HenryM

When I bought my 2003 Carrera C2 Cab at year end 2003 the dealer gave me a Road & Track article reprint from September 2003 that compared 2003 cabriolets. They were: Porsche Carrera, Cadillac XLR (2004), Jaguar XK8, Mercedes Benz SL500, Maserati Spyder GT, and Lexus SC 430. The final standings were in the order above: #1 - Porsche, #6 Lexus SC430. The Porsche won all the performance categories and 33% of the subjective categories. R&T said the Porsche and Maserati were the only two sports cars in the group of six. Basically the Maserati was summed-up as: its engine is fantastic but its ergonomics require patience.

I'm not a fan of R&T but thought the reprint was interesting.

thomas

The next 06 or 07 Maserati Coupe will use the new Quattroporte's chassis (shortened and modified) which should help handling. It seems coupes/convertibles in this price range will have to be sharper to drive in order to get new/more buyers. Quality has to improve and the Maserati Coupe seems to be improving. The next Jaguar XK will use the new XJ's aluminum chassis which will help performance a lot. The long-wheelbase 2005 Jaguar Super V8 (flagship XJ) weighs over 800 pounds less than the BMW 760Li. The new XJ's aluminum chassis is 60 % stiffer and 40 % lighter than if it were steel.