2026 Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo | PH Review
Cheaper and more powerful than an SL 63, is Maserati's 590hp drop-top actually a bargain?
While your average buyer of luxury 2+2 convertibles probably isn’t the type to be counting the pennies, the idea that the Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo can claim to be £20k cheaper than a Mercedes-AMG SL 63 and £50k less than a Aston DB12 Volante does tend to linger. And with the same twin-turbocharged Nettuno V6 under the bonnet as the GranTurismo producing the same improved 590hp output, the updated soft-top has more than just relative affordability going for it. For one thing, it’s actually more potent than the pricier AMG.
Are we all in agreement that this is a good-looking car? Versus its aforementioned rivals and other options like the 911 Turbo S Cab, the facelifted GC wears its topless body as well as anything. The same MCPura-inspired nose applied to the ‘Turismo can be found here, and the same goes for the smoked rear lights. There’s even a new colour called Green Jupiter Matte, which actually does a good job of accentuating the two-door’s lines with its changing tone from light to dark.
That electronically-folding soft top remains pretty competitive speed-wise, as it can unfurl in about 14 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph. It does add 100kg to the scales, ensuring that Maserati’s drop-top is 100kg heavier than the DB12 Volante. But more importantly (if you’re into power-to-weight), the 1,895kg GranCabrio is 75kg lighter than the SL 63. Obviously that ought to help with handling, and ride quality, too. Although while the Maser gets air suspension, it doesn’t have anything as fancy as AMG’s Active Ride Control tech.
The interior is certainly comfortable enough if you’re in the front, with the same soft leather seats and purposeful driving position. It doesn’t place you as low as a 911 Cab or even, say, a BMW M4 Cabriolet can, but the new steering wheel falls into your hands well enough. As with the coupe, you will find some plasticky bits here and there - the cabin is a world away from the plushness of a Conti GTC - and the tech is considerably less impressive to behold and in the Merc. It feels like a top-grade product from the Stellantis Group, in other words.
Like the GranTurismo and also the Grecale, the ‘Cabrio gets new drive selector toggles inside that look metal but are actually a single piece of plastic. They’re nicer to use than the old dash buttons (you can more easily feel which one you’re prodding without looking directly at them), but it’s not until your fingers meet those aluminium shift paddles that the Maserati feels like a six-figure prospect. They’re column-mounted and come with the same tactile ‘click’ you get in an Alfa Romeo. Funny that.
The seats in the back are cramped to say the least. Legroom is snug, especially if you actually have legs, and while headroom is infinite once that insulating roof is down, you’re in the turbulence hotspot at higher speeds. Clearly, the back seats are for kids - or at most, adults on very short journeys - but that is also the case in the rival options.
The reason you might choose this 2+2 convertible over those, however, relates to what’s under the bonnet. We know already from the GranTurismo that the 3.0-litre Nettuno sounds even better these days thanks to a new exhaust system; accordingly, when the roof is down, you get a previously unheard bassy note at low revs that amplifies the car's already muscular presence - one that could genuinely give AMG’s V8 a run for its rumbly money.
Click into Sport and there’s none of the synthesised fakery you get in the identically-engined Grecale V6 models. Instead, with the roof down, it’s all natural growl and V6 symphony with upshift cracks from the rear. It’s quick too, obviously, with the 40hp bump in power from the pre-update car most noticeable at high rpm. It loves to rev, this motor, so much so that if you pull for a downshift a little early, the quick-reacting ZF ‘box is happy to let you spin the engine up into the 7,000rpm redline and beyond. It’s a potent, thrilling unit - and the open-air GranCabrio unlocks a whole other level of Nettuno orchestra.
The body, however, has unquestionably lost some structural rigidity in going topless. The GC doesn’t flop about, but catch a protruding drain cover or pothole at low speed and the wheels thud into it rather than gliding over. A dynamic shortcoming amplified by the telltale jiggle from the rearview mirror. Conversely, at speed over low frequency bumps, the car wallows about more, with the air suspension not able to compensate like AMG’s more complicated hydraulically-controlled setup can. The Merc also isn’t note perfect over bumps at low speed either, yet it can definitely claim to be more bolted down at higher speeds.
