Maserati MC20 V6 2dr Auto

Ten Second Review

The MC20 is everything you might want a Maserati sports car to be - fast, grand and gorgeous. Everything's been developed from scratch, including the engine, and there's a choice of coupe or convertible body styles. Both with plenty of 'want one' factor.

Background

A Maserati supercar. It's been a while since we had one of those. In fact, it's been a while since we had a new Maserati sports car of any kind, but this model, the MC20, puts that right, the first mid-engined Maserati in a generation. Let's start with the name. The 'M' stands for 'Maserati', the 'C' for 'Corsa' [Italian for 'racing']; '20' designates the year of model unveiling - which you might not have guessed because this car's most direct predecessor, the low volume MC12, was unveiled back in 2004. Yes, it's been that long since Maserati has had a contender in the Ferrari segment. Perhaps that partly has something to do with the brand's previously close ties with Ferrari, which often left it reticent to step on Maranello's toes. But with the switch of Maserati ownership to the sprawling Stellantis Group in 2021, those ties have been severed: Maserati's no longer deferential to Ferrari; it wants to beat Enzo's brand on its own terms, a quest that starts right here with this car, offered in both this coupe form and as a glass-topped Spyder model.

Driving Experience

As you set off, there's a satisfying exhaust crackle from the twin turbocharged V6 behind your head. Maserati engines are no longer sourced from previous partner Ferrari. This one, a 3.0-litre powerplant known as 'Nettuno' (Italian for 'Neptune') was entirely developed in-house and puts out 630hp to the rear wheels via an 8-speed auto gearbox borrowed from the current Chevrolet Corvette. You select gears via huge shift paddles off the steering wheel and a rotary controller offers four drive modes - 'Wet', 'GT', 'Sport' and 'Corsa' [which is the race mode]. Two levels of damper stiffness feature in each of the drive setting. Helped by launch control, the MC20 is brutally quick off the line, dispatching 62mph in just 2.9 seconds. 124mph passes in just 9 seconds on the way to a top speed of 203mph. Whether you'll like the dramatic orchestral accompaniment as you go quite as much might depend on how much of a Maserati loyalist you are. The elegant roar of the brand's past normally aspirated powertrains is replaced here by an altogether different melody of turbocharged whooshes and guttural barks. Which is all very supercar-like, but Maserati says that its also developed this car for everyday driving and the supple quality of ride really reflects that; you can enjoy this car as much on a long distance GT trip as on your favourite winding back road. Even more pleasingly, this car stops as it goes thanks to standard carbon ceramic discs - 330mm at the front and 350mm at the rear - which work with calipers that have 6-pistons at the front and 4 at the rear. Through the turns, the MC20 loves to change direction - like a shark turning towards a meal, but without the track refugee nervousness that you might get in a rival McLaren or Lamborghini of this kind. It's just everyday more usable. Despite quite a prodigious kerb weight of well over one and a half tonnes, the Italian maker's really nailed this, with traction through the turns aided by a mechanical limited slip differential you can, on request, swap out for an even faster-reacting electric system.

Design and Build

There are two body styles available - the Coupe and the Cielo Spyder model. Either way, this is one of those cars that looks better the longer you stare at it. It's certainly striking and brand enthusiasts will note cues to Maserati's of the past; touches like the low-set grille and the chromed Trident symbol. Beneath the skin, carbon fibre and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic panels shroud an advanced monocoque fashioned from, you've guessed it, carbon fibre. Plus there are aluminium subframes at either end. To get in, you pull on the butterfly doors which arch up, leaving a wide entry aperture to gain entry to the dark trimmed cabin. There's a minimalist vibe, with very little switchgear on the narrow centre tunnel. You get a couple of high-res displays, one for the instruments and another for infotainment functions. And neat touches include a rear view mirror that projects real-time video provided by camera situated on the boot lid. The carbon fibre-backed Sabelt seats are low-set and of the race variety but they feature powered adjustment and lots of lateral support. There are no token rear chairs but even so, luggage space is at a premium; there's 100-litres in the back and another 50-litres in a recess up front.

