Maserati Grancabrio Folgore review

Is the world's first drop-top four-seater worth the supercar price?

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Looking at the new Maserati Grancabrio Folgore, you’ve got to admit that manufacturers are making progress with the whole ‘fun electric cars’ thing.

From Abarth, MG and Hyundai to Porsche, Lotus, Audi and now Maserati, there’s a growing variety of interesting and enthusiast-oriented EVs.

The Maserati Grancabrio Folgore is certainly one of the more niche options, though, it has to be said, what with it being the world’s only electric four-seat roadster. Something that none of us knew we needed…

Everything about the Grancabrio Folgore is ultra-rapid. From the 800V electrical architecture for charging of up to 270kW (good enough for 62 miles of additional range in five minutes) to the three electric motors that deliver 751bhp for 0-62mph in 2.8sec.

Also, just look at it. The classic proportions and elegant styling are understated yet still ooze glamour, which is a tricky thing to pull off – especially when you’ve got 83kWh of battery to shoehorn into the platform.

So, is this a genius new enthusiast EV? Something offering the driver reward of the Porsche Taycan matched with the open-top GT lustre and style wow-factor of, well, a Maserati? Read on to find out.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Maserati has always been a master of sublime yet understated design, and the Grancabrio is no different. Sure, design is subjective, but we suspect you would struggle to find someone who doesn’t think it looks pretty superb.

It’s not a small car, though. In fact, at 4.97m long and with a wheelbase of 2.93m, we might as well just call it what it is: a big car. And not a lightweight one, either, at 2415kg – some 445kg heavier than the petrol V6-engined Maserati Grancabrio Trofeo. The 83kWh (usable capacity) nickel-manganese-cobalt battery fitted into the floorpan has a lot to do with that, of course.

Maserati has really got its mojo back when it comes to design. The Grancabrio is graceful and classy in a way of few modern cars.
Vicky Parrott

The fabric hood is controlled electrically and opens- or closes in around 16 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph. Annoyingly, you have to use a touchscreen to do it, by holding your finger on the screen for the duration of the movement. It's not terribly easy to do when driving, and it’s also not always immediately obvious if the roof mechanism is securely locked in its fully open or closed position.

INTERIOR

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The interior of the Grancabrio Folgore is dominated by its twin screens. The bigger, upper touchscreen is your sat-nav readout and other media functions, while the lower is chiefly for controlling the roof, climate and other cabin functions.

Maserati isn’t the first to separate functions into different screens like this, but some of the icons are small and fiddly to press, and the overall look of so much screen is a bit fussy in an otherwise rather simple but classy interior. Still, the graphics and functionality on the system are fine, there are all the features you want, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it doesn’t take too long to work out where everything is and how to control it.

Having the drive modes on a wheel-mounted rotary switch is great. Being kicked out of Apple CarPlay every time you change mode isn’t.
Vicky Parrott

A real highlight of the interior is the steering wheel: lovely and slim, complete with big paddles for clicking through the brake regen modes. It’s good to know that Maserati still knows how to make a really tactile, gorgeous steering wheel.

You will get a couple of shorter adults in the back seats, but head room is very tight with the roof up and wind bluster in the back with the roof down down will be tiresome. Having said that, it’s certainly more comfy back there than in the back of a Porsche 911, for instance, and it will be absolutely fine for occasional trips with the kids or tolerant adults. And the wind protection and general on-road refinement for those in the front is impressive, even at higher speeds.

The boot isn’t huge, at 131 litres or 172 litres with the roof down or up. Enough for a few soft bags, but you will need the rear seat space for luggage when you make that trip to the Italian lakes for a few weeks.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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So here we are with a £185,000, four-seat electric cabriolet that will do 0-62mph in 2.8sec - as fast as the Ferrari 296 GTB, despite the fact that it weighs 2.4 tonnes. How does that translate to UK roads?

Well, despite the vaguely nauseating headline figures, the Grancabrio is an enjoyable GT. Forget the outright pace. Between the adaptive air suspension and all-wheel drive that all Grancabrios get (including the 542bhp, V6-engined Trofeo), this is a charming, long-legged cruiser.

