2009 Maserati GranTurismo Quality Review

The 2009 Maserati GranTurismo's interior contains very few quality oversights, but at this price level even a few are too many. Also, despite its billing as a long-distance cruiser, the Maserati GranTurismo's seats lose their comfort after some time behind the wheel, and the cargo area won't accommodate any meaningful amount of luggage.

Inside the cabin of the 2009 Maserati GranTurismo, occupants will be treated to well-bolstered and very supportive seats at all four seating positions. Road & Track feels that the "leather covered bucket seats are...extremely comfortable," but Car and Driver counters that "they're great for short bursts of spirited driving but can induce some squirming in the second hour of occupancy." At least there is a decent amount of room up front, as ConsumerGuide reports "sufficient headroom and legroom for most folks" and the pair of "large, wide-opening doors [makes] entry and exit easy." Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com tend to vilify the backseats; Car and Driver testers compare jumping in the back of the Maserati 2009 GranTurismo to "sitting in a dark cistern." ConsumerGuide praises the rear seats for their "surprising adult space," although they qualify the statement by adding there is only decent space "if that adult is small and the trip is short." While the rear seats are far from the most cramped in the segment, the Maserati GranTurismo isn't the kind of car in which you'll bring three adult friends to the golf links.

Aside from the smallish rear seats, there is one other factor preventing a trip to the local golf course: the lack of storage space. Car and Driver says the 2009 Maserati GranTurismo's "trunk is small," and although Maserati claims that, "supposedly, it will hold a bag of clubs," Car and Driver muses "perhaps Maserati meant miniature golf." Inside the 2009 Maserati GranTurismo's cabin, ConsumerGuide finds that "interior storage is limited to an average-sized center console and smallish glovebox."

The name Maserati has become synonymous with high-quality, luxurious automobiles for the current generation of GT buyers, and the Maserati 2009 GranTurismo easily steps into the role of top-flight luxury car. Road & Track says "the fit and finish of the cockpit is first rate," while ConsumerGuide calls the Maserati GranTurismo's cabin "more private library than car interior." Car and Driver reviewers are exceedingly impressed by the fact that "[t]en shades of skins are on offer" for the leather interior, "and they can be endlessly mixed and matched to upholster seats, dash, parcel shelf, trunk, steering wheel, shifter, and headliner." However, even this beauty isn't without its flaws, as Car and Driver points out "two substandard items: the radio's plasticky faceplate and a bone-white accelerator scuff plate that is in jarring contrast with the rich black carpet."

Out on the road, Maserati's 2009 GranTurismo isn't as quiet as you might expect, but it's not road or wind noise that intrudes into the sumptuous cockpit. Rather, ConsumerGuide points out that the sound is "more music than mechanical noise," as "the GranTurismo's engine is a delight to hear rev," which is a good thing since "the engine is always heard, even in relaxed cruising." Car and Driver adds that "eighty dBA at wide-open whack...is a lot of sound. But at least it's a good sound."