Great relationships aren’t forged overnight. Fortunate, then, that Robb Report had a rare opportunity to spend an extended period with the seductive Maserati GranTurismo.
Here’s a little secret. In the modern time-poor world we inhabit, automotive journalists are seldom permitted the luxury of spending weeks with the elite steeds they assess. Instead, testing periods are often restricted to a single day, with variants and models shared between a dozen or so scribes who’ve been flown in en masse to a particular driving nirvana. Under these conditions, the prototype car writer of today has followed Darwinian principles, evolving into a lean, mean reviewing machine—capable of delivering fully rounded, pincer-sharp reviews after just a few hours in the pilot’s seat.
Occasionally, though, media outlets are gifted what’s known in the trade as “long-termers”—vehicles they retain over extended time frames, allowing them to explore every increment of horsepower, every unique handling sensation, every millimetre of interior material. And for three unforgettable months, the Maserati GrandTurismo was one such rarity at Robb Report HQ—affording our editors the chance to experience the highs, the smiles, the laughs, the special moments that rarely transpire during motoring’s one-day stands.
Since the 1930s, Gran Turismo cars, more commonly labelled GTs, have played into one of driving’s most enduring visions—the long, cross-country drive, shared with a four-wheeled steed that offers sportiness, comfort and luxury in the same package. Maserati spiritually subscribed to the notion so intensely—“intense” being the default Italian sports car sensation—that it eventually named one of its models in honour of the totemic auto experience, debuting in 2007 with the one-worded GranTurismo, a slinky, two-door, stealth powerhouse that took little time in positioning itself as the emotional heartbeat of the brand.
The most recent iteration launched in 2023 at Milan Design Week and yet two years later the GranTurismo still holds its own in a competitive segment. The Modena, Trofeo and all-electric Folgore make up the current roster, but it was the first of these iterations that we spent the region’s golden months with—wafting around Port Hercules with its 3 l V6 “Nettuno” engine straining at the leash; purring up to the Casino forecourt for after-dark social gatherings, the Maserati glamorously attired in broodingly sensuous lines; or, perhaps our most cherished memories, removing the performance shackles on the driving Nirvana offered by the hills surrounding the Principality, revelling in the car’s handling and brisk acceleration.
The refined interior remains a fine place to while away tranquilising journeys, too. We quickly became enamoured with the uniquely shaped 30 cm digital-gauge cluster and the genuinely roomy two-plus-two seating configuration. No extreme cabin gymnastics required here, even for full-sized adults.
Robb Report initially collected the Maserati at the start of summer, collectively buoyed by seasonal joie de vivre. And then one morning, no matter how much we dodged the topic in office conversations, the inevitable happened: cooler temperatures pervaded the marina air; fewer striped bathing towels populated Larvotto Beach; the cloak of darkness descended earlier on the evening terrace at Café de Paris Monte-Carlo. The colder months were on their way, and a note in the diary confirmed that our dalliance with the GranTurismo soon would be over.
Most love affairs must come to an end sadly—that, we understand. But we’d gladly sign on the dotted line and make it something more permanent.
The GranTurismo Modena starts from €179,600. Maserati Monaco, 9 rue des Açores, 98000 Monaco.
