"Take care in Corsa mode," cautions chief engineer Davide Danesin as we prepare to drive the electric-powered Maserati GranTurismo Folgore through the hills north of Rome, Italy, on a bright yet cold winter's day. "There is a lot of torque, and the response is fast."
Damn right the Folgore has a lot of torque—996 lb-ft of it. And yep, it's all there the moment you touch the accelerator pedal, every pound-foot. Danesin explains how as the Corsa drive mode dials back the intervention thresholds of all the electronic nannies so you can have more fun in the all-wheel drive Folgore, the light-switch-quick burst of so much raw grunt from the Maserati's electric powertrain could catch you unawares.
On a test-route section that is straight and dry, with the GranTurismo Folgore wafting along at 35 mph, a twist of the knob beneath the right-hand steering-wheel spoke selects Corsa mode. Mash the accelerator pedal, and sure enough there's a big wiggle from the rear end. Then the Pirelli P Zero Winter tires hook up and we're body-slammed into the seats as the corner ahead rushes toward us. With enough road, this big Maserati coupe would just keep on accelerating hard and clean and quiet all the way to 202 mph, according to the company.
Oh yes, the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is one hell of an electric car. Actually, it's a helluva car, full stop.
The Folgore is the headline model of the all-new 2024 Maserati GranTurismo lineup, and the most interesting. The reason: It packages an electric powertrain under the same sensuous sheetmetal with the same sumptuous interior as its ICE siblings, the GranTurismo Trofeo and GranTurismo Modena that we've also just driven. Indeed, our own Frank Markus got an early drive of a Folgore on a track in Italy late last year; our Folgore drive here occurred on the road and came immediately after sampling the Trofeo and Modena editions of Maserati's all-new grand tourer over the same terrain.
The comparison was inevitable, the conclusion less so: The Folgore is the grandest of the GranTurismos.
As mentioned in our first drive story of the ICE Trofeo and Modena models, the new GranTurismo is a clever car, not the least because its platform is designed to accommodate either internal-combustion engine or battery-electric powertrains. Yes, at 3,957 pounds, the GranTurismo models powered by Maserati's accomplished 3.0-liter twin-turbo Nettuno V-6 are perhaps a touch heavier than they would have been if they were engineered from the get-go as a pure combustion-engine cars. But there's nothing in the way they drive to suggest they are compromise cars. They feel like proper Maseratis.
The 2024 GranTurismo's real genius, however, is that the Folgore itself also drives like a proper Maserati. It's not an electric vehicle that's high on performance yet low on soul.
The Folgore is powered by three identical e-motors, one at the front axle and two at the rear, controlled by a silicon-carbide inverter and wired into an 800-volt electrical architecture. Designed and engineered to Maserati's exact specification to deliver high power density (5.6 hp/lb and 3.6 lb-ft/lb) and to spin to 17,600 rpm, obviating the need for a transmission to obtain high speeds, the motor is capable of producing 510 hp and peak torque of 332 lb-ft. However, the power output is dialed back to 402 hp for installation in the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore.
On paper, the GranTurismo Folgore packs a 1,206-hp punch; in practice it's making 751 hp at the wheels, Danesin says. That's because the 92.5-kWh battery, which is made up of the same LG Chem pouch cells Porsche uses in the Taycan with a useable capacity of 88 kWh, has a maximum discharge capability of 818 hp. Even so, 751 hp working with that 996 lb-ft of torque is enough to get the 4,982-pound Folgore to 60 mph in less than 2.7 seconds and to 124 mph in 8.8 seconds, according to the manufacturer. For context, the Folgore is 1.2 seconds quicker to 60 mph and 2.6 seconds quicker to 124 mph than the 550-hp GranTurismo Trofeo, despite being just more than 1,000-pounds heavier than the ICE-powered car.
Why build an e-motor and inverter that can outperform the battery by so much? It's about future-proofing the Folgore's powertrain, Danesin says, baking in performance capability that can be unlocked as soon as battery technology is available. "We think we'll see new batteries in three to four years, but new motors and inverters are five to 10 years away," he explains.
The sophisticated powertrain software, developed in-house at Maserati, allows up to 100 percent of power to go to the rear wheels; indeed, up to 402 hp can be sent to a single rear wheel. Like most electric cars, much of the GranTurismo Folgore's braking is done via regeneration. Unlike most electric cars, however, the threshold at which the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore's 15.0-inch front and 13.8-inch rear brake rotors begin to be squeezed by their six- and four-piston Brembo calipers is not the typical 0.3 g, but 0.65 g. As such, the system can recoup energy at a peak rate of 400 kilowatts.
Drivers can also switch between four lift-off energy regeneration levels via the paddles behind the steering wheel. D+ allows the Maserati to coast when you lift off the accelerator; D induces a slight engine-braking effect like the one you feel when you lift off in an ICE car with a manual transmission; D- is like you've downshifted a gear, and D double-minus allows for one-pedal driving.
