RE: Maserati GranTurismo S Auto: PH Carpool
Discussion
Dapster said:
Harry Metcalfe has a lot of good things to say about his GranTurismo S 4.7 MC Shift here. Great vid, sounds lovely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4K5cgzjY6o
That seals it. Let the search begin!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4K5cgzjY6o
Cheers.
Have had a 997 Turbo for a couple of years. Dropped it off for the 111 point check for warranty extension and had a test drive in a GT Sport auto. Obviously miles slower, but what a lovely experience to drive. Currently mentally wrangling. The Porsche has only 30k on the clock and is immaculate. But the Maser was gorgeous. Much mental wrangling going on!
rog007 said:
That seals it. Let the search begin!
Cheers.
Go for it, they are brilliant but do your homework because there are lots of different options and you will seldom find two cars with the same spec.Cheers.
Gear boxes:
MC Shift- Compared to the full auto it has shorter gearing so is quicker but less economical, gear changes are faster but more abrupt, sounds better due to blips on the down changes(some full autos do this too) and the fact that the exhaust valve is open all the time in sports mode. I love the drama and speed of the full throttle gear changes but it does take some practice to be smooth with it in traffic.
Suspension:
There are three options-
Standard is a good compromise between comfort and handling.
Skyhook firms up the suspension in sport mode so gives it more of a split personality.
MC Handling pack, this is lower, has stiffer anti roll bars, uprated springs, uprated shocks and a recalibrated stability control system, it is almost identical to the stradale set up. I have this on my car and it is very good, the ride is still very comfortable but it rolls far less and is more confidence inspiring on a twisty back road, the lower ride height also looks better and has not caused me any ground clearance issues.
Carbon packs:
There are several different carbon fibre packs for the interior including trims, switch panels, gear shift paddles and even a carbon steering wheel. For the exterior their are carbon door handles, mirrors and an aero kit including a rear spoiler and front winglets. My car has some of the interior packs and all the exterior, it does look great but the exterior carbon parts can suffer from stone chips.
Then there are different wheels, roof linings, leather, stitching, brake calipers, disks etc.
The list goes on and on so I would look at plenty of cars to see what options you like.
Good luck with your search, I am sure that you will not regret it
My experience is /was exactly the same as the OP's.The fear, the smiles, even the coastal roads of Wales, where it gave me one of the truly great drives of my life,where the noise, the MC box,the Skyhook suspension the roads and the scenery all suddenly gelled.
For some reason the pic upload is down, which is just as well as I'm sure we don't need any more!
For some reason the pic upload is down, which is just as well as I'm sure we don't need any more!
When the time came... I was in an independent dealer who had a GranTurismo and a DB9 next to each other in the same showroom.. a rare opportunity to compare everything... then try them both... I had for years dreamt of an Aston.. but the Granturismo won hands down.. It is by far the best thing I have ever ever ever bought (I think the OP said that) but it is... it cheers me up every day..
jayemm89 said:
These things look and sound awesome. I quite fancy an Aston one day and I would definitely give one of these a go before I took the plunge...
I moved to a GranTurismo Sport from an earlier 4200 in the summer and have never looked back. The noise is truly intoxicating and the car really is stunning to look at; I always get great comments on it. I went for the more sporty and aggressive MC Shift gearbox (same as Ferrari 599) which suits me better than the auto but I would recommend trying both if you are considering one. The car has been faultless and really is far more modern than the previous generation of masers. No issues with the battery even after leaving for several weeks on the street it started first time without complaint.
Actus Reus said:
Really like these, and they're within range now, but my head tells me that a 997.2 would be the better bet in terms of reliability (despite what the OP says) - anybody who's had one care to comment on the reliability?
I got one new six years ago and if mine is anything to go by you needn't worry - faultless is the only word to use - the engine and (auto) gearbox are perfectly matched and it just feels so special. As someone else mentioned earlier; its a Ferrari FF next, it's the only car I can see that could better it.Actus Reus said:
Really like these, and they're within range now, but my head tells me that a 997.2 would be the better bet in terms of reliability (despite what the OP says) - anybody who's had one care to comment on the reliability?
