Maserati is working hard to get out of the slump that was the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte era, and with its latest editions to its range — the GranCabrio Folgore and Trofeo — the iconic Italian automaker finally seems to be leaving that era behind. The GranTurismo coupe, and by extension its GranCabrio droptop sibling, serve as a sort of North Star for Maserati. Sure, it has the MC20 supercar, but the two-door four-seater is equally as, if not more important to the company. Maserati had to make sure it got this car right if it wanted to shake off the ghost of the three FCA horsemen of the apocalypse and the tired image its predecessor displayed to the world.
I’m here to report that the GranCabrio, in both electric Folgore and gas-powered Trofeo guise, does just that… for the most part. It’s a hell of a lot nicer than the Maseratis that ruled the earth just a few years ago, but there are just a few things holding it back from being truly spectacular.
Full Disclosure: Maserati flew me to northern Italy, put me up in a couple of costly hotels and fed me so much fish I never want to touch the stuff again all so I could try out the new GranCabrio Trofeo and Folgore.
No matter how you slice it, the Maserati GranCabrio is an extremely striking car. Its long hood, bulbous fenders and tight tail give it those classic Maserati looks we’ve come to appreciate, and cutting the roof off just heightens that look if you ask me. It’s low-slung like all driver’s cars should be. That’s why, when developing the Folgore, the engineers decided against a skateboard-style battery pack. Instead, it runs in a T-shape down the center of the car. Not only does this aid in handling (we’ll get to that later), but it also means Maserati could keep the GranCabrio Folgore low to the ground.
Designers of the car will be the first to admit the new GranCabrio doesn’t look drastically different than the old one, and why should it? The old GC was a fantastic-looking car for the entire 11-year run. I don’t see this as an issue, because the car still looks great in my eyes. Why mess with a good thing, ya know? In terms of differentations between the two cars – well there aren’t too many, and that’s surprising given how vastly different their powerplants are. The only real tell that you’re looking at a Folgore and not a Trofeo is a fender badge, some closed-off vents and more aerodynamic wheels. It certainly doesn’t scream EV to those who see it.
One thing Maserati did mess with is the GranCabrio’s interior. The old car had tech that dated back to the early days of the Obama administration and build quality to match that of a Canal Street “Gucci” bag. Now, we’re in a different world with cutting-edge tech, a really pretty design and the build quality of a really nice pocketbook from Nordstrom. It’s an improvement, but there’s still a way to go.
Interior tech is where both the Trofeo and Folgore shine. The two cars are nearly identical inside other than a few trim pieces and material choices. They all come with a highly-customizable gauge cluster screen, a main infotainment touchscreen, a secondary angled touchscreen below that for core vehicle functions like HVAC and seat controls, and a tiny circular screen in the dash that can serve as a clock, a g-meter, a compass or a battery level indicator if you’re in the Folgore. It’s silly, sure, but who said cars needed to be serious all the time? Anyway, all of these systems work really well together and make the GranCabrio feel like a thoroughly modern car — something that could not be said about the first-generation GC. Add some truly wonderful leathers, metals and premium-feeling plastics and you’ve got a really tasty stew going.
Oh, and you can honest-to-God get four adults in this thing. I’m not saying it will be the most comfortable experience in the world, but you can do it. You can even fit some of their stuff in the trunk.
Still, no matter what drivetrain you select, the GranCabrio cannot completely shake its Stellantis roots. Any Jeep enthusiast will immediately be able to recognize the window switches, the really good infotainment system and the buttons mounted on the back of the steering wheel. I had a 2004 Grand Cherokee years ago, and the buttons behind the wheel were exactly the same as what’s in the Maserati. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re spending upwards of $220,000 on an Italian sports car.
Another thing about the interior that really grinds my gears is how Maserati decided to implement the gear selector. Instead of a shifter or lever, it’s four buttons on the dashboard between the two central screens. That’s not really the problem. I don’t love button shifters, but I can get past it. My real issue lies with how shitty they are to touch and to use. They’re just four cheap pieces of piano black plastic that wiggle around when you press them and don’t exude cutting-edge luxury the way the rest of the interior does. This stinks because every single time you drive your GranCabrio, you’ve got to interact with these buttons. Would these buttons stop me from buying the car? No, but I’d expect more from a company that’s trying really hard to distance itself from its more pedestrian automotive stablemates.
