A six-figure, 200-mph supercar is designed to dominate apexes, not interstate exits, yet that hasn’t stopped owners from expecting more than mere daytrip thrills. As luxury motoring evolves, the modern supercar is increasingly asked to do what was previously unthinkable: carry luggage, handle long highway stints, navigate valet ramps, and still arrive looking as composed as the five-star resort it’s parked outside. The question isn’t whether a six-figure performance machine can go on vacation – it’s whether it can do so without compromising the sense of effortlessness that true luxury demands.
We thought we’d answer the question by taking the 2026 Maserati MCPura on a jaunt from Miami to the Florida Keys, and find out if practicality would get in the way of its performance chops. Now, I’ve driven this car in the mountains of Tuscany, and around the curves of Miami’s Concours Club, enjoying its 621 horsepower and carbon-tubbed handling to the max. But how would it handle the journey from my hometown of Miami Beach, taking the Florida Turnpike and U.S. 1 even further down south to Key Largo, Islamorada, Tavernier and Marathon?
Part of the facelifted Maserati MC20’s appeal is that it can be quite a docile creature, thanks mainly to its 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine. Its rivals in the market are far more aggressive, and its vehicle dynamics are positively chilled – which is exactly what you want for a multi-day Florida Keys excursion. What’s also vital is the front-axle lift capability, because once you’re off the main route, there’s plenty of rough car parks and speed bumps to negotiate – even if the general terrain in these parts is as flat as a pancake.
For starters, I take the MCPura out for a photoshoot to catch the Golden Hour, so take a trip from my place to Ocean Drive, say ‘hi’ to a surprisingly nonplussed breakfast chef as I snap the supercar under The Betsy Ross Hotel’s famous orb, and then take it on a cruise past the Versace Mansion (RIP Gianni) and the Clevelander. I swing a right after the Bentley Hotel, and take 5th Street to the McArthur Causeway, past the multi-millionaires of Star and Palm Islands on the right, plus the cruise ships to my left. Sending the car away from traffic light with its launch system briefly gets a motorbike cop’s attention, but he just wants to check out the car, and motors away before I take the exit to Watson Island’s exotically named Parrot Jungle Trail.
After taking a few snaps, I’m held by some more cops, who’ve been booked to close off the road and allow some filming of a black Bugatti on the causeway – with a boat pulling alongside on Governors Cut. “Must be an important dude,” I say to myself, and some Insta hunting reveals that it’s being driven by none other than Mate Rimac himself. Small world!
After giving him a cheery wave on his way, I head back to my place and begin the short process of packing the MCPura. Just taking a look at the storage options, and knowing how hot the engine gets, means your best bet is a squashable Tote Bag in the rear trunk, which is kind of an odd shape – long yet narrow, and almost triangular. Thanks to Rolex, who hosted me at Monterey Car Week, I’ve got an elegant solution for that – although I do find that my smallest hard-shelled carry-on suitcase will just fit too. Next time, I’ll request some tailor-made Maserati luggage too!
Of course, with it being a mid-engined supercar, it’s got a frunk. This is small, but it’s far from useless, and I find my Oakley-Pirelli backpack fits just fine if I don’t fill it too much. But if you think this won’t escape a roasting like the rear trunk, you’re wrong: The radiator at the front gives off plenty of heat, so my advice is bring anything ‘melty’ into the passenger footwell.
As it’s a Florida Keys trip, though, all we really need is shorts and tees – plus sun cream and bug spray. Loaded up, which takes all of 30 seconds, I head to the Frost Science Museum to pick up my wife from work, and we hit the road east, past Zaha Hadid’s Scorpion Tower and the Miami Marlins Park, then on past Inter Miami’s new Freedom Park, which is under construction, the international airport, and then make the big turn south along Florida’s Turnpike.
I have the MCPura in GT Mode, so it’s happy to burble along at the speed limit, the twin-turbos occasionally whooshing with wastegates fluttering if I need to back off for one of the many random lane changes ahead that proliferate any kind of multi-lane driving in these parts. Its eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox is also making this journey easy, and with 538 lb-ft torque available on demand, if I need to leap ahead of anyone it’s done with the minimum fuss – and completed in what feels like a split-second after I’ve thought about it.
Even on the elevated concrete highway, the ride is dealing just fine with the bumps of the bridge expansion gaps, and our cruise south past the Homestead airbase and racetrack is uneventful. Once past Florida City, you’re on to U.S. 1 and the greenery of the southern Everglades soon wraps around us. It’s back to single lane driving and, after a few minutes, we come across a random traffic stack-up. As I’m behind a boat being towed by a truck, I get zero warning apart from its brake lights – and, just for a moment, I require every inch of the Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes to get woah-ed down. You’ll read some criticism of the feel of these, and the left pedal does require a bit of heft – but this proves they do work effectively when required!
Of course, my eyes go straight to the mirror, to see if the GMC truck behind is about to test the rear crash-test props of our full-carbon tub, but with his higher view, he’s already on the shoulder taking full evasive action – no doubt mindful of the insurance claim of rear-ending this $284,675 creation. Thanks for paying attention, buddy!
As we sit in this traffic jam for a few minutes, I take advantage of this Cielo model’s open top and get the roof down for the rest of the journey, which is incident free. It’s a bit annoying that you have to hold your finger on the touchscreen to complete the operation, as it takes 12 seconds, and this can be operated when moving up to 30 mph.
It’s not far along this route to The Buzzard’s Roost, our late lunch stop, which is a great spot where you can watch the marina workers service some boats. And, if you’re lucky, you can see one of them accidentally fall into the water like we did, and enjoy him get teased for the relentlessly by his co-workers. Refuelled, we head to our boutique hotel in Tavernier, where the MCPura gets envious glances from our fellow vacationers, most of whom are driving rental drop-top Ford Mustangs, while parked outside our luxury cottage. And, of course, every time we leave our gated complex, I put it in Corsa mode and do a launch, so they can hear the Nettuno V6 singing its sweetest song!
For dinner, we head for Italian – of course! – at Lido 73, a relatively new restaurant from the folks who run the Italian Food Company, which has multiple spots throughout the Keys. First our host spots the Maserati in the car park, and she tells the waiters… who tell the chefs… and suddenly the MCPura is surrounded by a multitude of excited Italians taking selfies as the sun sets. What it proves is that this car puts smiles on faces, and I still remember the Italian dude who slowed down on his superbike in Tuscany, who insisted we revved the car in a tunnel, and then gave us the “Bravissimo!” hand gesture.
It’s such a beautifully designed car that we got positive response everywhere we journeyed in the Keys, whether it was on the morning coffee shop run, or essentials shopping at Publix to stock up on cheese, ham, chocolate, wine and waterside margaritas. But there’s no way that single-use plastic bags are surviving the heat-soak of the trunks, so my wife gets them neatly wedged into the passenger-side footwell for the quick journey back.
The only thing missing from our jaunt in this carbon-chassis, mid-engine sports car was some decent roads to show off its rocket-ship performance. But the Florida Keys is the antithesis of rushing around, and this is most definitely a vehicle that can provide chill as well as thrills. Maserati’s supercar remains a hugely enjoyable alternative in a segment where rivals often chase headline figures at the expense of genuine driving enjoyment, and the understated elegance of the MCPura, combined with its ease of operation, ensures it can be used as everyday option that stirs the soul, rather than a motionless garage queen.
Images: Charles Bradley
