Maserati News

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Charles Bradley – October 17, 2025

2026 Maserati MCPura Cielo First Drive

MC12 & MC20 Successor Is A Mid-Engined Italian Mountain Goat One of the perks of working inside duPont REGISTRY’s global headquarters is seeing a Maserati MC12 in our office every day. Thanks to a previous role, at a famous British motorsports magazine, I also got to witness many FIA GT Championship races firsthand, where the MC12 GT1 often ruled supreme from 2005-’10. You know a car is truly successful when the organizers attempt to ban it – which is why the second batch of 25 production cars are 150mm shorter than the originals! In 2020, Maserati revisited the two-seater, mid-engined layout with the MC20, and this time opted to mass produce it, rather than the MC12’s limited run of 50 road cars and 12 racers. But it did bring that ‘62’ number back for the wild, track-only MCXtrema, while the road-legal GT2 Stradale also offers further extra power/less weight thrills. For the 2026 model year the MC20 is rebranded as the MCPura, with a front-to-back design refresh, including its open-topped ‘Cielo’ (Italian for ‘sky’) variant for $281,000 alongside its $246,000 Coupe. The Cielo’s glass roof retracts in 12s when travelling at under 30 mph, far removed, if you’ll pardon the pun, from the MC12’s detachable hardtop that couldn’t be stowed within the car – so you had to pray that it didn’t suddenly rain on your journey! The Cielo is 12 kg (26.5 lbs) heavier than the Coupe, due to reinforcements to the carbon fiber monocoque (the tub is a collaboration between Maserati and Dallara) to ensure its structural rigidity, but your payback is that the chassis is ever so slightly stiffer. Maserati bills this car as the “essence of performance and joy”, and the ‘Pura’ stems from a trident, if you will, of “pure speed, pure luxury, and pure Italian passion”. Underpinned by Maserati’s clever little Nettuno 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, producing 621 horsepower and 730 Nm (538 lb-ft) of torque, it can achieve 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds. Design-wise, the big exterior changes come at the front bumper and fascia, with a much more aggressive and angular ‘shark nose’ grille, plus reshaping of the lower fascia at the rear end. The side skirts have also been revised to reflect the design language, which includes a glossy black finish as opposed to the matte of the MC20. Inside, a new steering wheel, with a flattened top, is now covered in Alcantara, material which also runs throughout the seats, dash and door panels, which feels like an elevation from its forebear. New performance pages have been added to its centrally mounted 10.25-inch touchscreen, which is where you control the roof retraction and opacity – as it features polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) that switches from transparent to opaque at the touch of the screen. The change occurs within a second, and it’s genuinely quite freaky when you first see it! Underneath the car, aerodynamic performance has been improved at the front end. The floor now features a 5% increase in vertical load, and the diffuser at the rear has been refined to maintain the balance. “The MCXtrema served as a design laboratory for this car,” explained chief designer Klaus Busse. “It introduced the Trident-shaped taillight and a more horizontal, assertive front design. We’ve carried this forward into the MCPura, giving it a more confident presence.” It sure does look purposeful, and I’m told it spent more than 2,000 man-hours in the wind tunnel. The car I’m driving along the Tuscan coast of Italy is an MCPura Cielo in Devil Orange, a color that’s a tribute to the feisty Italian female F1 pioneer of the 1950s, Maria Teresa de Filippis, who was known as “Diazoles’” – the “she devil”. This is one of three signature colors offered, alongside the radiant blue AI Aqua Rainbow, and classic white Bianco Audace. Maserati’s Fuoriserie program opens a virtually limitless palette of color choices for exterior and interior options. My first impression comes as a passenger; as luck would have it my drive buddy for the day is regular duPont REGISTRY car tester Michael Teo Van Runkle. Charged with espresso, and running second on the road behind Maserati’s lead test driver for the program, Filippo Pensotti, Michael spends his stint hustling behind Filippo’s 2025 Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo coupe along a sinuous mountain road. From my shotgun vantage point, I rest assured that the MCPura is as lithe and responsive as you’d expect from a mid-engined, carbon-tubbed halo car. After a break for taking photos and videos, and more espresso, we swap places and it’s my turn to open the driver’s side butterfly door and slide behind that flat-topped steering wheel to find out for myself. I luck into an even more steep and twisting route, and with Filippo waving us to go ahead, I can set my own pace. The MCPura’s 621 hp doesn’t all come at once, but with only 1,500 kg (3,306 lbs) to