A picture of The 2010 Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic Having two personalities is not normally desirable, but for the Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic, it works. Grand-touring cars, by their nature, lead double lives, packing in enough performance to satisfy demanding drivers while being practical enough for every day. This latest iteration of the GranTurismo is yet another fine example from Modena.
Maserati listened to its customers in bringing about this automatic-equipped GT. Those who didn’t want to shift for themselves were disappointed by the operation of the company’s sequential-manual transaxle. When the car was driven hard, shifts were smooth and efficient. On a trip to the grocery store--the everyday-driving part of the mix--it was anything but.
German supplier ZF had a six-speed automatic transmission that was just what Maserati was looking for. The unit is small and lightweight for an automatic--the car weighs just 20 pounds more than with the sequential manual--and it can handle the 362 lb-ft of torque coming from Maserati’s 433-hp, 4.7-liter V8. Plus, the gear changes are quick, taking just 100 milliseconds; think the blink of an eye.
The gearbox has a pedigree of sorts, being offered in the Chevrolet Corvette and the Aston Martin DB9, not to mention in Maserati’s own Quattroporte Sport GT S (“Italian Beauty, with an Edge,” AW, May 4). That’s pretty good company, to be sure.
The gearbox can operate in full manual mode by flicking the gearshift lever to manual and changing gears via the steering-column-mounted paddles--right for upshifts, left for downshifts. In manual, the gearbox holds the gear selected, even at the limiter.
Using a transmission instead of a transaxle, which is the configuration for models fitted with the sequential manual, the new GranTurismo S Automatic retains a 49/51 front/rear weight distribution, the same as in the Quattroporte. The slightly rear-biased weight balance helps give the big grand tourer--4,145 pounds--a sports-car-like feel, which is just what customers are looking for in a car from a maker whose name ends in "i."
The standard suspension is the adaptive Skyhook system, with gas-filled aluminum dampers and the option of choosing between normal and sport settings. On Italian roads, the sport setting was never too harsh, and despite a rather light-feeling steering wheel, we marveled at how crisp the turn-in was as we carved through corners.
Even in wet conditions, the grip from the 20-inch tires--245/35R-20 in front, 285/35R-20 in the rear--was impressive. Six-piston Brembo calipers all around provide stopping power, and they come in five color choices, all the better to be seen behind those massive 20-inch aluminum wheels.
Exhaust-system bypass valves allow the terrific V8 engine note to permeate the cabin. In normal driving, the valves remain closed, and exhaust gases are forced along a longer route through the system, muffling the noise.
But if the sport button is engaged, the valves are opened, and the exhaust is directed more quickly out of the dual pipes. The sound increase takes place only above 3,000 rpm, so even in sport mode at low speeds, the exhaust note is discreet. Wide open, a sweet sound rips out of the exhaust, maybe an octave or two lower than that of a Ferrari but something few will tire of hearing.
The cabin is fitted with four real seats, and while back-seat legroom is tight, it is usable for real people on short stints. The leather and wood and the craftsmanship with which they are put together are very high in quality and altogether fitting in an Italian car. So is the car’s elegant presence, with its ovoid snout bearing the trident and the graceful, sleek Pininfarina-styled body.
For those who want to take their GranTurismo to the track--or make it look like a race car--Maserati plans to introduce a line of MC ( Maserati Corsa) Sport accessories in the United States later this year.
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