IS THE FIRST MASERATI EV, THE GRANTURISMO FOLGORE, WORTHY OF THE TRIDENT BADGE?
Maserati and that iconic Trident badge have been around since 1914 and thanks to a collab with Ferrari in more recent years the Italian automaker has been creating some amazing and powerful cars. Right now though, one of their latest creations is the first model to make use of EV technology, and with a test car doing the rounds we finally find out if this foray into hybrid EVs was success after a bunch of publications have given the car, the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, a thorough thrashing to see if the Italian sports coupe lives up to the brand’s performance that founders Alfieri, Ettore & Ernesto Maserati would expect. On paper the car has it all, the usual Maserati styling, a serious level of luxury and comfort and a very healthy 750 hp that’s directed to all round wheels from a trio of electric motors.
Maserati Folgore powertrain features a battery produced at the Mirafiori Battery Hub assembly plant in Turin that has a nominal capacity of 92.5 kWh and a discharge capacity of 610kW which means it’s able to continuously transmit more than 750 hp to the wheels. The specific set-up and innovative layout of the battery result in the containment of vehicle height to 1353 mm, without compromising its sporty nature. The shape of the battery pack, known as ‘T-bone’, is another example of the “zero compromise” approach and avoids placing the battery modules under the seats, mainly moving them around the central tunnel and therefore considerably lowering the car’s H-point. This means the GranTurismo Folgore is lower than any other electric car on the market, and the specific placement and design improves the manoeuvrability of the car, and of course agility is one of the key factors; axial geometry in the battery makes changes of direction much faster than in cars with a platform battery, distributed throughout the body. This is all nice to see on paper, but paper specs and stats don’t always translate to the actual performance of the car. We all know this and that’s why many fans of the brand, and EVs, have been patiently looking forward to the real-world performance of the GranTurismo Folgore, and Autocar was among the first publications to get one in their hands to put paper to tar.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the pros at Autocar as they review the first Maserati to make use of EV technology and they see if it's as good as it should be with that iconic Trident badge on the front: Maserati GranTurismo Folgore review - Maserati's 751bhp first EV! | Autocar
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