Some info from AMuS.
MASERATI GRANTURISMO MODENA AND TROFEO
Everything new and with super-heat V6
Maserati introduces the second generation of the GranTurismo. Visually moderately refreshed, everything is new under the aluminum sheet.
Maserati built the first generation of the GranTurismo from 2007 to 2019 – now it's time for the successors. "The" successor, because the GranTurismo will also be available in a purely electric version – then the Folgore is called and is the first purely electrically powered Maserati. The Folgore looks almost exactly like its combustion siblings Modena and Trofeo. It is said that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was impressed when he first saw how the engineers of Stellantis subsidiary Maserati were able to realize the electric drive and the combustion engines on the same platform. GranTurismo Development Manager Sandro Bernardini emphasizes that this was a lot of work. Bernardini has a lot of experience in the design of high-performance sports cars: he spent nine years at Ferrari and then four years at Mercedes-AMG, where he co-developed the AMG GT – a time he still raves about today. It confirms: The new generation of the GranTurismo is visually similar to the old one, but technically the vehicles are not comparable.
Deeper than before
Customers liked the Pininfarina design of the first-generation GranTurismo – that's why the designers only slightly refreshed it for the successors. The front lights are vertically aligned and everything looks a bit streamlined and muscular than before. The huge front hood, the roof and the side panels are made of aluminum, the trunk lid is made of plastic. This means that the GranTurismo in its Modena and Trofeo combustion versions achieves a curb weight of 1,795 kilograms, which is a very good value for a car just over 4.9 metres long. The dimensions of the GranTurismo have hardly changed during the generation change, with the engineers proud that now not only the roof is 24 millimeters lower, but also the seats. The driver sits even closer to the asphalt and can therefore enjoy an even sportier driving experience.
it comes to the interior, it is important to Maserati that the GranTurismo is not a 2+2-seater, but a real four-seater. People up to 1.82 meters tall have space in the back, and even taller people can stand it there for a while. While some passengers still felt a bit cramped in the predecessor, the rear window, which is widened far to the sides, provides more brightness and thus a more generous sense of space. And the rear window pulls so far upwards that the heads of those sitting in the back partly linger under it, and not under the vehicle roof. For lightweight reasons, the seats are based on titanium frames.
Cockpit with four screens
Maserati is not yet showing the cockpit of its new sports touring car – only at the beginning of 2023 do the Italians want to show this last slightly secret detail. That's why there are no photos yet, but we could already see it: The driver looks at a twelve-inch instrument screen, whose graphics can be individually configured. Optionally, there is a head-up display for the GranTurismo for the first time. The multifunction steering wheel is flattened at the bottom and on it sit two large round buttons. The right one is the start button, the left one is used to adjust the driving mode. As always with Maserati, the shift paddles are fixed and therefore correspondingly large – after all, the driver must be able to grip them even when the steering wheel is turned on. The driver inserts the Parking, Reverse, Neutral and Drive speed levels by pressing the corresponding button – the key bar is located between the two large centre console screens. There is a special mode for parking: Once the reverse gear has been selected, the driver can permanently switch between forward and backward with the shift paddles – especially when parking in several trains, this should make vehicle operation easier.
Three center console screens
At the top of the center console, there are three more screens: at the very top, a small round watch screen, including a large infotainment screen, and again, at a slightly bent angle, a screen for controlling the comfort functions. With the watch, the driver can choose between a classic analog watch graphic, a sportier look and a design watch. If you like, you can also display the current G-forces or the pressure exerted on the brake pedal in this small window. Between the two large screens are the buttons for selecting the gear – both in the combustion engine and in the electric model.
In turn, the trunk is of different sizes: in the combustion variants, it grows by 20 percent compared to its predecessor to 310 liters – in the electric model, 270 liters must be enough. In the floor of the Folgore trunk there is a sloped step. Under it sit the two rear engines. Sandro Bernardini swears that otherwise there simply wouldn't have been enough space for the drive components.
Camera rearview mirror adjustable
In terms of assistance systems and connectivity, the new GranTurismo is up to date – this is also a blatant development compared to its predecessor. Under the comfort function control screen, there is now a charging cradle for inductive recharging of suitable mobile devices The antennas for the navigation system, the smartphone and the digital radio reception are housed in the rear lid – in the shark fin antenna enthroned on the roof sits only one camera. Their picture also shows the rear-view mirror on request. The later GranCabrio, which is based on the technology of the GranTurismo, has to do without a camera – because of it, the antennas have moved into the trunk hood as a precaution.
