Maserati Granturismo Folgore: Lightning fast thanks to the electric drive

Emilia-Romagna stretches like an irregular carpet between the Adriatic Sea, the Apennines and the Ligurian mountains. We don’t know why the center of gravity of the Italian sports car world emerged here. Except that Maserati is the oldest of the brands concentrated between Modena and Bologna – with the symbol represented by the trident of the 500-year-old Fountain of Neptune in Bologna.

Of course, you don’t have to worry about that when you drive the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore through the industrial suburbs of Modena and Sassuolo south towards the Emilian mountains.

Tradition and development

But of course you can. Also because no other Maserati embodies the history and culture of this region like the electric Folgore. To put it in perspective: the University of Bologna dates back to the 11th century, and the area’s name comes from the Roman military road Via Aemilia and Lombard Romagna.

Not that this burden becomes a burden for Folgore, on the contrary. The spirit of craftsmanship and engineering that has been buried here for a long time can be seen in many different details of the car. For example in the well-knitted leather seats, the well-beating of the recovery rockers, but also in the originality of the T-shaped battery or electric car with three radial motors with 300 kW each.

The high performance is not determined by the three motors – which will be 900 kW mathematically – but by the high discharge capacity of the battery (capacity of 92.5 kWh total). And that’s 560 kW or 761 hp, GT product manager Davide Danesin explained before the test drive. The difference between installed and usable engine power is also advantageous, says the engineer. For example, it allows a large amount of maximum torque distribution between the wheels and axles.

To get used to it, Davide recommends GT mode after Comfort mode. 80% of the power is available at that time, which should be enough for now. Because the asphalt is still wet, the autumn fog drifts between the wooded slopes and even lets the sun shine through.

The Maserati feels light and fluid, especially after a total weight of 2.2 tons and a wheelbase of almost three meters. It seems appropriate that the large battery pack is not placed flat on the floor of the vehicle as in other electric sports cars, but in a so-called T-bone configuration in the central tunnel area.

With one pedal mode

The design reduces the inertia factor around the roll axis. In addition, the seats can be placed lower because the occupants sit closer to the battery instead of on top of it, which further increases the center of gravity. These are more than theoretical advantages, as the first few kilometers suggest. The next corners are fast, the Folgore sits comfortably and neutrally on the narrow country road. Thanks to the sensitivity support, it does not allow itself to be disturbed by the deliberate use of force in the bends and quickly pulls directly to the next braking point.

When braking, Maserati offers another variant of electric driving: at the highest level of recovery, it decreases to 0.65 g when the accelerator pedal is lifted. This means that you can reach kilometers quickly, including braking, without having to use the brake pedal.

There are four recovery levels, which can be quickly selected using the easy-grip rockets. However, it’s more fun to let the Folgore blow over the mountains at the lowest level.

What’s not quite right here is the Corsa mode, in which the Vehicle Domain Control Module (VDCM), Folgore’s electronic brain, delivers a full 610 kW. As the name suggests, Davide warns before driving, the mode is intended for use on race tracks.

Sport mode has a slightly lower ride and is ideal for fast cornering on country roads. Launch control is also available in Sport and Corsa. It allows the Folgore to accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds so testing it in traffic is not recommended.

It remains exciting enough with the dial set to Sport: power is fully available, suspension and damping are enhanced, torque vectoring removes the downward trend, and the electric sound becomes more aggressive.

When the fog turns to rain, it’s time for a break. This is also part of the area, like hard cheese and smoked ham: Pranzo, lunch. There was a clue that unfortunately must remain a secret: a restaurant in the mountains that Ferrari and Maserati test drivers like to visit. After Tagliatelle al Ragu, Crema Cotta and Caffè we drive back to Modena. Now in maximum range mode. So that we can enjoy the trip even more.