Additionally, Maserati’s all-wheel-drive cabriolet doesn’t feel as sharp as its coupe sibling in corners, and it’s also less willing to rotate under power, presumably because the softer setup absorbs some of the energy at the rear axle. The electronically-controlled limited slip diff puts the power down well, but even when it locks up and the car is in rear-drive Corsa mode, it’s less playful on throttle. Overall, it makes for a driving experience that feels more natural at six- or seven-tenths, meaning the GranCabrio is a far cry from the do-it-all talent of a 911 Turbo S Cab.
This inability to mask its structural deficit - something the DB12 does remarkably well - does leave the Maserati trailing its rivals. Of the alternatives in this class, even with its V6 providing the sort of soundtrack you don't get everywhere, you're reminded of the shortfall too frequently. To make matters worse, when you do fold the roof down, it eats into a decent amount of usable boot space. Meaning the GranCabrio is neither the driver’s choice nor the more practical option in its class.
Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t pleasurable to pilot on its own terms. The character of the engine, the look of the thing and the pull of the Maserati badge add up to plenty - and honestly there's a sense of mechanical drama that the likes of the SL doesn't quite live up to. When even the V8s feel strangled by filters, that counts for a lot. Sure, the Aston is faster and broadly speaking much more capable - and most alternatives possess a superior cabin - but they’re also, don’t forget, much more expensive. Maserati will hope that counts for something, too.
SPECIFICATION | MASERATI GRANCABRIO TROFEO
Engine: 2,992cc, V6 twin-turbocharged
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 590@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@3,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.6 secs
Top speed: 196mph
Weight: 1,895kg
MPG: TBC (est 27)
CO2: TBC (est 240g/km)
Price: £160,680
t.Grecale, GranCoupe, GranCabrio...
Something Something Nettuno V6...
Something Something Not As Good as the Competition But Has More Character...
t.In the flesh (at FoS), the new version with the adjusted front end actually looks better in the flesh, albeit on the renders in the article perhaps less so.
Alternatives being limited in this segment and at a decent price point (dealer price support seems very strong to offset at least some of the depreciation!). Comparably, you end up with a 2 yr old DB12 or 2-4 yr old Continental, so with that perspective it looks like a pretty attractive package - and with a nice cache.
Grecale, GranCoupe, GranCabrio...
Something Something Nettuno V6...
Something Something Not As Good as the Competition But Has More Character...
Therefore it makes sense to split each car into separate stories.
I know, because I was on the same launch.
The tinfoil hat can be put away now.
The point I was trying to make was that all three cars could be summed up in a couple of sentences: Powerful twin-turbo V6 that sounds nice. But not quite as good as the Porsche/Merc competition.
Others in this space have sorted themselves out so the cars don't need (many) apologies, like Aston Martin and Bentley, but most others have gone away (Bristol, Jensen, Wiesmann, Marcos etc).
It's not completely rubbish (an automotive rubber chicken in group tests, as one PHer described them) like a lot of those used to be (Bristol, Aston Martin), but it's very hard to make any argument for buying this beyond "look at it" and if you like the image the badge portrays. It's quite nostalgic really, in a way the SUVs and other boring Maseratis aren't, I'm surprised they bother every single time when Maserati launch a new model.
All the same, a shuddering rear view mirror in a six figure cabriolet in 2026 is not really cricket.
The point I was trying to make was that all three cars could be summed up in a couple of sentences: Powerful twin-turbo V6 that sounds nice. But not quite as good as the Porsche/Merc competition.
For the rare times that there's a "Driven" review of a car that I actually quite like (this being one of them) I'm glad that there's more than two sentences to read.
I'm in agreement with others regarding the black plastic mouth and cheeks though. It cheapens the look considerably.
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