All that being said, where the GranCabrio Folgore and Trofeo stand atop their automotive stablemates is how they drive. We’ll get to propulsion methods in a moment, but I just want to highlight what a revelation these cars are to drive in any circumstance whether you’re just above idle around town or banging off the rev limiter on a backroad somewhere. No matter how you spec it the power is there, but to me, the real highlight is how the GranCabrio handles. These cars love to be tossed around corners, with a seemingly endless amount of grip (thanks in part to the summer tires), a really nice and progressive brake feel, and some of the best steering feedback I’ve ever experienced.
Maserati was really able to capture that direct and light steering feel Italian cars are known for. The best way to describe it is delicate. The smallest inputs result in a directional change, and yet it doesn’t feel darty. On top of that, the wheel really talks to you. If you drive over a pebble you’ll be able to tell what sort of rock it chipped off of. It’s really impressive stuff that heightens the entire experience of the GranCabrio. Even in Folgore guise, because of the T-shaped battery, turn-in and handling is still fabulous. It’s a real feat of engineering to get this 5,249-pound car (Trofeo weighs 4,316 pounds) to dance the way it does. The suspension tuning of both cars is also fantastic. They’re fairly similar, though I would say the Folgore is a bit softer. Regardless, both are set up perfectly to deal with the less-than-perfect roads of northern Italy. They soak up bumps really well but still are responsive enough for even the most spirited drive.
So, the Folgore and Trofeo are very similar vehicles both inside and outside, but they are worlds apart underneath. The Trofeo is powered by Maserati’s new front-mid-mounted Nettuno twin-turbocharged V6 that pumps out 542 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque through a ZF eight-speed automatic. That’s enough power to move the grand tourer from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds. Those are all very respectable numbers, but they pale in comparison to what the Folgore comes to play with.
Maserati says the Folgore’s three electric motors (two in the rear and one up front) produce an astronomical 818 horsepower and 996 lb-ft of torque. God damn. That’s enough to get the Folgore from 0 to 60 in a nauseating 2.7 seconds. It feels every bit as quick as that, too, and it’ll keep accelerating all the way to 180 mph. That’ll do for sure. A 92.5-kWh battery ( of which 83 kWh is usable) provides the juice for these monstrous motors, and Maserati claims it’ll get about 233 miles of range according to the company (EPA ratings are coming). When you do run out of juice, it isn’t a chore to fill up, either. Thanks to the system’s 800-volt architecture, the Folgore can DC fast charge at up to 270 kW, enough to charge from 20 to 80 percent in about 18 minutes. Not too shabby.
In a lot of ways, the Folgore is sort of in a class of its own. The Trofeo has other classic competitors like the recently refreshed and improved Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-AMG SL, BMW 8 Series and various Aston Martins (if you don’t pay attention to price), but the GranCabrio Folgore is on an island of one. I suppose arguments can be made for cars like the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire, but even those are a stretch.
I mean “island of one” literally. This isn’t just the only fully electric luxury convertible — this is the only fully electric convertible you can buy in the U.S. in general… if you don’t feel the GMC Hummer EV is a real convertible. That’s a really cool thing Maserati has done, and it’s packaged in a way that won’t intimidate new EV adopters. Unfortunately, you’ve got to pay up for this exclusivity, and that is where GranCabrio’s biggest issue lies: It is simply too expensive. Prices start at $206,995 (including destination) and it should be hitting dealer floors this fall. I guess you’re paying that price to be in a party of one, and I sort of get that.
The Trofeo starts at a still-wildly-high $193,995 (including destination) before you even add a single option. It puts the car in a weird no-man’s land when it comes to price. It costs a lot more than stuff like the Lexus LC 500, BMW M8, Mercedes SL and Porsche 911. The Maserati’s only real competition at its price point is the Bentley Continental GT, and that car comes with a better motor and nicer materials inside. It doesn’t drive quite as well and looks are subjective, so I suppose it’s all about what you like. To be honest, I’d be a lot more comfortable if this car was about $50,000 cheaper, but I suppose brand cache — even if it’s been damaged over the past decade — is still worth something. If you tell someone who doesn’t know too much about cars that you driving a Maserati, they’re going to be more impressed than if you tell them you drive a BMW or a Mercedes. That could be worth it to you.
Both the Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo and Folgore are really excellent, complete grand touring cars with a bit of a sporty edge to them. I am sure that whoever spends their hard-earned money on one of them won’t regret it. They’ve just got to be willing to deal with some touchpoints that aren’t top-notch and want to pay for a brand that is currently on the upswing. I wouldn’t blame anyone who buys one of these cars over the competition, they absolutely drive in a way that justifies their prices — there are just a few things that hold them back from being true class leaders.
As for which one is my favorite and which one I’d buy, well, let’s just say this: The Trofeo’s V6 doesn’t sound as good as the Folgore’s electric motors make me feel.
