Maserati MC20

I certainly agree with most of your comments. When I referred to the interior I was comparing an upgraded MC20 to an upgraded Porsche and Ferrari. Most cars are well optioned. They are worlds apart.

The importance of the free service cannot be overstated. The free service induces owners to properly service their cars. When looking to purchase a used MC20 almost everyone hadn’t performed the expensive two year service. So many older Ferraris have not been properly serviced because so many people don’t think a car infrequently driven needs service or they just cheap out. This was a brilliant move by Ferrari and makes their used cars more reliable which strengthens resale values. Of course (it’s not really free) the buyers are paying for this upfront in the MSRP but the psychological impact is different.

Driving- The Ferrari is much tighter, sharper and faster and the engine sound is worlds better. Yet the MC20 is very fast, handles great, is very comfortable while the engine sound is interesting but quiet. I love the carbon tub- and it gives the ride a special super car feeling.

They are both fantastic cars and for the road the 296 is only better at the margins.

Value wise the MC20 wins but most of us don’t purchase these cars based on value.

 

Great question actually. Like the driving the car, parking requires attention. Besides the doors, the car itself is very wide so you do have to pick your spots on where to park it, And when you open the door you can't always see if you are clear, so you open the door slowly and in a controlled fashion, sometimes not all the way open, and slither out. I'm 5'9", 165, and still limber enough that I can get out of the car without fully opening the door. Bigger folks might be more challenged in tight spaces.

One of my biggest challenges is simply parking it under the lift at home. Only a few inches of clearance between the posts, and I must open the windows so that when I open the door the glass does not hit the lift above it. (Same thing I had to do with McLaren). And then depending on how I parked that day, the door may or may not clear the Panamera parked beside it. Usually it does with a few millimeters to spare, but have to exit with it partially open before I can confirm the clearance.

 

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I go through the same contortions. I also must leave the window open when parking under my lift. Will I forget one day? LOL.

If someone parks parallel next to me too close- it may impede opening the door. Therefore, I must be mindful.

It’s not an everyday car, especially without storage. And it’s a great occasion car.

 

I have a favor to ask. I have been playing around different options including an MC20, but my issue is the lack of space on the driver side (garage wall). Is there anyone that can measure from the body to the outer edge of the door when open? Would be great if you can post a picture with a tape measure shown too.

Thanks

 

This is really well put. I have to think this is what Maserati were going for, a car that is 90% that of the Ferrari competitor, but at a hugely different cost. With a 296 sitting around 2x the cost of a MC20 per BaT auctions, I just don’t see 2x the car in the 296, unless a person feels the 296 is just the better car to have long-term value-wise. I don’t see the MC20 sinking that low nor the 296 remaining that high

 

Prices for the MC20 and 296 will start to converge. The MC20 is a much rarer, better looking (this is subjective) and not a hybrid.

 

When driving my MC20 I smile the same as I did in my Ferrari and I do not wish it were a Ferrari (that could be bc I already scratched that itch, not sure)

 

Jake,I really like your review and I agree with almost everything you said.I am a racer also with some pro experience and after 29 years of racing I still race with HSR and SVRA in vintage races.I have owned my MC20 since last May and the launch would not activate on mine till around 650 miles and Jake is absolutely correct that it is a different car once the computer feels like the engine and transmission are broken in.I have all of the carbon fiber options (exterior,interior,spoiler,roof,engine cover and the racing seats with CF back) I was not sure about the seats but they are very comfortable and I really like them now.I do not have the carbon ceramic rotors,but the standard brakes seem fine to me.I also have a Mclaren 750S coupe and the interior of the MC20 is not even on the same planet as the 750,but the performance is at least 85-90% of the 750.Since both have CF tubs they feel similar and very rigid and strong.I agree that it is fun to hammer the throttle and have the back tires singing.I like to drive mine in Corsa with the TC off so that I can control all aspects of the car.This has got to be the best exotic for under 200K in the market today.I have no desire to track mine since I have 4 purpose built race cars and as Jeremy McGrath said "with age come the cage" I feel that a street car is not a race car and I have seen some very bad crashes in street cars at VIR but each to their own.The other thing that I think that Jake alluded to is this is a very reliable product and the electronics seems to function perfectly every time I start the engine.

 

No doubt the MC20 is easier on the eyes, the 296, and almost all newer Ferrari's for that matter, strike me more as design exercises in CFD. I just don't see the 296 and MC20 ever being particularly close in terms of value, the Ferrari badge carries some hitting power. Hope I'm wrong!

