GENTLE BRUISER The GranTurismo S Automatic is only a tenth of a second slower than the GranTurismo S from zero to 100km/h

By Hadi Soedarsono

LAST YEAR, MASERATI introduced the GranTurismo S, which is the flagship car for the GranTurismo range. Apart from some minor cosmetic tweaks, it has bigger wheels, more powerful brakes and sportier chassis. More importantly, instead of having a 405bhp 4.2-litre V8 under the bonnet, the GranTurismo S has a 440bhp 4.7-litre V8.

On June 18, Maserati launched another variant in Singapore dubbed as the GranTurismo S Automatic. Now, to clear potential confusions, you don’t have to shift gears yourself in the GranTurismo S as it has a Ferrari-sourced semi-automatic gearbox.

The GranTurismo S Automatic, on the other hand, uses a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. It doesn’t shift as fast and as aggressively as the semi-automatic, but in return what you get is smoother gearchanges and forward progress. The performance difference is minute, though. The GranTurismo S Automatic is only a tenth of a second slower than the GranTurismo S from zero to 100km/h and they both have the same top speed of 295km/h.

So far, the GranTurismo S is outselling the GranTurismo. But with the introduction of the GranTurismo S Automatic, Maserati expects it to be the model’s top-seller. Prices start at $465,000 with COE. That makes it $30,000 more expensive than the GranTurismo, but $30,000 cheaper than the GranTurismo S.