What’s immediately apparent is that the extra engine capacity makes a big difference. While the GranTurismo is no slouch, the S delivers an added level of oomph that makes it feel much more athletic.

100km/h flashes up in 4.9 seconds (versus 5.2 in the GranTurismo), and you’ll see 295km/h if conditions allow.

The six-speed auto in the GranTurismo gives it a smooth, almost lazy character, but the semi-automatic manual in the S adds a layer of urgency to everything it does, whether it’s rocketing off the lights or slowing down hard for corners amidst a frenzy of blipped downchanges.

Driven casually, the S does retain the basic character of the sumptuously-appointed GranTurismo, and can be pretty quiet. But the ‘Sport’ button on the dashboard changes everything.

For starters, it opens up a butterfly valve in the exhaust to bypass the main muffler. Effectively the car runs a straight-through exhaust, and makes a sound like an annoyed demon, snarling with enough ferocity to make the small hairs stand. (Log on to our website if you want to see a short clip of the Maserati accelerating to 200km/h.)

Switch the gearbox into manual mode with its Ferrari-style paddles behind the steering, and if you open the throttle more than 80 percent while upshifting above 5,500rpm the system engages ‘MC-Shift’, a super fast gearchange map that slams you up a gear in just a tenth of a second.

The brakes are uprated over the standard car’s too, and work a treat. They haul the 1.9 tonne car to a dead halt with enough alacrity to make your passengers go ‘oof!’ if you’re standing on the anchors.

Having stiffened up the suspension, Maserati has made the S feel sharper around corners, too, although there’s work to do in terms of giving the car steering feel. It’s a large car, and reminds you of it whenever you hustle it through bends, too. Crucially, though, there’s plenty of grip on hand, and the Maserati has great balance through corners, contributing to a stability that does plenty to boost confidence.

The suspension is a no-nonsense piece of work, however. The Maserati rides like what I’d imagine a Le Mans racing car to feel like, jolting its way over the road in a way that sets the looser bits of tissue hanging on your skeleton jiggling.

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