At 110mph it takes no more than an assertive squeeze on the Maserati GranTurismo’s accelerator to hear the creamily threshing bass beat of an Italian V8 propelling the car towards the horizon. Press harder and this graceful, muscular coupé will charge on into a 7100rpm upchange to sixth and the possibility of 177mph.

But we didn’t go there – space, and the application of some good sense (difficult in a tempter of a car like this) ruled out a civilised assault on Maserati’s claimed top speed. Civilised, because manners are what this car has, honed to a level that will surprise if you’ve ever been lucky enough to sample the glamorous but troubled Maserati Coupé that this GranTurismo replaces.

That car always scored high for its looks, go and sumptuous interior, but it came right at the end of a long career in GranSport guise. This GranTurismo, with a slightly softer, calmer and luxuriant personality, is better suited to the grand touring its name conjures.

Further proof of the old GranSport’s more virile nature (or childishly male nature, depending on your view) emerged on the test drive near Bolzano, in northeast Italy, when we came upon a black GranSport ambling along the curvaceous mountain autostrada that spears into the Brenner Pass. The driver of this older Maserati spied our new one and set off in pursuit, perhaps to have a better look, perhaps to prove a point. We cat-and-moused for a few miles until we pulled off, his passenger snapping her mobile phone at us as we parted.

Although the GranSport was handsome, this new coupé is more beautiful still. The muscular fluency of its wings, the elegant cut of its side windows and the spare use of chromium lend it a class that genuinely challenges sister brand Ferrari.

And this GranTurismo costs less than half the price of the £183,000 612 Scaglietti. Both provide decent seating for four, but the more modestly powered Maserati (399bhp to the Ferrari’s 532bhp) is targeted at a less rarefied pool of sports coupés that includes BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes.

Against all these cars, however, the Maserati seems decidedly exotic. While its £78,500 asking price is a lot more than you’d pay for a BMW 650i (£54,075), a Jaguar XKR (£67,585), if not a Mercedes CL 500 (£79,652), it seems good value for a car so cultured.

The impression of specialness is rammed home when you look inside, a sea of Italian leather extravagantly upholstering acres of cabin, and without in any way appearing vulgar. Fashionable splashes of aluminium provide delicate contrast, as does the black upper half of the fascia and an exquisitely leathered wheel. This cabin looks richer and more luxuriant than anything from its rivals.

That was largely true of the old Coupé, too, but the difference this time is that many of the basics, such as the driving position and control layout, are properly arranged in this new car. An eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a four-way adjustable steering column and well-arranged pedals make it easy to get comfortable, and being automatic the GranTurismo is pretty easy to drive. It even has an old-fashioned twist-key starter (rather than the modish separate button), though the key fob is an inappropriately cheap and scratch-prone thing.

It also has a vastly superior satellite navigation system (shared with Peugeots and Citroëns) and a reasonable amount of dumping ground for junk – including four cupholders.

What you might find a little offputting is the size: this car is decisively longer and wider than the old model. The extra bulk is the result of its internals being adapted from Maserati’s bigger Quattroporte saloon, which has added 440lb to its weight.

But there are benefits. The GranTurismo’s crash performance is superior, it provides more cabin space front and rear, its core structure is 30% more rigid (improving safety, handling and refinement) and there’s a more usable boot. So one of the major advantages of the old car – that it could carry four adults in reasonable comfort – is preserved and amplified.

The extra weight does have an effect on the GranTurismo’s performance, though. You expect fire in the belly of a Maserati but this new coupé is some way from feeling superheated. Of course it’s fast, but don’t expect a beast whose potent unleashings need careful metering. A brisk drive on the open road will soon reveal the surprising fact that you can often use full throttle, partly because this car is so composed, but also because it isn’t rippingly quick.

Maserati claims a 0-62mph time of 5.2sec, which is certainly rapid but several tenths slower than the old GranSport could muster, and its top speed is 3mph down too. So it’s slower, and you have to make good use of the gearbox and its paddle shifts to get the best of an engine whose peak energy is found at a fairly lofty 4750rpm.

But this is where you will discover one of the biggest improvements over the semi-automatic Cambiocorsa gearbox of the old car. The Cambiocorsa was an automated manual gearbox whose shift quality (and occasionally durability, too) often fell short. Maserati refined the system over the years, but there’s no doubt the conventional automatic transmissions it now fits to the Quattroporte and this GranTurismo are better.

A pair of exquisitely finished chrome and leather paddles make speedy shifts on twisting roads an easy delight to achieve, leaving you freer to explore this car’s excellent handling. The GranTurismo’s weight is evenly distributed across its axles, and that helps its balance through bends. Good balance better enables a car to change direction, especially if it has the strong roadholding and accurate steering this Maserati has.

Some may find it a little soft even in “sport” mode – stabbing this button quickens both the accelerator’s response and the speed of gearshifts, as well as firming the test car’s optional Skyhook suspension – but that means you won’t be battered when the wheels hit turbulent tarmac.

The steering’s weight and consistency build confidence, whether on twisting roads or at high speeds on autobahns (unlike earlier versions of the old Coupé, which could feel alarmingly vague), though it’s not overburdened with feel, and some may consider it a bit low-geared.

The brakes are a bit slow-witted, too, lacking bite and needing quite effortful pressure to haul this heavy car down. They manage, but fall far short of a Porsche’s reassuring stopping power.

Despite these mild quibbles, the GranTurismo gels impressively as a swift, smooth and satisfying mile-masher. It’s more an athletic long-distance cruiser than the highly strung sprinter the GranSport was – and that’s deliberate. The GranTurismo is bigger, more lavishly finished, better mannered and far easier to live with. You’d be much happier about going a long way in it, and it still offers high entertainment on the right roads, if without quite the electrifying bite.

Best of all, though, is that it’s at least as glamorous, exotic and alluring as you’d expect a Maserati to be.

Vital statistics

Model Maserati GranTurismo
Engine type 4244cc, eight cylinders
Power/Torque 399bhp @ 7100rpm / 339 lb ft @ 4750rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Performance 0-62mph: 5.2sec / Top speed: 177mph
Fuel/CO2 19.2mpg (combined cycle) / 345g/km
Price £78,500
Verdict Suave casino cruiser with whiff of leather
Rating:
Date of release October

The opposition

Model Aston Martin DB9 £109,750
For Beautiful, fast, lusciously noisy
Against Too pricey, lacks polish

Model Jaguar XKR £67,585
For Handsome, fast, sophisticated
Against Tiny rear seats, ordinary interior

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