G
Guest 1678
Guest
Well - by the end of this week I will no longer own a Maserati. Quite a wrench after almost continual ownership since 2001.
I have been a coupe man and worked my way through the 3200,4200 Spider,Gransport and onto the GT S. All different; each one moved me; all had their quirks; and I have to say all re-inforced my love of the brand.
So why the massive inflexion? Whether I desert the brand for the time being (probably 3-4 years) and buy elsewhere or wait and pray for some good news.
I enjoyed the GT S but want something more nimble and a little edgier with internal systems that do not have an iron foundry name plate on them. The wait for the Alfieri has gone on too long and I worry that the performance elements will come from Alfa Romeo (a brand I love as much - but has a long way to go in terms of filling the range and overall quality). There is nothing in the Maserati product pipeline that I can see to stop my money going else where. As a few of you know I have a fondness for the barking dogs that are AMG and they have launched and extended the GT line into 4 variations in 2 and a half years. Granted off the back of a very strong mother brand in Mercedes. But also from growing from 5,000 to 80,000 cars sold as distinct AMGs in the past 10 years.
I cannot see where Maserati is going at the moment in terms of people like me. I realise I may in the minority (one to test, as Wester kept being quoted about a'a beautiful death') as someone who want an Italian sports coupe that, not a 4x4 or 4 door saloon and is not 4.9m in length and 2 tonnes. I also want it to cost less than the unobtainium prices of a Ferrari. I am lucky that I have a certain budget, but I want a V8 (preferably) powered 4.5m, 1600kg sports car and preferably with a Trident on its nose, that sits in the price point around the F Type to top end 911's.
I have no idea of the future product roadmap and have seen no pictures of mules testing outside Modena or in the Arctic circle. The only updates seem to be the occasional infotainment patch and a little more power for the V6 turbo and possibly a petrol Levante for the UK.
I may be overly pessimistic and should wait for a minute or two to spend on my next vehicle. However, I am not encouraged by the lack of noise coming from the gates of Modena and worry that the brand will be a saloon and 4x4 biased luxury brand, not a sporting one.
I am convinced having had similar conversations with other SM members that there is a pent up demand for a sporting Maserati that is more lithe and can bridge the performance and quality gap between Alfa and Ferrari.
It is an interesting one to ponder.
Damo
I have been a coupe man and worked my way through the 3200,4200 Spider,Gransport and onto the GT S. All different; each one moved me; all had their quirks; and I have to say all re-inforced my love of the brand.
So why the massive inflexion? Whether I desert the brand for the time being (probably 3-4 years) and buy elsewhere or wait and pray for some good news.
I enjoyed the GT S but want something more nimble and a little edgier with internal systems that do not have an iron foundry name plate on them. The wait for the Alfieri has gone on too long and I worry that the performance elements will come from Alfa Romeo (a brand I love as much - but has a long way to go in terms of filling the range and overall quality). There is nothing in the Maserati product pipeline that I can see to stop my money going else where. As a few of you know I have a fondness for the barking dogs that are AMG and they have launched and extended the GT line into 4 variations in 2 and a half years. Granted off the back of a very strong mother brand in Mercedes. But also from growing from 5,000 to 80,000 cars sold as distinct AMGs in the past 10 years.
I cannot see where Maserati is going at the moment in terms of people like me. I realise I may in the minority (one to test, as Wester kept being quoted about a'a beautiful death') as someone who want an Italian sports coupe that, not a 4x4 or 4 door saloon and is not 4.9m in length and 2 tonnes. I also want it to cost less than the unobtainium prices of a Ferrari. I am lucky that I have a certain budget, but I want a V8 (preferably) powered 4.5m, 1600kg sports car and preferably with a Trident on its nose, that sits in the price point around the F Type to top end 911's.
I have no idea of the future product roadmap and have seen no pictures of mules testing outside Modena or in the Arctic circle. The only updates seem to be the occasional infotainment patch and a little more power for the V6 turbo and possibly a petrol Levante for the UK.
I may be overly pessimistic and should wait for a minute or two to spend on my next vehicle. However, I am not encouraged by the lack of noise coming from the gates of Modena and worry that the brand will be a saloon and 4x4 biased luxury brand, not a sporting one.
I am convinced having had similar conversations with other SM members that there is a pent up demand for a sporting Maserati that is more lithe and can bridge the performance and quality gap between Alfa and Ferrari.
It is an interesting one to ponder.
Damo