Comparo of California vs Maserati Gran Turismo Convertible

I bought a California because the Maserati was too slow on the highway. I almost was folled by the GT. I loved the interior and the exterior and that sound the engine makes. My god, that sound, very tuned and exciting and nothing like my 911 S. I took it for a twisty drive through a residential neighborhood, those of you who know FoSF know the road. Another day I took it out again and this time on the highway. I floored it and there was no torque, it felt slow, it might have been fast, but it was sad sad sad. Take it on the highway and floor it before you decide to purchase. By the way, I was also driving the GT S version with the 4.7 L engine.

I prefer the interior of the Maserati and the exterior is plenty nice, in the twisty roads it feels heavy, but not too awful. The torque below 30-40mph is fine, but again on the highway, my wife's E350 4matic wagon is more exciting and feels it could take the Maserati GT S. I know it would loose but so so boring pulling on to the highway.

I wish it was more as I prefer to have a real back seat and those comfortable chairs.

I may buy a QP S as a comfortable family car that sounds sporty (then again, I think I will wait for a Tesla S instead), but the Maser GT needs a new engine.

 

I have driven both and ultimately purchased the GT-C... It is significantly less money and unfortunately significantly less performance oriented... MotorTrend tested it at 4.8 0-60, while I believe the California clocked in at 3.5 seconds... No comparison in that department... That being said, I do not in the least find it "too slow" on the highway (baring a race)... It is not a race car, but rather has been positioned as a performance oriented grand turing car... I believe the Cali to be more of a performance car, but will "do" in the turing arena...

IMHO, the Maser is much more of a daily driver... The seats are very comfortable, adjustable, and it has real back seats. On several occasions, we have gone out with two friends to a restaurant with no comfort issues at all... The trunk is a bit of a joke, and if shopping, we often have to put stuff in the back seats... The stock stereo is fairly decent sounding with 12 speakers and a 30 GB hard drive (10 for music). I have read on this site that people are not so happy with the cali stereo, either the stock or upgraded one. Where the Cali charges for everything including garage door openers, the Maser comes almost fully loaded...

The Maser has the ZF automatic transmission that can be controlled with paddle shifters, where as the Cali has dual clutch technology. The Maser will not even come close in terms of how fast it shifts, but the cali can't come close in terms of how smooth it shifts. The ZF has a fantastic track record whereas I believe the DCT is more of an unknown from a long term reliability perspective... The maser comes with a 4 year, 50K mile warrantee, which is better than the Cali's 3 year (I think)...

IMO, the interior is significantly more comfortable in the Maser... There are 6 cup holders, lots of storage, and all controls are within reasonable proximity. I do not think either car will win a GPS contest, even when compared to a modestly priced TomTom but I find the Maser quite usable (I have no Cali experience)... I have taken her on a 800 mile non-stop (other than gas and food) trip and it was fantastic. With the top down, the exhausts note on the Maser is fantastic... It is definitely not as fast (in any way) as the California, but I am guessing that has more to do with it being significantly heavier (~4,400 LBs) and the transmission type... The engines are similar in HP (433 versus 460)... Hope this helps...



Matt

 

Maserati has a broken and bankrupt history. Now a divsion of Alfa Romeo, itself a romantic but broken brand. No comparison to Ferrari at all in terms of continuous history, prestige, performance or resale. A parts bin brand with a glorious past and uncertain furture. Badge engineering at its worst. Why are we even discussing this on a Ferrari website?

 

Ok I am not going to win many friends with this but here in SA a Mas is R1.6mil and a Cali is R2.6mil and to be honest the Maserati does most things that the Cali does sure the GranTourismo Coupe doesnt have a folding roof but it does have a superb sounding engine, the Cambiocorsa gearbox works well and its a great looking car(perhaps in some eyes better looking than the California)

At the end of the day though its not a Ferrari but its still a great car, at its price point here probably the pick of the bunch.

What would I rather have, GranTourismo S or Cali...well that would rather depend on how much money I had...

As for Maserati's being badge engineering, that statement is frankly a joke.

 

For me it was quite a bit about what I could afford when I went began looking. I never thought about a Ferrari, looking at what kind of Porsche I could afford. I previously owned three 928's so I have had a love for Porsche for quite some time. Then as business improved I was able to consider a 550 then 575M or 430. For a couple months I knew every 575M that was for sale in the USA. I never thought of a Maserati but I did see and more importantly hear one the summer I was shopping, it sounded way cool!

Good luck with your decision, if you go with the California will you will not have gone wrong.

 

Very sensible advice. In reality there are no bad sports cars on sale today! I rate the Cali very highly, spent some time in one and was mighty impressed, it just does everything so well.

 

Wow are you so wrong.

I own one of each and I have to say, the Maser is a terrific car. And, the Granturismo is probably the best looking car on the road today. Sales for Maser's are UP, not down -- even in this horrible economic environment.

As to resale versus the Cali, I would argue you could lose a lot more $$$ in the long run with the more expensive Ferrari over the less expensive Maser.

I love my Maserati. And, I love my Ferrari. Both are unique and special to me.

 

I currently own a 2010 Gran Turismo S and a 2010 California. The two cars every different. I don't have time to go into detail, but simply put the California is a sports car and the GTS is a grand touring car.

Both cars are great. It just depends on what you're looking for.

 

Have a California and a Quattroporte (QP). Both great cars. Even though the QP is not the Gran Tourismo, it is still a looker and exciting to drive. Maserati's DO depreciate like crazy the first 18 months, so if you go that route plan on keeping it for awhile and having fun driving it.

I also drove a convertible version of the Gran Tourismo recently and I though it felt MUCH looser with the top down than the Cali. So much so that i concluded that I would ONLY get a coupe if i ever bought one.

 

I am fortunate to have 2010 QPS, 2010 Cali and 2011 458 Italia
That I got last week.
I enjoyed the Cali for a yr 4000 miles.
GT cannot hold a candle to drive feeling and
Celebrity of Cali. For 50k more you get a lot.
CS brakes, DCT, hard top convertible.
458 is awsome but not as enjoyable on
City streets because it gets too fast too quick!
Absolutely love QP. You have to drive it on
Curvy country roads to appreciate difference from
Other high end sedans. It feels like a little car at high
Speed.

In the end I will probably use Cali most untill
458 conv comes. I would submit cost of
Owning Cali per excitement ratio much better
For Cali over mas GTC

 

I agree the Mas is a great car - my wife has a 2009 GTS with the 599 f1 super fast - there were only 380 made in 2009 - has no shifter in the middle - I would look for a used one if I were to get a MAS - they don't make it anymore with the 599 transmission
A friend of mine who is a proffessional driver took my wife's MAS with street tires and two people and did a 1:33 lap at Palm Beach Motorsports Park - it was faster then any 360 Challange car with slicks that day - so muich for the lousy handling mentioned in posts above - could not be more wrong

 

Compared to a Porsche 911S the Maserati GTS had a more exciting engine noise, nice interior and better looking exterior, bigger seats, etc. BUT, it was much less sporty and I preferred driving the 911S. That is why I decided to test drive the California and ultimately it was the perfect 911S replacement so I placed the order. When I got out of the California, it was obvious to me I preferred that California over my 911 S, but didn't get that feeling after my second test drive of the Maserati GT S.

Again, on the twistys the Maserati seemed alright albeit a little heavy, that noise from the tuned exhaust was thrilling, but when I got on the highway and floored it, it may have been fast, but there was no torque at all, kind of felt like an electric car. Better to get the QP S as it will surprise you for a 5 seat 4 door "family car", but the GT S won't surprise you if you think it might be a sports car.