As with these cars, both of them can be faultless and both can go wrong seriously. Both will cost a fair penny IF anything goes wrong, but there's on indication on which one will be most likely.Getting a 911 for better reliability seems odd to me, there's plenty of evidence out there that they're far from the last word in reliability.
Oh, I had a Porsche break down on me (engine) on a test ride,very lucky it didn't wait another 15 min as it might have been my problem then. So I might be a bit biased
.AndrewCrown said:
When the time came... I was in an independent dealer who had a GranTurismo and a DB9 next to each other in the same showroom.. a rare opportunity to compare everything... then try them both... I had for years dreamt of an Aston.. but the Granturismo won hands down.. It is by far the best thing I have ever ever ever bought (I think the OP said that) but it is... it cheers me up every day..
I have both - very different cars TBH. The Maserati MC shift is a beast of a machine whereas the DB9 is more restraint.jayemm89 said:
These things look and sound awesome. I quite fancy an Aston one day and I would definitely give one of these a go before I took the plunge...
It is interesting that almost all owners bought the Granturismo for the same reason - the look, the practicality and most of all the NOISE!
I have had mine for almost 2 years now - a 2009 GTS Auto, apart from the servicing, I have not had any issue with it (touch wood), certainly a lot more reliable than the supposingly more superior German engineering cars (had a CLS55 than a CLS63).
Totally agree with what some people have said - I no longer care how fast the car is compared to some of other alternatives, but I certainly do enjoy the driving experience so much more. I can't think of another car that I could drive slowly and still with so much enjoyment.
The only 'enhancement' I made on th car was th installation of a remote control switch that allows me to set the exhaust valve to 'fully opened', 'closed' or th default mode - 'opened at 3000 rpm with sport button on'.
I normally would want to change my car at least once a year, but there is nothing out there that I could think of to replace it - probably a Stradale (the 4 seater model of course), but not sure if it justifies th price difference at this stage.
I still enjoy every minute of driving the car after almost 2 years... I don't think I will ever get sick of hearing the noise. I can understand exactly why Harry sold his than bought another one back!
I have had mine for almost 2 years now - a 2009 GTS Auto, apart from the servicing, I have not had any issue with it (touch wood), certainly a lot more reliable than the supposingly more superior German engineering cars (had a CLS55 than a CLS63).
Totally agree with what some people have said - I no longer care how fast the car is compared to some of other alternatives, but I certainly do enjoy the driving experience so much more. I can't think of another car that I could drive slowly and still with so much enjoyment.
The only 'enhancement' I made on th car was th installation of a remote control switch that allows me to set the exhaust valve to 'fully opened', 'closed' or th default mode - 'opened at 3000 rpm with sport button on'.
I normally would want to change my car at least once a year, but there is nothing out there that I could think of to replace it - probably a Stradale (the 4 seater model of course), but not sure if it justifies th price difference at this stage.
I still enjoy every minute of driving the car after almost 2 years... I don't think I will ever get sick of hearing the noise. I can understand exactly why Harry sold his than bought another one back!
EC2 said:
At the end of the day people can buy a full auto if they do not want the hassle of the clutch on the MC shift. Personally I don't like the latter - my car is an auto - but it's nice that Maserati gives buyers a choice.
True, and much as I like your car that choice has something missing - a manual option!But I may just be getting/have become old.
Slay said:
It is interesting that almost all owners bought the Granturismo for the same reason - the look, the practicality and most of all the NOISE!
I have had mine for almost 2 years now - a 2009 GTS Auto, apart from the servicing, I have not had any issue with it (touch wood), certainly a lot more reliable than the supposingly more superior German engineering cars (had a CLS55 than a CLS63).
Totally agree with what some people have said - I no longer care how fast the car is compared to some of other alternatives, but I certainly do enjoy the driving experience so much more. I can't think of another car that I could drive slowly and still with so much enjoyment.
The only 'enhancement' I made on th car was th installation of a remote control switch that allows me to set the exhaust valve to 'fully opened', 'closed' or th default mode - 'opened at 3000 rpm with sport button on'.
