Unlikely to be long; but I will find out what I want to know very quickly. My main concern is the suitability of a paddle pop gearbox in a luxury car. I am also interested to see how good the engine out of the 8C Alfa is. The sound is apparently quite amazing according to the locals who have already driven it. I also hope it is less troublesome than the last one.
Sweet - wish I was there to witness it. Your GT was stunning and luxurious beyond belief, but as an "exotic" left me somewhat underwhelmed.
Yeah, it was pretty unexotic for an exotic. The "S" seems to be getting a great rap in the press. I hope it's a bit more involving to drive than the base car.
imo it was nothing more than an alternative to a mercedes 'sports'...which it did very well. the "S" will be a bit like an AMG, if you're lucky! you'll know when you drive it. they will never be an 'exotic' nor do i believe they were supposed to be.
Fair enough on the Mercedes/AMG analogy. As for it not being an exotic, I suppose it's a matter of opinion.
My opinion (little weight as it has) is that when spending $kkk on an Italian car steeped in passion it should offer an experience more consuming than "wow - cool gadgets, these seats are nice too". Too much to ask for a seductive soundtrack and engaging drive?
why? italian...german.....english....you can spend that much on lots of cars. most surely aren't exoctics.
Yeah - and how many of these front-engined exoctics do I care enough to even post about...? I thought the MGT would be different, but really the only things it has over an M5/etc is that it's gadgets are newer and it looks much better (and it doesn't have I-Drive).
Actually its almost time for RB to come on board. A poll I mean. What is an exotic? I thought low volume out there cars. Ferrari used to do that, but now mass produce the cars. So I ask what is the definition of an exotic, and please no links to Wikipedia.
Yeah - like I said, "I thought it would be different". Dunno what it is - but front-engine just can't do it for me. Then again, only time I spent in a 599 was reprogramming the dash.
I really have to experience it at least as pax to say for sure - I haven't even read a review from or spoken to anyone I know who's been in one to be able to form a 2nd-hand opinion.
YES! ='s: Turns heads, limited production, Made In Italy, Ferrari powertrain, racing pedigree, expensive..... etc. I think your thinking FIAT?And in this instance u r wrong! Ciao M
i wasn't aware that a maserati GT was limited production. ok...so a merc sl55 AMG must be an exotic too. it turns heads, has a nice sound, goes well, costs a lot, limited production. hmmmmmm...i no longer want to buy an exotic if that's the definition.
Your thinking limited-edition, i am making reference that Maser wont/cannot build many [aka volume]and so will be a rare beast, as in limited # produced. A SL55 AMG is still a Benz, you know them, make $30k Vans and $30k A Class models, Maser does not open the batting till well over $200k, no riff-raff or guilty by association with that brand! Still, earlier BiTurbo wasnt its finest hour....... Ciao M
I agree an exotic is a limited built car. Mate who bought the 3200GT has just moved it on and picked up a few $s along the way. IMO the Maserati is like the Aston Martin current cars ,stuck in nowhere land.
Today Pee Pee and I took Australia's only Maserati Granturismo "S" for a short spin. The car is here for ADR compliance duties and a tour of all the dealers, so coming to a showroom near you soon (it leaves Melbourne on Saturday). Having sold my "normal" Granturismo and placed and spec'd an "S" for delivery in December, I was relieved to find that I really liked it. The "S" has quite a different character to the base car, due to the 4.7 ltr Alfa Romeo 8C engine and 599 style paddle pop gearbox. It is a dual personality car with few equals in my experience. In "normal" mode, it is about as quiet and sedate as the base 4.2 litre. Push the "sport" button and the noise is just EPIC. I think even Ash would be forced to agree that it has a Ferrari sound track. The sequential "superfast" paddle pop gearbox is much improved over earlier versions of this technology. In "auto" mode with "sport" turned off the changes are very smooth and I wouldn't class them as slow or rough. The superfast change is activated only in "sport" mode with 80% throttle and more than 5500 revs. We tried it and it is............. really fast. The changes using the paddles are smooth in any mode. One disappointment is that the electronic "skyhook" suspension is no longer standard and is now a $7000 option. IMO it is an absolute "must" if you intend to use the car as a daily driver. The "S" suspension is about 10% firmer supposedly and has thicker anti roll bars. Compared to my old skyhook equipped car I found the ride to be a bit harsh, especially as the car runs 20 inch wheels with rubber band rubber. As a daily driver, the ride would get old real quick without skyhook fitted. This car had the old triple black colour scheme as you can see from the photos. Interestingly, it makes the interior look a lot cheaper and less luxurious than the bright red of my old car. I suspect the black colour shows up the cheap plastics a lot worse than the red which perhaps distracts the eye a bit. In any case, I wouldn't order black leather, regardless of exterior colour. Having driven both models now, I can't see why anybody would buy the base model, despite the $28k saving. Interestingly Maserati feels the base 4.2ltr will be the volume seller as it steals Mercedes and BMW drivers and puts them into the Italian marque. Apparently they like cars that are less involving to drive! The Americans for example have only ordered 300 "S" cars for the entire year, so they obviously feel it's the case even more. Overall a very nice car; but it still isn't a sports car. Still just as huge and heavy. Incidentally, I didn't notice the extra power and Torque of the 4.7 ltr making any significant difference over the 4.2 ltr. I think people are deceived by the jeckle and hyde sound track and too gob smacked to make an objective analysis. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
