roger sf

I drove the new Maserati Spyder on Saturday and thought I'd share my initial impressions. The car I drove is a demo car as I'm waiting for the delivery of a Spyder that I ordered and which should be here in about a month or so. All the new Spyders come with a 4.2L 390HP V8. The demo I drove has the paddle-shifting gearbox derived from the Ferrari Modena. Maserati calls this gearbox Cambiocorsa and it is the gearbox I've ordered on my car.

Visually, I think the car is stylish, but certainly not striking. The proportions feel like it is somewhere between a Boxster and a 911. The front end of the car is very attractive, with a bit of Z8 feel to it. I think the sides of the car are too tall, and give it a bit of a bathtub look. I don't love the styling of the rear either, as it's very flat and looks a bit busy, especially with regard to the placement of the Maserati name, which might look better de-badged. For sure this car won't intrude on Ferrari's space in terms of exterior visual appeal.

The interior is extremely well done and my sense is that Maserati was less constrained in interior design than they were with the exterior. There is a really nice combination of materials, all with appropriate Italian flair. The seats are very comfortable and the cockpit feels very spacious. The one touch power top is very slick, and goes through quite a dance to both open and close. The car actually looks very nice with the top up, which many manufacturers seem to really struggle with (e.g. Audi TT)

In driving the car (about 8 miles total), the first thing that I noticed is that it is very easy to operate. It takes no time at all to get comfortable and it feels like it would be a very friendly daily driver. The car is very torquey and generates speed quite quickly and deceptively. I think they say the car runs to 60 mph in about 4.6 seconds. The gearbox is much improved relative to the Modena's gearbox in terms of the smoothness and quickness of shifts. The car is also smoother in pulling away from a stop than the Ferrari F1 transmission.

The engine revs quite freely, and starts to sound real nice above 6500. At idle or upon lighter acceleration there is a nice reminder that the car is a V8.

The suspension was softer than I expected, even in Sport mode. I felt more body roll and "mushiness" than I've felt in a Boxster or 911. Overall the car feels like more of a GT than a sportscar, again drawing a clear line between Maserati and Ferrari. To be fair, I didn't push the car real hard and my understanding is that the Skyhook active handling system is quite progressive, increasing firmness as the car is pushed harder and harder. A Maserati engineer who happened to be at the dealership commented that the car was only 1 second slower than the Ferrari Modena around the Fiorano test track, which surprised me based on my initial short drive.

Overall build quality looked and felt very good. Of course time will tell how reliable and well built the car truly is. It comes with a 4 year 50,000 mile warranty, so the manufacturer is certainly standing behind it.

I think that the Maserati Spyder and upcoming coupe will prove to be formidable competition for the Porsche 996 coupe and cab as well as the Jaguar XKs and Mercedes SLs. I'll share more feedback after I've spent some real time with the car.

tom97c4s

Beautiful car. Good luck with it.

Anir

Roger,

Thank you for the review, and also congratulations. That's a fine collection you're amassing (especially the '00 baby girl ), but why sell the 993TT?

Viken

Roger,

I also drove the new Spyder last Saturday and was very pleased. Congratulations, you're gonna love it.

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Suwipin

Wow, you have quite a collection of cars there Roger. Congratulations

roger sf

Anir, if money and space were no object I'd keep the 993TT. I'm selling it because rather then have one car that doubles as a track car and a "fun" car (the 993TT), I'll have two specialty cars. The Z06 will be the track car, which for me is faster and more fun on the track than the 993TT, not to mention puts less money at risk in the event of a "situation". The Maserati will be the "fun" car which gives me a stylish and powerful convertible that my wife can enjoy as well (she doesn't drive stick). I'll miss the Porsche immensely, if for nothing more than pure aesthetics.

Viken, What were your impressions of the car?

JC in NY

"Maserati engineer who happened to be at the dealership"

You're joking, right?

Mike in Chi

Once upon a time all Maserati sportscars were named after winds - Ghibli... Khamsin. I was disappointed Ferrari choose not to maintain that tradition.

