Overview & Reviews

Italian sports-car excitement doesn't have to come at super-steep prices. Maserati has made a name for itself as a maker of lust-worthy exotics that, though costly, are bargains relative to their stratospherically priced competition. Maserati cars currently come in a number of configurations that range from an open sports car to a spacious luxury sport sedan.

The company was founded in 1914 by six Maserati brothers: Carlo, Bindo, Alfieri, Mario, Ettore and Ernesto. Based in Bologna, Italy, the brothers were racing enthusiasts and planned to craft racecars for private use. Mario, an artist, was believed to have based the company's trident emblem on a statue of the mythological god Neptune found in a Bologna square.

Throughout the '20s and '30s, the Maserati brothers scored many wins around the globe in their custom-built racecars. In 1937, the surviving brothers sold their stake in the company to the Orsi family, who moved the company's headquarters to Modena. A couple of years later, one of the automaker's cars won the prestigious Indianapolis 500.

Postwar, Maserati continued to rack up impressive racing victories with cars like the famous Tipo 60 and 61 "Birdcage" models. The company didn't start building road cars until the A6 coupe, which was made from 1947-'57. With only 138 cars produced in that long span, most of Maserati's money came from its other products: spark plugs and car batteries. The Maserati 3500 GT, fitted with a double-overhead-cam inline six, debuted in the mid-1950s.

By the 1960s, the automaker had shifted its focus from racecars to road cars. The company rolled out sexy models like the Mistral Coupe and the Sebring. But it wasn't until 1966, with the introduction of the sleek Giugiaro-styled Ghibli, that Maserati fielded a truly powerful (330-horsepower V8) and sexy Italian sports car. In 1968, the marque was purchased by Citroën.

Throughout the 1970s, Maserati made the most of its partnership with Citroën, using some of that company's suspension and steering components in Maserati cars such as the V8 Bora and V6 Merak models. The decade's fuel crisis took its toll, though, wreaking havoc and killing demand for the sort of gas-guzzling sports cars that were Maserati's specialty. Citroën was driven into bankruptcy and Maserati was placed in liquidation. In 1975, the company was purchased by Alejandro de Tomaso, an Argentinean who had a previous life as a successful racecar driver. He quickly rolled out a new model, the Quattroporte III, a four-door luxury sedan.

The 1980s were an especially dark time for Maserati. Its main model for the U.S. market, the Biturbo, was bland and notoriously unreliable. In 1991, the company stopped importing cars into the U.S. Fiat bought Maserati in 1993 and variants of the Biturbo continued to be produced until the factory closed in 1997 for a total refurbishing. During this time, Ferrari bought 50 percent of Maserati and went on to acquire full control of the marque.

After the factory's rebirth, Maserati started production of a pair of world-class cars, the two-seat Spyder roadster and the four-seat Coupe. With powerful V8 engines, the availability of an F1-style gearbox, styling by Giugiaro and vastly improved build quality, the new Maserati cars were introduced to the U.S. market for 2002 and restored prestige to the Italian sports car company.

In 2005, Maserati was split from Ferrari but remained within the Fiat fold. That year also saw the reintroduction of the Quattroporte luxury sport sedan, which was followed a few years later by the voluptuous GranTurismo coupe and convertible. Today's Maseratis may lack the ultimate brand recognition of the marque's main rivals, but they hold the advantage of being considerably more affordable while still offering sexy Italian styling and impressive performance.

User Reviews:

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  Blast to drive - 2005 Maserati Coupe
  By Chuck - July 6 - 10:06 pm

  Maserati Cambiocorsa has been a fun car to drive everyday. Its exterior styling is unique and exotic, the interior wraps you in full Italian leather, and the note of the engine is unsurpassed by any other car less than $100,000. The backseat is small but useful and holds two children. I find myself looking for places to drive in this car. Its 4 year, 48,000 mile warranty lessens the risk of this exotic costing you a fortune. I have not had any major repairs required yet. I have owned the car for six months and would purchase it again today if I needed another car.

