Maserati Gransport: Sports Cannon With 400 Hp

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The Maserati transport puts all so-called sports cars in the shade. The Italian has 400 hp and beguiles with its engine rumble.

Stefan Grundhoff

There should be people for whom a Porsche 911 is too boring, too perfect - just way too much Porsche. For some, even a Maserati Coupe doesn't get their blood pumping. For those who yawn at 390 hp and pure Italian driving pleasure, Maserati offers a bolide for everyday use and the racetrack. The Gransport is anything but a typographical error, but a sports fanatic for everyone who wants more than more. Sounds threatening - it is.

Do not think of an Opel Astra GTC, a Hyundai Coupe or any other vehicle that has disfigured the term “sports car” in recent years. The Maserati Gransport is a sharpened Grand Tourismo, trimmed for pure driving pleasure.

Just small changes in values

The changes compared to the already ambitious Maserati Coupe read boring: 400 instead of 390 hp, 290 instead of 285 km / h top speed - that really makes you yawn. But things are different behind the wheel. The Maserati Gransport is much more powerful, sportier and more direct than its "little" brother. The differences are visually manageable.

The sequential transmission makes a significant contribution to the plus in driving fun. The Italians call it Cambiocorsa; we call it racing gear. Schumi and Alonso send their regards. While the similar gearbox in the Quattroporte luxury sedan makes an anything but convincing impression, the wildly jerky gearshifts definitely fit the potency man from northern Italy.

Sound is beguiling

Significantly more inharmonious than in a BMW M3, the gear stages snap in sport mode. It's a matter of taste. If you turn off the six gears, you not only get great driving performance, but also the undivided attention of the surroundings. The sound of the Maserati eight-cylinder is beguiling - beautiful and loud at the same time. No, Gransport is really nothing for those who walk quietly. But those who practice discreet understatement are unlikely to go for a bright yellow 2 + 2 coupe.

The driving performance should also satisfy the last one. 295 kW / 400 PS and 0 to 100 km / h in 4.85 seconds sounds small-minded - and it is. The 290 km / h top shows more than 300 on the speedometer. The tachometer leveled off at over 7500 rpm under such loads - despite the 4.2 liter V8.

Consumption of around 19 liters

The radio was turned off long ago. I can hardly hear anything anymore anyway. It is not the 452 Nm torque or the promised average consumption of just under 19 liters of SuperPlus that impress. It is the chassis that makes even experienced training world champions click their tongues. As tight as the curve is, the 1.6-ton Maserati claws into the asphalt that your blood freezes.

The brakes - are a sin. When accelerating on rough road surfaces, ESP and slip control have their hands full to bring the power to the ground. The spring-damper adjustment is as tough as you want it to be. The 19-inch device can be juggled precisely with the handy control. But there is room for improvement here.

More than once you think about the fact that every driver's license holder can use this floor. A gun license should be the minimum - and a critical racetrack inspection. At least the price of 103,600 euros keeps the number of real prospects within a manageable range. That is more than 11,000 euros more than for the series coupe. A dispo cover is rarely enough.

Instruments could also be in the Fiat

So it bothers only a few that the Maserati cannot hide flaws in the interior. The seats fit well; but for pilots over 1.85 meters it will be tight. Instruments and center console can be described as inexpensive with a clear conscience. When was the last time you saw an analog rotating odometer? The switches for the air conditioning could also be found on an 8,000 euro Fiat.

But then we listen to the growing rattle of the V8 unit in the background and these thoughts are forgotten. Who wants to drive a boring Maserati Coupe?