motivate and a neat patented-for-the-road, F1-style pre-chamber combustion system, the first burst of acceleration is enough to light up the rears – something we also achieve later when testing its launch system (a button on the right of the steering wheel, across from the starter on the left). As the revs rise, the twin-turbos join the party, giving the car a second wind, and on this amazing road I’m barely grabbing third gear before the next downshift is required. “I believe our powertrain truly differentiates us,” explains Leonardo Rimini, the MCPura’s product planner, when I ask him later about how he feels MCPura stacks up to segment rivals. “We don’t use a hybrid system; we’ve stayed pure to the internal combustion engine. The twin-turbo V6 Nettuno engine is now part of Maserati’s DNA and is really the beating heart of the company. That’s a very compelling value proposition. “The engine delivers incredible results, and the technology is truly cutting-edge. But if you asked me my favorite aspect of the car, it would be the carbon fiber tub – it contributes so much to the stiffness and torsional rigidity of the chassis. You can really feel that when you drive it.” Agreed! Once back on the Autostrada, we get another seal of approval from a guy on a high-powered Kawasaki motorcycle, who comes roaring up to us, slows down, and begs us to rev the engine as we go through a tunnel. He gives the Italian hand gesture for “Bellissimo” before charging off at a million miles an hour on his commute. It’s something that’s not lost on its stylist, Herr Busse: “Our customers tell us they love Maserati because it’s not shouting at you – it’s a rolling sculpture. In Europe, supercars can draw negative attention, but our customers get thumbs up, not the wrong finger.” Back into the hills we go for some more mountainside fun. Flooring the throttle, and redlining through the low gears, before stamping on the left pedal to feel the bite of its carbon-ceramic brakes, and downshifting for the next switchback, and the Nettuno produces some wonderous chirrups and flutter from the turbos. This sounds best in Corsa mode (pro tip: go into Sport mode and then hold for a couple of seconds and it magically engages with a snazzy flash – GT and Wet modes are also available). The gearchange response from the paddles in manual mode is sharp, and the MCPura devours these mountain roads with poise. The steering is a touch on the light side but feels perfectly connected to the front wheels on turn-in, and the feedback when on throttle exit was sound, which helps as its traction control is not as, let’s say ‘intrusive’, as other 600+ hp cars I’ve experienced recently. But you wouldn’t want a boring supercar, would you? Driving this car in a spirited fashion means you need all your wits about you – which is how it should be. View this post on Instagram A post shared by duPont REGISTRY News (@dupontregistrynews) It’s certainly a car that allows you to find a rhythm to the point of it almost becoming mesmeric, with a ride quality that soaked up the bumps but its firm enough to deliver a pointy front end. Blasting along downhill stretches oddly reminded me of riding your fastest skateboard as a kid, carving down the biggest gradient you could find, where smooth inputs meant you could zig zag at high speed, and carry your momentum right to the bottom, and you’d only feel disappointed when the thrill ride was over! But with the MCPura, there’s always another mountain to climb, and that’s pretty much how we spent the rest of the day, tackling corner after corner, up and down the dramatic hillsides of Tuscany, only pausing to get some photos of this beautiful car against the stunning vistas. Our drive concludes on a steep downhill stretch, where Michael – fueled by a double espresso over lunch in Sestri Levante – catches and hounds a local hero in mid-sized European Ford, who clearly knows every inch of the road and is taking a racing line around each bend. Riding shotgun once more, and ignoring the huge drops outside my window, I’m thoroughly entertained as much by how on-the-edge the car in front is, while the MCPura is rapidly gobbling up the same apexes with sublime ease just a few yards behind. It’s fair to say, after a couple of hours of enthusiastic driving, we got through a fair percentage of the fuel tank over 200 miles of hustling around the region… A total of 130 examples (32% of the 2026 run) is destined for the North American market, with the first set to land in December. On the supercar smattered streets of Miami, I’ve only ever seen a handful of MC20s compared its mid-engined rivals – although I do see many Levante and Grecale SUVs daily, and it’s hardly surprising to learn that nearby Maserati of Fort Lauderdale is its biggest US dealer. So, if you’re looking for a 200-mph supercar that can turn heads – yet delivers performance similar to a Ferrari 296 GTB, avoids the fuss of hybrids, and comes with refined elegance – then the MCPura should certainly be on your radar. View All Maserati MC20s For Sale Images: Charles Bradley, Maserati

