2025 Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo

The Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo is the kind of car the internet should love more.

A beautiful Italian convertible. A front-mounted 3.0-litre twin-turbo Nettuno V6. 550 hp, 650 Nm, all-wheel drive, a proper eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, four seats, a fabric roof and enough elegance to make most German alternatives feel a little too serious. Maserati’s own catalogue lists the GranCabrio Trofeo at 550 CV, 650 Nm, 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 316 km/h. And yet, somehow, this car still feels underrated.

This is what a GT should feel like

A proper grand tourer should not feel like a track car with softer seats. It should make long distances feel special. It should be fast without becoming nervous, refined without becoming boring, and beautiful without needing to shout. It should make you want to take the long way home, not because the road is perfect, but because the car makes the journey feel worth remembering. That is where the GranCabrio Trofeo is brilliant.

No, it is not as sharp as some German rivals. A Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet will feel more precise. A Mercedes-AMG SL will probably feel more muscular. An Aston Martin DB12 Volante may bring more theatre from its V8. But here is the real question: how often do buyers in this segment actually use 100% of what these cars can do?

Design: understated seduction, not aggression

Maserati has not always been visually flawless in recent years. The Levante never fully carried the magic of the badge. The last Ghibli and Quattroporte had their moments, but they did not always feel as special as they should have. Even the Grecale is more handsome than unforgettable. The GranCabrio is different.

This car looks like a Maserati should look. Long bonnet, elegant surfacing, clean proportions, muscular rear haunches and just enough drama without falling into visual noise. It does not need wings, vents, enormous fake aggression or unnecessary aerodynamic theatre to feel expensive.

The Nettuno V6: yes, it is enough

Let’s deal with the obvious point. Some people will look at a €200,000-plus Maserati convertible and ask why it does not have a V8. That is understandable. Italian GT cars and emotional engines belong together, and for years Maserati itself built much of its identity around exactly that kind of sound and theatre.

But the Nettuno V6 deserves more respect. This is not some anonymous downsized engine hiding behind a badge. It is a compact, technical, characterful twin-turbo V6 derived from Maserati’s modern performance family, and in Trofeo form it delivers 550 hp and 650 Nm. Maserati positions the Trofeo as the most performance-focused GranCabrio variant, with the Nettuno engine sitting at the centre of its identity.

It is smooth, fast and more emotional than many people expect from a twin-turbo V6. No, it does not deliver the spine-tingling madness of a naturally aspirated V12 or the deep thunder of an old-school V8. But it suits the car. It has enough growl, enough urgency and enough refinement to feel right in a grand tourer.

Performance: fast enough, without losing the plot

The GranCabrio Trofeo is not slow. Not even close. With 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 316 km/h, this is a genuinely fast car. But the way it delivers that performance is more interesting than the numbers themselves.

The eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox is perfectly suited to the character of the car. It shifts smoothly when you are cruising, responds quickly when you are pushing and never tries to turn the GranCabrio into something it is not.

And then there are the paddles. Maserati still understands how important tactile details are. Proper metal shift paddles, mounted to the steering column, with a meaningful action. It sounds like a small thing, but it changes how connected the car feels.

Ride and handling: more GT than sports car, exactly as it should be

The GranCabrio Trofeo is not the sharpest car in its class.Good. That is not criticism. A great GT should not feel like it is constantly asking you to prove something. It should be composed, confident and enjoyable at seven-tenths. It should make speed feel natural, not stressful. It should flow.

That is where this Maserati shines. The steering is accurate without feeling nervous. The body control is strong without becoming harsh. The all-wheel-drive system gives confidence without making the car feel sterile. And the suspension keeps enough comfort in reserve to remind you that this is still a luxury grand tourer, not a track-day special with leather seats.

This is probably the biggest misunderstanding around the GranCabrio Trofeo. People compare it to sharper German machinery and conclude that it is not as clinical. But why should it be? How many owners are really going to take a convertible GT to a circuit and chase lap times?

Interior: beautiful enough, but not perfect

Inside, the GranCabrio feels properly Maserati. The driving position is low and elegant, the materials feel expensive, and the overall atmosphere is more relaxed than aggressive. It does not scream for attention in the way some modern luxury interiors do. Instead, it feels warm, clean and mature.

There is also genuine usability. Unlike many 2+2 convertibles, the GranCabrio offers rear seats that are more than symbolic. You are not buying this as a family car, obviously, but it gives the car a broader lifestyle appeal than a strict two-seater.

Still, not everything is perfect. Maserati remains too touchscreen-heavy in places. Some controls could feel more expensive. And in a car at this price level, every button, every switch and every haptic detail needs to feel special. The German brands are often stronger here, not because they have more soul, but because they obsess over consistency.

Roof-down comfort: the whole point of the car

A GranCabrio should be judged with the roof down. That sounds obvious, but it matters. Because this car is not simply a GranTurismo with the roof removed. It has its own rhythm, its own charm and its own reason to exist.

With the roof open, the car becomes alive in a different way. The Nettuno soundtrack enters the cabin more naturally. The proportions feel even more elegant. The whole experience becomes less about speed and more about atmosphere.

This is where Maserati still has magic. You do not need to be driving fast to enjoy it. You do not need a perfect road. You do not need to chase numbers. You simply need to be there, roof down, engine alive, and the car does the rest.

The depreciation ghost

Now for the painful part. Maserati and depreciation have become dangerously close friends. The brand has been haunted by residual value worries for years, and that matters in this segment. Buyers spending this kind of money are rarely indifferent to what the car will be worth in three years. A Porsche 911 usually feels safer. A Bentley may feel more established. An Aston Martin might still scare your accountant, but at least the badge currently has a stronger halo.

Maserati still has work to do here. And that is a shame, because depreciation should not define this car. It should be judged by what it gives you every time you open the garage, every time you start the engine, every time you lower the roof and every time you remember that not every purchase has to be made like a spreadsheet.

AutoNext Verdict

The Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo deserves more love. It really does. This is not the sharpest car in its class, and it is not the safest financial choice. Depreciation still follows Maserati like a dangerous ghost, and at more than €200,000, buyers have every right to be demanding. But as a grand tourer, this thing is brilliant.

Beautiful, fast, comfortable, emotional and just rare enough to feel special every time you see one. The Nettuno V6 is far better than people expect, the balance between comfort and performance is exactly right, and the whole car understands something that many modern performance cars have forgotten.