Written by Seth Walton Updated: 20 November 2024

Overview

This latest iteration of Maserati’s GranCabrio sports convertible has had a couple of cylinders removed – gone is the Ferrari-derived V8, in has arrived a twin-turbocharged V6. You shouldn’t worry, though – the engine is a detuned version of the MC20’s and churns out over 540hp.

If you’re committed to an electric future but not quite ready to give up on all the fun you can opt for the all-electric GranCabrio Folgore, which we’ve covered in a separate review. We’re focusing on the petrol-powered model here, though. If you’re curious as to why we’ve separated out the cars like this, check out our how we test cars page for a breakdown of our methodology.

Based on the same platform as the GranTurismo coupe, the GranCabrio Trofeo gets additional strengthening to compensate for the lack of roof, adding 100kg to the kerbweight. Power is 542hp from the 3.0-litre V6, giving it a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds. That’s just 0.1 seconds behind the new, hybrid Bentley Continental GTC Speed.

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What’s it like inside?

A thing of beauty. Just as you’d expect from the exterior design, the Italians have got the balance between technology and luxury spot on. Leather is everywhere, unlike in the electric Folgore, and the mix of materials and finishes is as good as any rival’s.

The touchscreen set-up is improved with a twin-screen approach that works well. The lower one controls all the climate functions and the roof (although it seems a bit odd to have the roof control buried in a sub-menu) while the upper one is your information screen with elements like the radio and nav. It can get hot to the touch with the roof lowered, but visibility remains OK in sunlight.

Rear room isn’t limo-generous but you can seat two mid-sized adults in the rear. It’s not a place to spend hours but, because the backs of the front seats are quite sculpted, there’s enough knee room. It’s certainly an improvement on the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, if not quite as good as the Bentley Continental GTC.

As a GT tourer, it could also do with a bigger boot. You’d be hard pressed to slip any sizeable bag in there, as the opening is so narrow and only 172 litres are on offer. Though if your rear seats are free, you could just sling your luggage on the sizeable back row.

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What’s it like to drive?

This is the better sports car of the GranCabrio duo. The electric Folgore can waft well, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as nimble through corners. The Trofeo is much better over a twisty road, managing to balance performance and comfort without having to compensate for all the extra mass of the Folgore’s batteries (the electric car is 440kg heavier).

It has superior body control and works over a wider range of the driver settings – switch it into the sportiest Corsa drive mode for a twisty road and you can dial the separate suspension setting back to ‘S’ (for soft) so it retains its comfort but doesn’t flop around. It’s a more agile car than the Folgore and reacts to inputs faster.

The eight-speed torque convertor gearbox is very slushy in auto mode, changing up at the merest hint of an increase in speed, but the manual paddles save it. Corsa drive mode gives a hint more aggression from the exhaust note, even if it can’t match the bark of Ferrari’s 296 GTS.

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On UK roads, the GranCabrio benefits from impressively compliant suspension. It’s one of the few sports cars that you can run in its stiffer setting in the UK without the whole affair becoming too jittery. In fact, the extra agility offered in its stiffer mode suits our favourite twisting UK test roads better.

In its comfort setting, the suspension felt a little too soft and spongy for us to extract the best of the car’s impressive performance when things get bumpy. The GranCabrio would bottom out under light compression and be sent a little untoward by even the mildest of uneven roads when taken at speed.

Stiffening up the suspension seems to tighten the whole car up, and suddenly it feels more at home being pushed around. Once back out on the motorway, though, it settles back down into a soft and subdued cruiser.

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What models and trims are available?

Like the GranCabrio Folgore, there’s only one trim. 20-inch wheels come as standard and look good on the car – we don’t see any point in upgrading to 21-inch. Air conditioned seats come as part of the comfort pack (£2,210) and is something we’d recommend, but at least the air scarf is a standard fit – handy for the long winters the UK gets.

Like the Folgore, the paint options are eye-wateringly expensive, costing as much as £29,160 for some of the more outlandish finishes.

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What else should I know?

The Trofeo is four-wheel drive as standard but, in normal driving, 90% of the torque is sent to the rear wheels. There is no torque vectoring on the Trofeo – that trick is reserved for the Folgore version.

If you’re worried about being caught in a shower, the roof can be raised and lowered while on the move and only takes 15 seconds to retract or raise. It’s also available in five different colours.

Now click through to our verdict page to find out if we recommend the GranCabrio Trofeo over its competitors from Porsche and Bentley.