You twist the rotary switch clockwise to toggle through the drive modes up to maximum-attack Corsa, then twist it back anti-clockwise to go back down to the more everyday modes.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

The electric drivetrain actually suits it, too. The seamless ebb and flow of acceleration accentuates the general sumptuousness of the Grancabrio, and with the roof down, you can really enjoy the calm progress. Sure, the V6 will have an entirely different appeal, precisely because it makes more noise – and good noise at that. Nobody is denying it. But it’s credit to Maserati that you can choose between the two powertrains, and the electric propulsion does work well in the Grancabrio, even if a range of up to 279 miles is underwhelming when plenty of premium touring EVs are now returning around 400 miles on WLTP figures.

Brake feel is very good, too. It’s a short-travel pedal, with plenty of bite, that’s easy to modulate whether you’re cruising around town or piling into a fast corner.

We would like sharper accelerator response, as it can feel a bit soggy (particularly in the more workaday drive modes), but the Grancabrio is hilariously rapid if you want it to be, yet also a very easy thing to drive smoothly in everyday progress.

Being able to toggle through the four brake regen modes (from entirely off for free coasting to a not-quite-one-pedal driving mode) via the big paddles is also a really nice feature.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Having said all of that, the Grancabrio Folgore is far from flawless in the way it drives, because that weight is just too noticeable.

The ride comfort isn’t terrible, but the damping is reactive over high-frequency or sharper-edged intrusions at slower speeds and there’s a fair bit of body lean if you try and push through faster direction changes. There's a touch of body flex courtesy of that fabric roof, too, although it’s minor enough not to really bother you unless you’re looking for it. 

The standard air suspension can be adjusted independently of the drive modes, via a button in the middle of the rotary mode switch.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

As for the handling, the steering is light and has a pleasantly expensive-feeling slickness to it, but there’s no real feedback and it feels particularly disconnected at the crucial moment when the car is weighted up mid-corner. Which isn’t what you want in your comically powerful, four-seat, super-sports GT convertible thing, even though the Grancabrio is really quite lovely to ease about in the rest of the time.

Twisting the drive-mode switch that’s mounted on the beautifully slim steering wheel doesn’t really improve matters, either. Activate Sport or Corsa mode for maximum-attack performance and heavier steering and the Grancabrio isn’t as pointy and rabid as you might expect, given its on-paper credentials.

Yes, everything feels tauter and there’s a satisfying poise to the way the car cuts through corners, but it’s not the truly engaging, playful, tactile steer that you might hope for. There’s just not enough sense of connection through the wheel or the pedals for that, and it would be fair to say that both the Porsche Taycan and Lotus Emeya saloons are more purist drives, in the rather limited scheme of high-performance, four-seat electric performance cars.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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This isn't a cheap car, even by the standard of other prestige electric performance cars. The price tag of over £185,000 will get you a Taycan and a lot of change, after all. Not only that, but depreciation isn’t going to be pleasant.

Unfortunately, the Grancabrio Folgore doesn’t have the range to compete with many of the other luxury, performance EVs out there, which makes it even harder to justify. Yes, if you charge at home you will pay a lot less to fuel it than the V6 Trofeo, but given that the petrol Grancabrio is some £30,000 cheaper to buy, you will need to do a lot of miles to make up the extra cost of the electric version.

There's no data on the Grancabrio Folgore's predicted depreciation, but it's unlikely to be pleasant...
Vicky Parrott

VERDICT

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If you’re after a soft-top cruiser that has shock-and-awe to spare when you want to terrify your passengers, is peachy to cover miles in the rest of the time and has a classic grace that’s rare among any class of car? Well, the Grancabrio Folgore has all of that.

It’s not an objective purchase, so don’t try and justify it like that. You will fail, I’m afraid. But if you’ve fallen for the silver-screen looks and boulevard appeal, the experience behind the wheel won’t disappoint - provided you’re not expecting Taycan-like handling precision.

Vicky Parrott

Vicky Parrott

Vicky Parrott has been a motoring journalist since 2006, when she eventually did so much work experience at Autocar that it felt obliged to give her a job.

After that, she spent seven years as a features and news writer, video presenter and road tester for Autocar, before becoming deputy road test editor for What Car? in 2013. After five years with What Car?, Vicky spent a couple of years as associate editor of DrivingElectric and then embarked on a freelance career that has seen her return to writing for Autocar and What Car? as well as for The Daily Telegraph and many others.

Vicky has been a Car of the Year juror since 2020, and the proud owner of a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300-SL 24V since 2017. She aspires to own an Alpine A110 and a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.