Car reviews

Introduction

The Coupe may shares its looks with it’s predecessor, but underneath it is a completely different vehicle with a spacious interior being able to seat four adults in comfort and style. It has a large boot that will hold a couple of sets of gold clubs and a truly wonderful V8 engine produces a lovely burbling sound when started, which turns to a lovely roar as you propel yourself to 60mph in just 4.8 seconds.

Exterior & Interior

The outside of the Maserati Coupe is a beautiful sight, with long bold features that are instantly recognisable. The big alloy wheel and the large grill really set the car alive and finishing touches, such as the quad exhausts, help to define the vehicle. The interior of the Coupe is a truly special place to be as you are wrapped in classy leather and comfort. There is plenty of space inside with the two deeply fashioned back seats offering plenty of room for two adults to sit comfortably. The boot is a good size too being able to hold two sets of golf clubs easily. There is also a fair amount of stowage spaces in the cabin too, but weirdly only one cup holder so hopefully you don’t mind sharing your coffee. There is only the one trim but it comes with everything you are likely to want including a CD stereo, alloys, climate control, ABS, electric windows and mirrors, remote locking and traction control.

Drive

The Maserati may not be as popular as the Porsche 911, but with the same gearbox layout used on Ferrari’s, the Coupe is a much more balanced and easy car to drive at speed than its forerunner. It is also far more unique, there are not as many on the road as the Porsche 911. The V8 when started makes a wonderful burbling noise that increases to a deep grumble when on the move and a full on roar as you accelerate hard. The chunky steering wheel feels marvelous to handle and the well weighted steering is sharp and accurate with the body well controlled at all times. There is also plenty of grip, so much so that in the dry you can turn the traction control off and take complete control of the car. Just remember to put it back on when it is wet as the Coupe has a lot of power and can become unruly. The manual gearbox is okay, but not as good as the Porsche 911’s and although the optional flappy paddle gearbox adds sportiness, it was quite clunky and jerky in earlier models. A revamp to it in 2003 went some way to improving things, but its still not as slick as the one’s used in the Ferrari’s and as such the manual is the better of the two especially for town driving.

Faults & Repairs

Maserati have improved there reliability and build quality over the years and as such there are few problems to be found in the Coupe. Some cars do appear to suffer more than others though so make sure you check it properly. Areas to inspect are the flappy paddle gearbox (which is best avoided especially earlier models), the electrics and the trim fit. There are some reports of the glovebox lid not closing properly. When it comes to servicing the Coupe only needs to be given a check up every 12,000 miles, when it does go into the garage, expect it to cost a lot.