Automotive Einstein

With the stunning GranTurismo, Maserati has a coupe and convertible that live up to the brand’s billing as a highly satisfying consolation prize to people who perhaps really wanted a Ferrari. This exotic Italian has smoldering curves, a leather-lined interior with the proper aroma of luxury, and an exquisite sound that comes from a Ferrari-engineered 4.7-liter V-8. For 2012, the 405-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 has been banished from the lineup, so the price of entry has increased by $4100, which is barely worth mentioning when discussing a car this exclusive. The least expensive two-door Maserati is the S Automatic coupe; the base convertible is $14,300 more. The hot new MC coupe and Sport convertible are the biggest news for 2012. Both models boast 11 extra hp, a lightning-quick automated manual transmission, a sport exhaust system, and more. The 187-mph MC coupe is the fastest Maserati you can buy but costs only $3515 more than a similarly equipped S Automatic. The $146,300 Sport convertible has most of the MC’s goodies but doesn’t offer its less forgiving fixed-rate standard suspension. American customers can’t get the roll bar, racing seats, or competition-style transmission that are offered to customers in other countries on the MC Stradale, but that’s just fine because the GranTurismo is really too big and heavy to be a true track star. It excels at being sexy, sounding amazing, and being a comfortable grand tourer for four people while also being quicker and faster than almost anything else on the street.

Like a fine piece of art, the Maserati Quattroporte looks better every time you see it. The Pininfarina-penned design of the current Quattroporte debuted in the U.S. for the 2005 model year, but it has since been modernized with LED lamps, and its gorgeous curves continue to turn heads as few other cars can. In fact, many of today’s upscale four-door coupes (Aston Martin Rapide, Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz CLS, and Porsche Panamera) were clearly inspired by this Italian knockout. Early Quattroportes were hampered by an automated manual gearbox that was great on a racetrack but clunky around town. Now they all use a modern six-speed automatic. The base 4.2-liter V-8 is no longer available, so the sweet, throaty engine-compartment arias now come exclusively from the Ferrari-engineered 4.7-liter V-8. In the S, the V-8 makes 425 hp and is good for 174 mph. A $7950 premium buys the Sport GT (433 hp, 177 mph) and a lower, firmer suspension; a competition-inspired exhaust system; high-performance Brembo brakes; and a racier transmission that matches revs on downshifts. The Quattroporte offers a dozen or so different shades of leather coverings for the seats, dashboard, and steering wheel, and they can be combined with several types of wood trim. There are twenty exterior colors, seven wheel designs, and six different hues for the brake calipers. Furthermore, the Officine Alfieri Maserati program offers “almost limitless customization.” However, even the most basic Quattroporte will greatly impress most onlookers.

Dressing cars in a suit made for another is an endemic malady in modern industry. Think of the Ford Mondeo/Contour in a Jaguar suit, the little Chevrolet Cavalier in a Cadillac suit, the big Chrysler 300 in a (badly fitting) Lancia suit, et al., ad infinitum. Products like those are bad news whenever they come to market. Can you think of any such exercise that was really successful, economically or aesthetically? Nor can I.

Photo Gallery: By Design: Maserati Kubang – Automobile Magazine

Maserati, like all automakers, wants to sell more cars, but one of the advantages of being a boutique carmaker is that you can maintain close relations with your customers because there simply aren’t that many of them. Since Maserati sold only 2035 cars in the U.S. last year, top-level employees actually were able to call each buyer to welcome them to the brand and solicit feedback. It’s not surprising that Maserati buyers — highly successful folks with the ability to lay down six-figure money for an Italian car– are pretty candid on the telephone. They’ve tended to tell Maserati USA execs exactly what they like, what they don’t like, and what they’d like to see. Clearly, these wishes make it directly back to Maserati HQ in Modena, Italy, because the product portfolio has evolved to reflect some specific American tastes, most deliberately in the new, 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC – Automobile Magazine

Fear not: the new Maserati Kubang crossover, which premiered at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, may share its platform with Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, but it’s hardly a badge-engineered abomination.

Photo Gallery: First Look: Maserati Kubang Concept – Automobile Magazine

It’s a challenge for anyone to keep up with the constantly changing roster of cars on dealership lots. For car lovers it’s an even tougher task, because beyond knowing that a certain model exists, you need to know where it fits in the automotive firmament. That’s why we’ve gathered every new model due by the first half of 2012 and categorized them, not alphabetically or by some government-defined size class, but by their relevance to buyers, enthusiasts, and the companies that build them. Some cars thrust automakers into new segments, while others drive just like last year’s model. Some cars protect the sanctity of the manual transmission, while others advance performance with the latest technology. Some cars address rising fuel-economy standards, while others disguise obscene speed in stealthy sheetmetal. Here are the 85 new arrivals shaping the automotive world for 2012.

Photo Gallery: New Cars 2012 – Automobile Magazine

At board meetings, on test tracks, and in design studios, decisions are being made today that will influence what you drive tomorrow. Automakers are hard at work creating the next generation of automobiles — cars that are faster, sexier, more efficient — while trying to keep their development secret. Like you, we are nosy as hell. Unlike you, we have a vast network of snoops, gossips, and disgruntled former employees who have helped us uncover the information we present here. Our annual Sneak Preview feature contains the industry’s future products — as far out as 2019 — that are worth saving your milk money for.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Sneak Preview – Automobile Magazine