Air suspension and all-wheel drive are standard
All GranTurismo models come standard with air suspension and fully variable all-wheel drive. The weight distribution of the combustion engine variants is 52 to 48 percent between the front and rear. To this end, the engineers have moved the engine far back in a front-mid-engine arrangement. In addition, the combustion engine sits as low as possible and the air suspension can be lowered in race mode – all measures that should benefit increased agility. The chassis is raised by 25 millimetres for increased comfort when driving over obstacles and major uneven ground – from a speed of 50 km/h, the GranTurismo then automatically drops back to its normal height.
Self-developed six-cylinder engine
The two combustion variants Modena and Trofeo are equipped with the same 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo engine already known from the Maserati MC20 sports car – the engine of the Nettuno series is Maserati's first self-developed engine since 1998, in the GranTurismo of the first generation worked a Ferrari V8 adapted by Maserati. The Italians are also using their new six-cylinder engine in the new Compact SUV Grecale – and the set-up in the Grecale is closer to that in the GranTurismo than in the MC20. The engine delivers 490 (Modena) or 550 hp (Trofeo), later perhaps a more powerful variant comes. The torque is 600 and 650 Newton meters respectively. This means that the Modena sprints to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, while 3.5 seconds are enough for the Trofeo (200 km/h: 13.0 and 11.4 seconds). Maserati remains true to its tradition of high top speeds with the new GranTurismo: the Modena is in this discipline with 302 and the Trofeo with 320 km/h. The engine is always coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF – as in the Grecale. In contrast, the engine in the MC20 is bound to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Sound remains iconic
In terms of sound, the first GranTurismo set standards in the classic sense: especially in the cold state, the Ferrari V8 roared unsurpassed. In times of change to electromobility, the sound of combustion engines is increasingly losing importance, but with the new GranTurismo Maserati feels committed to the legacy of the iconic predecessor sound: the V6 hisses out its work rage hoarse and biting. Of course, it sounds like a six-cylinder – but like an incredibly powerful, poisonous and aggressive variant.
Deliveries of the new GranTurismo will start at the beginning of 2023, the prices are not yet known. For the GranTurismo MC with 460 hp sold until 2019, Maserati demanded 150,360 euros at the time. The new Modena could start with its 490 hp at 160,000 euros, the Trofeo could start at 175,000 euros.
MASERATI GRANTURISMO FOLGORE
Neptune's lightning is faster than Porsche's Taycan
Maserati also presents an all-electric version of its new GranTurismo: the Folgore is the brand's sportiest GT to date.
Maserati has taken its time with an electric car – to this day: the Italians are also launching the second generation of the sporty GranTurismo touring car in a purely electric version. It is called Folgore, fittingly the Italian word for lightning, which the brand will also use as a name for other upcoming electric models.
Visually, the Folgore differs only marginally from its combustion siblings Modena and Trofeo: it has smaller air intakes on the right and left at the front and instead of the fuel nozzle sitting at the top of the left rear fender, it carries a charging port on the left at the level of the rear sill – and of course it lacks the two double tailpipes; a large black diffuser makes the rear view sporty enough. Maserati gives its drag coefficient at a good 0.26.
Body and interior
Also inside there are hardly any differences to the combustion models. The on-screen menus are matched to the electric drive and the colors of the start button are different – at least for the prototypes we were allowed to see. Nevertheless, there are shift paddles: with them, the driver can choose the strength of the recuperation. A pull on the right paddle increases the recuperation, a pull on the left lowers it. Whether the Folgore will also get the paddle parking function of the combustion models has not yet been conclusively decided. The center tunnel is also retained in the electric model – where a large part of the battery consisting of 32 modules is located, which forms a cube in front of the center tunnel and spreads out in a T-shape behind the rear seats. The engineers have thus achieved that the entire car could remain as low as its combustion engine siblings at 1.35 meters. In addition, the occupants sit sportily close to the asphalt and the battery should also concentrate the vehicle's centre of gravity more strongly in the middle of the vehicle between the right and left. In addition, there is the ideal weight distribution of 50 to 50 percent between front and back, which gives hope for top agility.
