I have not made a purchase yet so I have a few minor questions. I hear the Navigation is BXXXX (tough to use). Does anyone use it regularly and does it work well. Does it speak the directions through the car speakers and turn down the music? How useful are the parking sensors...do you use the front ones also? How is the Bluetooth? Does it sound clear? Is it true that some 2008s have this as an option? Do all 2009s have Bluetooth phone integrated into the car? Still looking for a Bordeaux/Beige or Avorio or a White Turismo. I like the look of the 19" wheels better than the 20" Birdcage...would anyone be interested in swapping for like quality wheels/tires? How does the spare work on the Turismo? I heard there was just a bottle of tire repair foam stuff or an optional small spare but my guess is that would mean less trunk space. Anyone purchased a good outdoor car cover for this car for days it has to sit outdoors? thanks, Kevin.
If you are worried about these things.."blue tooth", and how the nav works..buy a friggin Lexus. Do us all a favor and leave the sportscars to those who don't give a rats ass about crap like that. Sorry, but nav systems and bluetooth, should not even be an available option on high performance machines..
Navigation works fine and it turns the radio down when giving directions. No idea on bluetooth as I have had GSM in both my 4.2 Auto and my current 4.7ltr "S". Parking sensors at both ends are a must have, no question. My 4.2ltr didn't have the front ones and it was a major, major PITA. There is no spare wheel on the Granturismo, only the bottle and a phone number for help! The boot is really small and a wheel/tyre wouldn't fit anyway. Maserati charge a fortune for the car cover. I seem to remember about $1200 Australian. I didn't bother. Having had both versions, I would only buy the 4.7 ltr "S". I found the 4.2 ltr auto very lack lustre.
The Granturismo is too big and heavy to be a true high performance machine. It's target market is definitely the daily driver market, and these days those accessories matter for that if you want to sell cars.
"Buy a Lexus" is a BS response! What the hell is wrong with putting a decent Nav and/or BT in a car? A Maserati is not an absolute sports cars. If you want that then buy a Ferrari or Lambo, which will significantly out perform a maser any old day of the week! To me, a car like the Grandturismo is supposed to perform well in dual roles. It is a Grand Tourer that on the one hand should be at home cruising down the highway at 85 miles per hour or driving around the city (if necessary) as a daily commuter. On the other hand, it should also be about performance and when you want to get on it, it should kick some serious ass... I think it does both fairly well... Have you ever driven a Lexus? To me they are completely void of any sole and/or personality. They are like driving in a cocoon in which one is completely isolated from the outside world. They have nearly every imaginable feature one could want, and even more you don't... They are about as ugly as a car can be, both inside and out... The GT is almost a perfect balance of beauty, raw performance, and creature comforts... Having a car phone can be a very useful gadget so you can communicate with the outside world while stuck in boring ass traffic... Navs can also be very beneficial if one wants to go up in the mountains and get lost... I am currently driving an older XKR that competes is somewhat of a similar role, but leans a lot more towards the comfort side of things... I am considering a 2010 GT-S as a replacement because while it has a lot of features, it is geared more towards the sports side of the equation. I think that would be a welcome change from what I currently have. Obviously, the Maser is probably one of the nicest looking sports cars out there. Its Ferrari engine is also Oh-so-sweat sounding... By the way, I have posed similar questions on other Maserati forums and have had a lot of responses... I was wondering how it would compare to say a 2010 XKR. The consensus seems to be that its GPS, Stereo, and Bluetooth are not as good as the new XKR. But almost everyone is of the opinion that the Maser is significantly better on the sports side of things. I have heard that the GPS will allow new destination inputs while driving... I have also heard that the voice activation is pretty sweet. I am schedule to take the 2009 GT-S out for a 2+ hour test ride next weekend so I should be able to give more first hand knowledge after that... Matt
??? That's a bit harsh... Those are are all relevant options for a car that isn't a hardcore sports car (it's a GT) and potentially a daily driver.
