THE NEW MASERATI COUPÉ
A HIGH PERFORMANCE GT PAR EXCELLENCE
An all-new Maserati Coupé, which offers new levels of performance, technology and sportiness, is set for introduction in the UK.
The new four-seater Coupé is the latest addition to Maserati's exciting range of cars and joins the recently introduced Spyder two-seater, with which it shares many state-of-the-art technological features.
The new Coupé continues the successful concept of the high performance GT car - a unique combination of performance and roominess for four people - which was originally offered in the previous Maserati 3200 GT Coupé.
This is the latest in a line of new models that is driving the rejuvenation of the Maserati brand, a process which started in 1999 with the introduction of the 3200 GT Coupé. Maserati sales since then have taken off in the UK reaching a total of 1,653 in under three years, compared with 756 over the previous 19 years.
With the new Coupé, the GT concept has been taken on to a new level with all of the most important mechanical components being completely new. There are new standards of performance while the quality of life on board - where there is ample room for four adults without compromise - has been further enhanced to make it even more attractive for daily use.
The new Maserati Coupé brings together all of the most desirable elements of a Grand Tourer. The all-new 4.2-litre V8 normally-aspirated engine, which it shares with the Spyder, provides record performance for a Maserati with a new top speed of 177 mph (285 km/h) and a zero to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds.
The sporting characteristics and driving versatility of the car have been further optimised with the introduction of a new electronic transmission model known as Cambiocorsa (racing gearbox) in addition to the six-speed manual transmission version, which is badged as the GT. Both versions are now available through Maserati's 15 UK dealers, priced at £59,950 (GT) and £62,950 (Cambiocorsa).
"It was the 3200 GT Coupé that began the rejuvenation of the Maserati brand worldwide and here in the UK too," said Philip Mills, Operations Director of Maranello Concessionaires Limited, distributor of Maserati in the UK, "This new thoroughbred sports car, with its massive technological, sporting and performance improvements, will continue that success story."
The new Maserati is a product of the high technology and manufacturing processes centred in the famous Viale Ciro Menotti plant in Modena, Italy, which has been completely transformed to become the most advanced in the world for low volume production of vehicles.
Design
The design of the new Coupé reflects the same 'soft aggressiveness' already established by the
3200 GT.
The two cars are broadly similar in appearance, sharing many design cues, but the changes introduced by Italdesign-Giugiaro are clearly evident in certain features of the new model, particularly the more muscular design of the bonnet and the rear end, where new clear lens light clusters have been harmoniously incorporated in the wings.
The Maserati identity is conveyed by numerous detail design features, first and foremost the new front nose, which sports the historic oval shield as well as the famous trident on the grille. The Coupé sits on 18" wheels with a 15-spoke design.
Bodywork
The body is a two-door, four-seater configuration. The engine is mounted longitudinally
at the front, with rear-wheel drive and a Transaxle transmission. The steel monocoque chassis incorporates a tubular sub-chassis in the front.
Great attention has been paid to all aspects of passive safety. This structure was designed to meet the latest EC and USA standards for front and side crash tests.
New engine, record performance
The engine of the Coupé is completely new and is the same as that fitted to the recently launched Maserati Spyder.
The 4244 cc, 90° V8 engine is compact and lightweight, weighing just 184 kg which is 20 kg lighter than the 3200 GT Coupé engine. It shares the same architecture as modern competition engines, and heralds a new generation of Maserati engines which are designed to combine superb performance with noteworthy improvements in torque, efficiency and emissions.
Performance figures are outstanding. Maximum power output is 390 bhp (287 kW) at 7,000 rpm, with a peak torque of 451 Nm at 4,500 rpm.
A top speed of 177 mph (285 km/h) is complemented by superb acceleration figures over short distances - the result of the excellent traction - and over longer distances as a result of the prodigious engine torque and power delivery.
In addition to the 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds, the new Coupé accelerates from 0-400 m in 13 seconds and 0-1000 m in 23.5 seconds.
The integrated Bosch ME7.3.2 ignition and injection systems incorporate OBD II (On-Board Detection and Diagnostic System), which allows operating malfunctions in the engine control system to be detected, to guarantee compliance with emissions limits. The new engine also meets current and future environmental protection standards.
The accelerator is an electronic 'drive-by-wire', while the ECUs communicate with the other systems by CAN line (Controlled Area Network) to optimise engine management.
A reduction in fuel consumption over the 3200 GT together with a large 88-litre, aluminium fuel tank guarantee outstanding range.
Great attention also went into the layout of the engine bay, which combines external shielding with classic Maserati colours, such as the red cylinder head covers.
New longitudinal gearbox and Transaxle layout
The Maserati Coupé is equipped with a newly designed longitudinal mechanical Maserati gearbox, with six forward speeds plus reverse, triple cone synchronisers on 1st and 2nd, and double cone on 3rd and 4th.
