Stresa, Italy- Last year saw the release of the latest-generation Maserati GranTurismo and its electrified kin, the Folgore. The notion to launch an all-new model in gas-powered and all-electric configuration at the same time is a novel one. It’s the path chosen by BMW for the latest version of the 7 Series and the electric i7, and there are a few other notable examples.
In large part, though, it’s not the tactic chosen most often. Most manufacturers have traditional models and then they have electric models. These models may be comparable in terms of size and segment, but they wouldn’t necessarily trigger direct comparisons. (Just think of the Mercedes S Class and the Mercedes EQS, for example.)
Last year, a three-day road trip in Italy offered the chance to drive the GranTurismo and the Folgore back-to-back… and then back again. As our group began in Rome and passed through Tuscany en route to Modena, we jumped from one car to the other. We also experienced all sorts of roads, from country lanes to autostrada thoroughfares. In the end, the consensus decision was that the Folgore was the more compelling of the two.
This time around, it was a single-day adventure around Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, once the preferred body of water for vacationers before Lake Como drafted into the lead. There’s a faded glory to this place and many of the visitors were of a certain vintage, the age that’s long since left the club scene behind. It’s still a stunning location.
The roads here are not especially conducive to piloting a high-performance grand tourer. It’s exceedingly narrow in places, so much so that there’s room for only one vehicle in one direction at a time. The views, of course, are spectacular as you drive away from the quaint coastal towns and up into the hills. But these characteristics also make this a favourite destination for cyclists; we encounter many as they wind their way up to Mattarone, the highest peak in the immediate area.
With the driving conditions set in stone, it was a matter of settling in and accepting that we would not be testing the performance limits of the GranCabrio Trofeo or the Folgore. In the case of both cars, the theoretical limits are high.
The Trofeo is powered by the Nettuno engine, a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre masterwork that creates 542 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. The convertible can accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 315 km/h.
The Folgore is, essentially, a higher-performing vehicle. The sprint to 100 km/h takes a claimed 2.9 seconds, very quick even for a sport-minded EV. Top speed is lower (at 290 km/h), but this is largely irrelevant in such a vehicle.
The electric powertrain consists of three 300-kW motors, one at the front and the other two at the back, and a 92.5-kWh lithium ion battery pack. The Folgore utilizes an 800-volt architecture for faster recharging. The batteries are distributed in an H-shape, positioned at the four corners of the car and in the centre, in the space created for the transmission tunnel on the GranCabrio Trofeo.
This design, combined with the car’s perfect 50/50 weight distribution, create incredible levels of dynamic handling. Heavier by some 100 kg, the Folgore nevertheless rides better than the Trofeo on the roads surrounding Lake Maggiore and carves corners with greater alacrity.
In the GranCabrio Trofeo, the three more aggressive drive modes, Sport, GT and Corsa, all trigger a harshness that doesn’t really belong in this type of vehicle. Comfort mode is more acceptable and the push-button suspension switch on the steering wheel provides some relief. But the Folgore, with its extra weight, seems to hunker down and settle into the road better; around corners, even with bumps mid-corner, it’s the more composed of the two.
Make no mistake, though—these Maserati models are grand-tourers, not track weapons.
We make this discovery very early on in the drive. The Maserati doesn’t appreciate left-foot braking one bit; in fact, it triggers a limp-home mode that lasts for an overly long amount of time Eventually, the computer resets and we’re off, reverting to right-foot braking just to be safe.
The car also has an auto-braking feature that kicks in with unexpected aggression. When late-braking into a hairpin turn immediately behind another driver, alarms go off and the proverbial anchor is launched out the back. These aspects of the car are, for sure, disappointing and not something you would expect in a car bearing the famed trident.
2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore
2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore
2025 Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo
For me, these two incidences detracted from the driving experience. But to be fair, if you’re looking for a convertible to cruise around the lake region in Italy on a sunny summer day, you could do much worse. Both cars offer loads of style, plenty of prestige and no small amount of Instagram-worthy consideration.
The 2024 Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo is available now and priced at US $192,000 to start. The 2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is available later this year and starts at US $205,000.