The software also controls the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore's four drive modes. GT Mode is the default drive mode and limits the powertrain's output to 80 percent of its maximum, which is still plenty for schmoozing around town or relaxed highway cruising, and reduces the peak draw on the battery.
Sport mode ensures 100 percent of e-motor power is available, and it also stiffens the shocks, though as in the ICE GranTurismos, a button in the middle of the drive-mode selector allows you to toggle between regular and Sport damper settings in either mode. Sport mode also allows torque vectoring across the rear axle to reduce understeer in both coasting and regen situations, while the traction control gives greater freedom of choice to the driver. The stability control system can be switched off, and launch control activated.
Corsa mode sharpens the response to inputs from the accelerator pedal and uses the torque-vectoring capability of the two-motor rear axle in much the same way as an e-differential to maximize performance through corners. It puts the shocks in their stiffest setting and lowers the Maserati's ride height. The display on the digital dash is reconfigured to highlight the most relevant performance data, including battery temperature and torque distribution between the motors. Additional drive-mode controls accessed via the infotainment system enable further adjustments to torque-vectoring and traction-control thresholds, covering everything from ensuring maximum traction on a wet track to allowing full-blooded drifts. Corsa mode also helps drivers manage powertrain temperatures during extended track sessions.
Max Range mode does exactly what you'd expect and helps the GranTurismo Folgore travel as far as possible with whatever charge remains in the battery. Maximum speed is limited to 80 mph, the accelerator pedal's response is softened, and the climate control system is instructed to demand less energy. Maserati recommends engaging Max Range mode when the battery's state of charge falls below 16 percent and no charging point is immediately available.
Speaking of range Danesin says Maserati is hopeful of nailing a maximum EPA-rated range of about 250 miles when the Folgore goes on sale in the U.S. sometime in the third quarter of this year. Your mileage, of course, will vary. The GranTurismo Folgore doesn't have the long legs of its ICE siblings but that's hardly going to be a deal breaker.
Despite the name, and no matter whether they are powered by hydrocarbons or electrons, few GranTurismos will in truth ever be seriously road tripped. That said, in countries where there is a decent charging network, the 800-volt electrical architecture means it takes just 18 minutes to get the Folgore's battery from a 20 percent state of charge to 80 percent, with a peak charge rate of 270 kW. In the U.S., however, the people who can afford slightly more than $200,000 for an electric-powered Maserati coupe are more likely going to fly and not drive from L.A. for their week's skiing in Aspen.
In a way that's a shame, because the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore drives very well. In fact, on both a winding road or a wide-open highway—and even around town—it's arguably the best to drive of all the new GranTurismos, smooth and quiet and comfortable and effortlessly fast, just like a great grand tourer ought to be.
The Folgore weighs 1,000 pounds more than its ICE-powered siblings, but it hides its additional mass remarkably well. It's not just the weapons-grade thrust that compresses time and space between corners and while overtaking; it's the naturalistic way the software gets the powertrain to work the car into, through, and out of corners, too. Overall, the Gran Turismo Folgore, which boasts 50/50 front to rear weight distribution, feels lighter on its feet and more responsive in its direction changes than a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, a car that, apart from the number of doors, is perhaps its most obvious rival in terms of power, weight, and brand cachet.
More than that, though, this Maserati doesn't feel like any typical electric car. That's because of the battery's design and location. In simple terms, the GranTurismo Folgore's battery is shaped like a dog bone, with a tall and narrow center section that sits in what is the transmission tunnel in the ICE models, and wider sections at either end that extend partway across the car. Having the heavy battery fill the transmission tunnel means the car's center of gravity is slightly higher than if it had a more typical skateboard EV platform with the battery bits all under the floor. But it also means the Folgore is not prone to what chief engineer Danesin calls the "raft effect," where the mass at the outer edges of the wide, flat skateboard-style battery packs increases roll around the car's longitudinal axis.
There's one other benefit to the Maserati's battery layout: The Folgore's seating position and roofline is exactly the same as in the ICE models. This is an electric car you sit in, not sit on.
The steering is heavier than in the ICE GranTurismos, particularly the entry-level Modena, and we'd like the weighting reduced a fraction to better reflect the Folgore's light-footed demeanor. The brake pedal also felt a little jerky, both on application and when coming off the pedal, something Danesin acknowledges is still being tuned. Our test cars were early-build production models still undergoing some calibration tweaks, something that in an EV can be done even after the car has been launched. Hence the big red and yellow safety cut-out buttons visible in some of the interior photos.
The 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is a game changer for the Italian automaker. It combines the visual style and dynamic appeal that have made the storied Italian marque famous with a state-of-the-moment EV powertrain. If you think a Taycan Turbo S looks like just another Porsche, and a Tesla Model S Plaid is simply too dowdy and grimly spartan, the GranTurismo Folgore brings a welcome dash of la dolce vita to the luxury performance electric-vehicle segment.