2025 Maserati GranTurismo and Grecale Folgore Winter Drive: When in Doubt, Power Out

• Maserati brought its all-electric coupe and SUV to an ice-covered track in the Italian Alps.
• The GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Grecale Folgore are the automaker's first all-electric models.
• All-wheel drive is a boon in the snow, but those batteries make these Maseratis quite heavy.

The most powerful Maseratis

The Folgore models are the most potent variants of their respective lineups, offering significantly more power and torque than even the Trofeo models that use Maserati's sweet twin-turbocharged V6. The Grecale Folgore uses an electric motor at each axle and offers a total system output of 550 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio models have three electric motors, one up front and two in the rear. Output for these two-door models is up to 751 hp and 996 lb-ft of torque. That makes the GranTurismo and GranCabrio Folgore Maserati's most powerful production cars, eclipsing even the mid-engine MC20.

Mass is an issue with any electric vehicle, especially with battery packs as large as the ones found here. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio both use 92.5-kWh battery packs, and Maserati's estimated curb weights reveal the pair are about 1,000 pounds heavier than their gas-powered equivalents; the GranTurismo weighs about 4,000 pounds. The Grecale Folgore uses a slightly larger 105-kWh battery pack and has a similar weight penalty when compared to the Trofeo variant. The vehicles are actually on the lighter side for electric cars, but I wouldn't call them svelte machines.

Keep your foot in it

The circuit Maserati has set up is short and not particularly fast, but speed isn't really the goal here. Big slides and snowy rooster tails are the day's game, and I'm encouraged to both disable stability control and goose the throttle as much as I want. Obviously, I'm more than happy to oblige.

My first stint is in the Grecale Folgore, followed by a handful of laps in the GranTurismo Folgore. Driving on snow-covered ice is both thrilling and humbling. You're never actually going all that fast, but the car's behavior is totally different than it is on a paved surface. You have to make your moves far ahead of the actual corner lest you blow past the apex and into a snowbank.

Even with winter rubber and all-wheel drive, grip is limited and gets progressively worse with each lap. Snow tires are not studded tires, and without a little powder on the ground, the tires don't do a whole lot. I have to be very deliberate with both my line around the circuit and my inputs. The place I hit the brakes on the last lap isn't going to be the same place I do on the next one. Maybe the car will dig in and rotate, or maybe it'll just understeer.

If you find yourself drifting toward a snowbank in an electric Maserati, my best advice is to adjust your steering and nail the throttle. Trust that the electric motors will help rotate the car and save the turn. Just don't look at the snowbank and you'll be fine.