Written by Adam Binnie Updated: 5 September 2024

Overview

Maserati is going all in on its quest to make the best electric cars. The Italian manufacturer will produce its final petrol car in 2028 and in the build-up, it’s setting about making its existing models into EVs and selling them alongside conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) variants. 

There will be electric versions of the Grecale SUV and MC20 sports car, but the first electric Maserati to arrive is the GranTurismo. It launches almost five years after the Italian firm stopped production of the previous version, which was renowned for its Ferrari-sourced V8 engine. Although the electric model will still be sold alongside a petrol V6 GranTurismo, it’s the EV we’re interested in here, the GranTurismo Folgore. 

The word Folgore is being adopted for all electric Maseratis, and translating from Italian as ‘lightning’, it gets an advanced three-motor powertrain and various bespoke tweaks. All while appearing in almost the same body as the regular petrol car, with the only differences being a tweaked grille, new badging and absence of exhausts.

The GranTurismo is referred to as a GT car, which means it needs to have a full breadth of abilities from munching up motorway miles to being great fun on the right road. The idea is that you could easily drive them from the UK to the South of France, for example. 

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Petrol competitors include the Aston Martin DB12 and Bentley Continental GT, but in the electric car world, the GranTurismo is in a class to itself as there’s nothing quite like it. You could consider the Porsche Taycan or Lotus Emeya as rivals, but each of these are four-door cars. 

We’ve previously driven the GranTurismo Folgore on track in Italy, but this is our first chance to try it out on UK soil more than 18 months later. Read more about how we test cars at Parkers. 

Over the next page, we’ll assess how the GranTurismo Folgore drives, key range details and what the interior is like to help you decide and, crucially – if you’re lucky enough to be in such a position – whether you should consider buying one. 

What’s it like inside?

To look at, the Granturismo’s interior is fabulous. There’s a great mix of upmarket materials merged with crisp digital displays – the twin touchscreens merged together like an open book look superb. It all is a bit superficial, though, because as soon as you have to interact with the car, the tech especially, things take a turn for the worst. Our test car had a particularly slow touchscreen, requiring several presses or hold of a button to get it to operate. The climate panel on a touchscreen is also fiddly to operate on the move. 

While the more sustainably sourced seating upholstery puts a big tick in the ‘green’ box, it doesn’t feel anywhere near as plush as soft leather. The buttons on the steering wheel are shared with much cheaper Stellantis cars – such as a £22,000 Fiat 500 electric – and feel quite cheap, too. At this price point, we think the interior just doesn’t quite seem special enough. 

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While the new GranTurismo is more spacious than before, it’s still best considered as a ‘2+2’. Rear-seat space is perfect for smaller adults or children, though taller adults could sit there for short journeys. The same could be said for almost all of the GranTurismo’s two-door rivals, though. The Folgore’s big battery also noticeably eats into the boot space on offer, which is now only suitable for a few smaller suitcases. You need to consider if you’ll carry around the charging cables with you, too, as these will take up more space. 

Comfort

A GT car is meant for long-distance comfort, and in this respect, the GranTurismo Folgore certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s a brilliant place to spend time, with lots of adjustment to the seats and steering wheel meaning it’s easy to get comfortable. 

The seats also offer plenty of support with electrical adjustment as standard. Visibility, for a car of this type, is also impressive and helps make what is a pretty large and wide car easier to place than you might expect. 

Safety 

It will come as no surprise that the GranTurismo has never been crash-tested by Euro NCAP, in fact, the only Maserati to be assessed by the organisation is the 2013 Ghibli saloon. 

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That said, there are plenty of advanced safety features available. If you intend to use your car for long cross-continental travel, we recommend the ‘Advanced Driver Assistance Full Package’ for £5,160. This includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, as well as blind spot monitoring. The optional 360-degree camera system would come in useful given its large dimensions. 

Electric motors

The electric Folgore sits at the top of the GranTurismo line-up, and as a result, is by far the most powerful. The flagship petrol model, the Trofeo, puts out 550hp and 650Nm of torque (pulling power) from its V6 engine. 

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The Folgore offers significantly more, with its three electric motors serving up 761hp and a massive 1350Nm of torque. As a result, accelerating to 62mph takes just 2.7 seconds and where legal it could reach a top speed of 202mph, making it one of the fastest electric cars around. 

Range and charging

The GranTurismo also packs a large 92.5kWh battery that’s somehow squeezed into its elegant body. Maserati claims 275 miles, and we think over a steadier motorway run, that is achievable. We averaged 2.8 miles per kilowatt hour (kWh) on a speedier run up the A1, meaning a real-world range of 250 miles should be possible. 

That might not sound a lot for a GT car, but you really shouldn’t be driving for as many miles as that anyway without stopping for a break. Public EV charging shouldn’t take too long either if you can find a quick enough charger, with a maximum DC charging rate of 270kW, one of the highest of any electric car on sale. That means a 10 to 80% charge is theoretically possible in less than 20 minutes. 

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We were very impressed by the Folgore’s charging speeds, as even when above 80% state of charge (when the rate often drops suddenly), it was still pulling more than 100kW from the Gridserve charging unit we tried it with.

What’s it like to drive?

The Folgore works very well as a GT car with its ability to combine comfort with agility when the time arises. 

The GranTurismo is unsurprisingly brutally quick, with an instant but smooth pick-up. It doesn’t make you feel nauseous like the sharp acceleration does in a Tesla Model S Plaid does, for example, though it’s certainly a ridiculous amount of pace.

But there’s a lot more to the GT than just its speed. Considering it weighs almost 2.3 tonnes, 450kg more than the regular petrol GranTurismo, it handles remarkably well. While you’re aware of its weight, it stays flat through the corners and the clever electric setup (two at the rear and one at the front) means you can safely boot it out of a corner and the car will cleverly help pull you around. 

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Maserati’s usual aluminium gearshift paddles are used to control the GranTurismo’s regenerative braking, and it’s very well-modulated. We’ve never enjoyed using the regen feature in an EV as much as we did here. 

There are three driving modes to choose from, GT, Sport and Corsa, and each with their own distinct character. Choose GT for comfort and it rides exceptionally well with the stiff damper switch on the button turned off. At the other end of the spectrum, Corsa winds back the safety assists and allows for more fun skids, where allowed. It’s quite an exceptional breadth of talent within the GranTurismo’s remit. 

What models and trims are available?

The Folgore sits above the petrol Modena and Trofeo models in the GranTurismo line-up, and is priced accordingly at £179,990 – around £17,000 more than the top-spec petrol. 

You do get plenty of car, technology and performance for the money, however, but Maserati’s options list is extensive… and expensive. Having your car painted in one of its special ‘Fuoriserie’ colours can cost as much as £30,000 – yes, really – while even something as simple as having the brake callipers repainted can cost £3,000.