2018 Maserati Granturismo Sport Review
In car years this one might be a little past it, but you still would, wouldn’t you?
By Shahzad Sheikh
Click below to watch my 2018 Maserati Granturismo Sport Review now
The Maserati Granturismo has always been a highly strung siren from the day it stole the show and outshone it’s siblings from Maranello back in 2007. It was, and is, the most sexy and sexual coupe on our roads – don’t believe me, go read my review of the same car from 2013 here. But be warned, you may need to take a box of tissues with you.
I’ve been in love with this gorgeous road-going goddess for over a decade – and that meant I put up with its erratic tantrums, its previous all-at-once trying yet terrific transmission, it’s incomprehensible instrumentation, it’s confounding switchgear, it’s propensity to throw up frightening warning lights of catastrophic failure at the most inopportune moments, and then forget about it once you’ve had sufficient cause to epically freak out.
The foibles and shortcomings were always forgiven because the whole was so damn desirable, the looks so voluptuous, the style so emotive, the sound so sensational, the handling so enticing, the performance so racy, and the charisma so mesmerizing.
And yet today, the latest and possibly end-of-run incarnation of this street queen is quite simply the best of breed in terms of all of the above hang-ups having been eradicated. Smooth and steady, the interior now makes perfect sense and is up-to-date and easy to use, the transmission is sublime and its robustness irrefutable. Frankly though they have had a decade to fix the faults.
The only problem is that whilst they have certainly done that, the rest of the car is the same – absolutely no bad thing at all of course, especially if you’re a loyal owner who just wants to update to the new car – visually identifiable by its re-worked more angrier grille. Also if you moving across from an antiquated Aston Martin!
Jump out of any other top end classy coupe though and the steering and ride relationship may seem incongruous, the performance and handling not quite at harmony, the overall opulence and driveability not truly at 2018 levels. And that’s only because the rest of the industry has seen so much developing and advances in engineering and technology over the last ten years.
Nonetheless, when it boils down to the question – would I have one? Oh God Yes! Totally. In a heartbeat. If this is the Swan Song for this car, I’ll happily save the last dance for it. It’s a legendary thing that will surely become a classic in the years to come and – oh whisper this bit – some might argue, will go down in history as the last true Maserati. The rest of the range, much newer as it is, is just too good to be this maddeningly lovable.