I encountered another MC20 in the wild here near Road Atlanta recently, the turbo sound is far too pronounced isn't it!

 

That's awesome you are still competing! I did a lot of HSR and SVRA myself, they put on a great event. I bet we raced the same events before (The Mitty, Sebring Classic 12hr) but in different classes. But my last competitive event was 2019. I will track the MC20, but just 1 time at 90% Just to get the experience and learn more about the car. But like you, I am more risk averse these days and don't push too hard without a cage.

Tell me your impressions about the steel brakes in the MC20. Is the brake-by-wire programming the same as the ceramics? By that I mean a lot of force is required to get to threshold, brake pressure that most street drivers have never seen before. Just like a non-boosted race car, that I suspect you've got lots of experience with. Do you have the same impressions about the brakes as me or is it set-up differently with the steel brakes?

 

Jake,I am sure that we have been at the same event on several occasions,I have been fortunate to win the Mitty on Saturday and Sunday.The cast rotors feel just fine to me,the only thing that I have noticed is on the first application after starting the pedal seems to move further than it should but the pressure seems right for the amount of stopping power that I want.I drive in the manual mode almost all of the time so I usually use the gearbox to help decelerate.

 

i own both. I think the hybrid is an advantage.

 

Here are the tech specifications from the Owner's Manual:

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This is the minimum distance in my garage to squeeze my fat ass out of the car:

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I have this wall padding from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSLJCLW?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5&th=1

 

I measured this morning. Looks to be about 30" from the furthest point of the door when fully open back to the front fender. Could not take a picture, not enough hands to hold the tape measurer and step back to snap a pic. But should be pretty accurate on the measurement.

 

30.9" to be precise

 

Guys, thank you very much. I have some work to do since my current allotted space is 24", pretty much dead on from what PChop has to put up with....PChop, I'm sure you are a ballerina compared to me (former OL whose primary training these days takes place at the dinner table). Reference the Weird Al video FAT.....LOL

Now I need to go hunt down similar numbers for a couple of McLaren models. Or sell a couple of kids to get into a scissor door Aventador.

Damn, these are pretty cars, Maserati and Aston Martin are the best at exterior design.

 

What is the highest mileage anyone has? Any common problems or reliability issues? Engines grenading? The price point on these is getting very tough to ignore...

 

I love my MC20. The 296 is even more compelling. If you don’t have one- it’s the car to get. It’s in a different world.

 

Dollar for dollar I'm in the MC20 pile. The 296 market is more than 2x that of a MC20 on the used market. I just can't justify that even though that 120 degree 6 in the Ferrari is awfully sharp. I am hearing the 296 has hybrid things one must be super mindful of as well or the car is dead the following morning. Something to do with the battery must have a minimum charge level (which is not advertised nor stated, just sort of a known quantity other owners have discovered) above a certain level at the end of the day or the car just won't work the next day and has to be flat-bedded to the dealer dead on arrival.

 

I own both cars. Yes, the Ferrari must have a full charge or be plugged in. Not a big deal and worth the effort for the experience. The 296 is that much better than the MC20 in almost every way. I like the MC20 too.

MC20 engine Sound: If I put the air conditioner on high I cannot hear ANY engine sound- and I have a Novitec exhaust. Unfortunately, that element of the enjoyment is absent.

The interior is laden with cheap parts.

On the other hand, the exterior is beautiful, the car is fast enough, handles well and might be the most comfortable super car.

 

The MC20 has so/ so carbon brakes. The Ferraris brakes are also worlds better.

 

Well they are enormously larger so that might have something to do with it.
I was at my detailing company today asking about PPF for my new Maserati Modena S and when I walked in the front door I stumbled on the door threshold and nearly planted myself on a brand new 296!
So I spent some time looking at everything, the hybrid plug in the rear of the car keeping it charged (no thank you) but those rotors and calipers are almost 50% of the interior of the wheel!
If they're not a lot better then Ferrari failed. Anyway, this was another forced purchase by Ferrari so that the customer gets a crack at the bigger prey. Isn't Ferrari forever wonderful to their customers.

 

Yes- there are negatives regarding the experience. Context matters. Porsche deals with this by charging sometimes massive ADMS where Ferrari always barges MSRP. You pay one way or the other. Maserati has massive depreciation across all of their cars and no included maintenance and charges substantially more for the two year service on my MC20 than Ferrari does for my 12 cylinder cars. Maserati may also go bankrupt due to so many poor management decisions. Context… Sir.

 

How many Maseratis have you owned and when?