Written by Piers Ward Updated: 16 July 2024

Overview

Maserati sold over 40,000 examples of the previous-generation GranCabrio and GranTurismo between 2007 to 2019 – and, with this all-new car, the brand hopes to build on that success.

To give it the best chance, there will be two variants of the new drop-top GranCabrio, much as there are with the coupe. There’s the all-electric Folgore driven here and the bi-turbo V6 Trofeo version. Prices start from £169,585 for the V6, rising to £185,610 for the Folgore.

Maserati’s put itself in a rather unique position with the new GranCabrio, too, because none of its rivals are currently dabbling in electric convertibles. Porsche’s current electric offerings don’t include a convertible, and Bentley is still refining its petrol-powered GT cars and the next-generation version of the Tesla Roadster won’t arrive until 2025 at the earliest.

As it stands, the Folgore’s closest rival is the MG Cyberster. It’s the only other convertible electric sports car on the horizon, but it’s not really competing in the same league as the GranCabrio. The MG’s starting price is more than £100,000 lower than the Maserati’s and the performance it offers is an order of magnitude less. Scroll down to find out what we make of the Folgore. If you want to learn more about how we reached our verdict, check out our page on how we test cars.

What’s it like inside?

Beautiful. Perceived build quality is up there with the very best of rivals with a lovely mix of materials. The design feels very style-led, but there’s enough technology on display to ensure technophiles will be happy.

There are two touchscreens, with an improved set-up that works well. The lower one controls all the climate and roof (although it seems odd for Maserati to have buried the roof control in a sub-menu) while the upper is your information screen with elements like the radio and nav. It’s simple and easy to operate, even if the gloss black surround can get very hot in direct sunlight.

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There’s the odd nod to sustainability, as the middle section of the seats is finished in Econyl, a recycled nylon material that sounds awful but both looks and feels good. Our cars also had air-conditioned seats, part of a ‘comfort pack’ for £2,210, so there was no danger of a sweaty back.

Rear room isn’t limo-generous but you can get two mid-sized adults back there without too much of a squeeze. It’s not a place to spend hours but, because the backs of the front seats are quite sculpted, there’s enough knee room to make a trip down the coast road bearable. It’s certainly an improvement on the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, if not quite as good as the Bentley Continental GTC.

How does it drive?

As a car for wafting along the Riviera, few get close. The silent running made possible by an electric drivetrain suits the Folgore well, smoothly building torque and contributing to a car that feels relaxed. No element fights against another so it’s an easy car to relax into.

There’s a bit of scuttle shake – more so than on the carbon-tubbed MC20 Cielo – but not horrendously so and the damping is well-judged.

With the sun out and the speed limit at 50mph on smooth Italian roads, few cars get close to the Folgore’s feelgood factor.

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It’s no sports car, though. Go faster and you will need to change the drive mode into the sportiest Corsa setting to keep the body control in check, otherwise you can feel the near 2.5-tonne kerbweight trying to heave the car about.

Once in Corsa, there are are two suspension settings to choose from – ‘S’ (for soft) will be better for British roads, ‘H’ (for hard) controls the car’s body movements more. You need to keep switching between the two, varying it depending on the road surface and topography because Maserati hasn’t quite nailed the compromise between them.

Arguably, that doesn’t matter much with this sort of car but it’s still a pity that you can’t take advantage of the electric motors’ pace as much as you’d like.

What models and trims are available?

There’s just the one trim but, as you’d expect, you can hit the options extensively. Maserati do some beautiful colours on the car but be aware as they’re unbelievably expensive – the Fuoriserie Matte Blue paint is £29,160, for instance.

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Things like the air scarf are standard, which works well to keep your neck warm, while the excellent Sonus Faber stereo is available with either 11 or 13 speakers, the latter costing £3,360. The standard-fit, 20-inch Aura design diamond cut alloys are sculpted for improved aero and look superb.

What else should I know?

The GranCabrio produces 761hp from its 83kWh battery, while giving a maximum range of 278 miles. Impressively, the car comes with 800v charging technology so is well placed to take advantage of ultra-rapid public charging. Maserati claims a 20 to 80% charge takes just 18 minutes, which is on a par with the faster cars in the market.

The Folgore is also the quicker of the two GranCabrios, accelerating from 0-62mph in just 2.8 seconds. That’s the same as the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Now click through to the next page for our final verdict on the car.