There’s nothing like blasting through the mountains with the wind in your hair, the sun tanning your skin, and insects whizzing past your ears. If you love vehicles and truly want to experience life, you need to grab a convertible.
Legendary Italian marque Maserati has a couple of options here, but if you don’t want to go all out on an MC20 Cielo, then the GranCabrio Trofeo may be for you.
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What is the Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo exactly?
The Maserati GranCabrio is to the GranTurismo what the MC20 Cielo is to the MC20, the convertible version. There are a few differences, however, with the main one being that the Cielo offers an optional hard top, while the GranCabrio is only available with a soft top.
The “Trofeo” part refers to the trim. With some Maseratis, opting for the Trofeo will get you the frankly excellent Nettuno V6 instead of a fairly lackluster I4. In the case of the GranCabrio and GranTurismo though, it doesn’t denote a different engine, merely a tuneup.
Performance is on par with the GranTurismo
For the most part, the GranCabrio is just the GranTurismo. Its handling is essentially the same, its acceleration is the same, its comfort features are the same, and its styling is the same. Our very own Kyle Edward wrote a detailed review of the GranTurismo, so if the specs are more your speed, that should tell you all you need to know.
There are some very minor differences if you look at the spec sheet, but I’ve driven both, and if you ignore the roof, the differences are imperceptible.
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My actual top-down experience with the GranCabrio was brief
Convertibles are made for the sun, which makes them perfect in the summertime. Unfortunately, I got my hands on the GranCabrio in mid-October and as is the case whenever I get a drop top, it was raining throughout the entire loan.
Not wanting to ruin an interior that would likely cost more than the contents of my apartment, I played it pretty safe and only had about half an hour with the top down.
I still learned a lot in that time
Despite the limited top-down time, I managed to learn a few things about the GranCabrio. First, the touchscreen controls to drop the top are fairly finicky, and it can take some effort to get the top truly locked down. A button would be a lot better in this case.
In terms of turbulence, the GranCabrio has an edge over the MC20 Cielo and many other convertibles. I had long hair while I was testing it and wasn’t blinded by my barnet at any point. The MC20 Cielo left me digging around for a hat lest I be turned into Cousin It the second the speedometer hit 42 mph.
I wish there was a hard top option
The GranCabrio isn’t cheap, and a hard top would come at a premium. The extra weight would likely impact performance to some degree as well, not to mention the loss of trunk space.
Even with those downsides, it would make what is definitely a summer car into a solid year-rounder. The GranTurismo is one of my favorite vehicles. It’s as close to perfect as a grand tourer can be: it offers ripping performance, exquisite looks, and a mind-blowing level of comfort.
When you’re inside it, it’s like being in a box at an opera house or in the VIP section of an extremely exclusive club. The GranCabrio is nearly there, but when it starts to drizzle, that soft top leaves you feeling like you’re in a tent.
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Final thoughts
For the most part, the GranCabrio is a tweaked GranTurismo, and the GranTurismo is one of my favorite vehicles on the market at the moment. It is guaranteed to turn heads, handle beautifully, and provide enough pace to keep you entertained. But the GranTurismo may also be the convertible’s main competition.
The GranCabrio Trofeo I had my hands on has an MSRP north of $250,000, and you have to wonder if it’s worth the extra $50,000 to put the top down every once in a while. If you live somewhere dry and warm, then it’s probably justified.
If you live somewhere with seasons, you’re not too far off the cost of an MC20 Cielo, which has a roof that will keep you warm in winter.