Welcome to the fastest car we’ve reviewed this year. Not the Ferrari Roma or outlandish Audi RS6 GT or even the McLaren Artura. No, it’s this, the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Don’t be fooled by its laid-back demeanour and elegant GT styling; this thing is an outright savage. Of course, there are many ways of defining ‘fastest’. If we head to the Nordschleife, then the electric Maser will slip quickly down the order. How often are you on a race track in Germany, though? In the real world, 99% of the time, you could reasonably describe the mighty Maserati GranTurismo Folgore as too fast. There’s an unholy, planet-moving well of torque, yet this isn’t what defines the car.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly commonplace on UK roads. Since they went mainstream, they have been characterised by a huge slug of torque and little else. Too often they are vague and listless to drive. The Tesla Model 3 Performance is the only car that has hurt my brain, so quick is it to accelerate. The Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is quicker still, but adds a much welcome layer of refinement. Sure, it’ll teleport you up the road, but it’s more than just a blunt instrument.
What it represents is a significant step forward for EVs. It’s a very good car which doesn’t need the “for an EV” addendum. Maserati has judged it well. The styling is shared across the GranTurismo range, accommodating both V6 and battery powertrains. This means the GranTurismo Folgore looks like – shock horror – a car. Not some futuristic, awkward looking space age thing which will age badly. This is an elegant, Italian GT which retains the appeal of the trident badge adorning it. Can it really match an ICE GT, though?
Living with the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore
“This is the nicest interior I’ve seen one of your press cars,” said my wife. It certainly impresses upon first viewing with plenty of space, fine materials and a well-judged infotainment system. Now, there are certainly bits raided from across the Stellantis range (the door opening buttons are shared with the Fiat 500e, for example), but everything works and is intuitive to use.
I’ve seen some reviews get stuck on this point, especially with the infotainment system. It’s a two-tier system, with the top screen for functionality and media, and the bottom for HVAC. It’s available elsewhere, but these things cost a fortune to produce and are very hard to get right. This system works, is responsive and clear. I can see why Maserati have made use of it.
It’s a 2+2, but there is actually space in the rear. We undertook a family holiday to Dorset and got two adults, two kids and the necessary paraphernalia in easily. It was certainly more comfortable for four than the Ferrari Roma proved, and there’s more usable space than the Aston Martin DB12.
There was also little in the way of range anxiety. A stated range of 260 miles was achievable and I achieved 2.9 miles p/kWh over 429.6 miles of driving. Given the stonking performance on offer, that’s very respectable. With a usable 83kWh, that means I’d have achieved 240.7 miles from a charge. That covered several spirited drives, too.
The ride quality is plush, although the weight, 2.5 tonnes by the time you’ve loaded it up, makes itself felt over lumps and bumps. Other than that, it disguises the heft well and electrification absolutely suits the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. It’s a quiet, polite, luxurious environment. Then you plant your right foot…
What’s the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore like to drive?
There you are, minding your own business, having completely forgotten that you’ve got 751bhp and 1350Nm (that’s not a typo) of torque available to you. So refined is the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore that you don’t believe it’ll do what they say it will. 0-62mph in 2.7secs? 0-100mph in 6.4secs? Surely not.
Leave the rotary dial on the steering wheel to GT and you get 80% of the available power. The Maserati GranTurismo Folgore isn’t exactly slow in this setting. You can briskly advance from any speed. Dial it to Sport, however, and you’ve got everything available to you. The only thing holding you back now is physics. Can you get the traction down? In the wet, no. When it’s dry and here’s heat in the tyres, hell yes you can.
There’s another option, Corsa, but that switches off the traction control and, to be totally honest, I don’t have the talent to catch 2.5 tonnes of luxury Maserati once it’s lost its way. I didn’t use that setting.
Anyway, sport mode does more than enough to raise a few pulses. The first time I planted my right foot, felt the GranTurismo squirm then teleport me to the horizon, I barely had time to swear. It doesn’t deliver the power in a migraine inducing way, either. There’s a hint of a power curve as it swiftly delivers its monstrous power.
Okay it’s fast – what’s it really like to drive?
On the twisty stuff, the weight rears its head once more. The brakes blend regen and discs well enough, if not perfectly. The steering is entirely befitting of a luxury GT: accurate without being the final word in feedback. You know what the car is doing beneath you though, and it retains good balance through corners. There’s also a good background noise, like a muffled V8, which is better judged than most EV internal noises. It blends in like white noise, adding a hint of background theatre.
From the hotel we were staying in near Chesil Beach, the B3157 twists and undulates dramatically along the Jurassic Coast. The views are stunning and the road was mercifully quiet. The odd caravan that did slow progress was dispensed with easily.
Road handling and traction was impressive. There’s supercar power and performance and the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore doesn’t feel like a fish out of water during spirited drives. Whilst the steering is certainly more GT than sporting, you can place the car well. It’s best to be assertive with the brake pedal to tap into the ample stopping power. Put your foot through them as this behemoth stops quickly: under 35m from 62mph if you’re wondering.
These were roads on which I’d taken the Audi RS6 a few years ago. Another big, long-legged beast with sporting pretentions, perhaps there’s an interesting point of comparison here. Both the Maser and Audi are well capable of covering long distances quickly, with a heft which could see them come up short on such tight, twisty and at times complicated roads.
Both passed the test with flying colours. On both drives I had a broad smile on my face, intuitively dialled into the road and pushing on. Two very different cars, but two very similar results.
Conclusion
The Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is a step forward for EVS. Even the regen braking, adaptable via the paddles, works brilliantly. In setting one it’s akin to engine braking and, crucially, doesn’t illuminate the brake lights. Too often, especially on motorways, you see people who haven’t adapted to driving EVs on and off the throttle with their brake lights blinking. That doesn’t happen here.
The major question I asked myself going into this review was, would I long for the V6? The answer was no. I’m not sure the Trofeo version, with Maserati’s exceptional Nettuno engine, would be any better than this.
It wasn’t until my final drive in the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore that I drove past an original GranTurismo and basked in its V8 blare that I missed such a powertrain. With aspects such as gas particulate filters and sound regulations robbing us of much of the aural drama of V6, 8, 10 and 12 engines, silence has long been incoming. They don’t make ‘em like they did in 2007 anymore.
Electrification here just works. It’s smoother, quieter, more refined. Maserati has moved the game forward and that should be celebrated if nothing else. There’s ample range and, with the right charger, you can get from 10-80% in 18mins. Our grand tour to Dorset and back was easier than taking an ICE car thanks to a charging station outside the front of the hotel.
There’s a lot to like, from the looks to the performance. That it’s savage yet simultaneously comfortable bears all the hallmarks of a modern super GT. If this is the future, maybe it’s not so bad after all. I asked if this Folgore could match an ICE GT? The answer has to be, emphatically, yes. It’s a great car, and not just for an EV.