CAUGHT: 2022 Maserati GranTurismo Grand Tourer Testing On Public Streets:

Just a few days after got a peek of what is under the hood of the upcoming Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, we are seeing its internal combustion engine (ICE) counterpart out on public roads in Europe testing. These latest images are giving us our best look so far as the GranTurismo as the Trident brand’s grand tourer offering is currently in the last stages of its development, with an expected debut later this year.

Maserati has confirmed that the next-generation GranTurismo and GranCabrio offerings will be available with both ICE or all-electric (BEV) offerings. The GranTurismo BEV will be the first all-electric Maserati in the brand’s historic lineup and is part of the new Maserati’s renaissance which will include 13 new vehicle launches by the end of 2024, which include the MC20 mid-engined super sportscar and Grecale midsized SUV.

We have seen the GranTurismo in various levels of development. This includes earlier this year when stretched Alfa Romeo Giulia bodies were put in place on initial test mules. Then in June, Maserati teased us with some very blurry shots of the GranTurismo for the first time. Those images teased some of the upcoming vehicle’s curves but didn’t do the car any justice. However, thanks to our friends at GabetzSPYUnit, we are now getting our best look at the all-new GranTurismo.

These new images give us a clearer view of the vehicle than ever before, including just how much of evolution this car is over the last generation car, which remained in production for 12 years.

While there are trick pieces to the car’s camouflage trying to hide the new Maserati grille, you can clearly see the massive air intakes on both sides of the car’s grille. A new set of MC20-styled LED headlights are a major departure from the narrow and long headlamps that wrapped around the front fenders in the previous generation. 

When Maserati released its initial shots of the camouflaged GranTurismo in July, the spy shots showed us a set of what appeared to be very aerodynamic wheels for the new GT. Instead, we can see that same wrapped design over the rear wheels of this prototype, while the front wheels are more exposed showing us a new multi-spoke wheel design wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero low-profile rubber.

From the side profile, we can also see the more rounded shape of the car’s 2+2 greenhouse. The overall appearance of the car appears to be a lot more sculpted than the outgoing model, as we can see certain body lines through the “Maserati” themed exterior wrap. We can also see some lines were added thanks to foam pieces in the lower part of the doors and right behind the front wheels. 

This series of shots also shows us that the car will retain its rear side glass, although it appears to be much smaller than the previous car’s. 

At the rear of the car, we see a much more rounded rear-end styling treatment than what we saw on the last generation. The pronounced rear fenders blend into the aggressively sloped rear window. Newly designed taillights appear to be narrow like those found on the MC20, but with more of the “boomerang” styling elements of the recently updated Ghibli, Levante, and Quattroporte models.

Under the hood of the ICE variant, will be the new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter “Nettuno” (Neptune) V6. The engine is named after the God of Fresh Water and features three new engine technologies for the Maserati brand. This technology was thoroughly described in an earlier MoparInsiders article. It uses both direct and port injection, twin-spark plugs, and combustion pre-chamber in addition to the regular chamber. The goal is to raise the power level and improve fuel efficiency.

It delivers 630CV (or about 621 horsepower) at 7500rpm and 730 Nm (or 538 lb.-ft) of torque from 3000 rpm with a specific power output of 210CV/liter (or 207 horsepower/liter) in its MC20 configuration. 

The pre-chamber is a combustion chamber that is set between the central electrode and the traditional combustion chamber and connected by a series of specially designed holes. Lateral sparkplugs allow traditional sparkplugs to act as a support to ensure constant combustion when the engine is operating at a level that doesn’t need the pre-chamber to kick in and a new twin-injection system that uses 350bar of fuel pressure, reduces noise low down on the rev range, all while lowering emissions and improving consumption. Four exhaust pipes exit out of the rear of the car next to the rear diffuser.

This is the first time that these technologies have been adapted from Formula One (F1) to a production engine going into a passenger vehicle. The Nettuno is a futuristic engine produced by Maserati’s team of technicians and engineers, protected by international patents.

Although the Ferrari-sourced V8 might be gone for the new car, the Nettuno should offer plenty of power and be a much more efficient engine. 

We expect to see the new GranTurismo and possibly its GranCabrio sibling, unveiled in November.

2022 Maserati GranTurismo Grand Tourer Prototype Image Gallery:

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