You think that because you are a car guy, you are better than everyone and you can decide what questions people can ask on a Maserati Chat. Where do you suggest I go to learn about the things the Dealer won't tell me and are not available anywhere I can find on the web? My wife likes the Turismo and she needs Nav so what is the ISSUE you have with asking about how well it works? Also, the Bluetooth is for her SAFETY so that she can keep her eyes on the road. My Ferrari has no such features...Does that make me more of a man? (You LOSER) I hope you go out and buy an expensive car without knowing all the details and find out the hard way it wasnt exactly what you wanted. I also hope that if you have questions before you buy it, that people treat you the same way. Why do you even respond to questions in the Maserati chat area??? Do you have to lurk in every chat and make sure people people are only asking questions (which I stated were MINOR QUESTIONS) that meet with YOUR approval? Does it make you feel better about yourself?
1. The nav is average, not spectacular, but it does the job. 2. The parking sensors are pretty good, especially when on the front when you are trying to park without running into curbs. 3. My 2009 has BT, but Ive never used it. 4. There is no spare. 5. You can probably have one made for a few hundred $$s. The GT is a solid grand tourer, but its not for everyone. There is a little truth in what tbakowsky said, if you want a car with a lot of high tech gadgets you are probably better going with a Lexus, Porsche, etc. You will also have to decide if you want the Sport version. Is it really worth the premium to you? Personally it was worth it to me, I was sold after the first time I heard the exhaust note. If you want a beautiful, great sounding, comfortable yet sporty car with four usable seats you won't find a better option for under $150K. Good luck.
Sorry..had a rotten day at the shop...Dealing with people and their nonsense devices in their cars that don't work is the ultimate time waster and the over all pain in the butt problems that plaque a shop. Trouble being in most cases, is the cost to repair such systems in a BMW or Mercedes or for that matter a Lexus or hell..even a Maserati. Take the BMW 745IL I had the displeasure of working on. The NAV system went on the fritz..well in most cars with this system, it works under what is called the "MOST" ring. we had a break in the fiber optic circuit some where, and it lead to the head unit..(which in most cases is the stereo unit itself)..well the unit is 2 thousand bucks. Try to sell that to the customer...even at that amount we are still not sure that will fix the issue. The car has been to BMW, and numerous other places until it came to us. In other words..there is just to much nonsense built into these cars that will end up costing the owner a ton of money once the warranty is over. Sorry about the blunt post...but I have seen to many cars smashed up because of the stupid Idrive and little screen in the car that people stair at while driving. The GT is a high performance car regardless of what has been posted here.
The Gran Turismo is just what its name says - a grand tourer. Honestly, it's very little else. It's a big car with four decently-sized seats and either an automatic transmission or a mostly-automatic transmission. Its interior is plush and its power rating is competitive with cars with half the pedigree and none of the cachet of the "Maserati" name. Frankly, it's no big stretch to want a high-quality navigation system, parking sensors, Bluetooth, etc. in such a car.
Wow, this got out of hand pretty fast. I agree the Maser is a GT car, and the GT I bought for my wife is our 3rd Maserati since 03, and my wife has never used any of the stuff you asked about, in fact I did not even know it had bluetooth. I think it is a very nice car, nice sized backseat, great engine (she has a non S model), great looks, only thing she complains (which is why she has a 7 series as well) is the tiny trunk.
Based on our 2009 QP: bluetooth works fine, hooks right up to my i-phone, sounds fine in the car, and no one is complaining on the other end. Good enough. Nav is much improved over the 2007 QP. It is a little fussy to program, but works good enough for the real world. I dont know or care if it is as good as a Lexus....You would have to DRIVE A LEXUS! The voice activation is good enough for me, it mostly recognizes what you want to do. Of course if any of us really studied that 200 page manual that comes with the car everything would MAYBE be more clear.Or not. I dont own a coupe, but will someday. I find it beautiful, and a great driving GT.Malcolm Car wash storey-I am talking on the i-phone when they bring the car from the tunnel to the area where they dry it. When it gets close it connects to my phone, so the car is now talking to the car wash staff-"Hello? Hello? Are you still there? They get a little spooked until we all see what happened...good laugh.
