Maserati MC20 2022 review

In my treasured pack of Top Trumps, there were three Italian supercars almost guaranteed to win any hand. The Lamborghini Countach was the fastest, while the Ferrari 512 BB looked the most beautiful. But to me, the Maserati Bora was always the most intriguing of the trio.

Launched in 1971, three years after Citroen bought Maserati, the Bora was crammed with the French company’s avant garde ideas. A complex hydraulic system powered the brakes, raised the seat height, moved the pedal box back and forth, and even popped up the headlights.

This was also the first mid-engined exotic you could realistically drive every day. It had pliant all-independent suspension, a useful front boot, air conditioning, electric windows and even double glazing to deaden the roar of its 310hp ‘hemi’ V8. 

Easy does it

Half a century later, the Bora is back. Well, sort of. The new MC20 is a Top Trumps card par excellence, a pull-no-punches riposte to today’s Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari F8 Tributo.

Yet it also channels the glamorous, easygoing spirit of its classic forebear. That’s if you can call any car capable of 202mph ‘easygoing’.  

Like the child of 2004’s outrageous Maserati MC12 – itself an evolution of the Ferrari Enzo – the MC20 looks fabulous in the flesh. Its low, pointy nose flows elegantly into a domed cockpit flanked by hungry air intakes. An F40-style Lexan rear window shows off the low-mounted engine, with Trident-shaped vents to help expel heat.

The MC20 Cielo convertible version, unveiled last month, might be the prettiest supercar on sale.  

A forced introduction

Open the huge butterfly doors (preferably well clear of another parked car), then swing your hips over a narrow sill into a surprisingly comfortable seat. The Maserati’s cabin doesn’t possess the wow-factor of its exterior, but it compensates with good ergonomics and a slick infotainment system.

My only gripes are the lack of cupholders and tiny 100-litre boot – hardly ideal for a car with grand touring aspirations.

The 3.0-litre twin-turbo ‘Nettuno’ V6 is a clean-sheet design, with patented pre-combustion technology inspired by F1 racing. Driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, it develops 630hp at 7,300rpm and propels the 1,500kg MC20 to 62mph in 2.9 seconds – accompanied by the furious whoosh of forced induction. It sounds more like a McLaren than a Maserati.

Calm before the storm

Indeed, in many ways the MC20 feels like the car the McLaren GT should have been. Its steering is light and feelsome, without the darty intensity of a Ferrari, while its softer damper setting is ideally suited to broken-up British roads. In default GT mode, this is a credible daily-driver: supple, calm and, yes, eminently easygoing. 

Switch into Sport or Corsa modes and the Maserati tenses its muscles. Gearshifts via the paddles are now razor-sharp: tiny blips in a relentless, head-spinning rush of turbocharged torque.

Turn-in is also more poised and precise, with an athletic sense of balance, reassuring bite from the Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and Velcro grip from bespoke Bridgestone tyres. Opportunities to fully unleash the MC20 are rare, but don’t go thinking it’s a supercar softie. Far from it.

Maserati magic

This ability to morph from pussycat to sabre-toothed tiger is what sets the MC20 apart from its rivals. Or at least, it did.

Suddenly, the Maserati has a new arch-enemy in the McLaren Artura, which offers more power, less weight and the benefits of a plug-in hybrid system for a near-identical price. The British car’s V6 even sounds more exciting.

Nonetheless, there’s much to love about the MC20. And with the Cielo and a fully electric version on the way, its story is far from fully written. Let’s hope some of its magic filters down to the new Maserati GranTurismo, due later this year.

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