertible is so appealing you wonder why it hasn't been more widely adopted. Most sports luxury convertibles are either two seat-only or have a couple of rear pews fit only for designer shopping bags. Hence Maserati's approach with the first generation GranCabrio - to provide properly comfortable adult rear seats, for short trips anyway. Before that original GranCabrio arrived back in 2010, the open-topped version of Maserati's GranTurismo coupe, the company's Viale Ciro Menotti factory had never before produced a four-seater convertible, despite a long history of open-topped sportscars stretching all the way back to the A6G Frua Spyder of 1950. But the GranCabrio showed this to be a successful formula and over 40,000 examples of that original model sold before the introduction of this MK2 design in 2024. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 281

Things have changed a lot for Maserati since the launch of the previous generation version of this car. Back then, the ties with Ferrari were still tight - hence that old model's Maranello-developed V8. For this MK2 GranCabrio, the drivetrain options are very different. The old-school choice is the Trofeo, which uses the Nettuno 3.0-litre bi turbo V6 borrowed from Maserati's MC20 supercar, which puts out 550hp and makes 62mph in 3.6s en route to 196mph. Roof down, toupees will need to be firmly attached. Unlike with the GranTurismo coupe, there's no entry-level 490hp Modena model The new alternative to combustion power in this car is the all-electric Folgore version, which uses three drive motors collectively putting out 761hp. Courtesy of 1,350Nm of torque, 62mph in this EV variant takes 2.8s en route to 180mph. There's 280 miles of EV range. The Folgore needs less chassis stiffening than the Trofeo because its enormous T-shaped 92.5kWh battery adds to the structural stiffness of the car. Inevitably, this EV model is heavier than its petrol counterpart (though not by as much as you might think - around 100kg). Still, you'll feel that through the corners. All GranCabrio's have 4WD and adaptive air suspension. Both powertrains feature Maserati's latest 'Vehicle Domain Control Module' (VDCM), which adjusts the level of electronic support provided according to the drive mode selected. The main settings are 'GT', 'Sport' and 'Corsa': on the Folgore, the V6 variant's 'Comfort' setting replaced by 'Max Range'. Maserati's spent ages creating a powertrain sound system that works with these settings. Particularly for the electric version, which delivers a unique soundtrack supposed to be a fusion of electric whirrs coupled with a V8 roar.

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