Hello all,
I normally see a lot of posts about 'problems' and 'issues' with the car, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to post a topic about the positive experiences I have had with my new Coupe.
I recently bought a 2005 Maserati Coupe (black exterior, tan interior, automatic). I decided to take it for a little drive through the heartlands of France. A journey that would be 1000km out, and 1000km back. Yes, a 2k journey.
It started off in Switzerland; a highway system I am not fond of, with way too many exit/entrance ramps, low speed limits, and skinny lanes. So I choose the fastest route out of switzerland so I can get onto the French Autoroutes. Fortunately, the stock Sat Nav was able to do this without too much fussing.
Once onto the AutoRoute I gunned her up to 130km (*cough*), and she responded *VERY* quickly. 0 to 100 went by so fast, I hardly had time to notice. 130km was reached so soon after that, that I would need a stop watch to really measure how quick it was. I 'estimate' it would of gotten up to 160km within 2 more seconds.
I also 'estimate' it would get up to 180km 2 seconds later, and then 200km/h 2 more seconds later, and continue gaining 20km/hr every 2 seconds, right up to 265 km/h. (I estimate.. honest, I did not check *cough*) ^.^;
All the way to the max speed that I drove her, she responded perfectly. Perfect throttle response (I had her in 'power mode'), perfect steering, no jittering, no unexpectd sound effects, never the sensation that the car was being pushed to the limit. I dare say, at top speed, I could cruise, and it would feel as comfortable and stable as if I was doing 65 km/h.
It was also a LOT of fun every time I reached a toll booth (or as I like to call them, a starting gate). I would switch off automatic, wait for the starting gate to raise, then smoothly press the throttle (not floor it, but not too gentle), at which point a magnificent roar could be heard (poor toll booth attendants). As soon as the RPMs hit 4500, I would flip up.
The way she accelerates was so fast, I was hitting the up switch VERY often, before I realized I was dangerously close to significantly exceeding the speed limit (whilst still in sight of the poor toll booth attendant). Once a suitable cruising speed was reached, I would just set the cruise control, flip her into automatic, and settle in for the ride.
For a 'sports' car, she is VERY comfortable. Soft leather seats, smoothish ride (no citroen, but no tougher than a Merc C or BMW 3er (sorry, my experience with other cars is limited, so I do not have much else to compare to)).
Accelerating on the straightaways was very easy, with no fuss. Overtaking was a doddle, and handling in the curves was good (my driving skill was the limiting factor here, not the car). It was fun playing tag with a Porshe, till I got bored and just left it as a small beetle in my rear view.
All in all, a great driving experience, and a fantasic machine. Comfortable ride, quiet (with windows rolled up), no jitters, no fuss, no rattles, never ever missed a beat on the entire 2000 km journey. I averaged 8 hours for each 1000km leg, and at the end of each leg was in fine condition (not tired, not sore, legs & back fine, ears fine, everything), and I am a tallish 6'3 moderate framed guy.
Even the fuel usage was better than I expected. I was averaging (according to the trip computer) about 16.5 l / 100 km (or about 14mpg). And this was me driving at my, shall we say, slightly enthusiastic speed. When I was driving at the safer Swiss speeds (120 km/hr), I was averaging 14 l / 100 km (roughly 17 mpg). Which is pretty decent mileage for a 'luxury' car. To put it in perspective, I did the exact same drive in a Mercedes C 2009, Petrol, and it averaged roughly the same fuel economy. Although the BMW 318 diesel did 6 l / 100km, but I do not want to think about that ^.^;
For those interested, I was using 98 fuel the entire time, not sure if it made a difference.
Although I wanted to keep this a positive post, there are two minor issues that I encountered:
1) The car became plastered, literally, with gazillions of bugs everywhere. Two more trips, and I dare say the front license plate will be illegible. So keep this in mind if you do a lot of cruising. I cleaned off the majority of carcasses at the end of each journey, but I really need to find a good cleaning solution for the car.
2) The sat nav's trip computer system is a bit hard to read when travelling at 265 km/hr (err, I mean 130 km/hr). Anyone know of a Heads Up Display system that will work with the Maserati Coupe?
Thank you all, and hope everyone else is having some good experiences with their Maserati.
