Maserati’s 2018 GranTurismo Coupe and Convertible Impress in Italy

The booming and growling V-8 engine broke the forest stillness, but inside the cockpit of this 2018 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, I was listening with care to the driving coach seated alongside me. “Lift off the gas,” he said. “Now full power. Hard braking ahead. Now turn right.”

To demonstrate the car’s prowess, Maserati had arranged the closing of a stretch of SP40, a narrow, writhing section of mountainside byway. If ever the chassis would reveal deficiencies, any flexing or shuddering, it would be on this frost-heaved segment. But the open-top trident—which benefits from revised, more aerodynamic styling touches—was as steady as the men sipping grappa back at Pub la Forcella, the starting point.

Pulling up to the finish line at Restaurant des Alpes, I asked how the 2.3 miles could have gone by so quickly. “You were going more than 90 miles per hour,” my coach said.

The coupe and convertible versions of the 2018 GranTurismo draw inspiration from Maserati’s Alfieri concept car.  Photo: Courtesy Maserati.

Really? In trying to find the correct line through it all, I hadn’t looked at the instrument display. Remembering to breathe was the best I could do. If anything, we had just disproved the notion that the best use for either the Maserati GranTurismo or its convertible counterpart is for profiling in the Hamptons.

Emulating the Maserati Alfieri concept car of 2014, the coupe and cabriolet have a more pronounced, shark-like countenance that also happens to increase downforce. The rear has also been revised to elegantly refine the visual impact—subtleties that seemed lost on the grappa-sipping gents. To them, it’s just a timeless automotive design.

What the youngsters in the crowd did notice right away, though, was the new 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment display that includes smartphone mirroring through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And the new Harman Kardon sound system—with 10 speakers in the GranTurismo and 11 speakers in the cabriolet—delivers the con vivacepassages with clarity. For the defining embellishment, there’s also a new analog clock in the dashboard.

The driver’s view from a 2018 Maserati GranTurismo as it tours through Italy.  Photo: Courtesy Maserati.

But maybe the best thing is the delicious delivery of the engine’s 454 hp symphony. “It’s one of the last naturally aspirated, high-rev V-8s,” said product planner Enrico Billi. “It’s a unique sound, and smooth.”

He is right. What it means is that while the GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible may lack a keyless start and some of the other latest features found in competitors, the shapes are perpetually beautiful, the power train and chassis are very well-developed, and both cars are a great pleasure to drive—especially in their home territory.

Production of the 2018 models started in June, with initial deliveries in the United States set for the fourth quarter of this year. Prices start at $132,825 for the coupe and $150,465 for the cabriolet.