Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Bigger V8 and new auto 'box offers blissful smoothness; balanced blend of handling and ride; achingly gorgeous.
Lacks torque; seats unsupportive; engine doesn't sound as good inside the car as it does outside.
The most tempting and well-rounded GranTurismo of them all.
Don't be fooled into thinking that this is just a GranTurismo with a new automatic gearbox. There's more to it than that.
Maserati is, in fact, introducing a brand new model variant in the shape of the S Automatic, an edition that it says will complete the GranTurismo line-up and become the biggest-selling version of this gorgeous Italian fast coupe.
Since it was launched in 2007, the standard 399bhp 4.2-litre GranTurismo has rivalled similarly stylish sports cruisers such as the Jaguar XK and Mercedes-Benz SL. In 2008 it was joined by its harder-edged sibling, the GranTurismo S, which, with its bigger 434bhp 4.7-litre engine, matched up to thoroughbred sports cars such as the Audi R8 and Porsche 911, both in terms of price and performance.
This GranTurismo S Automatic fits in somewhere between the two. It uses the larger capacity 4.7-litre V8 from the S but combines it with a six-speed torque converter automatic gearbox from the larger Quattroporte. This 'completion' version of the GranTurismo has been conceived to offer a less frenetic, longer-legged GT drive that Maserati hopes will lure customers away from the likes of the Jaguar XKR and Aston Martin DB9.
So, is it really good enough to live in that exalted company? Read on to find out.