Market and Model

At the time of this test in Spring 2024, Maserati was asking just over £227,000 for the MC20 coupe, but most owners will be spending close to £250,000 once they've specced up their cars to taste. The alternative MC20 Spyder open top model listed from about £252,000 at the time of our review, so quite a few of those will leave the showroom specced to over £300,000 too. Maserati is also preparing to launch a full-electric MC20 model, the MC20 Folgore, which will probably be just as fast as the combustion version. But would you really want to do without that signature V6 Nettuno roar? We wouldn't. Standard features include 20-inch 'Birdcage gloss dark miron design' alloy wheels fitted out with black calipers and a carbon ceramic braking set-up. And you can tick off full-LED headlights, all-round parking sensors, keyless entry, a rear-view camera and LED tail lamps. Owners also get 10 years use of the Maserati Connect app, which allows you to control vehicle status functions and get alerts on your smartphone or smart watch, plus it will help you find the car if you've forgotten where you parked it. Maserati includes an indoor car cover and a battery charger too. And there's an alarm, but the brand unfortunately doesn't include the vehicle tracking system that an exotic sportscar of this kind really ought to have. If you're urban-based (or even if you're not), we'd suggest you consider paying extra for the suspension lift system, which helps when ground clearance is needed - for example to cross over speed humps. With this, you just press a button to lift the front axle by 50mm. The system works at speeds up to 25mph. If faster, it automatically returns to the normal ride height. You'll also want to trim out the interior to your taste; there's a choice of the finest leather, Alcantara and carbon fibre. And you can have what Maserati describes as 'the best sound made in Italy', courtesy of the optional Sonus faber High-Premium Audio System.

Cost of Ownership

A full-electric MC20 is under development, but if you've an ounce of petrol flowing through your veins, you're going to want the V6 turbo version. And you're going to have to pay for the pleasure at the pumps of course. Maserati quotes a combined cycle figure of 24.6mpg for the coupe - and a lowest figure of just 13.6mpg - which you'll probably be lucky to hit if you're using the car on track. It's 24.1mpg for the Spyder version. If you don't drive too hard, you could think in terms of a range of about 300 miles from the 60-litre fuel tank between fill-ups. Exercise your right foot just a little though and if our experience, the predicted range figure on the instrument cluster will quickly fall to half of that. What about emissions? Well the combined CO2 reading for the coupe is just as bad, rated at 261g/km. It's 265g/km for the Spyder. But again, those figures are based on driving a lot more frugally than an MC20 owner normally would. Exercise your right foot a little and those efficiency figures will fall like a stone. To give you an idea of what that means, the 'low' rate CO2 figure for the coupe is quoted at a smoky 470g/km...

Summary

So the wait was worthwhile. For as long as most of us can remember, a Maserati sports car was a model you chose if you couldn't quite afford a Ferrari and wanted more of a GT. Or, more recently, it wasn't a sports car at all but a luxury saloon or an SUV. Now however, just as Maserati returns to motorsport, it returns to the super sportscar sector - and in some style with this MC20. Predictably perhaps, the price is almost as arresting as the offered performance. And not everyone will like the turbocharged aural accompaniment of the potent Nettuno engine. But otherwise, this represents a grand return to form for this famous Italian marque. Be in no doubt, if you're fortunate enough to be looking at a Ferrari Roma, a Lamborghini Huracan, a McLaren GTS or something similar, this Maserati should also be in your thinking. After all, there's so much about it you might love - the styling and the carefully crafted cabin combining with an engaging yet accessible driving experience which has a lot to do with the way that it's rather better than the competitors just mentioned at being both a super sportscar and a GT. And the best bit is that with new Stellantis investment behind the company, this might be just the start of what Maserati can achieve. A new era has begun.