7 days ago
Maserati GranCabrio: This Supercar Is Stellar. But Is Its Future?
Maserati has been on a tear lately. The Trident-anchored supercar has redesigned every aspect of its lineup, starting with its engines and working upward from there. The brand has its sites set on conquering the race circuit and (re)proving its mettle as a world-class performance brand, and the daily-driving embodiment of this journey—and one of the most beautiful cars on the road—is the Maserati GranCabrio.
A convertible version of the brand's GranTurismo coupe, the GranCabrio made its global debut just 12 years ago, but in 2024 it was reinvented for Maserati's modern age. It sports the brand's new Nettuno engine, a 6-cylinder turbo that is designed to prove that a V6 can deliver what only larger engines could in the past. It powers the 483 hp GranCabrio, the 542 hp GranCabrio Trofeo, the new 621 hp MCPura, the 631 hp GT2 Straddle, and the 730 hp F1-ready MCXtrema.
Buyers who want the most powerful Maserati on the road, though, can opt for the GranCabrio Folgore, a EV that delivers more power than any other in the lineup at 751 hp, taking its intelligence from Maserati's investment in Formula E racing.
A Modern Design Journey Led To This Moment
The GranCabrio's arched fenders, sweeping sidelines and perfectly balanced proportions are classic supercar design, an idea that the brand has leaned into in its modern iteration: not only does its 6-cylinder engine deliver the supercar experience, but so does its design.
The design of the GranCabrio, as well as the other cars in the lineup, delivers more than just a pretty face and luxe interior. Every detail in Maserati's design is focused on efficiency. From the vertical front grille and mesh air intake to the rear trunk spoiler and wide-set lower diffuser, these features are designed to assist the engine by enhancing performance.
Inside driver and passenger will find sport seats designed to cradle occupants and keep them secure on a spirited drive, and leather surroundings designed to deliver a soft, tactile experience. Carbon fiber is the material of choice for hard surfaces (though there is also a woven copper option), and chrome mesh grilles cover the Sonus faber speakers, a sound system upgrade inspired by the legendary $1million home system and designed just for Maserati.
Driving The Maserati GranCabrio
The efficiency of the exterior design and the power of the 6-cylinder engine is something you'll quickly see when behind the wheel as the GranCabrio grips every curve masterfully, both on a longer road course as well as a quick trip around an autocross track. We found out recently at the Circuit of The Americas track in Austin, Texas when we took the GranTurismo and GranCabrio out for the day.
The GranTurismo delivered a surprisingly fast and precise lap around the track, easily hitting its stride on the long straightaways and clinching the track's technical turns. On the autocross course the GranCabrio quickly cut around the cones and hit impressive speeds on short straight stretches, quickly and confidently braking at the end of the course. It made the run on this world-class track seem simple when of course, we know it's not.
Adding to the fun are the drive modes that are accessible on the steering wheel dial, which is where you'll also find the stop/start button. Drive modes are, of course, Italian-inflected: Comfort, GT, Sport and Corsa, or track mode.
Surprisingly Smart Tech Defines The Maserati Interior
The Maserati GranCabrio is a touring coupe by definition: a four-seat configuration filled with creature comforts to ensure a delightful ride for daily driving and weekend jaunting. Comprising much of the comfort is the technology we've become accustomed to in most cars, a feature that can be surprisingly antiquated in higher-end super cars; they often partner with other players in the field and end up with last year's multimedia system or head up display technology.
Not so in the Maserati GranCabrio and GranTurismo thanks to parent company Stellantis, and this detail was a delight. A few years ago Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and others, invested in its tech future by hiring a fleet of gaming and video designers as well as user experience experts to design and build multimedia systems for all its vehicles. The result has long been one of the best in automotive with advanced features that it took competitors years to catch up to. Among them, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; voice activated assistance, which in this case answers to 'Hey, Maserati;' and a menu of functions that allow you to customize your experience in the Maserati GranCabrio.
Below the main screen is a second screen dedicated to climate controls; this is where you'll find the control for the convertible top. Simply tap the Cabrio icon and a slider animation appears; slide it to open or close the top.
Between the two screens is the push-button gear shifter, a bit of a novel function for a supercar but one that keeps the interior open and minimalist in its design.
The Maserati Quandary: Convertible Or Coupe?
After driving both the GranTurismo and the GranCoupe it boils down to personal preference: hard top or convertible? The hardtop GranTurismo became an iconic character in the hit Apple TV streamer Your Friends and Neighbors (no spoilers here); the GranCabrio, which is an additional $8,900, delivers more of a fair-weather experience, though the nicely muted top makes for a quiet ride (for a convertible).
Here's how the GranCabrio shakes out in trims and pricing:
As a true luxury car, Maserati offers lots of options: 24 exterior colors; five soft top colors, nine brake caliper choices, 12 interior leather choices and three hard surface choices. Options include driver assistance ($7,280) vented front seats ($1,470), a carbon fiber spoiler ($2,880), Sonus faber premium sound ($4,600) and head up display ($2,300). The price of our GranCabrio Trofeo test model was about $229,300.
There's been some discussion around the viability of the Maserati brand's future, but with the development of the Nettuno engine, the introduction of the newest MCPura model and the brand's commitment to racing, the road ahead is in focus and Maserati clearly intends to conquer it.
