2008 Maserati GranTurismo

The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo gets it right, dumping the lumpy form of the outgoing Maserati GT for an aggressive new shape stretched over a longer chassis. The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo looks and sounds so good that its driving credentials seem almost superfluous. Rest assured, though, that the GranTurismo has the moves to back up its curves. It’s what an exotic should look like, and it took the master sculptors at Pininfarina to accomplish. But doesn’t that tail borrow too liberally from rival Aston Martin?

The spec sheet is rife with fodder: Relative to its Porsche 911-fighting Coupe/Gran Sport predecessor, Maserati’s new GranTurismo is over 14 inches longer, an inch wider, nearly two inches taller, and-mamma mia!-550 pounds heavier! And there’s no commensurate power boost to help propel this porker, just a nudge up to 400 horses.
The GranTurismo’s cabin is equally impressive. Hand-stitched leather is practically everywhere you touch, and there’s an aesthetic flair here that’s missing in its Teutonic competition. Also missing are electronic gewgaws such as BMW’s iDrive and the like — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s plenty of modern technology baked into this Maserati, but it’s not as obtrusive as in other luxury performance coupes. The result is a seemingly purer driving experience.

To make things worse, the suspension’s softer and the six-speed stick and auto-clutch manual transaxles are broomed for a front-mounted ZF six-speed slushbox. The livid car critic prepares to lob some bombast at the Trident, perhaps likening this jarring transition to that of an Italian woman from sexy seductress to rotund housewife.
With a name that conjures the great tradition of European grand touring – high-speed travel over great distances in style and comfort — the GranTurismo takes its mission to heart. Maserati says the 4.2-liter V-8 furnishes a top speed of 177 mph and 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds. The six-speed automatic transmission, with Sport and manual-gear-change modes, allows upshifts at a howling 7,200 rpm.

Mechanically, the car is a Quattroporte automatic with 4.8 inches sawed out of the wheelbase and 2.6 inches off the tail. The drivetrain and “Skyhook” adaptive suspension are tailored to the GranTurismo’s sportier mission. Handling is aided by a 49 percent front/51-percent rear weight bias, rear tires wider than the fronts, and availability of automatic adjusting suspension with a firmer Sport setting.
In that mode the torque converter stays locked during shifts that happen 40 percent quicker (in about 0.33 second), lower gears are held longer, upshifts happen at higher revs (up to 7200 rpm at full throttle-a claimed highest in class), and downshifts occur at lighter throttle openings. A separate “Ice” setting blocks first-gear launches and forces upshifts at 3000 rpm.