New Maserati GranTurismo is available as a 1,200PS EV

The big news of course is indeed that the latest GranTurismo will come with both silent all-electric and petrol-powered flavours, the former offering some truly spectacular figures. We’ll cover those first.

Called the Folgore, the all-electric GranTurismo comes fitted with three 300kW electric motors, with a combined power figure received at the wheels of 760PS (559kW). Traditionally measured, the Folgore is a 1,200PS motorcar – strewth – though the battery can only feed the motors electricity for a maximum of 800PS at a time, hence the 760PS official output. Two motors run at the back, controlling each rear wheel independently, with one motor left for the front axle.

All-electric, all-wheel-drive, with a road-warping 1,350Nm (996lb ft) of torque, so it should come as no surprise that this is the most accelerative Maserati yet made, hitting 62mph in a claimed 2.7 seconds, and 124mph in a claimed 8.8 seconds. The top speed is unusually high for an EV, with the Fologore claimed to be capable of 198mph.

Those motors are fed by a fairly hefty 92.5kWh battery, arranged in a so-called ‘t-bone’, to not interfere with the car’s svelte dimensions. It runs via an 800-volt architecture, allowing it to charge, when plugged into the right socket, at a maximum rate of 270kW, adding up to 62 miles of range every five minutes at its peak. What we don’t know is how far it’ll go on a charge but we’re expecting 250-350 with a WLTP certification.

What we do know is its weight, a heady 2,260kg. That’s just under 500kg more than its petrol equivalents or just under 100kg more than the heaviest Levante. Otherwise known, the GranTurismo Folgore is also the heaviest Maserati yet made. That weight is suspended on double wishbones at the rear and a multi-link system at the front, with air springs and electronic damping control at both ends. Stopping it are 380mm six-piston brakes at the front, and 350mm four-pots at the back. For what it’s worth, the petrol-powered cars get all the same chassis hardware, with the addition of a limited-slip diff.

More important to the dynamics are the drive modes, which are Max Range, GT, Sport and Corsa. In the petrol cars Max Range is exchanged for Comfort. Max Range is as ‘Apollo 13’ as it gets on the road, with the car limiting speed to 80mph, greatly reducing throttle response and limiting the climate control. This is for when you’re below 16 percent juice with no charger in site, so says Maserati.

More fun are GT, Sport and Corsa, with the former and the latter translating pretty much to normal and track. GT is the default, as is correct for a GranTurismo, with maximum usability and comfort in mind. Around 80 per cent of the available power is on tap, or 608PS (447kW) – plenty of poke. Sport winds up the power to 100 per cent, tightens up the suspension, throttle response and torque vectoring.

Corsa delivers the most extreme experience, with maximum performance and response from the powertrain and the sharpest torque vectoring map available. The car also drops lower to optimise underfloor aero, while the dampers tighten up too. You’ll know you’re in Corsa from the inside too, with a bespoke digital dash layout winging into view, which shows among the usual stats, battery temperature and torque distribution. Further optimisations can be made to the car’s behaviour in the infotainment system, even allowing a drift-spec calibration. Max Boost and Endurance management modes are as they say on the tin, with the former ideal for short bursts and the latter for continual lapping.

Regeneration intensity is handled via what would traditionally be gearshift paddles, with four levels available. Speaking of the experience on the inside, something highly apparent on GranTurismos of old was their sound. Maserati knows this and has worked hard to synthesize part of the old V8 character, with the amplified natural sounds of the electric powertrain, both inside and out. We look forward to hearing that.

What will make a tad bit more noise are the petrol-powered versions of the new GranTurismo, both using the new Nettuno V6 engine as first seen in the MC20 supercar. The clever 3.0-litre twin-turbo mill will produce 490PS (360kW) and 550PS (405kW) and has 600Nm (443lb ft) and 650Nm (479lb ft) in the entry-level Modena and performance-oriented Trofeo models respectively. They’re good for 0-62mph in 3.9 and 3.5 seconds, onto top speeds of 187mph and 198mph.

On the inside, it’s very much more focused on Grand Touring, than the MC20’s driver-focused cabin. There’s a 12.3-inch digital dash, with a supplementary head-up display and an 8.8-inch infotainment display, in which is contained the Maserati Connect system. This, among Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, contains a number of connectivity features and even Tidal lossless streaming as standard, playing through a Sonus Faber audio system. In the Folgore, there’s EV Routing 2.0, which constantly evaluates battery usage and conditioning and can incorporate charging stops on journeys in the navigation. There’s Alexa and even a Maserati voice assistant, triggered with a ‘Hey Maserati’.

All told, though the new GranTurismo may look very much like its predecessor, it’s on another planet in terms of performance, equipment and connectivity.

Speaking of those looks, how are we feeling? We still maintain it’s a little too heavy on the links to the old car, to the point that it does a disservice to this new all-aluminium, EV-capable construction. Then again, the old car was gorgeous and so too, is this. The lights, the sculpture, the accenting, are just different enough, laid over what is a highly familiar silhouette. The Folgore is the prettiest, we’d wager, with far fewer fake vents than say, the Trofeo. Yes, that ‘vent’ between the lower valance and the grille is entirely fake. The Folgore doesn’t try too hard to wear its electrification publicly either. In fact, it looks more natural in EV form than the versions with piston engines.

In short then, turbos and electric motors take the place of that fire and brimstone V8, for a shift in performance far more massive than the shift in aesthetics. But given the tech, the objectively good looks and that performance, it could be a boon in comparisons with the Bentley Contintental GT and Aston Martin DB11. Here’s hoping for competitive pricing, when deliveries begin next year.