Danny Kushmaro drives the Maserati GranCabrio Electric: A luxury dilemma

Likes: Design, performance, handling

Dislikes: Operation via screens, tiny trunk, and it's not exactly cheap

Rating: 9/10

In the city, there were two maidensTwo beautiful and twin maidens.They were always so similar,So similar were the maidens.

And I loved both of them, Eli,This one was mine and this one was mine,Thus came good troubles to meTwo they are and they do not knowAbout each other, and this one about that.

These are the kinds of songs you can’t write today because they’re not politically correct, but the lyricist Shimrit Or (yes, a woman wrote it) couldn’t have imagined that it would fit an event happening many years later somewhere in northern Italy – two beautiful maidens, almost identical twins, and you’re in love with both of them, and you have to choose.

Because, gentlemen, a significant change has occurred: Maserati, known for its meaty multi-cylinder engines and rich sounds, has decided to create something unprecedented in its history – a completely electric GT convertible. Snap a photo, put a pig’s nose ring in it, the world as we knew it is no more, because yes, sports cars are also a kind of religion, and it makes me a bit emotional.

Maserati, one of the more established sports car manufacturers, was founded exactly 110 years ago in the motor-obsessed northern region of Italy near Bologna – Modena, which also includes Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Ducati. The Alfieri brothers, Bindo and Ernesto, established the brand with the trident emblem, which represents both the weapon of Poseidon and the fact that the founders were all from the Maserati family and almost from the start aspired to the sporting domain. By 1923, they participated in the Grand Prix, with its peak of glory achieved with one of the greatest race drivers of all time, Juan Manuel Fangio, who won his fifth Formula 1 championship with Maserati in 1957, a record only broken by Michael Schumacher 47 years later.

The 1970s brought the fuel crisis, and the company essentially collapsed, changing ownership several times until it came under the control of the Stellantis Group, which includes the odd mix of Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, and Jeep. Today, Maserati sells around thirty thousand cars a year in the high-end premium segment.

That’s the lesson; you won’t be tested on it.

The first GranCabrio was born in 2009 as Maserati’s first open car, essentially the naked version of the GranTurismo, with the stunning design by Pininfarina. Do yourself a favor, go online and check out its beautiful grandmother from 1947, the A6 1500. Since then, the GranCabrio was upgraded only in 2019, and now.

Before diving into technical details, it must be said immediately: this is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. The curves above the large 21-inch front wheels, the aggressive grille with the unique logo – it's an elegant, classic design that is truly sexy. "First make it beautiful," they used to say in a mix of mockery and envy about Italian products, and indeed, this is first and foremost a beautiful car, Italy at its best.

The thing is, two cars are actually being unveiled here. In addition to the “Trofeo” (Italian for trophy) with its bronze trim, there is now a debut appearance of the Folgore (Italian for lightning), which with two electric motors in the rear and one in the front makes history. As is customary in electric domains to make the car more aerodynamic, there are slight design changes: the front grille is sealed, the wheels are better at cutting through the air, the hood is essentially a large, sealed area of three square meters that cannot be opened, and – as a charming gimmick – the three traditional Maserati air vents are retained on the sides of the engine, but this time they are used only for decorative lighting.

Inside the car, you are greeted by two approaches. In the Trofeo, you have hot red leather seats, while in the electric version, there is a material called "Econil" made from recycled nylon, which looks and feels excellent. Who would have believed that once this plush seat was just a few plastic bags from the supermarket that someone threw away.

Getting into the car, I peeked at the two rear seats, which, as usual in this segment, won’t leave much room for legs, and embarrassingly couldn’t find the handle to change the driving mode from parking to drive. It turns out Maserati has moved these buttons to the central dashboard; the digital era has erased the gear lever – including the automatic one, something you need to get used to.

Maserati is launching the car in Europe’s old-money area, by Lake Garda, where a “new” hotel is at least a hundred years old. The drive to dinner requires a short boat ride on a Maserati – of course – which is also fully equipped with an electric motor that delivers 600 hp. It’s a stunning boat that seems to have come out of a Bond film, with a giant trident emblem on the bow, hiding a double bed, a champagne cooler in the captain’s cabin, and above all, complete silence and no frequent smoke in the stern – not a special price for you – 2.5 million euros, before tax.

Back to the car – starting with the Trofeo, the gasoline engine is based on the one installed in the extreme MC20, but it's smaller by two cylinders compared to the previous model, 6 instead of 8, with the option to simulate three more cylinders when driving calmly. It has two turbochargers helping it produce 542 hp and has several patents taken from the Formula 1 sister company, Ferrari.

