Maserati MC20 2021 first drive

The body is predominantly carbonfibre and carbonfiibre-reinforced plastic. It’s one of those cars that you have to see up close to fully appreciate the various nuances with its styling, which takes certain cues from Maserati’s past, including its low-set grille and chromed trident symbol. The upper section is quite sculptural.

It’s the lower part, though, that more effectively influences the performance. It’s very technical, with various measures aimed at ensuring efficient cooling and downforce without the help of any active aerodynamic devices. There’s a highly functional look to elements such as the turned-up corners of the front splitter, vertical fins integrated within the leading part of the doors, structured nature of the sills, vents with the top of the rear haunches and the full-width diffuser at the rear. It also fully panelled underneath, with vortex generators and vertical fins to manage airflow.

It’s not a big car: 4669mm long, 1965mm wide and 1221mm tall, which makes it 58mm longer, 14mm narrower and 15mm taller than the F8 Tributo. It rides on a 2700mm wheelbase, with 1681mm front and 1649mm rear tracks. 

The butterfly doors hinge forward and high on substantial hinges, revealing quite a large aperture and an easily negotiated sill. Tuck yourself inside, and you find a relatively simple but tremendously effective cabin mostly in dark hues. The design doesn’t aim for glitz. Rather, it’s fittingly minimalist, with two high-resolution displays for the digital instruments and infotainment functions as well as an absolute minimum of switchgear on the narrow centre tunnel.

The carbonfibre-backed Sabelt seats get electric adjustment. They’re race grade in purpose, with substantial bolstering and loads of lateral support. The driving position is superb, placing you low and with excellent forward visibility. The rear-view mirror projects real-time video provided by a camera mounted on the bootlid. The car isn't big on luggage space, though. There’s a shallow, 100-litre compartment at the rear and a 50-litre recess up front.

It’s a shame the gearbox doesn’t always match the new V6 for outright effectiveness, though. The speed of the upshifts is excellent, whether on part throttle or under full load. However, the dual-clutch unit sometimes lacks smoothness, occasionally resulting in an odd moment of hesitation on downshifts in automatic mode. It’s a small criticism, but discerning customers will notice.

Another moot point, for this tester at least, is the sound the engine makes. It’s authentic enough, going without any synthetic enhancement unlike some supercars rivals, but it lacks the sheer excitement evident in other aspects of the MC20. Given how good it is in other areas, you expect the new Maserati to deliver a spine-tingling aural experience, especially on the overrun. While melodic at times in Sport mode, I can’t help but feel it could do with some additional sound tuning to fully underline its intent. There is a raspy timbre to the exhaust, and you also get a whoosh of turbochargers and some faint wastegate whistle when you’re pushing the V6. But it lacks the aural specialness of some rivals. 

Not that it is reflected in the straight-line performance, which is top shelf by any standard. The MC20 is among a very select group of rear-wheel-drive road cars to boast a 0-62mph time of less than 3.0sec. It is brutally fast off the line using the launch control system. The heroics of the engine combined with huge levels of traction ensure it doesn’t let up until you’re well into three-digit speeds. Maserati claims it hits 124mph in less than 9.0sec. Top speed is put at 203mph, just 2mph shy of the earlier MC12.

Obviously, it’s fast when you want it to be, but the MC20 is arguably at its best when dialled back a bit. There’s so much torque that you can ride the mid-range in taller gears and still wonder at the strength of the performance. A timely downchange and short stab of the throttle are all you need to overtake a line of cars in GT mode. Focused as it is, it still manages to deliver a broad appeal. 

Maserati says it has developed this new mid-range model as much for everyday driving as for race track outings. The ride certainly reflects this. We discovered this on some awfully rough roads through the hillsides and villages to the south of Maserati’s home town of Modena. 

There are two levels of damper stiffness for each of the driver modes. It’s not exactly smooth, but there is an impressive degree of suppleness to the MC20’s on-road qualities in the more forgiving settings. Small-bump compliance is particularly impressive, as is the isolation of road shock on larger bumps. The tuning of the double-wishbone suspension (front and rear) is outstanding, providing a deft combination of compliance and control.

It’s the steering, though, that really stands out. The electromechanical system, with 2.2 turns lock to lock, is extraordinarily good. There’s an easy lightness to its operation. Free of drive forces as it is, it remains wonderfully consistent and very pure in feel. There’s genuine feedback, allowing you to feel the suspension load up and keeping you well aware of the limits of adhesion, during cornering. 

The overall involvement is quite something. It is easy to establish a flow. There is very little dive under braking and only a slight amount of body movement on turn-in. The centre of gravity feels very low and, with it, the inertia, too. The delicacy of the steering allows you to place the new Maserati well and it is all supported by a grippy rear end that provides great traction under acceleration at the exit. 

It’s on a circuit, though, that the new Maserati really comes together. There’s clearly greater intent to the characteristics of the steering, throttle, gearbox and damping in Corsa mode. But importantly, the MC20 retains the approachability that makes it such a fine car on the road. The standard 245/35 ZR20 front and 305/30 ZR20 rear tyres have been developed specifically for the new Maserati in partnership with Bridgestone and they provide great purchase on smoother road surfaces.