I normally see a lot of posts about 'problems' and 'issues' with the car, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to post a topic about the positive experiences I have had with my new Coupe.
I recently bought a 2005 Maserati Coupe (black exterior, tan interior, automatic). I decided to take it for a little drive through the heartlands of France. A journey that would be 1000km out, and 1000km back. Yes, a 2k journey.
It started off in Switzerland; a highway system I am not fond of, with way too many exit/entrance ramps, low speed limits, and skinny lanes. So I choose the fastest route out of switzerland so I can get onto the French Autoroutes. Fortunately, the stock Sat Nav was able to do this without too much fussing.
Once onto the AutoRoute I gunned her up to 130km (*cough*), and she responded *VERY* quickly. 0 to 100 went by so fast, I hardly had time to notice. 130km was reached so soon after that, that I would need a stop watch to really measure how quick it was. I 'estimate' it would of gotten up to 160km within 2 more seconds.
I also 'estimate' it would get up to 180km 2 seconds later, and then 200km/h 2 more seconds later, and continue gaining 20km/hr every 2 seconds, right up to 265 km/h. (I estimate.. honest, I did not check *cough*) ^.^;
All the way to the max speed that I drove her, she responded perfectly. Perfect throttle response (I had her in 'power mode'), perfect steering, no jittering, no unexpectd sound effects, never the sensation that the car was being pushed to the limit. I dare say, at top speed, I could cruise, and it would feel as comfortable and stable as if I was doing 65 km/h.
It was also a LOT of fun every time I reached a toll booth (or as I like to call them, a starting gate). I would switch off automatic, wait for the starting gate to raise, then smoothly press the throttle (not floor it, but not too gentle), at which point a magnificent roar could be heard (poor toll booth attendants). As soon as the RPMs hit 4500, I would flip up.
The way she accelerates was so fast, I was hitting the up switch VERY often, before I realized I was dangerously close to significantly exceeding the speed limit (whilst still in sight of the poor toll booth attendant). Once a suitable cruising speed was reached, I would just set the cruise control, flip her into automatic, and settle in for the ride.
For a 'sports' car, she is VERY comfortable. Soft leather seats, smoothish ride (no citroen, but no tougher than a Merc C or BMW 3er (sorry, my experience with other cars is limited, so I do not have much else to compare to)).
Accelerating on the straightaways was very easy, with no fuss. Overtaking was a doddle, and handling in the curves was good (my driving skill was the limiting factor here, not the car). It was fun playing tag with a Porshe, till I got bored and just left it as a small beetle in my rear view.
All in all, a great driving experience, and a fantasic machine. Comfortable ride, quiet (with windows rolled up), no jitters, no fuss, no rattles, never ever missed a beat on the entire 2000 km journey. I averaged 8 hours for each 1000km leg, and at the end of each leg was in fine condition (not tired, not sore, legs & back fine, ears fine, everything), and I am a tallish 6'3 moderate framed guy.
Even the fuel usage was better than I expected. I was averaging (according to the trip computer) about 16.5 l / 100 km (or about 14mpg). And this was me driving at my, shall we say, slightly enthusiastic speed. When I was driving at the safer Swiss speeds (120 km/hr), I was averaging 14 l / 100 km (roughly 17 mpg). Which is pretty decent mileage for a 'luxury' car. To put it in perspective, I did the exact same drive in a Mercedes C 2009, Petrol, and it averaged roughly the same fuel economy. Although the BMW 318 diesel did 6 l / 100km, but I do not want to think about that ^.^;
For those interested, I was using 98 fuel the entire time, not sure if it made a difference.
Although I wanted to keep this a positive post, there are two minor issues that I encountered:
1) The car became plastered, literally, with gazillions of bugs everywhere. Two more trips, and I dare say the front license plate will be illegible. So keep this in mind if you do a lot of cruising. I cleaned off the majority of carcasses at the end of each journey, but I really need to find a good cleaning solution for the car.
2) The sat nav's trip computer system is a bit hard to read when travelling at 265 km/hr (err, I mean 130 km/hr). Anyone know of a Heads Up Display system that will work with the Maserati Coupe?
Thank you all, and hope everyone else is having some good experiences with their Maserati.
