There's no getting away from it, the Maserati GranTurismo is a big car. It sits at 4,881mm long and 2,056mm wide when you measure from the tips of its door mirrors. It's 170mm shorter than a Quattroporte, but you will still need to take care when slotting it into and out of the average domestic garage or tighter parking bays.
Still a handsome beast nearly 10 years on
The monocoque frame is clothed in steel and aluminium panels, which are very well protected from corrosion, so any rust is an instant giveaway to poor crash repairs. The paint is generally very tough too, but have a good look at the prominent nose section for stone chips and parking dings. All models have parking sensors, but they can be temperamental. If one sensor fails, it brings the whole lot down, so make sure they work.
Another electrical niggle can be the rain sensitive wipers, which are known to stop functioning automatically. It's a simple fix to fit a new sensor, but to be sure the wipers are working as they should you can trickle some water over the top centre of the screen and the wiper should flick into action.
There are a variety of carbon packs for the exterior of the GranTurismo, covering the door handles, mirrors and an aero kit with rear spoiler and front winglets in the black stuff. The front wing sections are easily damaged by stones, so be sure they are in fine fettle.
The GranCabrio roof is fabric and is electrically operated. It's reliable, but check for signs of wear around the hinged sections.
You can spot a Stradale by its unique front splitter and two extra vents in the bonnet, which is made from carbon fibre on 2013-on models. Round the back, there's a small boot spoiler and a rear diffuser with twin exhausts poking out either side of the centre line, rather than the dual twin pipes of the standard models that exit either side of the rear bumper.
PHer's view:
"The GranTurismo is a big car. A proper four-seater again, but really a coupe version of the Quattroporte rather than the small sports car that was its predecessor."
Ggeo