A matte gray, all-electric Maserati Grecale Folgore SUV is parked near palm trees by a waterfront in the sunny Florida Keys under a clear sky with scattered clouds.

By Charles Bradley – June 28, 2025

Living with Maserati’s All-Electric Grecale Folgore: A We...

Let’s get one thing straight: I’ve driven battery electric vehicles before, Teslas and the like, so I know all about their amazing acceleration (despite the extra weight) and super-quiet running. However, I hadn’t ever ‘lived’ with one of these cars for an extended period, testing its range and charging requirements in real-world scenarios. Adding an extra layer of jeopardy is the fact that this road trip celebrates my 10th wedding anniversary! My wife and I would like to remember this for all the right reasons, not for getting stuck in the back of beyond… The opportunity arose following a conversation with Maserati Formula E driver Jake Hughes at the Miami E-Prix. As we spoke, a Maserati Grecale Folgore passed by, prompting Hughes to share his daily experiences with the model. He praised its smoothness, instant torque, and comfort, noting how much he missed it during a return to a combustion engine vehicle. The only drawback, he rued, was the lack of charging infrastructure in his homeland, the UK. And this is where my number one concern lay: Range anxiety. Having run out of fossil-fuel gas once in my life (thanks to an electronic tripmeter that was lying to me) that was one time too many for me. So, it sure wasn’t about to happen on my first week of electric motoring. Inspired, I arranged a loan of the 2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore, priced at $135,855 with options. The SUV arrived with a 91% state of charge, sufficient for our initial drive from South Beach to Key Largo. As luck would have it, our chosen villa just happened to have an Electrify America charging point less than half a mile away (trust me, this wasn’t planned) – although it was a little alarming to discover that the only other option was in Key West… That journey would be 168 miles, which was doable but rather pushing it! Instead, our journey was a more manageable 72 miles. Once on the road, it was clear that the Grecale Folgore’s road manners are excellent. I’d heard a few unflattering stories about this model’s bumpy ride and handling in all-electric form, but it seems that was limited to pre-production cars, and this all-electric Folgore model felt just as comfortable as its ICE-powered counterpart. The instant throttle response helped navigate Miami’s Dolphin Expressway Sunday drivers, but as soon as I hit the Florida Turnpike for the big turn south, there’s a cloud on my horizon... An actual black cloud, that’s obliterated my horizon! The Folgore’s super-quiet electric motors made my phone’s ‘severe thunderstorm warning’ alarm all the easier to hear, and we plunged into a classic summertime Florida monsoon. Despite driving this car for the very first time, I felt confident of its wet-weather abilities, and its heavy curb weight, plus four-wheel drive, helped carve through the waves, as we ploughed into deeper and deeper water. As the lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled from all angles, it was the kind of driving conditions that if you went near a truck, you’d risk getting swamped by its bow wave. Finally, after a good 20 minutes of 35mph chugging along through the storm with the wipers going at maximum speed, we finally came out the other side and were soon back motoring in the sunshine. Now on U.S. 1, as the road narrowed to the classic single-lane main artery of the Keys, I could relax my grip on the wheel and focus on how my range was getting on. Pretty good was the answer, and as we arrived at our destination for check-in, the SOC states the Grecale is in the low 60s. So, perhaps aided by me pootling along through the rain in MaxRange mode, that’s effectively only a third of the battery spent for 75 miles. With vacation mode engaged, as we’re hanging here for the first four days, our trips out are for meals and local sightseeing only. But with a shift of location to Tavernier up next, I decide it’s prescient to do a top-up charge while we’re close to that charging station at Tradewinds. Thanks to some tutelage from our road tester Gabriel Vega Cortés, I arrive at the charging station with my Electrify America app in hand and some cash pre-loaded in the account. Gabe reckons that sometimes the chargers can be a little funky to get going if you drive them from unit’s screen, plus in bright sunlight it’s a squinty task just like the gas station. I hook up the heavy cable to the Grecale, for my first-ever