Car Statistics: Maserati - GranTurismo Series 07 (4 stars)

Styling (5 stars)

Few would deny that this Italiano coupe has beauty, glamour and style, and its interior is as beautifully furnished as Ferrari's - for tens of thousands less.

Handling (4 stars)

The Gran Turismo has near-perfect weight distribution, producing balanced handling that's very safe - and fairly entertaining too. It's slightly spoiled, though, steering that lacks feel and is not always ideally weighted, being too heavy around town, and too light at high speeds.

Comfort (4 stars)

If you need to carry four over a long distance, this coupe and the Mercedes CL are the only two in this class for the job. Just sitting in the cabin makes you feel comfortable, so tastefully plush is the ambience, and the impression is backed up by ride quality that's better than you'd expect from a sports coupe. The optional Skyhook suspension improves this again, but occasionally gets it wrong, and probably isn't worth the extra.

Quality (4 stars)

For richness of finish this Maserati is hard to beat, and the company has been battling hard to eliminate the reliability issues that have troubled it in the past - and this Gran Turismo is another step forward. Proof that Maserati is succeeding is found in strong residual values.

Performance (3 stars)

The Gran Turismo's innards are very closely related to the Quattroporte saloon's, and although this coupe is shorter and lighter it remains heftier than much of the opposition. The 4.7-litre S models delivers much more potent performance.

Roominess (4 stars)

You don't buy an ultra-high performance coupe to lug packages and people, and indeed, the Gran Turismo's boot is easily filled, but if you regularly need to carry four it's a fine machine for the job, back-benchers surprisingly well catered for, even if they won't quite be lounging.

Costs (2 stars)

You won't see the right side of 20mpg, and you should budget generously for servicing, but the good news is that modern Maseratis hold their value better than many, making this car less expensive to run than some in this class. But it's in the top Group 20 insurance category and the highest Band M for road tax.

Value (4 stars)

The GranTurismo is classily finished and well-equipped. It will be rarer too and comes from one of the most glamorous marques going. Yet it is less expensive than several rivals and the options are well-priced.

Stereo (4 stars)

The sat nav in the previous Maserati coupe was infuriating, and if some may moan that this system is shared with various Peugeots and Citroens. The stereo is good, and very good with the optional Bose surround sound..