Maserati MC20 review

Maserati has been out of the game of building supercars for nearly two decades, but with the all-new Maserati MC20, it's back with a bang. 

At first glance, the MC20 is both thoroughly modern yet somewhat old-school. It doesn’t feature plug-in hybrid tech like the Ferrari 296 GTB and the McLaren Artura do, instead getting a twin-turbocharged V6 engine that drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

That sounds like a fairly conventional set-up, but it’s worth noting that the V6 (named Nettuno) uses cylinder tech of the type used in Formula One, and sits in the middle of a cutting edge carbon-fibre tub developed by motorsport specialists Dallara.

The platform is stiff enough that Maserati also offers a convertible variant called the MC20 Cielo alongside the coupé to go up against the 296 GTS and the yet-to-be-released Artura Spider. But can the MC20 really compete with this new generation of hybridised supercars? Well, read on to find out...

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. The Maserati MC20's engine, being turbocharged and a V6, sounds rather coarse.

It doesn’t wail like the flat-six Porsche 911 GT3 RS or scream like the V10 in a Lamborghini Huracán but that’s not to say it doesn’t have character. Unlike the rather flat-power delivery you get in an McLaren Artura, the Nettuno engine in the MC20 feels properly savage from low down in the rev range.

Put your foot down, and at just 3000rpm you’re kicked in the back with a whopping 538lb-ft of torque – more than you get from the hybridised Artura.

It’s enough to see the rear tyres break traction in an instant if you turn off the electronic traction and stability control systems.

Thanks to the engine’s fantastic accelerator response and the car’s playful handling balance, it never feels scary. If anything, it simply encourages you to tease the car into slides on the exit of corners, a bit like you’re behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio not a mid-engined supercar. 

Speaking of the Quadrifoglio, word had it that the MC20 was going to be an Alfa Romeo, which is a rumour we can believe, because the MC20 has a similar-feeling steering set-up to the hot four-door Alfa.

Therefore, the steering is not as hyperactive as in the Ferrari 296 GTB or as feelsome as in an Artura, but it is accurate, linear and well-measured.

Arguably the best part of the MC20 is that, no matter which driving mode you’ve got it in, it really flows with the road, remaining precise and delicate.

We’d go so far as to say that it feels developed for the UK, with the adaptive suspension doing a superb job of isolating you from expansion joints and cracked sections of bitumen. And if you pop the gearbox into automatic, it also feels long-legged enough to cover some serious miles. 

Complaints? Well, there is a fair amount of road noise transmitted through the MC20’s carbon-fibre tub, but it’s no worse than what you’ll experience in an Artura. It’s even pretty frugal. 

Driving overview

Strengths Bombastic performance; beautiful ride quality; playful handling balance

Weaknesses Road noise; engine could sound more charismatic

When you lift up the Maserati MC20's light butterfly door and lower yourself into the sports seats, your eyes fall upon a very simple interior layout.

It’s very easy to find a comfortable seating position in the MC20, with plenty of adjustment from the seating and steering wheel, while the pedals are lined up to allow keener drivers to left foot brake (useful on track, less useful on the road). The seats are supportive, with plenty of side bolstering to hold you in place.

The digital instrument panel has a limited number of layouts to choose from, but we found that rather refreshing. As is the driving-mode selector that sits on the centre console – swipe left or right on the touchpad to bring up the suspension and drivetrain menus and use the rotary dial to confirm individual settings. 

The low dashboard helps with the view forwards, but the view out of the back is very restricted. In the coupé, all you can see out in the rear-view mirror is the engine compartment.

The Cielo convertible's folded roof obscures your view out completely. Mercifully, the rear-view mirror is digital, so once you’ve turned it on, your view out the back is unimpeded.

In terms of interior design, the MC20 is rather demure compared with a Ferrari 296 GTB or McLaren Artura. There’s plenty of Alcantara and expanses of carbon-fibre, but it’s not what you would call showy. And while you might recognise some switches from Alfa Romeo models, the button count is low and is mainly focused around the driver controls.

Speaking of shared parts, the infotainment system looks suspiciously like the one in the Fiat 500.

Therefore it is much easier to use than the system in the 296 GTB, but it is a shame that the shortcut icons have been designed for left-hand-drive cars as they sit on the left-hand side of the screen, making them hard to reach. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard.

In the Cielo, you can also use the infotainment system to raise and lower the roof as well as to adjust the opacity of the electrochromic glass sunroof. 

Interior overview

Strengths Great driving position; comfortable and supportive seats; reasonable visibility 

Weaknesses Interior could look more exciting; Alfa Romeo and Fiat switches

There are, of course, only two seats in the Maserati MC20, but there’s enough head and leg room for a couple of adults well over six feet tall, and they won’t be clashing elbows.

Oddment storage is decent, too. Maserati has provided a glovebox, a cupholders, a narrow cubby for a phone and a small cubby under the centre armrest.

And unlike in the Ferrari 296 GTB and the McLaren Artura, it has a boot at the back, which gets a bit warm but is a similar size to the one found in the Chevrolet Corvette.

Throw in a small cubby up front and you have to conclude that, by supercar standards, the MC20 is rather practical. 

That said, if you want a performance car with four seats and more luggage space, we’d consider the cheaper but similarly rapid Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Practicality overview

Strengths Decent rear boot; reasonable storage cubbies; good passenger space

Weaknesses Small front trunk

The Maserati MC20 is priced in line with big hitters including the Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica, the McLaren Artura and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (the Ferrari 296 GTB is quite a bit more expensive). 

Is that too punchy for a new entrant to the supercar class? Well, we certainly believe the MC20 has the performance to go head to head with those rivals, but judging by the number of heavily discounted, almost-new MC20s on the used market, we suspect Maserati has aimed perhaps a touch too high.

Like those rivals, you can also add tens of thousands of pounds to the list price with options such as interior and exterior carbon-fibre packs, triple-layer ​​paint (that gives a pearlescent effect) and a selection of racing liveries.

Servicing, tyres and insurance are all going to be seriously expensive too, in keeping with this type of car. However, we did find the MC20 to be fairly frugal returning over 27mpg on a motorway cruise – perfectly acceptable by supercar standards.

Costs overview

Strengths Reasonably frugal; simple specification line-up

Weaknesses Expensive optional packs that you will want; perhaps priced a touch too high

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