Written by Adam Binnie Published: 3 January 2023 Updated: 3 January 2023

Overview

It’s a bold move to electrify the Maserati GranTurismo, a car synonymous with its hugely characterful eight-cylinder engine and ability to stride across continents in athletic luxury. Before its untimely demise in 2019, the previous model had come to embody exactly what Maserati stood for.

Rather unusually that V8 thunder comes before the lightning (or Folgore, in Italian) in this rebooted model – the Italian company’s first EV – soon to be followed by the Grecale and then the rest of the line-up by 2025.

Even more remarkable is the fact that the GranTurismo Folgore has very few true rivals: the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT and Tesla Model S all have too many doors and are only available in EV form.

Yes, you read that correctly, the EV GranTurismo will also go on sale next to a V6 petrol-powered alternative, with both cars sharing the same chassis and bodywork.

What’s it like inside?

We can’t tell you yet because we haven’t officially seen it – the car we drove was a pre-production model, with the finished interior slated for a reveal in early 2023.

It is worth pointing out that the previous GranTurismo had a enormously functional but dated looking centre console, and this will need an overhaul to sit right with the new car’s target market.

Maserati GranTurismo Folgore motors and batteries

We’ll cover the petrol-powered options in a separate review and detail the EV offering here – and to make life easy there’s only one choice at launch.

A 92.5 kWh (83 kWh usable) battery has been squeezed into all available spots, leaving room for the mechanical bits for the V6, and we think this is quite impressive. It’s largely housed in the car’s central spine between the seats.

Three electric motors – one at the front and two at the rear – provide a combined 761hp and 1350Nm, but can individually pump out 402hp.

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You don’t need a maths degree to work out that those numbers don’t add up. The extra capacity in the motors means the car can send huge power to each wheel to help stability when cornering. But more on this later.

More tangibly the figure means a 0-62mph time of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of nearly 200mph. These are senior supercar numbers, in a comfortable four-seater with a half-decent boot.

Interestingly though the power delivery doesn’t feel neck-snapping, it’s undeniably rapid but builds and builds in a sensational way. Not entirely unlike the old V8, which we suspect was deliberate.

Range and charging

Thanks to 800v tech you can charge the Folgore at 270kW, giving 62 miles in just five minutes, providing you can find an outlet capable.

In terms of range Maserati claims 280 miles, which puts it right up there with its Audi and Porsche rivals. Obviously that would require some fairly tame driving to achieve, and cars like the GranTurismo are somewhat romantically attached to the notion of being able to deliver you to your Alpine ski chalet on a one-stop fuel strategy.

Clearly that’s going to be trickier in the Folgore, at least until superfast charging is as easy to find on the French motorway as entrecot and chips.

What’s it like to drive?

GT cars have a bit of a free pass in terms of outright handling and ride. They’re seen as a bit of a combination of both, and therefore don’t need to be the master of either.

That said, the modular nature of an electric powertrain means car makers can tailor where the bulk of the vehicle’s weight goes, so it can be positioned low down along the centreline, with an equal amount over the front and rear wheels.

Finally with a motor for each rear wheel, torque can be instantly sent to whichever tyre has more traction, enhancing the car’s roadholding and agility.

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Long and short – the GranTurismo handles brilliantly and is a right laugh to drive. There’s a bit of body movement that you wouldn’t find in an out-and-out sportscar but if anything it allows the Folgore to flow across the road surface more naturally.

We can’t comment fully on the ride quality until we’ve driven it on the road (our test was restricted to the smooth tarmac of the Autodromo di Modena circuit) but with electronically controlled air suspension all round, we’re hopeful it’ll be plush enough.

There are four drive modes to choose from and they’re all quite distinct – GT is for daily driving and provides a lot of support in the way of stability control to help reign in those 721 horses. Sport mode sharpens things up and also slackens the traction control so you can move the back end of the car around on the throttle.

Corsa is for track only because it really lets the rears break traction, which is fun in a controlled environment and still provides a lot of assistance even when it feels like the tyres have let go completely. The GranTurismo has the ability to shuffle a lot of power to the front wheels in order to find grip, and it does so in a supportive, rather than intrusive way.

If you have range anxiety or just want to get the most miles from the battery, Max Regen limits the motor power and climate control, and sets regenerative braking to maximum.

What models and trims are available?

There’s only one Folgore at the moment, although the V6 petrol is available in a couple of different trims to choose from.

What else should I know?

The Folgore goes on sale in early 2023 and is expected to cost around 230,000 Euros – full UK pricing will follow, so watch this space.

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