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  Extremely happy with our 2016 Gibli S - 2015 Maserati Ghibli
  By TBayFlorida - June 12 - 8:43 am

  While our GHIBLI S may be at the low end of available Maseratis, this vehicle is as much fun to drive as any vehicle we might have considered within our budget and by fun, I mean not only a sexy eye catching style inside and out, but a head turning beauty that wakes-up lookers with a sporty roar from those quad pipes which competing vehicles just cant match, all with a comfort that makes my wife and I smile ear to ear with every mile we drive. In our younger years, weve had a brand new Corvette and some Mercedes too, including a 560 SL, all of which we have grown tired of over time. We briefly considered a BMW, but it seems nearly every college kid has one now or at least a friend who does and quite frankly, there are so many BMWs on the road today, they are even becoming boring to the eye. So, this time, while we had our eye on the upcomming re-styled 2017 Porche Panamera, we just got tired of waiting and found ourselves attracted to the Maserati Gibli. Not only did we save some cash, but we are convinced we made the right choice when chossing the GIBLI S instead of the Panamera. We just took our first long distance road trip (about 2500 miles) and we probably received more compliments about our Maserati in a week, than in a lifetime of driving other vehicles, because it is simply the nicest vehicle weve ever had. We love ours!!!

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  My Mas - 2004 Maserati Coupe
  By ed - June 8 - 10:43 pm

  Have owned this coupe for 4 years and still love it! Wonderful thrill to drive and I drive it a lot (36,000 miles). Added tubi and what a growl. Always a hit!

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  outstanding - 2004 Maserati Spyder
  By willsshot - May 26 - 10:00 am

  the design is spectacular, with performance to match. the craftmanship is superior. i have owned porsches and mercedes in the past, but this is so much more spirited. nothing compares to the sound of the engine as it blitzes the rpms. its alot of fun to drive.

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  Style, Class and Fun - 2004 Maserati Coupe
  By Juan Colombo - April 9 - 5:20 pm

  A car that does not drive itself, it requires an understanding of standard shifting. This car is hungry for speed, but once you get acquainted with it provides a fun driving experience even at low urban speeds. The engine is a Ferrari, so you are driving the best there is. It is surprisingly spacious for 4 passengers even as it looks definitely like a sport coupe. Quality design and finishes are noticeable throughout.

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  My 2005 - 2005 Maserati Spyder
  By mbutter104 - April 8 - 10:46 pm

  After several months I love this car. Do not let others talk you out of this great ride. Ride is very nice, performance is better than average, get the tube exhaust. I am going to replace the audio system as this is the only thing that is NOT GOOD.

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  Addictive car! - 2006 Maserati Gransport
  By CD-F1 - March 16 - 3:06 am

  I have owned this car since new for 2 years. Mine is the MC Victory edition. It is one of my favorite cars to drive if not the best. I have and had Ferrari F430, MB Amgs CLK 55, SL 55, Porsche Boxster S. You never get bored of this beauty. The sound is definitely addictive and the handling is great. I must add though that I installed aftermarket anti-roll bars as for track driving the suspension even in sport mode is more GT than Sport car biased (a little soft). I truly enjoy driving this bella machina daily to work and taking it to Lime Rock and put it through its paces! Cant get enough of it. Maserati should consider bringing a newer version of this car. (Not the Gran Turismo)

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  Sport GTs Rock! - 2007 Maserati Quattroporte
  By SammySlim1 - March 8 - 8:00 am

  I traded in my 2006 Duoselect QP for this 2007 Sport GT automatic, and it is fantastic! Smoother, quieter, even better inside and out. Love the 20-inch wheels, the suspension and gearing in sport mode, and my wife loves the full automatic. This car gets lots of attention - my wife reports she gets more attention in this car than out of it! Handles perfectly, tremendous power and responsiveness in both automatic and manual modes. I put over 30,000 miles on my 2006 and plan to drive this car daily as well - the more you drive these, the more reliable they are. These cars are meant to be driven. Love this car!

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  Better than expected - 2004 Maserati Spyder
  By scottjm - March 7 - 10:00 am

  After driving the BMW M3 SMG Coup the past two years I decided I wanted to go back to A roadster. I had already owned a S2000 and Boxster S, Found the new BMW Z4 underpowered and ugly. So decided on Maserati mainly due to the V8 390 hp Ferrari motor in it. After ordering one last Nov. without even sitting in one let alone driving I started to wonder if I had made a mistake. It seemed most reviews were not that favorable to them. I found that all my fears were unwarranted. Car was everything and more than what I was looking for. Found the Shifting excellent and had the dealer put on Tubi exhaust and car sounds better than any Ferrari I have heard.

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  Quattroporte 2014 - 2014 Maserati Quattroporte
  By carfreak19 - March 5 - 5:40 pm

  Very good car. Great performance, interior and exterior design, very safe, and fun to drive.