► Grand tourer rebooted with electric power
► No V8 thunder anymore, but 751bhp instead
► How does that trade off stack up?
Electric power just makes perfect sense in a luxury car – all that torque just an ankle flex away, and serene silence at low speed. Plus, with the exclusion of Tebay services, going to fill up with petrol is just about the least luxurious experience imaginable.
And a grand tourer is a luxury car, it’s just one with a sporting nature and a great big excuse for not being the cutting edge of either category. Maserati doesn’t claim to have invented this genre but it does reckon it defined it, and there’s no finer example than the GranTurismo.
If a four-seater, rear-driven, two-door coupe with a boot big enough for luggage and an absolute sledgehammer of a V8 up front sounds like the ideal travelling companion you might need to bear with me for a few paragraphs, because in electric Folgore form, Maserati has somewhat swapped up the formula.
Is it a front-wheel drive SUV now?
No and frankly that’s an approach we find extremely commendable – the easy option would be rebirthing the GranTurismo name in a high-riding, skateboard-chassis off-roaderlike, or even sticking an electric powertrain in one of its existing SUVs where all the sales volume is.
Instead Maserati has chosen to bring back its transcontinental coupe in a zero-compromise build that insists on minimal weight, a tarmac skimming driving position, and all the same character as the old car. Electric versions of existing Masers will follow, but the GT is the point of the spear.
To make things even more challenging GranTurismo is also available with a conventional petrol engine (albeit the quite unconventional Nettuno V6 from the MC20) and that means designing a chassis that has space for either batteries or mechanical bits, which are very different shapes. Oh and it also needs to be roomier inside than the old car, for progress’s sake.
How fast is the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore?
Our pre-production test took place at the Autodromo di Modena – a reasonably short track full of tight turns and, on the the day we drove at least, a damp and greasy surface to contend with too. It’s not the first place I’d choose to show off a 2.2 tonne, 751bhp grand tourer to be honest, but I did revise this opinion quite quickly as I shall get onto.
Propulsion comes from three motors (with Formula E derived silicon carbide mosfets) – one at the front with an open differential to the wheels, and two at the rear. Each is capable of 402bhp and the mathmaticans among you will have spotted that means a combined total more than the posted 751bhp the battery can deliver.
The long and short of it is this – the more powerful the individual motors, the greater percentage of torque you can send to each rear wheel, meaning massive torque vectoring. Plus they can regenerate more power for the battery.
Monsterous punch and a 17,500rpm redline means there’s no need for the Porsche Taycan’s two gear set up either, as the Folgore can deliver shocking pace – 62mph comes and goes in 2.7 seconds – and a top end close to 200mph.
It’s a jet-like haymaker of torque, but the power delivery is pleasingly refined, not neck-snapping like a Tesla, but a progressive megawaft that feels elastic rather than explosive. Hauling 2.2 tonnes up on a slippery track revealed plenty of strength in the 380/360mm steel brakes with a very natural feeling pedal. You don’t get a huge amount of initial feel at the top but the switch from regen to mechanical stopping power is seamless.
What about the handling?
The GranTurismo can be afforded a bit of slack in this department because as a grand tourer, it doesn’t need to be the sharpest tool in the drawer, but the Italian maker wanted the EV to go and steer just as well as the petrol version.
At the moment the only tyre option is a Goodyear Eagle F1, a summer set with low-rolling resistance in mind, so you shouldn’t expect touring car traction. A performance upgrade has been promised when the car goes on sale and this will certainly improve it’s grip on track. How useful that will be is to be seen.
The EV’s extra weight – some 450kg more than the ICE model – is mostly located down the centre line of the car, near the roll centre. That means although no featherweight, there’s quite a bit of battery flattery. The body moves more than an out and out sportscar but in a controlled way that helps communicate the limits of grip, and will hopefully mean a more comfortable ride on the road.
For an all-wheel drive car it feels remarkably three-dimensional, with a tenacious front end and entertaining rear. You can take a lot of liberties with corner entry speed and then depending on driving mode, shape the angle of the car on the exit however you like, from neat and tidy to outrageous.
Maserati GranTurismo Folgore driving modes
GT mode limits the power to 80% and the car’s traction control brain nibbles away at your throttle inputs to keep things tidy. If you overdo it into a corner, the torque vectoring tangibly sucks you towards the apex, whether you’re on the power or not. This feels a bit odd but is undeniably effective.
Sport mode unlocks sharper throttle and steering responses and also slightly more leeway to adjust the attitude of the car. It still feels like you’re being helped by the car’s stability systems, and on the road this will be the fastest setting overall – you can just get back on the power so early, the rear torque vectoring working overtime to maintain traction.
In Corsa mode you’re given as much control as you want and as a result power oversteer is never far away. As the early morning dew burned away and the tarmac dried in the sun the rears needed more provocation to unstick, but either way it’s remarkably friendly and predictable. The more confidently you attack, the more angle it lets you have, otherwise it cuts slides short by shunting power forwards.
If you want more hooliganism there’s a special Drift programme that in our pre-prod car required activation via laptop. You don’t step off a cliff in terms of driver assistance – power is sent rearwards and the torque vectoring set up for side slip, but the car is still doing some work to keep you pointing vaguely forwards. You can’t really feel it working, and I liked it a lot.
To get the most of it you need a slow entry speed and a determined clog on the gas pedal otherwise the car will send all the power to the front wheels and cut your fun short. The track in Modena had plenty of low speed corners that were ideal for showing off this trick and before long the battery was very depleted indeed.
Bringing things back down to earth is Max Regen, which limits motor power and climate control output, setting the regenerative braking to maximum. This can claw back up to 400kW and can be adjusted from behind the wheel. I drove a whole lap without touching the brake pedal, maxing out this mode’s 80mph speed limit on both straights, so the regen is certainly strong enough.
Maserati GranTurismo Folgore: verdict
Maserati’s engineers said they wanted customers to have a hard time choosing between petrol and EV, with no compromises found in the battery car. So the biggest compliment I can give the GranTurismo Folgore is that after a while, I had to remind myself it was electric.
The simulated engine sound plays a very clever trick here – it’s linked to your road speed but doesn’t sound jarringly synthetic. There are other prompts too – the hunkered down seating position, the soft but controlled bodyroll, even the progressive power delivery.
It may be heavier than the ICE car but the Folgore has better weight distribution and a stiffer body thanks to additional strengthening. The result is a really sorted and characterful driving experience.
The price is punchy, reflecting the ultra-luxury position Maserati is targeting. There’s real space in the back too – I wouldn’t want to do 280 miles in there but I’m 6 foot 3 and that’s not really what it’s for.
It’s a bit early to give a pre-production car driven exclusively on a circuit five stars but the GranTurismo Folgore is genuinely superb. Softer and more relaxing than a Taycan and all the better for it.