The Maserati MC20 is here, and it’s the first mid-engined Maserati in years. It’s also the first all-new Maserati in years, actually, I would go on and say two decades. It’s a proper supercar this time rather than a GT like the Gran Turismo. The MC20 succeeds surprisingly the Mc12 hypercar which was based on the Enzo. The MC20 is not as hardcore as the MC12 at all mainly because it’s not a racecar for the road.
The MC20 is a proper Maserati. It’s not a Ferrari in a nice body whatsoever. However, the MC20 did start its development as the Alfa Romeo 6C, a car that was axed from development on Alfa’s side because they wanted to concentrate on SUVs. Maserati took the 6C development and made it their own.
The MC20 is powered by a 3 liter Maserati twin-turbo V6 with 621hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 takes place in under 3 seconds and flat out it will do over 200 mph. It’s pretty quick but it’s not at Ferrari F8 level or McLaren 720S. It’s more of a rival for the 570S McLaren or the Audi R8.
The MC20 also starts at $210,000 which is a lot less than the cheapest mid-engined Ferrari, the $270,000 F8. The Mc20 is made of many exotic lightweight materials, including of course carbon fiber. It weighs 1500kg which is very light and it even has butterfly doors. How cool is that?
The MC20 then seems like a supercar and it looks to me that Maserati has finally got their act back when it comes to making great cars, the MC20 ticks all the boxes of the supercar checklist, but figures aside, is it a genuinely good car?
It Looks Amazing
The new MC20 looks insanely good. The styling is spot on and the doors just add to the drama of the car. The hidden details make the car feel really special. For example, the vents on the rear engine lid are in the shape of Maserati’s trident logo. The front looks really muscular and the headlights are beautiful and the lines of the car are really sharp. It certainly is a stylish car made by a stylish brand.
The interior is very nice too, and it’s extremely driver-focused. It’s layered in carbon fiber and everything is very minimalist. There isn’t even a Maserati clock inside which is breakage of tradition. The paddles are carbon-fiber, and the steering wheel is very chunky. There is a lot of Alcantara and carbon fiber inside, to give it that race-car feel. The seats though can either be specified in leather or Alcantara.
The driver has easy access to everything they need. The 10-inch central touchscreen is easy to reach and use, and the driver gets plenty of steering controls too. There aren’t many buttons inside and the only feature of the center console is a dial, probably for changing the driving modes. The driver also gets a ten-inch screen in front of him which acts as the speedometer and rev counter. We suspect that the screen can be used also as a sat-nav display too.
The steering wheel isn’t cluttered at all and the start/stop and launch buttons on either side of the wheel look pretty smart too. The pedals are also aluminum which is in true Maserati form.
My only criticism is that I would like a lot more leather. I think the Alcantara makes the MC20 look like a race car when it’s not. There should be a touring specification with more aluminum and leather. That would make the interior feel so much more luxurious. Maybe in the future, there will be, but currently, every interior option includes Alcantara and carbon fiber.
The Performance is Good
The performance figures are good. The keyword in that sentence is “good.” The thing is, 621hp is a lot by any means, but a BMW M5 competition has 617hp, and that’s a 4 door sedan. Now, the MC20 does a faster 0-60 but a sub 3 second from a 2021 supercar is expected. There’s nothing about the performance figures that shocks or surprises me.
I am disappointed with the horsepower figures. It should be a lot more in my opinion, and I am certain that could have been done with a bit of fettling with the ECU. However, we do suspect the MC20 will be more powerful than the new McLaren Artura as that’s reported to have 560hp. However, that may be a base model and I do suspect a faster Artura will be available with a lot more power.
I just feel Maserati could have really made the MC20 a rival for the Ferrari F8. This would be great news since Ferrari and Maserati were once part of the same company, and this would essentially be a great Italian rivalry. It just seems Maserati has put themselves in the spot of that “third” Italian exotic car manufacturer.
If Maserati made the MC20 a lot more powerful, it would rival the F8 and it would be like AC Milan vs Internazionale in their primes.
It Will Revolutiuonse The Maserati Lineup
The MC20 right now is an outlier in the Maserati lineup, despite having a similar engine to the rest. It is so much sportier and so much more original compared to the likes of the aging Ghibli and Quattroporte. Both of those sedans need to be replaced since they are just too old, and even the Levante needs a proper update.
The first Maserati to get the MC20 inspiration will be the Grecale, which is a small SUV to rival the likes of the Porsche Macan and BMW X3 M. A Maserati Gran Turismo replacement is expected and we believe that would share a few parts from the MC20,
There may also be an electric version of the MC20 which may eradicate its performance issues. We also suspect a more track-focused version of the MC20 will also be released to take on whatever McLaren brings out.
The MC20 Rivals
The MC20 has a lot of rivals. In fact, Maserati has placed the MC20 into a very volatile competitive market. The “entry-level” supercar market as journalists like to call it, is where the money’s at in terms of new supercar sales nowadays. The majority of new supercars sold fall into this category.
The MC20 has rivals from all over. It has the Audi R8, the Porsche 911 Turbo S and the Mercedes AMG GT from Germany. Then you have the Aston Martin Vantage and the McLaren 570S (soon the Artura). Then from Japan, you have the Nissan GTR. From America, you have the Corvette C8 and the Acura NSX (Japanese brand made in America). Then from Maserati’s home country, Italy, you have the Lamborghini Huracan RWD and soon the baby V6 Ferrari.
Then the MC20 has to take on other high-performance cars too such as the BMW M8, the Ferrari Roma, Aston Martin DB11, Porsche 911 GT3 and the Bentley Contionental. These cars are at similar price points and offer similar power.
The MC20 then needs to drive amazingly in order to survive. We expect it too, and with a redline of over 8000 RPM, we reckon this car will be a riot to drive. Maserati is known for making sexy-sounding cars, and we have no doubt that the MC20 will sound amazing despite it not having a V8.
Featured image credits via: evo.co.uk