Who has driven a convertible? Impression? I've driven a GranTurismo coupe, but not an "S". I'm looking for an honest 4 seat convertible.
Hello Simon, I have driven the convertible for about 1 hour... It is most definitely a nice car. I would much prefer a hard-top convertible but as soft tops go, it is nice... From the inside of the car with the top up, it is almost impossible to discern you are in a convertible... The head room is fantastic in the front two seats... The head room in the back is a bit worse, but at 5'7", I easily fit back there... The visibility is not as good as I would like with the top up - a smallish back window... The car has basically the same engine as is in the coupe but has a completely different exhaust... It has 4 tale pipes (two on each side) and is a bit more civil when you want it to be. It actually redlines at 7,600 RPMs while the coupe redlines at 7,200... It's max power is delivered at the 7,600 RPM range where the coupe does at 7,000 RMPs... Is has about a 3 gallon less gas tank that the coupe... It still has that oh-so-sweat Ferrari engine sound, albeit somewhat different than the coupe... It is about .25 seconds slower in the 0-60 time (i.e., 5.15 sec vs 4.9)... The Stereo is supposedly better (bigger amps), or so my dealer tells me... It does sound pretty good... I could not find that in writing anywhere... One drawback to me is the fact that the trunk lid does not have that nice scope that the GT-S does on the 2010 model. It also does not have the side skirts that the coupe has... To me, those were two areas where they messed up a bit... As far as ride, I think it rides similar to the coupe... It is amazingly quiet inside with the top up and not in sport mode... With the top down and the windows up, there is very little turbulence. That makes the wife happy, as she gets wiped around quite a bit in our Jag XKR... This weekend, we went and saw a new one they got in and it has the leather upgrade. That is nearly an $8K option but in my opinion, it really steps up the look and feel of the interior a lot... All and all, a pretty nice car... Matt
Thanks matt. I need to go look at these. saw one on the road... not much makes me turn my head... but WOW. Thanks for the heads up on upgraded leather... have to ask to see both.
Its arguably one of the sexiest true 4 sitter convertibles out on the market in the $160K price range. Back seats have decent room for adults, my 13yr old son 56 now, has plenty of room, however the trunk space is awful. Interior fit & finish is up to par with any high car. Although GT convertibles are equipped with the 4.7L V8 with auto trans, its got more bark then bite, but talk about a OEM exhaust system, this car sounds sweeter then my 430. Off the line its pretty decent but there are times I find it I really need to rev up the engine to get going at fwy speeds. On standard mode ride is very comfortable, the suspension stiffens up, as well as the shift pattern changes on demand with a push of the sport button, but dont expect itll transform into a sports car. As for reliability, it remains to be seen, Ive had the car for 3mo, mine had a few glitches all were fixed under warranty without too much agony. One of the options Im glad which I selected is the front and rear parking sensors, most other options are cosmetic. I think wood steering wheel option is a nice touch, Neptune design wheels look the best. Thats my 2¢ worth. Good luck. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yea - I think that is a good way to put it (its got more bark then bite)... I think that in general, for the money and pedigree that Maserati is supposed to carry, the current line of Masers are seriously laking in "bite"... If Ferrari can make the California so damn fast (0-60 in 3.5 seconds), why not share some of that technology with Maserati to create cars that could at least be in the lower 4's for 0-60 times... The car cost a lot of money and I am OK with that but it just hurts that there are so many less expensive cars that will kick it's ass... I know these are not track cars, but 5.15 is relatively slow by today's standards... Matt
Matt, Ferrari will never allow anything that harms their status & performance! Heyyyy - we are in "Bella Italia" here! Its Grande Casino and the biggest Hioly Cow here is - Ferrari! Ciao! Walter
By the way, here is an example of the convertible with the upgraded leather option. It is from the on-line configurator... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rather interesting actually that Ferrari is seemingly so much more revered than Maserati (or for that sake, Alfa and Lancia) in their native Italy. I can understand that "outsiders" (i.e. everbody else a.k.a. non-Italians) just don't know (or are interested in) automotive culture and history, but how and why Italians also fall into that ignorance trap is quite inexcusable. Reminds me of my younger days, back in the 1980s and early 1990s (just before the Ducati 916 era that really changed the then widely held perception of European bikes as technological relics...), when I did quite a lot of travelling around Italy (and much of Europe) on my Ducati Mille S2 (and before that a 900 S2 and also a Guzzi T3 and a BMW R90S), which almost nobody cared about: It was all about Japanese bikes back then! Cheers, Gabriel
If it of importance, the car's trunk is very small. Otherwise it's basically like driving a coupe version. Probably the most beautiful convertible made today, in my on opinion. Alberto
got mine 1 week ago... here we can not ask the Neptune wheels but I love them so much that I am putting them next week. Alsi Coupe S sideskirts, mc pedals and exhaust i would have preferred MC shift (the next one with double clutch ;-)) and while I love the car (500km so far) I must say thare are some small quality errors that disturb me (like the pure plastic aluminium look trim f.e.). The trunk is basically non existed but that I knew.....it has enough place in the backseats to put luggage. I wanted it to travel locally with upto 4 but long trips with luggae will be 2 people mostly.... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Congratulations! It's a very elegant car. Must be perfect for cruising under the Spanish sun! Cheers, Gabriel
Matt, you asked why Ferrari doe NOT share technology with Maserati!! The answer is veeeeery simple: Ferrari DOESN`T want to share too much technology with them. They DON`T want ANY competition!!!! Its as simple as that! Ciao! Walter
Walter motors are build only at the ferraiplant for both maserati and ferrari, not sure now but when the QP wa launches all the paintjob was done at ferrari, gearboxes are from external companies and a few years ago they used the same (it will only be a while before maserati also will get the getrag double clutch one), airco, magnetic dampers etc are from delphi in both cases.....It makes sense for Fiat to use as much as possible the same technologies/suppliers to keep costs and complications down.... But yes Ferrari will always have the lead and is the extreme sport car while maserati is the sporive luxury sister for daily driving (the California is a hybrid.....well it started as a Maserati project anyway). Ferrari will be "tuned" more aggressively and with components and technologies for extreme sport cars (like dry sump, pistons etc that can go above 8000rpm etc etc) but both brands do share more then one might think.....
I too was looking for a true four seat convertible with a usable trunk this past winter. After testing the drop-tops from MB, Infiniti, Lexus, BMW and Maserati, I went with a 2010 Audi S5 cabriolet. It has a stunning exterior designed by Italian designer Walter de Silva, room to seat 4 adults, a usable trunk that will actually hold enough luggage for week in the mountains for two, an interior-fit and finish far superior to the others, plenty of power from its supercharged V6, 7 speed dual-clutch tranny with Drive-Select, gets 20+ mpg and cost less than 1/2 the price of the Maserati. Plus its maintenance schedule and cost are thousands$$$ less than the Italian car. To me the soft top looks better than the retractable hard top which also reduces rear seat room and virtually eliminates the trunk. Test drive them all and see what you think...
Soon I hope. But, with the Hunter-Jumper season in full swing, my weekends are booked for the foreseeable future.
Great write ups in this thread. Anyone know if they are discounting these cars at all right now? Thanks
Traded my 2009 QP for this today... it was an impulsive purchase but I just fell in love with it! Image Unavailable, Please Login
