Electric Ice Drifting: The Full Maserati Folgore Range
Truth is, I really wanted to like the Maserati Grecale Folgore. When I flew to Italy’s southeast coast to drive it earlier this Spring, I arrived with high hopes set by the V6-powered Trofeo. This 523-horsepower crossover is as fast as it is great to look at, and crucially, it oozes character. It’s a firecracker that prioritizes a thrilling driving experience over almost everything else, precisely as a machine proudly sporting a Trident should.
If the Grecale Folgore, Maserati’s first electric SUV, could harness some of the Trofeo’s magic, it would be a clear winner. However, as I piloted this $109,000 EV through the winding roads that edge the Adriatic Sea, magic wasn’t exactly what I found.
As good-looking as the Folgore was, elegantly wearing smoothed but not overly aero-focused bodywork, hardware problems lurked beneath its stylish skin. Despite receiving a power boost up to 542 hp, it also gained 998 pounds, making it slower than the outgunned Trofeo. Its suspension struggled to cope with its added heft, producing a bouncy, unsettled ride, while its slow charge rate, low estimated range, and six-figure price didn’t exactly sweeten the deal. I walked away disenchanted.
It’s nearly Winter now, and the stage is set for a proper redemption arc. I’m in a snowy valley in Livigno, Italy, a small town nestled between towering peaks in the Alps. I’ve got access to a private ice track for the day. Maserati has brought out its entire Folgore range, including the GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and, of course, the Grecale. If a car can’t make you feel a bit of magic flung sideways on a snowy course in one of the most beautiful places in the world, chances are it never had any, to begin with.
A man with a clipboard gives me a thumbs up, and it’s as if a gun goes off in the Kentucky Derby. I practically sprint to the awaiting GranTurismo Folgore, its matte $17,250 Rame Folgore absorbing the odd ray of light as it peaks through the mountains, the sun not yet fully risen. It’s freezing in the shadowy valley, and a decent layer of snow covers the track’s icy surface. I’m the first one up.
As I drive out of the makeshift pits, my right hand darts to the central screen to disable traction control. My left disables any form of regenerative braking, then twisting the drive mode selector out of GT, past Sport, and into Corsa. I’m armed with a 751-horsepower tri-motor $192,000 EV, an empty ice course, and a reassurance that even if things go horribly wrong, the consequences won’t be dire.
I mash the gas to get a feel for how the GT lays down power, and a blizzard shoots out the back with little action up front. Despite being all-wheel drive, the GranTurismo has one motor under its long hood and two in the rear. As such, most of its monumental output heads south. After the first bend, I lift to shift its weight balance forward, turn in, and power through the second sweeper. It’s instinctive, easy even. The snowy surface provides a hint of grip, enough of a buffer to feel out the required amount of power, and sufficient traction to not 180 the thing on the first go.
Lap two comes, and the drifts pick up speed as my confidence in the big Maserati GT builds. As counterintuitive as it may sound, the GranTurismo Folgore is downright ideal for this sort of thing. It allows you to power into a slide while it’s near 5,000 lb weight makes it come around predictably. It allows you to link drifts effortlessly. There’s even decent feedback through the wheel, so you can immediately feel when you’ve pushed too hard, and the front is about to let go.
My run in the GT comes to an embarrassingly predictable end. Emboldened by the ease with which the Folgore slides, I overcook it and dive nose-first into a pile of snow. Of course, it’s the mound right in front of the pits where journalists wait their turn as Maserati’s staff looks on with what I can only imagine is a healthy dose of cringe. I back out, the GT’s oval nose packed with more white stuff than Tony Montana’s, and I scurry back to the pits with my tail between my legs.
Round two comes much later in the day, long after each of the ten or so journalists has had a go. The sun beams warmth from overhead into the icy valley, and I can feel my toes again. More importantly, as I line up for my run in the Grecale Folgore, the forgiving layer of snow that made sliding the GT a breeze has begun to make way for patches of raw ice. Nonetheless, I quickly reconfigure the SUV as I had the two-door. The Grecale is at its most aggressive in Sport mode, instead incorporating a lifted Off-Road setting in Corsa’s wake.
Clear of the pits, the pedal meets the floor again, except I’m met with an entirely different response. Unlike the GT, the Grecale Folgore employs a pair of motors, with one in each axle. Its power distribution is more even, routing it like something with a traditional all-wheel drive system. Inducing a slide is as easy as it was in the GT, thanks to the SUV’s plentiful 542-hp output. However, once you’re in it, the rules quickly change.