To achieve the best weight distribution, the gearbox is located in unit with the rear axle and limited-slip differential. In the Cambiocorsa version, it incorporates the entire hydraulic actuation system.
This layout includes a rigid link between the engine and the gearbox housing, which also contains the segmented self-locking differential. The two assemblies are linked by a tubular element housing the driveshaft. This architecture allows the load to be distributed efficiently between the front and rear axle providing a 52-48% split of kerb weight respectively. The car's behaviour is therefore more stable and balanced, with maximum traction and thus maximum pick-up.
To transmit the generous torque, the clutch is of the dry, twin-disc type, with torsional flexible coupling and coaxial hydraulic drive. Its small diameter (215 mm) and the small flywheel (240 mm) made it possible to significantly limit the size of the unit. Total inertia is thus about one quarter that of a comparable single-disc system, so that engine revs increase and decrease more rapidly.
Cambiocorsa
Another important innovation of the new transmission design is the electronically-operated gearbox control with computerised gear selection on the Cambiocorsa version.
The new gearbox management system brings racing technology to the Coupé driving experience, improving performance and offering the comfort and safety of an advanced automatic transmission. With the Cambiocorsa, gear selection and clutch engagement-disengagement are managed automatically by the electronic control unit incorporated in the engine management system.
To ensure the best possible solution in terms of speed, ease of operation and safety under most conditions, the Cambiocorsa transmission features a paddle shift behind the steering wheel, integral with the steering column, to change up and down. Reverse control is on a separate panel on the central tunnel.
The Maserati Cambiocorsa system is based on racing experience and gears are changed by electronic hydraulic assistance. The system consists of a hydraulic actuator mounted directly on the gearbox housing, with two distinct hydraulic actuators which manage the selection and gear engagement movement.
The two actuators are controlled by a group of solenoids which are supplied with the necessary hydraulic power by an electric pump and a pressure accumulator.
An electronic control unit identifies the driver's requests and assesses the operating conditions on the vehicle through a series of sensors. It manages gear changes by controlling the clutch (the clutch pedal has been eliminated), gearbox and engine torque directly.
The Cambiocorsa system interfaces with the engine control unit (ECU) and with the traction control system (ASR), allowing drivers to personalise their driving style with a choice of four different selection modes: normal, sport, automatic and low grip.
Each of these programmes, which can be selected by buttons on the dashboard, corresponds to a specific logic of operation:
• Manual selection offers the driver two levels of more or less aggressive performance, complete with different settings for the electronic traction control. One is calibrated for maximum stability in the more comfortable setting and one for maximum traction and responsiveness in the sporty setting. When it is combined with the Skyhook variable suspension option, the Cambiocorsa includes suspension control in the normal/sport setting, as well as gear change and traction control.
• Automatic: in this configuration gear changes are managed fluidly and smoothly, highlighting comfort. Even in fully automatic mode, the driver is always free to shift gears manually.
• Low grip is for particularly smooth starts and gear changes on snow-covered or icy surfaces.
In terms of servo assistance, the system logic also makes first gear immediately available when the vehicle stops, and indicates the engaged gear on the instrument panel in front of the driver.
Suspension, traction control, steering
The suspension system was carefully designed to guarantee the best possible control of the geometry and to minimise unsprung weight. The front and rear double wishbone suspension utilise forged aluminium hubs and arms, while the weight of the bearings and wheel bolts has been optimised. The new 15-spoke wheels are even lighter than those on the 3200 GT.
The rear suspension has a supplementary strut to control toe-in; which guarantees better control of the steering chain and therefore ensures excellent tyre grip in all circumstances and perfectly balanced behaviour on corners, not to mention outstanding comfort.
The front and rear suspension employ anti-dive geometry to prevent the front axle pitching during braking, and anti-squat geometry to prevent the opposite effect, of the rear axle sinking under acceleration. The suspension system is completed by anti-roll bars at the front and rear.
The normal set-up of the Maserati Coupé utilises progressive rate steel dampers with optional electronically variable damping (Skyhook).
On this second system, the setting of the aluminium dampers is modified in real time based on driving conditions. Adjustment is in real time thanks to the Skyhook automatic damping control system by special proportional solenoids, a system which made its world debut on the Maserati Spyder.
The Skyhook system comprises a system of accelerometers and the control unit that processes the data and governs the adjustable dampers. There are six acceleration sensors: three record the movements of the car body and are positioned in the front and right rear damper struts, two are inside the hubs of the front wheels and a lateral acceleration sensor is in the front part of the chassis.
The information from the various accelerometers makes it possible to establish the movement of the wheels and the car body extremely precisely and to calculate the ideal setting for each damper instantly by acting on the proportional valve of the damper.
When one of the sensors on the front wheels detects the presence of an obstacle it sends a signal to the control unit which compares it with the movements of the car body and adapts suspension damping accordingly.