So there is a lot of engine power and an open roof (which opens in 14 seconds even while driving at speeds of up to 50 km/h). Seemingly a real dream, but like losing your sense of taste while cooling off right before a Michelin-starred meal, we crawl through weekend traffic as heavy rain mixed with hail starts to fall on us – Siri, define frustration.

Still – we don’t give up, discovering (again) that if you drive fast enough in a convertible, the rain doesn’t get in. I know this probably wouldn’t convince the local traffic police, but it was also an opportunity to test the many hours this car has spent in the wind tunnel. I can report that the wind protection is very effective; no water entered, and it’s easy to talk and listen to music even when driving really fast. If the outside weather is too cold, the seats can blow warm air towards the neck.

An hour later, the gods of sports cars answered our pleas, and after the sun came out, so did the road, and the charming Felipe, who looks a bit like a moccasin model with peroxide hair and holds the coveted title of Chief Instructor of the “Master Maserati Driving Course,” leads the convoy and picks up the pace. You can press the pedal a bit and try to whip the car with all-wheel drive and have fun with the rear end in the wet turns from the rain. And you remember again the pleasure of controlling such a powerful Italian machine with the top down, truly a Dolce Vita experience.

This enjoyment will also be repeated in the electric version, which Maserati claims is the lowest electric car available, thanks to the T-shaped battery configuration that allows lowering the seats. Still, there’s something odd – we’re already familiar with electric cars and almost used to driving a kind of mute, but in such an Italian horse-power aristocracy, it feels a bit strange – but still.

Maserati’s marketing geniuses understood that absolute silence in such a car is unrealistic, so they added a muted sound of the company’s V6 and V8 engines through speakers located at the rear of the car – but unusually, they face outward, providing sound for the enjoyment of passersby.

It was an interesting experience to compare the two approaches side by side, with both having three driving modes – GT, Sport, and Corsa – which change steering feel, air suspension stiffness, and mainly the level of intervention of controls and sound (real or simulated).

In the gasoline model, it’s fun to downshift using the paddles behind the steering wheel, while in the electric version, these paddles are used to adjust regenerative braking. Both are very powerful, and although the electric model weighs 440 kg more, it has more horses (760 vs. 542), which helps it accelerate faster – 2.8 seconds to 100 km/h vs. 3.6 seconds. However, the electric version is a bit slower – not that it really matters – with a top speed of 290 km/h vs. 316 km/h. In fact, if you take these creations to the track, the electric one will undoubtedly set better times.

In summary, here is a GT car that Maserati has specialized in, knowing how to take you long distances without being overly extreme. Two very fast and enjoyable cars with a high level of materials – a lot of magnesium, carbon, and aluminum (65%!) – and above all, with a hard-to-explain feeling of luxury and Italian exoticism, a rather unique niche. And even when you’re in such a state of wealth and indulgence, you still wonder if it’s okay to enjoy a car like this when there are hostages in Gaza who are soldiers and soldiers, brothers and sisters, flesh of your flesh, and you wonder every day if enough is being done to get them out.

The one I carried to the heightsTo see the sun rising,And the other to the woodsTo see how the sun disappeared.

How the days pass quicklyAnd how the night grows shorter,And the angels are already hinting to me –What shall I do, which one will I choose?

So if you are among the select few in the financial position to deliberate between these two cars, first let me envy you and say that the decision is not simple. For me, the answer came somewhere in one of the tunnels on the way to the Alps when the roof was folded in the Trofeo (from 2.05 million shekels in the country) and the engine roared, giving a delightful backfire in a concerto for six cylinders. Maybe I’m a romantic or just old, but in an Italian GT car, I would still choose a real engine, until it’s forbidden, until they say it’s not allowed.

Technical Details: Maserati GranCabrio

Engine: 3, Electric

Max Power (hp): 761

Max Torque (kgm): 135

Transmission: Automatic, direct transmission, all-wheel drive

Electric: Battery (kWh): 92.5 gross, 83 net

Slow Charging (kW): 22

Fast Charging (kW): 270

Dimensions: Length (m): 4.97

Width (m): 1.956

Height (m): 1.37

Wheelbase (m): 2.93

Trunk (liters): 114-151

Tires: 265/35R20 front, 295/30R21 rear

Curb Weight (kg): 2,340

Performance (Manufacturer): 0-100 km/h (seconds): 2.8

Top Speed (km/h): 290

Combined Range (Manufacturer, km): 447

Safety:

European Crash Test Rating: Not Tested

Active Safety: Autonomous emergency braking forward, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and lane departure prevention, sign recognition

Warranty:

3 years or 100,000 km vehicle warranty, 8 years or 180,000 km battery warranty

The author was a Maserati guest in Italy