In terms of the subject of driving nirvana, there aren’t many who high the thought of driving an Italian supercar within the Italian countryside. So when an invitation got here from Maserati to check drive the brand new MC20 Cielo in Sicily, there was no method it might have been turned down, not solely due to what we’d be doing, however the automobile we’d be doing it with.
The MC20 Cielo is in fact the convertible model of the model’s flagship supercar, the MC20 Coupe. ‘Cielo’ means sky in Italian and within the phrases of Maserati, the fortunate few of us had been going to expertise loads of that with this automobile, roof up or down.
Earlier than that, somewhat again story. The MC20 usually is not only vital as a result of it’s the primary mid-engined Maserati in 20 years, however it’s additionally the primary mannequin you possibly can’t say ‘”Oh, it’s only a Ferrari with a special engine.” It heralds a brand new period of independence – constructed from the bottom up as a Maserati, with an engine of its personal, however extra on this later.
What lay forward in our drive across the Southwest part of Sicily was not one thing we might have anticipated or imagined. Forward of the three-hour journey that may see us travelling over 200 km from the Masseria Della Volpe villa, the very first thing Maserati designers and engineers current on the flag off had been keen to point out was how fast and simply the roof retracted.
All in a matter of 12 seconds. Not solely was it fast, however the two-piece glass folded in close to silence. Because the Maserati people identified, this was attributable to the truth that electrical motors (and never hydraulics) had been used for a quieter operation.
It could have been a sluggish drive out of the villa’s yard and onto the primary street, however the Cielo was fast to exemplify the grand tourer qualities Maserati had supposed for it to posses. Positive, it took a superb few kilometres to familiarise with the automobile however earlier than I knew it, the Cielo became a good friend, an ally for what can be a protracted drive.
Whether or not it was intentional or not, the primary few legs of the drive – when navigating via the slender small city roads of Noto and Buccheri – truly supplied an opportunity to watch what the big Cielo can be like when it’s not being pushed shortly. Positive, a greater view of the curbs and street edges would’ve been welcomed, however usually talking, it’s simply not a typical trait in such car sorts.
With that being the one exception, the Cielo was as stress-free to drive as a BMW 5 Sequence on these roads. After I dared, the Cielo was pushed somewhat tougher, however after I couldn’t (or didn’t dare), it was docile and accommodating.
The steering was mild and fluid, with simply the correct quantity of precision to level and shoot, though it wasn’t overly partaking. The suspension soaked up the bumps very well and a few of them weren’t even on the tarmac. That is Italy, and the Cielo noticed its justifiable share of cobblestone roads too.
When the roads lastly opened up, so did the throttle. Going from GT mode to Sport mode, there was a extra noticeable sense of urgency. All the things from the damping, the steering, the throttle, the gear adjustments, the noise even, turned somewhat firmer and sharper – somewhat extra alive. After all, I accepted the ‘invitation’ to bop.
It wasn’t horrifying. The Cielo was quick if you needed it to be, but nonetheless simple to coast alongside if you needed it on ‘standby’ mode for open roads. Gaining extra familiarity with the automobile and its playfulness, it was simple to neglect our environment and what we had been doing.
The roof was folded again, the sky was clear and blue, the views at each flip had been to die for and the roads forward had been winding, clean and clear. What an event; and what a automobile to have alongside for the journey. This was a core reminiscence second.
It didn’t cease there. Simply earlier than our mid-way break in Dirupo Rosso, the roads opened even wider, with not simply curvy roads however loads of straight stretches as properly, these so far as the attention might see. If the engine felt alive in Sport mode, the Cielo was really woke up in Corsa (Race) mode, with the ‘Race mode’ in us very a lot switched on as properly.
Suffice to say, we had been thrown to the sting of our seats. On this case, the opposite finish of it. The sheer depth from the best way the Cielo charged ahead was breathtaking, with the best foot firmly planted for mere seconds earlier than the dearth of braveness took over. These restricted however valuable seconds confirmed loads of what the automobile can do, when it’s not required to be gracious.
So that is what it feels wish to misbehave in a automobile that may do 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds, I believed. Nonetheless with the roof down, the aural delight when Maserati’s new Nettuno engine opened up its lungs at 8,000 rpm was like having heavy steel music enjoying behind you as you witness an intense motion film scene.
It’s an engine that’s joyful to rev. The three.0 litre twin-turbo V6 was designed fully in-house and is the primary powerplant to come back out of the brand new Maserati Engine Lab in Modena. With 630 PS and 730 Nm of torque, there’s loads of punch. That energy is available throughout eight gears in a dual-clutch transmission that’s intuitive in the best way it shifts, whether or not by itself accord or when demanded by the motive force.
Arriving on the location for our espresso break lastly supplied a second to understand the MC20 Cielo’s proportions. Its clean clear strains exude grace, however with bulges in all the best locations for a component of seduction. It didn’t appear to be it was making an attempt too arduous to face out both – a typical (stylish) trait of grand tourers.
The Trident on show on the engine cowl is what the children as we speak would name a ‘low-key flex’. It’s a press release, in fact. In spite of everything, if you happen to’re going to shout concerning the model, why not shout it out loud? That is in any case a supercar; it’s speculated to have some aptitude.
En path to the ultimate cease, which Maserati named the ‘Cielo Hub’, had been many extra kilometres however this time on the freeway. With the roof again up and the music on, it felt like we had been in a efficiency saloon with bucket seats. Notably, there was loads of room for 2 adults, extra headroom for a 180 cm tall particular person and a cabin area that permits for dialog with out the necessity to shout.
This additionally allowed us to pay attention to the fashionable gimmicks; some sensible, some simply plain cool. The electrochromic sunroof might be frosted, for extra pure mild within the cabin with out the glare whereas a digital show on the centre knob provides entry to the totally different drive modes.
The attractive coastal highways ultimately led us to our closing cease, which was by far the largest spectacle of the drive. With one final swing on the idea of openness, an MC20 Cielo was displayed near the ledge of what’s supposedly a villa used for occasions, with an unhindered 180-degree open view of the ocean because the backdrop.
What a method to have a good time a automobile, a brand new period for Maserati, and what a method to finish a grand tour.