The Maserati Grecale drifts like a Panda reproduces; it’ll do it if the conditions are just right, but otherwise, it’s happier doing just about anything else. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. Even on a slick surface without studded tires, it clings on surprisingly well. To get it sideways, you start by turning in and prying it loose with a bootful of power, which you must then maintain; otherwise, the thing totally settles.
It’s challenging to do but rewarding once you get it right. Modulating the accelerator is difficult, given that power comes on and off so suddenly. Still, after a few laps and one ass-first shunt into a pile of snow, I get the hang of it. The Grecale’s steering isn’t nearly as talkative as the GT’s and its weight doesn’t swing so much as it slumps from side to side. Still, it’s doing roughly everything I ask of it. I’m starting to feel some of the magic I’ve been searching for.
This is, after all, an SUV destined mainly for city life, a sentiment backed up by its EPA-estimated 245 miles of range. Yet here it is on the snow, swinging its tail around, firing snow out from all its four wheels like a rally car, dancing on snow and ice. You may have to force it to slide, and while it’s still not nearly as thrilling as the Trofeo, there’s something to be said for the breadth of its capabilities. This time, I return to the pits without going entirely off course. I am a professional, after all.
There’s a moment in every track day when that feeling of “one last lap” begins to seep in. It’s the instant when pushing just a little harder often turns into an expensive mess, and I feel it now. Maserati originally planned to have us run two stints in the GT and Grecale. Still eager to complete the set, I request a third run in the GranCabrio Folgore. After some quick discussions between the staff onsite, the man with the clipboard again lifts his thumb, and I move quickly into the GC so he can’t change his mind.
The thing is, what little snow remains on the course now hides in the fringes. The 5,129-lb GranCabrio Folgore creeps onto the ice, and even before I’ve induced a slide, I can feel it sliding around in every direction—hints of understeer break into quick oversteer moments. I’m constantly twitching at the wheel to keep it pointed in one general direction. It’s a mess, but I’ve committed to a third stint, and I’m going for it.
Remembering my first run of the day, I blip the gas, expecting at least some grip, and before I know it, I’m facing where I’ve just come from. 751 hp on a slick surface without studded tires is, as you might expect, somewhat challenging to wrangle. Still, I press on, breathing on the accelerator and slowly acclimating to the deteriorating conditions. I manage a few slides and a few more 180s, and I’m about ready to come back in when the call comes over the radio asking me to do just that.
As brief and messy as this final stint is, it’s enough to confirm that the $205,000 is still the one to have. Despite its curb weight approaching that of a Rolls-Royce Ghost, it’s eager to dance like the GT, with the added benefit of looking even better with its top folded. Although that last image is a memory from the Maserati GC drive in the Summer, it’s still freezing in this valley, and its top is latched.
As if schemed by Maserati, I’m allotted a Grecale Folgore to drive back to the hotel in Bormio. There’s no ice on the road, just a gently winding road crossing through small towns as it descends from the mountain. The sun is once again shining between peaks. I dial up the heater in preparation for its departure.
A day in the snow doesn’t magically cure the Grecale Folgore’s ailments, even if the scenery is gorgeous. However, I’m walking away with a slightly deeper appreciation for it.
Maseratis haven’t historically been the leaders in the numbers game, and the Grecale Folgore is old-school Trident in this sense. For the $109,000 it commands, there are better EVs and more practical SUVs. Still, I’m not convinced there are better-looking options in either category. The Grecale Folgore is a statement piece, and should you find yourself on a private ice track, you can rest assured that beneath its stylish skin, there’s at least a little magic to be found.
Tags: Featured
Review: The 2024 Ferrari Purosangue
by Gabriel Vega
Building a super SUV has shifted from an if to a when for most performance brands. Back-to-back years of soaring sales have proven the concept’s viability and quickly made them integral to a low-volume manufacturer’s survival.
However, because the space is so lucrative, brands seem reluctant to experiment beyond the proven formula. Regardless of which badge adorns the nose, you’ll likely encounter similar layout, powertrain, and suspension configurations, often resulting in familiar driving experiences. This leaves the most distinguishing features to the styling and interior departments.
The 2024 Ferrari Purosangue takes a different approach. It rides on an all-new platform built just for it, adopting a front-mid engine layout. It employs a dual-clutch transaxle in the rear for better weight distribution, all-wheel drive, and all-wheel steering. However, its defining feature is the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 nestled beneath its front-hinged hood. The $393,350 Purosangue is a Ferrari, a super SUV second, and the first to truly feel like an exotic machine. By venturing beyond the proven formula, Maranello’s first take on the type defines the segment.
