Car reviews

Introduction

The Spyder shared its stunning looks and chassis with the Coupé that was launched a couple of months after it. However, the Spyder was slightly shorter giving it a sportier look than its younger brother. The V8 engine is an amazing piece of engineering and with the roof down supplies you with a wonderful soundtrack as you cruise along. The two back seats that are in the coupé are missing from the Spyder which is a pity, but it does mean that when the roof is down it doesn’t take any room out of the boot space, leaving you with more than enough room to fit a couple of sets of golf clubs in.

Exterior & Interior

The Spyder shares its looks with the coupé, but it has a slightly sportier stance due to it being 22cm shorter. The two back seats found in the coupé have been lost because of its shorter body so there is only room for two people. They will have plenty of head and legroom room to be comfortable even on long journeys. The upside to losing the two back seats is that the folding down roof hardly reduces the boot space leaving you with enough space to small luggage or a couple of sets of golf clubs in. There is also a cubbyhole situated behind the seats that you can lock for any valuables you might want to leave in the car whilst the roof is down. The cabin is a truly luxurious place to be. You will be surrounded by high quality leather and a very stylish dash that comes with Maserati’s trademark clock situated in the centre.

There’s just the one trim available, 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

With such a powerful engine you’re pretty much guaranteed an exciting ride with the steering being perfectly balanced and sharp, there is minimal body roll in the corners and there is stacks of grip even in the wet thanks to the traction and stability control that was fitted as standard. Probably the best bit about it though is the fact that you can drop the roof down and listen to the intoxicating soundtrack that the V8 engine provides you with. Like most cars that have had their roofs removed some of the torsion rigidity is lost and despite the Spyder coming with extra bracing, there is still some instability over rougher road surfaces. The six speed manual is good, but the gearchanges are the smoothest so most cars will come fitted with the Cambiocorsa semi automatic gearbox. Again this was not the slickest when first released, especially around town, but it was improved somewhat in 2003 to give much smoother gearchanges.

Faults & Repairs

There have been no serious problems with the Spyder proving more trouble free than more modern Maserati’s. Saying that be sure to check that all the electrics work well and although the cabin is well built some trim can work itself loose. Finally check the roof to make sure it opens and closes smoothly, that it locks into place, that it doesn’t leak and that its doesn’t have any scuff or tear marks in it which will prove costly to fix.

It’s not only the roof that will prove expensive to fix. Servicing costs and other repairs will also set you back a lot, but this should be expected from a Maserati.