With the Maserati Gran Turismo, it is natural to get excited

It is normally undesirable to have dual personalities, not so with the Maserati Gran Turismo S Automatic, it works in this case. Grand-touring cars, by their very nature lead a dual existence. They pack in enough power and performance for the most demanding of drivers, while they are as practical as can be for the daily grime. The latest iteration put forward by Modena of the Gran Turismo is a fine example of power and practicality. Maserati did considerable market research and paid heed to the demands of its customers before bringing out a fully automated GT. Those who were not keen to shift on their own were sorely disappointed by the sequential manual transaxle that the company had placed in this version. When the car was driven at full throttle the shifts were smooth and proved to be quite efficient on the other hand on a short distance drive like a trip to the local grocery store they were anything but smooth. The German supplier ZF was offering a six speed automatic transmission, just what Maserati had been looking for all along. The unit is lightweight and compact for a fully automated version and this makes the car weigh just about 20 pounds more than it did with the sequential manual transaxle. This can handle the 362 lb-ft of torque that comes from the Maserati’s 433 HP, 4.7 liter V8 plus, it has quick gear changes takes just about a hundred milliseconds, almost just about the blink of an eyelid. The gear box is a pedigree of sorts as it is being offered in the Chevrolet Corvette and also the Aston Martin DB9, not to mention Maserati’s own Quattro Porte Sport GTS. That certainly is elite company! The gear box operates in full manual mode by the flick of the gearshift lever to manual operation and changing of gears via the steering column mounted paddles is -right for the up shifts and left for downshifts. In the manual the gearbox holds the gear selected even at the limiter. Even though the new Gran Turismo S Automatic uses a transmission in place of a transaxle, which is what the configuration is for the models that are fitted with the sequential manual, it retains a 49/51 front/rear weight distribution, the same as in the Quattro Porte. The marginally rear based weight balance actually helps the big Grand Turismo- 4145 pounds in terms of weight and a sports car like feel, it is exactly what customers are looking for in a car from Maserati. The standard suspension used is the adaptable Skyhook system, with gas-filled aluminum dampers and the option of selecting between normal settings and sport settings. On roads in Italy the sport setting performed well and despite the fact that the steering felt rather light the turn in was crisp as we carved through corners. Even in conditions when the road was wet- the 20 inch tires-245/35R-20 in front, 285/35R-20 at the rear-was absolutely impressive. The six piston Brembo calipers all around provide power to stop. They also come in a choice of 5 colors. In fact this gives greater visibility behind massive 20 inch aluminum wheels. The exhaust system bypass valves allow the terrific V8 engine note to permeate to the cabin. During normal driving conditions, the valves remain closed and the exhaust gases follow a longer route out of the system thus muffling the noise. If the sport button is used the valves get opened and this directs the exhaust more quickly out of the dual pipes. The increase of the sound takes place only above 3000 rpm. So even in sport mode when it is running at low speed the exhaust note is discreet. When it is wide open a sweet sound emanates out of the exhaust, maybe a musical note or two, it is lower than that of a Ferrari but it is hardly something that people would tire off. The cabin has four real seats- while the legroom of the back seat is a bit cramped, it can be comfortably used by two people for short rides. The leather and wood used and the craftsmanship are of the highest quality and also is its elegant presence, with the ovoid snout which bears the trident and the graceful and sleek Pininfarina-styled body. For racing enthusiasts who want to use the Gran Turismo for the racing track- Maserati is planning to come up with a line of Maserati Corsa, sport accessories in the later part of this year in the United States.

This entry was posted on August 14, 2009 at 10:46 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.