Reviewed: Maserati GranTurismo Sport

Maserati – one of the prestigious vehicle makers who, regretfully, never really seem to be able to hit the benchmark set by the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin and so on. Much like Alfa Romeo, Maserati have a gleaming past now drabbed in cobwebs – but have the Italian manufacturer bridged the gap of that glorious past which we are all so often frequently reminded of?


The Maserati GranTurismo Sport rolls in to replace both the GranTurismo S and S Automatic – so now there is just sport model sitting firmly in the middle of the base model and the GranTurismo MC. This one arrives in North American show rooms first, so America gets to marvel at its beauty before us Europeans, who will enjoy salivating at the body-work at some point in September.

Stunning Design

The GranTurismo Sport has been made with power and speed in mind, actually beating its more expensive MC Brethren on a lot of test, which leaves us scratching our heads as to why it’s quite a bit cheaper to buy. The MC produces 444 raging horses, whilst the Sport comes kitted with 453bhp.

So what’s the damage to your wallet? This Maserati comes in at a resounding $130,000 – which means it’s easily within my price range…honest.

On the outside the GTS adopts the same presence the MC, sleek, powerful and quick. The biggest changes come with the front-headlights and front airflow vents, with full-LED daytime running lights (becoming ever popular ever since the DS3) and adaptive light control to bath curves with light up to 15 degrees of steering angle to the wheel. A new front splitter has been fitted to increase aerodynamics and effectively drive more air into the compound metal break disc for cooling purposes. Other less noticeable, but still attractive features, are the more pronounced side-skirts and the darker-tinted tail lamps.

The GTS also receives it’s very own, unique colour – in what the Italians are calling ‘Blu Sofisticato’ – you can order the break callipers in the same colour…if you can pronounce it. You’re probably trying now! The ever-popular Maserati Trident gets a gorgeous red-highlight around it on the front grille, portraying a sense of prestige and a tradition within the company for marking only its most powerful models.

The Thrones

Heading inside now, you’ll find yourself sitting on new front power seats with integrated headrests and side bolsters to keep you firmly in place should The Stig within us all wish to make a sudden appearance. These are a welcome upgrade, as the previous seats never really seemed quite up to the mark. The entire drivers side of the GTS is ideal for the car, rear knee room is increased too thanks to the concave front seats.

Now for the engine, and my oh my – what have we got here? Roaring in with a massive 4.7LV8, producing 384 pound-feet of torque which peaks at a very cool 4,750 RPM utilising a shared multi-injection system. Phwoar…let’s all calm down for a second.

That Engine.

A new cornering dynamics system has also been set in place thanks to a two-millimetre, thicker rear stabiliser bar which joins up effortless with a next-gen ‘Sports Skyhook’ suspension with double wish-bone structures at all corners of the car. The standard 20inch Pirelli tyres give it an extra bit of finesse too, lifting, dropping and turning masterfully.

This really is a turning point for Maserati. We hope that, with this new monster of a supercar, that the Trident will gleam once again and today’s luxury buyer will see the excitement and expertise that Maserati has put into building the GT Sport.

Written by Alternative Route Finance