electric charge, and it’s an immediate ‘no’ from the machine. Despite a satisfying clunk from the plug/socket it says the connection is no good. Er, OK… hello range-anxiety panic! Good thing this is just a trial run that I don’t really need. But now it feels like I do… I repeat the process, and this time all is well. I swipe right on my EA app, and it’s off and running. The Folgore’s green lights next to the connector are happily flashing away to confirm electricity is flowing, so safe in the knowledge it’s charging, I lock the car and head off to Publix for groceries. After 38 minutes, which includes a browse of an outlet mall, my app is showing an SOC of 93%. As my mentor Gabe suggests, charging is a law of diminishing returns past 80%, and it slows down substantially as you get closer to 100. Happy with my lot, and at a cost of $22.77, I disconnect the cable and set off on the short hop to Tavernier. After pottering around there for a few more days, our full final day of vacation involves an 88-mile round trip to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, and after a fun time feeding some recovering sea-loving reptiles, on this drive I have a good play through the Grecale’s drive modes – including Offroad (as we take a couple of gravel avenues), GT and Sport. All seem fit for purpose, with Sport mode the most fun as it ratchets up the motor noise and squats the suspension down. There aren’t many corners in the Keys to push any limits, but it’s clearly a car you could have fun in, and jumping into small gaps at junctions is easy with that instant throttle response. Even with 550 hp on tap, there were no nasty neck-snapping surprises when I gave it full beans to hit the speed limit asap. In the cockpit, the column-mounted shift paddles are now tasked with adjusting the intensity of the Folgore’s regenerative braking system. I loved the one-pedal driving that allowed for, with maximum regen selected, but I didn’t quite get the sense in having the flappy paddles in the way of the indicator/wiper stalks. The gear selectors themselves are buttons sandwiched between its central displays, which upon first drive was a little unintuitive. I really liked some of the exterior design cues, which I noticed were sporty enough to get some admiring glances – even from Porsche Macan owners – on multiple occasions. And my wife liked the interior design, which was copper-themed. Overall, it was both very pleasing on the eye and comfortable across our journey. Ahead of the 77-mile return journey home, and with the battery down in the 50% range after our longest drive yet, I return to the charging station and couple up to the same unit at Tradewinds I used a few days earlier. Again, it refuses to comply the first time but looks to be working at the second time of asking. But as I browse the nearby outlet mall, I check the app: It’s stopped charging after just two minutes. I go back, try again. This time I stay with the car, and the same thing happens after 1m55s. By Zeus, just give me some charge! Annoyed, I decide to switch chargers. There are two ‘up to 350kW’ stations here and the other one is available (a Genesis, impressively down to just 7% SOC, is hooked up to a ‘up to 150kW’ so I’m immediately suspicious that the higher-powered ones aren’t working) and I try the other one. This time, it’s a qualified success. The system works first time, and after a 45-minute charge I set off for home armed with 93% again. Max charging speed was 78kW, with 37.7kWh delivered for a grand total of $22.69. I will get home! Charging electric cars is a doddle, when it works. Like Maserati’s racing ace Jake Hughes says, the electric car lifestyle is brilliant until a long distance, and that range anxiety, rears its head. As a city cruiser, Maserati’s Grecale Folgore is an excellent car; it looks great, it’s nippy through traffic, and I can confirm it’ll handle a big storm with ease. But if it was my daily driver for longer drives, I feel I’d have to become an expert in charging station locations, rather than ‘I’m getting low on gas, I’ll be sure to stop at the next station I see.’ As more and more full-electric cars are sold, is the infrastructure in America keeping up? According to reports, in the fourth quarter of 2024 some 433,843 full EVs were registered, while only 9,701 new public chargers were added – a ratio of about 45 new EVs for every new public charging port. This means a national average of 30 EVs per public charging port, highlighting the strain on charging demand – and, of course, their reliability. Maybe my range anxiety isn’t misplaced after all… View All Maserati Grecale Folgores For Sale