The Skyhook system, developed with Mannesmann-Sachs and fine tuned by Maserati, is 10 times faster than the systems available to date. It dramatically improves drive quality by monitoring suspension response - and hence the car's response - perfectly and actively in all circumstances, which results in maximum efficiency and outstanding comfort.
In addition to this type of automatic adjustment, the driver can also decide at any time to select different performance parameters. The basic damper setting can be set to two different levels, Normal and Sport, by using the switch on the dash.
The wheels are light alloy with 15 spokes (8J x 18 at the front, 9.5J x 18 at the rear) with
235/40 Z 18 tyres at the front and 265/35 Z 18 at the rear.
In order to guarantee maximum versatility and safe use, the electronic traction control (ASR anti slip regulation), engine management and ABS anti-wheel lock systems, are linked to harmonise their functions. When the Cambiocorsa system is fitted, the system is also connected to it in order to adapt gear change strategy to driving style.
The driver can deactivate the ASR system using a special button on the centre console. For maximum safety, ASR is engaged automatically every time the engine is started.
If the Skyhook controlled damping system is fitted, the ASR system has two different levels of intervention, Normal and Sport, which are selected by the same button that controls the operating level of the suspension and the Cambiocorsa transmission:
• The Normal level enhances stability in relation to road surface conditions.
• The Sport level focuses on performance, with the traction control acting less on the engine.
The steering incorporates hydraulic power assist with a pump activated by the engine and a special feature that reduces the servo effect as the speed increases. The car has a turning circle of 12 metres.
Braking system
The Brembo braking system was designed to achieve maximum braking performance - in terms of efficiency, immediate response to the pedal and fade resistance - even with a very sporty driving style.
This is further enhanced by the adoption of ventilated cross-drilled large-diameter discs (330 mm x 32 mm at the front, 310 mm x 28 mm at the rear), with lightweight four-pot alloy callipers with different diameter pistons: 46-38 mm at the front with ceramic insulating seals; 34-30 mm at the rear. The Ferodo HP1000 high performance brake pads stand up to the greatest stress on the road and the racetrack, and the two-stage servo brake guarantees extreme sensitivity and superb braking with minimum effort.
Particular attention went into the construction of the pedals which are in aluminium. These are more suited to a sporty driving style, as well as being lighter and good-looking.
The braking system is completed by the Bosch 5.3 four-channel ABS anti-lock system with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) between the front and rear axles and MSR logic, which helps to prevent the rear wheels locking on down shifts.
A Truly Spacious Sports Car
The interior of the Maserati Coupé offers plenty of room in all directions, and even improves on the roomy 3200 GT Coupé. Front seat occupants benefit from an extra 25 mm in headroom and 15 mm more legroom.
This level of spaciousness is enhanced by the adoption of completely new front seats, with all-electric adjustment, with memory on the driver's side, which controls the position of the seats and of the wing mirrors. There are incorporated head restraints and electric seat heating is available as an option.
The instrumentation is comprised of the following:
• Analogue dials positioned under the main lip, and the classic oval Maserati clock
• A multifunctional device (the Maserati Info Centre) is located in the centre console and equipped with a 5.8 inch colour display. This built-in unit serves as an information panel and controls the stereo system (standard equipment with a single-CD player), trip computer and adjustment of the automatic climate control system. Optionally, the device can also incorporate a GPS satellite navigation system, a GSM telephone with hands-free function and voice controls, and an optional 5-disc CD changer housed in a special protected compartment on the left side of the boot.
The Maserati Info Centre is already wired to link up to any additional information services that Maserati may activate in a number of countries in the future.
Particular attention also went into providing plenty of storage. The 315 litre boot (standard configuration without CD changer or mini spare wheel) includes a tyre repair kit and makes for a generous loading capacity thanks to its regular shape. Space can be further optimised by the special set of luggage offered among the personalisation options. The boot is large enough for two golf bags.
Safety and Peace of Mind
Safety features on the Coupé feature:
• Active devices in terms of vehicle dynamics, electronic braking and above all traction control to which other specific equipment, such as xenon headlights, can be added. The latter are optional and come with dynamic beam height adjustment and headlight washers.
• Passive safety devices, starting with the bodyshell that was enhanced to meet the new EC/USA collision standards, and standard equipment including four airbags (front and sides) combined with electronic pre-tensioners on the seat belts. The Coupé is also fitted with an inertia switch that cuts off the electricity supply to the petrol pumps in the event of violent deceleration (collisions) to prevent fire.
Other equipment available to enhance comfort includes electronic cruise control and electronic parking sensors incorporated in the rear bumper that are activated when reversing.
A "peace-of-mind" support package for customers includes a three-year/unlimited mileage manufacturer's warranty, specific Maserati insurance cover available through Marsh Private Clients and a range of funding options available through Maranello Financial Services.
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