I normally would want to change my car at least once a year, but there is nothing out there that I could think of to replace it - probably a Stradale (the 4 seater model of course), but not sure if it justifies th price difference at this stage.
I still enjoy every minute of driving the car after almost 2 years... I don't think I will ever get sick of hearing the noise. I can understand exactly why Harry sold his than bought another one back!
Interesting. I thought that the FD valve kit was just an on or off with the button and did not allow the stock, 3000 revs change up in sport or am I wrong?I have had mine for almost 2 years now - a 2009 GTS Auto, apart from the servicing, I have not had any issue with it (touch wood), certainly a lot more reliable than the supposingly more superior German engineering cars (had a CLS55 than a CLS63).
Totally agree with what some people have said - I no longer care how fast the car is compared to some of other alternatives, but I certainly do enjoy the driving experience so much more. I can't think of another car that I could drive slowly and still with so much enjoyment.
The only 'enhancement' I made on th car was th installation of a remote control switch that allows me to set the exhaust valve to 'fully opened', 'closed' or th default mode - 'opened at 3000 rpm with sport button on'.
I normally would want to change my car at least once a year, but there is nothing out there that I could think of to replace it - probably a Stradale (the 4 seater model of course), but not sure if it justifies th price difference at this stage.
I still enjoy every minute of driving the car after almost 2 years... I don't think I will ever get sick of hearing the noise. I can understand exactly why Harry sold his than bought another one back!
Calza said:
24 month service gaps on a car like this is superb!
Just as a point of interest here - I tried to get mine serviced after 12 months (mainly because I still can't get my head around the longevity of modern oils) and the main dealer would't take it in! He said I would be over-servicing it and come back next year if I still hadn't achieved the required mileage before then - brilliant, and it still stays in warranty.EC2 said:
Interesting. I thought that the FD valve kit was just an on or off with the button and did not allow the stock, 3000 revs change up in sport or am I wrong?
Well, that is what I thought as well, until I tried it in sport mode with the valve closed.... The valve was then fully opened at 3000rpm! Personally I prefer the set up, it allows me to enjoy the noise without engaging the stiffer suspension ( well still fairly comfortable - believe it or not, a GTS in Sport mode is still more comfortable than a mini countryman SD.ChimpOnGas said:
An acquaintance of mine had one of these and joined us on a run to Le Mans a few years ago. The owner turned up and said his oil light was flashing but he wasn't bothered as the light had gone out now 
Once I'd established it was the oil level light not the oil pressure light I set about checking the oil for him and it soon became clear why the oil level light had been flashing, the engine had next to no oil in it
The reason the level warning light had gone out was because the oil level was lower than the dip stick itself. It would seem when it gets to that point Maserati deem the oil level warning unnecessary, presumably because the oil pressure light will take over shortly after
The car had been serviced just a few hundred miles before the Le Mans trip and while the owner was clearly mechanically challenged to the extent he didn't even know how to check his oil I can only surmise having been serviced so recently these engines have a more than natural appetite for oil.
Almost three litres of oil later we were back on the road, but not for long
Pulling into the next services the owner started telling me how he couldn't always get the next gear, Hmmmmm
Much searching for the auto box dip stick had me coming to the conclusion it was an automated manual so nothing to do but press on.
Twenty miles later at a toll it wouldn't go into gear, until that is we pushed it as fast as we could at which point I'm assuming the ECU saw enough road speed to allow the hapless driver to get his first forward gear.
The Masser limped to Le Mans where it sat in the campsite all weekend, to our amazement on departure it decided it was going to function as a car, until yes you guessed it the gearbox issue came back with a vengeance.
This time it was game over, no amount of pushing, no frantic flapping of the paddle shift to wake it up, and no amount of swear words would make that Masser find a gear.
We waved it goodby as it headed for Old Blighty on the back of a low loader, the owner sold it a few weeks later in utter disgust vowing never to buy another Fiat product again.
I must say it sounded good for the brief period it actually worked but it wasn't actually that fast, more mouth & no trousers if you ask me as even my 18 year old TVR could easily stay with it up to the 120 mark after which I must admit it had the legs on me.