By Gabriel Vega – September 19, 2023

2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo Review: Supple Speed

When it comes time to build a performance-oriented SUV or crossover, carmakers have an ever-growing toolbox to make them handle well despite their high-riding mass, from infinitely adjustable air springs to active anti-roll bars and even custom-made rubber. The days in which sloppy handling was just something we'd come to expect from tall vehicles with massively powerful engines are way behind us. However, in pursuing this physics-defying performance, manufacturers often over-stiffen them, almost forgetting where these SUVs will spend most of their time. Sure, it may rip up a back road like a sports car, but what good is that if it shakes your teeth out on the way to the grocery store? Enter the 2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo, a 523-horsepower crossover that finds an often-overlooked sweet spot. Despite the massive output from its MC20-sourced twin-turbo V6, the Trofeo sets aside all-out performance to deliver an exciting but comfortable, balanced driving experience ideal for daily use. It may not be the sharpest tool to carve a canyon but trust me, you wouldn't want it to be. Engine 3.0-Liter Twin-Turbocharged V6 Horsepower 523 Torque 457 0-60 3.6 Seconds Base Price $106,995 (Including Destination Fees) As-Tested Price $120,095 The Trofeo sits at the top of the Grecale food chain, at least until the electric Folgore dethrones it soon. So we're stuck with only 523 hp and 457 pound-feet from a revised MC20-sourced twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. Combined with a quick-shifting eight-speed auto and all-wheel drive, this Nettuno engine propels the Trofeo to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, 120 mph in 12.5 seconds, and up to 177 mph. On paper, the hottest Grecale is quicker than a Macan GTS, matches the outgoing Mercedes-AMG GLC63, and falls slightly behind the BMW X3 M Competition, all crossovers with similar power outputs. Does this matter in the real world? Unless you're planning on drag racing your luxury performance crossover, a two-tenth-second difference is imperceptible where you'd actually drive it. What matters is that the Grecale feels very quick. Maserati's 90-degree Nettuno V6 may not be as exotic as the Ferrari-sourced V8 powering the outgoing Levante Trofeo, but it's perfectly at home under the Grecale’s hood. Its revisions include using a wet sump rather than a dry one and cylinder deactivation, allowing it to temporarily shut off its right bank to increase efficiency. Five drive modes, Comfort, GT, Sport, Race, and Off-Road, adjust its response and sound. Turned up in Race mode, the turbo six responds quickly to throttle inputs with a surge of low-end torque. While it's perfectly happy cruising along at low revs, it quickly comes alive when provoked. Peak power comes in at 6,500 rpm, which, thanks to short gear ratios, is always accessible as you work your way up its eight speeds. While powerful, the Nettuno isn't overly vocal, despite Trofeo's quad exhaust tips. While you'll get more of a low-end rumble in Sport and Race modes, it hardly screams as you work your way up the rev range. Instead, it shouts between gear changes with an unmistakable bang as you upshift under load. Lift off slightly, and it quiets down, but everyone will know when you're on it. The Trofeo comes standard with air springs and adaptive shocks, allowing six ride height levels tied to specific drive modes. However, you can independently raise and lower it via a separate menu. Its stiffness, however, is separately controlled by a button mounted on its steering wheel, allowing you to select softer damper settings while retaining full engine performance. Comfort and GT mode are truly plush, even by non-performance crossover standards. With lightened steering effort and reduced throttle sensitivity, these modes hide the Trofeo's performance intentions well while remaining a quick cruiser. Click up to Sport, the ride height drops and its dampers stiffen, but only slightly. It's still reasonably comfortable, even with its now weighted steering and sharper throttle response. Step up to Race, and the Trofeo becomes as responsive as possible, but curiously, its suspension is still reasonably compliant. On a canyon road, the Grecale Trofeo feels as quick as its competitors as it claws its way out of tight bends thanks to its all-wheel-drive system. Despite its hefty 4,629-pound curb weight, its body motions are well controlled, remaining relatively stable even as you begin to push it. Its limits, however, are lower than an equivalent Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, or BMW as it tends to understeer quicker than its rivals. Its steering, although quick, doesn't transmit much feedback, nor is its front end razor sharp as you turn into a bend, and its six-piston Brembo brakes are easy to overwhelm after back-to-back runs. That said, you really have to push the Grecale Trofeo to notice these differences. At a leisurely pace, its performance is on par with the competition. You'd need a track or a twisty mountain road to tell them apart. Where it excels is on the ride home from a quick drive. Even in Race mode with the dampers in their stiffest setting, the Grecale is still compliant. Road imperfections aren't immediately transmitted through the cabin, making it easy to forget you're in the maximum performance mode, to begin with, a trade-off I'd accept in a heartbeat. Its excellent suspension calibration couples with the same premium cabin I first encountered in the Modena a few months ago, except it's improved in the Trofeo with the addition of exposed carbon fiber trim, trim-specific stitching patterns, and more aggressive seats with enhanced side bolsters. Oddly enough, these chairs are the firmest part of the Trofeo. They offer minimal padding, yet they're still reasonably comfortable on longer drives, considering they're the only available option. The rest of the cabin carries over from lower trim levels, including its two horizontal infotainment and control screens and separate digital instrument cluster. While I wasn't a fan of the Levante Trofeo's interior materials, the Grecale is a massive step in the right direction. Its interior's quality and build are befitting of a performance crossover starting over six figures, but more on that later. Although the Grecale is slightly smaller in every dimension than the outgoing Levante, it's just about the perfect size for most people. There's plenty of room for adults in its second row and cargo space out back despite its sloping roof. For the average family, the Grecale should tick all the boxes. Its smaller proportions help it from a visual aspect, too. The Grecale, even in base form, is a good-looking little crossover. It's elegant, stylish, and not over the top. Yet despite its comparatively restrained exterior, it's immediately recognizable as a Maserati and as something different than its closest competitors. The Trofeo builds on this solid base with more aggressive front and rear bumpers, including a massive diffuser flanked by quad exhaust tips. 21-inch wheels come standard with summer tires, although a second set of 21s with a polished two-tone finish is available for an extra $3,100. Despite it being the highest-performing trim, for now at least, the Trofeo doesn't shout that it's the fast one. Instead, it sets itself apart from the other trim levels with its sharpened details, not losing the stylishness that makes the Grecale appealing overall. Being a Maserati, the Grecale Trofeo is positioned at a higher price point than its German rivals. Including a $1,495 destination fee, its base price is $106,995. My tester, with its options like its $3,100 Driver Assistance Plus Package, $1,100 Techssistance Package, and $4,200 Premium Plus Package, comes in at $120,095. A similarly optioned Porsche Macan GTS comes in a hair below $100,000, while an equally athletic BMW X3 M Competition costs even less. And while the Grecale is slightly larger than these competitors and offers better interior materials, you'll still pay a premium if you want one on your driveway. Regardless of which brand you look at, most performance carmakers have a quick and capable crossover in their portfolio. They have to at this point. However, while there may be ever-rising benchmarks, fewer options successfully balance all-out performance and everyday comfort. It's an increasingly overlooked sweet spot. By focusing on this with its suspension calibration, the Trofeo excels where it matters most: the daily commute. In these scenarios, it's exciting enough to be interesting without simultaneously pummeling you over bumps. It wouldn't be my choice for a canyon blast, but for daily use, it’s damn good. View All Maserati Grecale Trofeos For Sale

By Gabriel Vega – May 04, 2023

2023 Maserati Grecale Modena Review: A Strong Contender

It's bringing the fight to Porsche's best-sellers.

By Gabriel Vega – January 04, 2023

2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo Review: Sidestep The Norm

2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo Review: Sidestep The Norm January 4, 2023 by admin in Dummy, Another, Category The Maserati Levante is a prime example of introducing the right product at the right time. Before its arrival for the 2017 model year, the Italian carmaker had just three vehicles on sale, the beautiful but aged GranTurismo, the flagship Quattroporte, and the "entry-level" Ghibli. The latter's arrival significantly boosted stagnant sales figures, which the high-riding Levante only helped along. Maserati introduced its first-ever SUV right as the market was ready for one. But despite wearing a sizable trident on its front grille, the Levante was neither sporty nor exotic. Initially counting on just a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, this family hauler made respectable power but nothing that would ultimately challenge its German rivals. Flash forward to the 2021 model year, and Maserati aimed to finally give the Levante the street cred it deserves by introducing the long-awaited Trofeo model. Powered by a Ferrari-derived 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8, it made 580 hp, blasted to 60 mph in four seconds, and offered a properly sinister aesthetic. I recently spent a week with the latest 2022 version of the Trofeo, and not only is it quick, stunning, and somewhat flawed, but above all else, it's unique. To say there is an abundance of available sporty SUVs would be an understatement. Six-figure buyers have more choices than ever. From your standard BMW M and AMG models to newer competitors such as the Aston Martin DBX and Lamborghini Urus. The Levante, however, slots in a sweet spot among them. Priced cheaper than the flamboyant Lamborghini or Aston Martin and more in line with the Germans, this Italian SUV is one of few offerings at its price point that won't make onlookers assume you wear a gray suit to work. This is mainly because the Levante looks genuinely unique. Despite offering comparable power and performance figures to a BMW X5 M, the Levante is shorter, lower, and slightly narrower. While these critical inches translate to a somewhat smaller cabin than its German competitors, the Maserati employed styling that, with the help of those svelt proportions, allowed it to hide its size well. The Levante doesn't, at first glance, come across as a lumbering family hauler. Instead, it looks well-sculpted and interesting from just about any angle. While the arrival of the Trofeo variant for the 2021 model year is a welcomed sight, it arrived five model years after the model was initially introduced. And according to Maserati, a replacement is already slotted to arrive between 2024 and 2025. Thus the buying public had to wait patiently to get the version of the Levante that is most like a proper Maserati, yet it won't be around for very long. The Best Luxury and Exotic Cars We Reviewed in 2022 If it sounds like I'm being a bit harsh on Maserati, it's only because the Levante Trofeo is a genuinely enjoyable SUV. With that aforementioned prancing-horse V8 under its hood, it conjures up a seismic 580 hp at 6,750 rpm and 538 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm. Although its exhaust note is surprisingly restrained, its acceleration is not. With all-wheel drive and a quick-shifting eight-speed ZF transmission, it feels as quick as its stats suggest. This is in contrast to the Ghibli Trofeo I tested earlier this year, which felt much slower than its SUV sibling despite sharing the same hardware. If you want the quickest Trofeo, you'll want the Levante, as it bests both the Ghibli and Quattroporte Trofeo in a straight line and with real-world performance. It feels the most alive of the three and eager to perform. Tackle a corner, and the Levante Trofeo reveals its strange suspension calibration. It counts on an air ride system like its competitors but