Its name translates to “thoroughbred,” and in the Ferrari Purosangue’s case, it’s more than just a clever marketing ploy. Parts sharing is common in the space, ranging from engines to complete structures, but Maranello developed its first SUV by borrowing only from itself. Despite being larger than the GTC4Lusso’s, its bespoke aluminum chassis is lighter and 30 percent more torsionally rigid. This structure allowed Ferrari to employ a front-hinged hood à la Monza SP1 and a steeply raked A-pillar. A set of rear-hinged doors complement a traditional front pair and provide easy access to the cabin while keeping the Purosangue’s footprint as small as possible. A standard carbon fiber roof with built-in soundproofing is 20 percent lighter than an aluminum panel and lowers its center of gravity.
Its homebred bones create a distinct stance and presence. While the Ferrari Purosangue is as wide as a Lamborghini Urus, it’s six inches shorter and two inches lower thanks to its sloped roofline. As such, this Prancing Horse doesn’t immediately come across as a tall SUV; it’s more of a lifted GT, if anything, or the world’s brawniest hatchback. Its cabin also sits closer to the rear axle allowing it to sport a long hood design reminiscent of Maranello’s V12 two-door grand tourers. Stylistically, Ferrari’s choice to forgo a traditional headlight in favor of air intakes adorned with an LED strip, the use of floating wheel arches and rear hatch mounted spoiler only adds to its uniqueness. The Purosangue is equal parts eccentric and functional, and this blend suits it well.
Setting off in the Purosangue for the first time feels, above all else, familiar. You grip a flat-bottomed wheel straight out of a 296 GTB and glance at the digital instrument cluster introduced in the SF90 Stradale. Its engine note conjures up memories of the 812 Superfast, fitting since it employs the racier Competizione’s heads. This SUV is a Ferrari first, and there’s never a moment where it allows you to forget.
Lean into the throttle, and the feeling only intensifies. Its quad pipes come alive with a note whose pitch rises as you work your way up the tach. The Ferrari Purosangue develops plenty of power, but it makes you work for it. Its 6.5-liter V12 produces a massive 715 horses and 528 pound-feet, and until the recent introduction of the hybrid Lamborghini Urus SE, that made it the most powerful SUV in the segment. However, the Purosangue doesn’t lean on electrification or forced induction. With peak power coming in at 7,750 rpm, just shy of its 8,250 rpm redline, it has to be driven like a supercar to extract its very best. Yet despite these high peak power stats, its 6,250 rpm peak torque figure provides an excellent mid-range shove.
On a twisty road, the Purosangue rewards a slow-in, fast-out approach, with its dual-clutch transaxle ripping upshifts instantly as you rocket out of a bend. Speeds one through seven, a closely spaced set, carry over from the 296 GTB and the SF90 Stradale, while the top eight is longer for cruising on the highway. More importantly, its short gears effectively keep you within the power band while the instantaneous throttle response of its NA V12 allows it to feel every bit as quick as its 715-hp output would suggest. Flat out, you’ll hit 62 mph in 3.3 seconds and 124 in 10.6, maxing out at 193 mph.
Dive into a corner, and the Ferrari Purosangue again rewards you with a familiar response. Like the 296 GTB, its steering is ultra-light, precise and quick. The subtlest call from the wheel gets a response from the front end. With a dry weight approaching 4,400 pounds, the Purosangue weighs less than the Lamborghini Urus and the Aston Martin DBX707. And despite housing a massive engine behind its front axle, it manages a 49:51 percent weight distribution. As such, you don’t feel a great big mass pushing forward as you begin to turn the wheel. Everything moves in unison.
However, there’s more at play than good weight distribution and sticky Michelin rubber. Developed in collaboration with Multimatic, the Purosangue’s active suspension incorporates True Active Spool Valve dampers, arguably the secret to its success. Each corner is paired with a 48-volt electric motor, and thanks to data fed to them by a myriad of sensors, each damper can respond independently, adjusting ride height and stiffness. During a launch or a heavy braking event, for example, the Purosangue squats to lower its center of gravity thus improving grip.
This system works in tandem with an all-wheel drive and steering system, which are fed braking, throttle, and steering input data and adjust accordingly. The Purosnague doesn’t just have pre-set drive modes. It’s actively responding to both you and the road ahead, dialing in the experience and allowing you to hustle up a mountain road with supercar pace.