Saying all that it didn't really run long enough to make the top speed advantage any kind of victory, as I blasted past it on the back of the low loader I estimate it's terminal velocity was no more than a Ford Transit assisted 80.
I wish the owner of the feature car all the best with his beautiful Masser and I pray he doesn't suffer the same issues I witnessed with the one & only GranTurismo I've had contact with.
Perhaps my mate was unlucky, perhaps the traditional auto gearbox that replaced the robotized manual box is much better, to be honest it would really struggle to be any worse.
The only thing we can say for sure is every 10 years or so for the last 30 years Maserati has been telling us their new car brings with it a new era of vastly improved reliability.
So I fully expect them to be peddling the same message in the next ten years, which begs the question... What happened to the new era of reliability you promised us on the outgoing range?
To be honest as nice as it looks and as good as it sounds, after what I witnessed I'm not sure I'd buy one with my own money
Sounds to me as if your acquaintance friend had already banjaxed his car. I've got two Maseratis, a 4200 spider and a Granturismo 4.7s auto and neither of them has ever required oil between services - and believe me I use my cars all the time (My Granturismo is actually my daily driver) Once I'd established it was the oil level light not the oil pressure light I set about checking the oil for him and it soon became clear why the oil level light had been flashing, the engine had next to no oil in it
The reason the level warning light had gone out was because the oil level was lower than the dip stick itself. It would seem when it gets to that point Maserati deem the oil level warning unnecessary, presumably because the oil pressure light will take over shortly after
The car had been serviced just a few hundred miles before the Le Mans trip and while the owner was clearly mechanically challenged to the extent he didn't even know how to check his oil I can only surmise having been serviced so recently these engines have a more than natural appetite for oil.
Almost three litres of oil later we were back on the road, but not for long
Pulling into the next services the owner started telling me how he couldn't always get the next gear, Hmmmmm
Much searching for the auto box dip stick had me coming to the conclusion it was an automated manual so nothing to do but press on.
Twenty miles later at a toll it wouldn't go into gear, until that is we pushed it as fast as we could at which point I'm assuming the ECU saw enough road speed to allow the hapless driver to get his first forward gear.
The Masser limped to Le Mans where it sat in the campsite all weekend, to our amazement on departure it decided it was going to function as a car, until yes you guessed it the gearbox issue came back with a vengeance.
This time it was game over, no amount of pushing, no frantic flapping of the paddle shift to wake it up, and no amount of swear words would make that Masser find a gear.
We waved it goodby as it headed for Old Blighty on the back of a low loader, the owner sold it a few weeks later in utter disgust vowing never to buy another Fiat product again.
I must say it sounded good for the brief period it actually worked but it wasn't actually that fast, more mouth & no trousers if you ask me as even my 18 year old TVR could easily stay with it up to the 120 mark after which I must admit it had the legs on me.
Saying all that it didn't really run long enough to make the top speed advantage any kind of victory, as I blasted past it on the back of the low loader I estimate it's terminal velocity was no more than a Ford Transit assisted 80.
I wish the owner of the feature car all the best with his beautiful Masser and I pray he doesn't suffer the same issues I witnessed with the one & only GranTurismo I've had contact with.
Perhaps my mate was unlucky, perhaps the traditional auto gearbox that replaced the robotized manual box is much better, to be honest it would really struggle to be any worse.
The only thing we can say for sure is every 10 years or so for the last 30 years Maserati has been telling us their new car brings with it a new era of vastly improved reliability.
So I fully expect them to be peddling the same message in the next ten years, which begs the question... What happened to the new era of reliability you promised us on the outgoing range?
To be honest as nice as it looks and as good as it sounds, after what I witnessed I'm not sure I'd buy one with my own money
As to the gearbox problems? well I cannot comment on the MC box, but my auto Granturismo has been perfect, and my manual spider has never given me a problem.
FTR I have covered more than 50k miles in my cars, including trips to Italy, Germany and so on. - neither has ever let me down mechanically. MY GT battery went on the sulk over xmass and new year when I left the car buried under snow for a week, but thats all.
I suppose we all speak as we find. Me, I speak from experience.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff