First Drive Review
The “S” stands for “Sport.” You probably had that figured out. Maserati says the letter also stands for several other “S” words—Sound (as in engine), Seats, Safety. But let’s focus on the Sport part and the distinctions between this version of Maserati’s, uh, Sensuous coupe and the one we tested in June [“A Sermon on Sea Monsters”].
So what justifies the Sport label? More power, perhaps? Si. The S gets a new version of Maserati’s Ferrari-derived aluminum V-8, with a 2.0-millimeter bore increase (to 94.0mm) and a 4.7mm stretch in stroke, yielding 4691cc versus 4244. With the car operating in Sport mode, which opens a pair of shortcut valves in the exhaust system, this adds up to 433 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque versus the 4.2’s 405 and 340.
The power increase is modest, given this car’s mass—we weighed a regular GranÂTurismo at 4374 pounds—but it’s palpable, particularly in the middle of the fat torque curve. Maserati forecasts 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds, which is probably conservative.
Most of the other “S” elements are predictable: stiffened (by about 10 percent) suspension components, bigger front brake rotors (14.2 inches versus 13.0, with aluminum hats to reduce unsprung weight), 20-inch alloy wheels with fat Pirelli P Zero Rossos, a more aggressive front end, rocker-panel extensions, and a decklid spoiler.
What you might not expect, though, is a new six-speed automated manual transaxle. Supplied by Graziano, the new unit replaces the GT’s ZF six-speed and employs a dry twin-plate clutch. Though not one of the newfangled twin-clutch gearboxes, it has six operating modes, and in the most aggressive, Maserati says shift time goes from 300 milliseconds to 100.
The downside of the new transaxle is that operation in full automatic mode is irritatingly slow. But the Maserati marketeers say this shouldn’t matter because the S should be regarded—and driven—as a manual. They also expect some 200 to 300 U.S. buyers to step up to the $135,000 base price—some $21,000 more than the GT’s—with deliveries beginning in November.
