Maserati GranTurismo: long-serving coupé gets a facelift

Can new tech and new tweaks breathe life into the ageing coupé?

The old dowager is going to be replaced eventually but before the shiny, slim, simpering new replacement dances into view they’re going to give the car a bit of a facelift.

To start with they’re going to slim her down, or at least her wardrobe and unmentionables underneath. Gone is the entry-level 4.2-litre engine. Gone is the choice of a single-clutch automatic gearbox for the MC Stradale.

Instead there is just the 4.7-litre V8, its 454bhp powering through a six-speed ZF torque converter transmission. The engine is built by Ferrari and, with no turbo assistance, it sounds tremendous and churns forward with increasing eagerness as revs increase. The soundtrack is terrific. But by modern standards this doesn’t feel blisteringly quick and it does feel its age compared to the competition.

The transmission doesn’t help a bundle either as it’s a bit lethargic and leisurely, like the dowager sweeping slowly into the ballroom for a tea dance. Steering feels similar, as if steering the dowager carefully around the dance floor, with quite a lot of effort but not much speed. Understeer gently builds up at decent speeds, and the brakes start to fade.

Rather strangely, the revised GranTurismo MC only gets fixed-rate dampers whereas the Sport, which is cheaper, gets adaptive dampers. The higher model could certainly have done with them, because it feels a bit stiff even before you touch the Sport button.

Inside things have been improved by the addition of the infotainment system taken from the Levante SUV, which works so much better than the old system. Even so the rest of the cabin feels very dated. Outside Maserati has at least fitted new bumpers at both ends.

This is a grand tourer in the old style, which some will like, those who fancy the idea of crossing a country or a continent in a big four-seater with a Ferrari V8 growling away up the front end under the new carbonfibre bonnet. Some will revel in the history and class, but others will be watching the door for the old dame’s replacement, ready for something new and fresh.

Maserati GranTurismo MC

On sale September
Price £108,780
Engine V8, 4691cc, petrol
Power 454bhp at 7000rpm
Torque 384lb ft at 4750rpm
Gearbox 6-spd automatic;
Kerb weight 1873kg; 0-62mph 4.7sec
Top speed 187mph
Economy 19.8mpg (combined)
CO2/tax band 331g/km, 37%
Rivals Bentley Continental, Aston Martin Vantage

Graham Scott is a writer for AutoCar.