Its suspension pays dividends around town and on the highway as well. By independently adjusting each corner, it’ll absorb bumps without leaning on an overly plush ride. The Purosangue thus feels settled but never firm, striking a nice balance for a machine meant for daily use. It is a super SUV in the truest sense.
Yet, as proficient as the Ferrari Purosangue is in all things super, leaning so heavily into this persona requires some concessions. Recall its godly, high-revving V12 for a moment. It develops most of its power and torque at higher revs, and although Ferrari claims it’ll produce 80 percent of its torque output at 2,100 rpm, it doesn’t feel as quick as its rivals accelerating at lower speeds. You’ll still have to get deep into the tach to get going.
Its GT-style proportions might make it a stunner, but the Purosangue’s short rear end limits its cargo capacity to 16.7 cubic feet. For context, that’s slightly less than a Porsche Macan.
Step inside, and the Ferrari Purosangue greets you with a cabin that’s sporty but effortlessly elegant and arguably the best in the segment from a design point of view. Like the GTC4Lusso, there’s seating for four, with each leather-wrapped chair curving around you almost like the mild bucket seat. Upfront, a sizeable dual-screen layout splits the dash, with each display angles toward the driver and passenger respectively.
However, as gorgeous as this interior is, it’s clear that function follows form. In the center of the dash, you’ll find a small touchscreen with a rotating bezel, which, despite its footprint, controls multiple vital interior functions, often requiring you to swipe between minute menus. Operating it at speed feels like signing something while tying your shoe, and the steering wheel’s haptic feedback buttons require nearly as much attention. Thankfully, if someone is riding shotgun, many of these settings can be adjusted via the passenger display.
Pricing for the 2024 Ferrari Purosangue starts at $393,350, while this tester bumps that figure up to $506,305 with optional extras included. However, unlike the rest of the super SUV space, Maranello isn’t looking to sell as many as possible, capping its production at fewer than 3,000 units annually, or less than 20 percent of its total output. It was never meant as a volume play, and it’s all the better for it.
The Ferrari Purosangue may be one of the later entrants to the segment, but it distinguishes itself by doing things differently. It doesn’t follow established formulas, from engine layout to cylinder count and bespoke platform. Yet, by straying further and incorporating a revolutionary active suspension system from the wizards at Multimatic, it blends its excellent straight-line performance and characterful V12 with handling that’s befitting of a Prancing Horse.
From big and small details, the Purosangue feels like a Ferrari first and an SUV second. It’s arguably the first super SUV that feels like a proper exotic. And while achieving this persona requires some concessions, they don’t detract from what makes Maranello’s first take on the type so special. The Purosangue isn’t just another super SUV. It defines the segment.
Review: The 2024 Lamborghini Urus Performante
by Gabriel Vega
in Reviews
Looking back, it’s safe to say that the Lamborghini Urus birthed the concept of the super SUV. Its 2017 debut carved a new path for supercar brands in terms of portfolio expansion and profitability potential. At first, some competing brands showed interest in the concept, while others outright rejected it. Today, however, Sant’Agata Bolognese’s gamble has an abundance of rivals, including the Aston Martin DBX707, BMW XM Label, and the Ferrari Purosangue. And I haven’t even included those with whom it shares significant components, like the Audi RS Q8 and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Anticipating that its niche corner of the market would soon crowd, the Italian brand introduced the first special variant of its SUV in 2022, the Lamborghini Urus Performante. Built by following a formula that’s proved successful in the supercar space, the Performante drops 104 pounds while boosting power by 16 horsepower, making it the lightest and quickest Urus yet. Crucially, however, it substitutes the “base” model’s air springs in favor of a steel set, both firming up its ride while lowering its height by nearly an inch.
Nearly seven years ago, the idea of a super SUV was largely foreign, and today, the concept of taking that platform and hardening it in the pursuit of performance remains largely unexplored. Can the lightest, quickest, and sportiest variant of Lamborghini’s super SUV also be the best?
The Lamborghini Urus Performante first differentiates itself by injecting some much-needed stylistic theatre. Parked next to the car that debuted in 2017, its predecessor seems almost subtle. The Performante incorporates sharper lines in its front bumper, with points sticking out almost like fangs. Its hood features more prominent grooves alongside extractor cutouts adorned with carbon fiber louvers. Its front splitter, fender flares, side skirts, diffuser and upper spoiler also employ the lightweight material.