Smaller trunk
In the trunk, however, the Folgore has to leave a few liters compared to Modena and Trofeo: While the combustion engines can pack 310 liters, the electric variant only has 270 liters. The reason for this is the two electric motors sitting on the rear axle, which force a sloping step into the trunk floor. After all, the designers on the right side of the trunk still fought for a laterally outward-running trough that makes it possible to transport a golf bag.
Folgore customers are normally denied a look under the bonnet: In contrast to the combustion engines, the huge aluminium hood cannot be opened in the electric version. GranTurismo Development Manager Sandro Bernardini is pleased that even the airflow does not open the elaborately designed hood at 300 km/h – this required sophisticated aerodynamics above and below the hood. Now only experts have access here – and they then see that the folgore has two transverse and two longitudinal struts for stiffening. A crossbar is sufficient for the combustion models here. In addition, the 12-volt battery sits on the right in the front engine compartment, in the combustion engine it is housed in the rear area of the car. And in order to be able to fill the wiper water tank of the electric model despite the closed front hood, the engineers have moved its filler neck to the windscreen base. A small screw cap is located in the drain channel of the windscreen, under which the pull-out filler neck is hidden.
Drive: three motors, four driven wheels
Three permanent magnet synchronous motors are responsible for the drive in the GranTurismo Folgore – one is centrally located on the front axle, two are located on the right and left of the rear axle.
The silicon carbide inverter (SiC inverter) sits on the central front motor. SiC inverters are smaller, have a lower weight and a higher power density than conventional silicon inverters, which is why they work faster and more efficiently. They convert the direct current supplied by the battery into alternating current and vice versa the alternating current obtained during recuperation into direct current. In addition, the easily scalable SiC inverters work better with the 800-volt technology used in the Folgore. For their new SiC inverter, Maserati engineers refer to their developments for Formula E, in which Maserati will participate from 2023.
Torque vectoring at the rear
All three engines work completely independently of each other, so there is no movable mechanical connection between the two rear engines. They enable torque vectoring, i.e. a needs-based distribution of torque between the right and left rear wheels – 100 percent of the power can thus be applied to the right or left rear engine. Just like the combustion engines, the Folgore also has a fully variable all-wheel drive – if necessary, the front engine switches off completely.
Each engine has an output of 300 kilowatts, i.e. 408 hp. However, the system output is "only" 560 kW (761 hp). In boost mode, 610 kW (829 hp) are possible. How long such a boost works, the engineers do not want to reveal yet. It is only available in the Corsa race setting – and the engineers emphasise that it is available for much longer than just ten seconds. The drives of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the Mercedes-AMG EQS also deliver 560 kW. In all three vehicles, the performance is limited by the battery.
Own battery for a range of 450 kilometers
The Battery of the Folgore, developed by Maserati and produced at the Stellantis Mirafiori plant in Turin, has a gross capacity of 92.5 kilowatt hours, of which 83 kWh can be used. According to WLTP, a battery charge should enable a range of 450 kilometers. Recharging is possible with up to 270 kW – if this charging power is actually available, a range of 100 kilometres is recharged within five minutes. When lifting the charge from 20 to 80 percent, 20 minutes pass. The energy recovery system should be able to recuperate under optimal conditions with an output of up to 400 kW.
In terms of driving performance, the Folgore surpasses its combustion siblings: it snaps to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds, 200 km/h are allegedly reached after 8.8 seconds – that would be 0.8 seconds less than the Taycan Turbo S. And while the Trofeo is up to 320 km/h fast, the Folgore should even be able to add a few km/h to it. The Taycan top model comes to an end at 260 km/h.
Striking art sound
And even with its electric GranTurismo, Maserati wants to continue the iconic sound of its predecessor modernized. So the acousticians have developed an artificial electric sound that sounds a bit like a synthesized combustion engine sound – definitely successful and powerful. But in the rear of the car sit two 120-watt speakers, which are there exclusively for the engine sound. The entire sound system of the Folgore is tuned to this additional sound: The artificial frequencies should not disturb or dampen the music and speech from the audio system.
RESULT
Maserati now also has an electric car: the GranTurismo Folgore looks confusingly similar to its combustion siblings on the outside and inside, but in terms of performance it is clearly superior to them. A perfectly balanced weight distribution, a low centre of gravity, lightning-like sprint times and an uncharacteristically high top speed of over 320 km/h for electric cars make the Folgore the sportiest GranTurismo. The maximum charging power of 270 kW, which enables an additional range of 100 kilometres after five minutes of charging, also makes the electric travel athlete suitable for everyday use.
