Whither Maserati?

"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01) 06/10/2016 at 16:01 • Filed to: None

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Yesterday, I posted !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! parked in front of my building. I have never been so ambivalent about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The current lineup ranges from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (horrible, loaded with exterior frippery) to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (the least offensive model, in my opinion). Sure, the BiTurbo was a piece of crap, but this is 2016 - where are the good Maseratis? The entire lineup seems bloated and barely competitive with the cheaper alternatives.

Am I wrong?

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Steve in Manhattan 06/10/2016 at 16:10

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I like the Ghibli, but the rest is a bit too bloated indeed.

The least bloated Maserati:

Steve in Manhattan > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 06/10/2016 at 16:14

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Agreed.

Danger Ranger XLT > Steve in Manhattan 06/10/2016 at 16:19

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I think you’re about right. “Bloated and barely competitive” is how I’d describe them. I still find the GranTurismo pretty, but it has been in production for almost a decade. Can’t honestly say I’d buy a Maserati over anything in their respective classes. Oddly enough the SUV is supposedly quite good and might actually make the company relevant.

Bizarre lust for the early-nineties Shamal aside, I’d have to go back to the 1950s and 1960s, maybe the early 1970s, to find a truely appealling Maserati. Some give the MC12 a pass, and while it was a homologation special, it was also an uglier Enzo that cost as much as two Enzos. The rest of their modern cars were sometimes pretty, but there were better alternatives.

Steve in Manhattan > Danger Ranger XLT 06/10/2016 at 16:22

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If they need to pull a Cayenne to fund their sports car production, fine, but they need to make sports cars .

Pcm9799 > Steve in Manhattan 06/10/2016 at 16:45

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Withered Maserati.

Danger Ranger XLT > Steve in Manhattan 06/10/2016 at 17:07

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They desperately need to replace the GranTurismo, hopefully the new cars give a little cash flow to do something really good. And I’d love to see them do a sub-$100k sports car. Going toe-to-toe with the 911 is risky business, but no more risky than what Maserati are already doing.

As a side note, I hate the SUV’s name the the more I think about it. “Levante” sounds like something Mansory would do to a G-Wagen...

Steve in Manhattan > Pcm9799 06/10/2016 at 17:16

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I see what you did there.

Nauraushaun > Steve in Manhattan 06/12/2016 at 02:56

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Haven’t they always been bloated? Aren’t they effectively fatter Ferraris?

They also seem to have always been a bit shit. Maybe they’re in the best form they’ve ever been.

Steve in Manhattan > Nauraushaun 06/12/2016 at 09:17

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They’re Lancia, but more expensive and less useful.

nlpnt > Danger Ranger XLT 06/12/2016 at 16:03

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At least it HAS a name and it’s not numbered after the monthly lease payment with an X replacing the $.

Nauraushaun > Steve in Manhattan 06/12/2016 at 18:19

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You say it like it’s a bad thing. They’re still around! Unlike Lancia.

Steve in Manhattan > Nauraushaun 06/12/2016 at 18:56

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True - Lancia is a shadow of its former self .

It says “Stile is a formula.” Am I missing something?

I hope Fiat does something fun with the brand.

Nauraushaun > Steve in Manhattan 06/12/2016 at 20:02

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Same. Those cars are disgusting.