Maserati's monster that's easy to live with

published 11 March 2011

If you're looking for "the current daddy in the Maserati line-up", this new Granturismo MC Stradale is it, says Gavin Conway in Autocar. It is "the lightest, most powerful and fastest Maserati in the current range".

The design is a "tilt at motorsport cred" there is an aero splitter under the front bumper, the car has been lowered at the front and rear, there are "gorgeous" 20-inch wheels, weight has been shed with the use of carbonfibre, there's a "roll-cage living where the rear seats once did and a four-point race harness hanging over the back of those thin, form-hugging seats".

But best of all is "the slightly mad 'Race' mode. Say you're bumbling along at, say, 70mph and you hit the button. The robotised manual box instantly drops from 6th to 4th and that V8 sets about tearing the atmosphere into tiny aural shreds."

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It performs the role of aggressive sportscar very well when you want it to, agrees What Car. But "this is no raw, highly strung racer". Maserati has been careful to ensure that it "is every bit as civilised as any other Granturismo. It's easy to drive, rides comfortably and, when you want it to be, it's quiet."

And inside, the cabin is "much like any Granturismo's", with an "appealingly quirky, hand-crafted feel overall". This "snarling" monster is a surprisingly "easy car to live with".

Price: £109,995. Top speed: 187mph. 0-62mph: 4.6secs. Engine: V8, 4,691cc. Power: 444bhp at 7,100rpm.