Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Maserati GranCabrio 2010 review: road test

Maserati Maserati Reviews Maserati Grancabrio Maserati Grancabrio Reviews Maserati Grancabrio 2010 Convertible Best Convertible Cars Maserati Convertible Range Prestige & Luxury Cars European Sports cars Car Reviews
...
Bruce McMahon
Contributing Journalist
5 Jul 2010
4 min read

Maserati's GranCabrio is the first roof-down four-seater from the Italian maker. And, as to be expected, a fine piece of automotive art.

It has a long, head-turning profile, best appreciated with the cloth top down. It is packed with leather and luxury, down to a stereo system that self-adjusts tones depending on roof position. It has 323kW of sporting V8 up front, mated to a clever six-speed transmission. All in all, it’s a most impressive, albeit expensive, package of poise and performance.

Maserati has a fair heritage of open top sports cars, back to the beautiful Frua Spyder of 1950. But this is their first four-seater convertible. And the GranCabrio more than lives up to the heritage. It is a practical, elegant convertible with comfort and performance. It is capable of being caught in peak hour traffic without a grumble, capable of offering a spirited run through the mountains and happy to loaf down long motorway stretches in quiet comfort.

Perhaps the boot is a bit small (but will take a set of golf clubs) and perhaps the back seat is no place for the tall with the roof up (though these seats reportedly accommodate 62.5 per cent of people).

Explore the 2010 Maserati Grancabrio Range
Explore the 2010 Maserati Grancabrio Range

Pricing and market

Here the GranCabrio, at $338,000, joins the GranTurismo and the Quattroporte to give Maserati a trio of prestige machines covering some high-flying territory. (The four-door Quattroporte is the best-selling Maserati of all times and the marque's brand awareness has risen 10 per cent in the past decade plus there's a new 'medium' sedan is somewhere around the corner to keep the flag flying.)

The time was right for a little more Italian fashion, a little more look-at-me in the style of an open-top tourer. And 27 Australians and Kiwis have already signed up for this year's allocation of 45 of these machines.

Driving

The payback is spirited performance, chassis balance and ride comfort (though there is sometimes a little chattering feedback from the front wheels). Plus the exclusive charm of a four-seat Italian convertible; said to be longest, roomiest in this class of exotic convertible.

The 65kg roof can drop, when the weather's clear, in 28 seconds at up to 30 km/h.  Without the roof, top speed drops from 293km/h to 274km/h and the weight distribution changes from 49 per cent front and 51 per cent rear to 48 per cent front, 52 per cent rear.

Top up or down the Maserati is a well-balanced car. There is nice weight to the steering and, for a fairly big car weighing in at 1980kg, the GranCabrio is easy to place on a tight mountain road. Handy here is the rear grip and the eagerness of the 4.7 litre V8 to work up to its 323kW and 490Nm of torque at 4750rpm through the six-speed auto transmission.

There are steering-wheel column mounted paddles for shifting through sports ratios, handy for down changing, whether out for a harder run or just impressing city pedestrians. The Italian's aurals are as sweet as anything out there and a Sport buton rempas gearbox, engine and suspension details for even harder growl and go.

The cabin is, naturally, packed with convenience, comfort, luxury and safety... right down to integrated pop-up roll bars (with sharp pin to break the rear glass) in the event of a major accident.

There is all the best in navigation systems, information and entertainment systems. There are choices galore in leather trim colours and highlights, there is an airconditioning system which quietly adjusts a pre-set temperatures to a closed or open cabin.

For maximum effect the Maserati's top will be down, listening to that V8... and watching the watchers.

Check out Keith Didham's review of the Maserati GranCabrio.

Read the full 2010 Maserati Grancabrio review

Maserati Grancabrio 2010:

Engine Type V8, 4.7L
Fuel Type Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency 14.5L/100km (combined)
Seating 4
Price From $75,350 - $86,570
Bruce McMahon
Contributing Journalist
Bruce McMahon is a former News Limited journalist, who has decades of experience as an automotive expert. He now contributes to CarsGuide Adventure.
About Author
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication. Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
CarsGuide Logo

Rival reviews

Mercedes-Benz SL500 2012 review
BMW M6 2012 review
Jaguar XKR-S 2013 Review

Comments