leans considerably and doesn't inspire confidence in the bends while remaining quite stiff around town. It's neither a comfortable high-rider nor a corner-carving athlete. It falls somewhere in the middle. Since the Levante counts on a separate switch for its suspension firmness, flipping through its Normal, Sport, and Corsa drive modes will mainly tweak items such as engine noise, steering weight, and throttle response. Corsa is surprisingly usable on the street. Sure, the engine is a bit eager to go off leash, but it's the only mode where the Levante's response feels immediate, providing a stark reminder of the 580 hp V8 in front. The Levante Trofeo's steering is slightly over-boosted and lacks any real feedback. It's surprisingly light in Normal mode but loads up artificially in Sport and Corsa. The brakes, on the other hand, are strong. Despite not being pricey carbon-ceramic ones, they have more than enough power to keep the Trofeo in check with short pedal travel and ample feedback. They're also more than up to taking a beating up a windy canyon road. From a driving perspective, the Levante Trofeo is pretty much all about the engine that powers it. It's not quite as athletic or agile as its German competitors, but with that comical twin-turbo V8 under its hood, it oozes personality. The Levante's flare continues with its interior layout and material choices. Its front seats are sporty but elegant, each with contrasting red stitching, headrest embroidery, and a horizontal center pattern. This is a departure from the Ghibli and Quattroporte's woven leather texture and a welcomed addition. Aside from their look, the chairs themselves are plenty comfortable, and while offering all the bolstering you'd ever want, they don't trade comfort for all-out sportiness. 2022 Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo Review: Good Looks And Old School Flare The leather and stitchwork continue onto its door panels, center console, and dashboard, giving the Trofeo a distinct and modern look. However, there are subtle reminders of shared switchgear within the Stellantis corporate umbrella, such as the window switches, steering wheel buttons, and HVAC controls. They work fine but are meant to live in vehicles costing significantly less than this SUV's over $150,000 MSRP. The 8.4-inch infotainment screen in its dashboard is also a carryover but is implemented in a sleeker, less noticeable way. It has your expected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity but builds with straightforward menus, elegant graphics, and a high-resolution display. The Levante's cabin is refined, quickly drowning out road and wind noise, despite wearing large wheels and somewhat sticky tires. As a commuter, the Trofeo is happy to hum along quietly in the fast lane. In fact, I'd argue this is where it is most at home. Although I alluded to it earlier, the elephant in the room is the Levante Trofeo's price tag. A prancing-horse V8 doesn't come cheap. My 2022 model tester starts at $153,100 but can easily surpass $175,000 with optional extras. For context, the aforementioned BMW X5 M Competition starts at $115,095 and tops out nearly where the Levante starts. That is while offering comparable or better performance. The Levante is quick, beautiful, and a joy to commute in. Its appeal doesn't rest on its performance stats alone. In cities like Los Angeles, six-figure BMW M, AMG, or Audi RS products are as common as Corollas. Thus the Levante stands out as a unique offering. No one buys a Levante for track times. They want the look, the sound, and the prancing horse V8. While the Levante can be genuinely enjoyable, it's not without its flaws. Shared switchgear, a confused suspension setup, and a steep price tag make it more of a niche product. Still, as its competitors try to one-up each other with ever more serious personas, the Trofeo is a reminder that there's a place for glitz and all-out fun, a persona that'll hopefully blossom further when its replacement arrives shortly. View All Levante Trofeos For Sale Tags: First Second Third Forth Fifth Sixth

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