Those looking for a sporty four-seat grand tourer made in Italy but don’t want to or can’t stretch their budget to a Ferrari FF would certainly consider the Maserati GranTurismo.Sure, the two models are not in the same league, but on the other hand, the Maser costs a fraction of the Ferrari's price and boasts equally fabulous looks as well as a Maranello-sourced V8 under its sculpted hood.
At the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, Maserati unveiled the latest version of the GranTurismo as well as its open top sibling, the GranCabrio with the Sport moniker. The Sport models replace the S variants and the changes are more than skin deep.
For starters, the 4.7-liter V8 engine now produces 453HP and 520Nm (383.5 lb-ft) of torque, up from the 440HP and 490Nm (361.4 lb-ft) of the GranTurismo S.Power is still channeled to the rear wheels and buyers can choose between a “robotised manual”, i.e. semi-automatic, or a conventional manual gearbox.
The 6-speed semi-automatic, which won’t be offered in the North American market, changes gears in just 100ms. This version of the coupe accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
The ZF six-speed automatic features the MC Auto Shift management software that is also used in the GranCabrio and Quattroporte Sport GT S and is barely slower, posting a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 298 km/h (185 mph).
The GranTurismo Sport features a newer version of the Skyhook electronically controlled suspension. According to Maserati, in Sport mode, it makes the car more responsive to driver’s inputs and that in normal mode, it absorbs the road’s imperfections more effectively.
Maserati has also redesigned the front bumper in order to improve the airflow and allow for better cooling of the front brakes.
The space between the redesigned LED headlights and the grille, which houses the chrome trident with red accents, is united by a new styling element, while at the rear the Sport now has darker light clusters that make for a more dramatic look.
The 20-inch “Astro Design” alloys houses new Brembo brakes with lighter (by 15-20 percent) slotted and perforated discs made of cast iron and aluminum six-piston front and 4-piston rear callipers .
Inside, there is a new steering wheel with a flatter rim and improved grip, and different gearbox paddles, while the new front and rear seats offer better support as well as improved comfort. Moreover, rear-seat occupants now have 20mm more legroom thanks to the redesigned rear shell of the front seats.
In 2011, the GranTurismo range accounted for 44 percent of total Maserati sales with worldwide deliveries of more than 2,700 units. The U.S. was, once more, its biggest market with almost 900 sales, followed by China and Italy.
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