There’s carbon hiding beneath the skin as well, with a substantial portion of its 104-lb weight loss made possible by a composite hood. Alongside this reduction, adding a spoiler increases its downforce by up to 38 percent. At the same time, its steel springs lower its ride height by 0.8 inches while its track widens by 0.6 inches. A set of 23-inch wheels is an optional extra, as is a lightweight set of forged 22s, with this tester wearing the former. Performante gets titanium wheel bolts and bespoke Pirelli rubber in keeping with the sporty theme.
Its interior also gets the sporty treatment, trimmed almost exclusively in black Alcantara if you select the “Performante trim.” The bits not covered in the suede-like material contrast with glossy carbon fiber or red hexagonal stitching paired with red leather accents. Looking around the cabin, you might as well be in an Aventador SVJ from a textiles perspective, with endless reminders of this SUV’s sporty intentions. And while its screens and overall tech carry over, Lambo’s commitment to the hardcore bit on the materials side effectively sets the tone before you set off.
Firing up the Lamborghini Urus Performante awakens its standard Akrapovič sports exhaust system. Its titanium construction may shave some weight, but it doesn’t change the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8’s burbly engine note; you get more of it. From the first few miles on city streets and highways, detecting its extra 16 horses is practically impossible. Such an incremental bump for a machine that weighs more than 4,700 lb is more effective at awarding titles like “quickest Urus” than genuinely impacting performance.
Still, thanks mainly to its weight loss, a new differential, and a total output of 657 hp and 627 pound-feet output, the Performante is the quickest Urus. It sprints to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds, and like the S model introduced in 2022, it tops out at 190 mph. On a twisty road, you need to know that the Urus has always been extraordinarily quick, and it remains so. Thanks to a healthy helping of torque low in the rev range aided quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, you’ll run out of road long before it does steam.
Yet, as familiar as its powertrain feels, its suspension couldn’t be more foreign. The discontinued “base” Urus I reviewed in late 2021 excelled by being firm enough when needed for a weekend drive while plush enough for the daily commute. This versatility is now outside the Performante’s scope. The decision to swap its air suspension setup with steel springs practically defines it, its hardcore persona never quite softening. While Lamborghini did develop new Strada, Sport, and Corsa drive modes, a set of adaptive dampers and springs can’t match its predecessor’s excellent ride quality.
That said, there are some major performance benefits once the road begins to twist. At speed and in Corsa mode, the Lamborghini Urus Performante reveals its payoff. Its firmer suspension and active anti-roll bars effectively dials out body roll. There’s an added sense of stability as you tackle even the tightest bends and an eagerness to respond to steering inputs immediately. This agility is helped by an updated rear axle steering system that responds more quickly, thanks to its updated software.
Its firmer setup simultaneously increases road surface feedback. You feel more of what’s happening beneath you as it’s channeled through the chassis and into the cabin. It’s much easier to detect when you’re approaching its grip limits, even while its steering remains far from talkative. This sets you up nicely to start leaning on its standard carbon-ceramic brakes, which, with 10-piston calipers upfront and enormous 17.3-inch rotors, have plenty of braking force to slow this 4,740-lb SUV down.
As with all special models, its added athleticism commands a premium. For 2024, the Lamborghini Urus Performante starts at $265,890, including a $3,995 destination fee, with this tester coming in at $339,152. The “base” model, the Urus S, costs nearly $24,000 less, starting at $241,843. The recently updated Aston Martin DBX707 costs $253,000, including a $4,000 fee, while a BMW XM Label commands $185,995, including a $995 fee. Only the Ferrari Purosangue stands as an outlier, with a base price just below $400,000.
After a few days on the road, I’m not sure any other super SUV can match the Lambo’s performance on a back road. It is fast, agile, and uncannily stable in the corners, all things a tall vehicle that seats five and sports a massive trunk shouldn’t be able to do. Yet this strength doubles as the Performante’s only real weakness. If we assume that an SUV, super or not, is meant to be used daily, a firm ride ultimately limits how well it can play that role.
Yet, thanks to shifting priorities among enthusiasts, a $339,152 super SUV’s appeal hinges on more than just how well it rides. Its updated styling creates a more dramatic aesthetic, in line with the Ragin Bull’s mantra, while its Alcantara-trimmed cabin conjures up reminders of other special Lambos. As a result, the question of whether the lightest, quickest Urus is also the best is the wrong one to ask. The Performante is a better-driving, better-looking, and more exciting Urus, but how often will you find yourself on the right road to fully experience it?
