After a few teasers, Maserati finally unveils its Maserati Granturismo Folgore with a huge reserve of power. This is its very first electric model, before the Grecale Folgore scheduled for next year. But two elements come to spoil the party: power, restrained by the battery, and fast charging, not so fast, depending on the situation.
Like all manufacturers, Maserati will also have to go electric under pressure from European public authorities. But if the brand was lagging behind, now it is starting to catch up. And it has every interest, as it plans to fully electrify its catalogue by 2030.
A STYLE NOT NECESSARILY UNKNOWN
It is, therefore, in this context that the Italian firm has just lifted the veil on a brand new version of its Maserati GranTurismo three years after the disappearance of the previous generation. And what strikes at first glance is the great resemblance to the latter, especially in terms of the profile. 4.96 meters long, the Italian coupe retains a similar silhouette but operates a few small changes. We discover more elegant lights at the front and rear, slightly inspired by those of the Maserati MC20. The ground clearance is very low, thanks to a T-shaped arrangement of the batteries around the central tunnel.
Thus, this prevents them from being installed under the seats, allowing the seat height of the occupants to be reduced, as explained in the brand’s press release. The structure of the car is made of aluminium and magnesium, which notably makes it possible to lower the total weight of the machine, which is still displayed at 2.26 tonnes. For now, no photo of the interior has been shown by Maserati, which explains that the sports car is notably equipped with the latest version of the Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA) infotainment system, which also equips the new Grecale. The driver will then be able to take advantage of a touch screen as well as a head-up display, available as an option.
Maserati GranTurismo: 761 OR 1,200 HORSES?
Last March, Maserati began its teasing campaign for its future Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, notably announcing an insane power of 1,200 horsepower. Six months later, has the firm kept its promise? At first glance, we might think not. The coupe has three permanent magnet motors, each with a power of 300 kW, derived from Formula E. In theory, we should therefore reach 1,200 horsepower. Except that only 761 horses are transmitted to the four wheels continuously in order to optimize autonomy.
Did Maserati lie to us? Yes and no. Indeed, the three engines added together make it possible to reach 1,200 horsepower. But, the battery power is not high enough to exceed 761 horsepower.
Added to this is a maximum torque displayed at 1,350 Nm. As promised, 0 to 100 km/h is then achieved in 2.7 seconds for a maximum speed of 320 km/h. This is limited to 130 km/h in “max range” mode.
FAST CHARGE, BUT NOT ALWAYS!
The electric sports car is equipped with an 800-volt system, like its rival, the Porsche Taycan, and has a useful 83 kWh battery (92.5 gross kWh). On the other hand, the brand does not yet specify the total autonomy of the car, which can withstand a charging power of up to 270 kW in direct current and 22 kW in alternating current. Maserati thus announces that the car is capable of recovering 100 km of autonomy in 5 minutes.
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But be careful. You still have to connect to an 800-volt terminal, like the Ionity network. On a 400-volt terminal, like the Tesla Supercharger network, the power will be limited to 50 kW! Recharging will therefore be much slower. It is usual for electric cars with an 800-volt architecture to be slower on the 400-volt terminals.
Thus, the Porsche Taycan is limited to 150 kW at 400 volts against 270 kW at 800 volts by carrying a dedicated charger. The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are a little better off since they use the electric motor and the inverter to bring the power from 400 to 800 volts, with a little loss.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
It will take around 200,000 euros to afford a copy of this new Maserati Granturismo Folgore. It will be available from the second quarter of 2023. As Automotive News explains, the Italian brand then wants to get closer to Ferrari in terms of price positioning, while the Roma, a rival of the Italian coupe, starts from 206,890 euros.