Viken

[quote]Originally posted by roger sf:
<strong>Viken, What were your impressions of the car?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Except for the cowl shake, which is apparent in just about any convertible, just what I expected from a fine GT engineered and put together by Ferrari. The overall styling, although not revolutionary, is quite elegant and timeless. I believe darker colors suit the car the best. Build quality up where a $100K car's should be. Interior styling and fit and finish are even better. I particularly liked the instrument cluster design and center mounted traditional Maserati oval clock.

The engine is silky smooth and sounds beautiful. Somewhat tight (might need break-in) but revved very nicely and produced a lot of torque. Transmission shifts were quick and smoother than other sequential manuals from Ferrari. Loved the downshifts with the distinctive blipping sound from the throaty V8. Automatic mode as expected with positive but not so smooth shifts. However, upshift and downshift happened at the right rpm's.

Brakes were very good with a very positive pedal feel. Ride was surprisingly good despite the Skyhook's "sport" mode having been engaged at all times. I didn't think body lean was that bad for a car of this nature, heft and with such a compliant ride. Perhaps, Maserati can design an active anti-roll bar technology as found on other cars. The Spyder handled very well with Pirelli P-Zero's with minimal and controllable understeer.

I anxiously await the arrival of the Coupe in a few weeks as I think it will be slightly more sporty and entertaining due to its evident lower weight and increased body rigidity.

Viken

[quote]Originally posted by Mike in Chi:
<strong>Once upon a time all Maserati sportscars were named after winds - Ghibli... Khamsin. I was disappointed Ferrari choose not to maintain that tradition.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Don't blame Ferrari for that. The wind names were abandoned long before they acquired the marque. In fact, the original Maserati cars were not named after winds but had nomenclatures such as A6 1500, 3500 GT and 5000 GT among others.

Mike in Chi

Hi Viken

Even "Birdcage" sounds better than 5000 GT.

I'm a hopeless romantic, I liked the stretch in the 60s and 70s with the wind names.

And having driven both a 5000 GT and a Ghibli, I prefered the wind car as a driver too.

One man's opinion.

Mike

roger sf

JC, there most certainly was a factory engineer at the dealership. This particular guy spoke pretty good english and was in the midst of a 4 week tour through North America. I undderstood that he was meeting with Ferrari mechanics briefing them on delivery and maintenance issues on the new Spyder as well as meeting with prospective customers who had questions about the car. I believe Maserati is doing everything they can to erase any concern about reliability.

JC in NY

Understood.

I just had a vision of the salesman saying "Hold on, we have a factory engineer in the back that can address your concerns, let me go fetch him". Then he leaves for a minute and he returns in a disguise with an accent introduing himself as Giuseepe Scaretti, Maserati enginneer.

leslie

Roger and Viken,

In Singapore, we have been fortunate (not all would agree!) to have the 3200 GT avaliable since 1998 and the dealer lent me a car recently to try and persuade me to change over (clearing inventory in prep for the new 4.2 litre coupes).

I absolutely fell in love with the car (must say I am amongst the distinct minority that loves the styling of the coupe with boomerang rear lights and all). Compared with the huge but not at all subtle or linear torque of the twin turbo engine, I suspect the 4200 cars would be less entertaining but sound a lot better in the trade-off.

As for the georgous interior, Italian leather craftsmanship at its very best <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Strongly agree with Viken that the darker colours suit the car best. Check out gloss (non metallic) black, absolutely breath taking!

Roger, I really envy you...... <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Viken

[quote]Originally posted by leslie:
<strong>I absolutely fell in love with the car (must say I am amongst the distinct minority that loves the styling of the coupe with boomerang rear lights and all). Compared with the huge but not at all subtle or linear torque of the twin turbo engine, I suspect the 4200 cars would be less entertaining but sound a lot better in the trade-off.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Leslie,

Although I cannot speak for the 3200 GT, I wouldn't be so sure about the 4200 being less entertaining. The engine is absolutely marvelous with excellent rev and torque characteristics. In addition, the gearbox's move to the rear makes for a better weight distribution. I wouldn't compare it with your RS but it should be a strong contender in the GT category.