One of the harshest criticisms of electric cars is that they lack emotion. Complaints revolve around the absence of noise, lack of gear changes, and low driver engagement from both. Having tested a lot of very fast electric cars in my time as an electric car journalist, I thought it was time I investigated what it’s like to be back in a great combustion engine car again. The car in question was the Maserati MC20, one of the best luxury cars currently available on the market.
The MC20 I had was the Cielo version, which is Italian for sky. This indicates a Spyder, not a coupe. While the coupe was introduced in late 2020, the Cielo arrived two years later. However, this is no ordinary Spyder. The Cielo has three roof positions instead of two. The hardtop can be up or down, but this is actually glass with polymer dispersion liquid crystal (PDLC) technology, which can change from cloudy to transparent with an electrical input. The panoramic roof on the BMW iX can offer this feature, but the Maserati version is more extreme, switching from completely opaque to transparent at the push of a button on the LCD panel.
The Maserati MC20 Cielo is an open-top supercar with a difference.
This is a useful halfway house because the Cielo is quite noisy above about 60mph, so you won’t have much luck listening to music, talking to your passenger or hearing sat-nav directions. Turning the glass transparent instead gives some of the open-top experience you can enjoy at highway speeds. On a sunny day during a short drive around the countryside, you’ll want to lower the roof, so you can savor the wonderful roar of the fossil fuel engine behind you, and the appreciative comments from passersby. I had a kid follow me on a bike when he stopped in an urban traffic light line just to tell me how much he liked the car (he even knew what model it was).
Maserati MC20 Cielo: a true racer at heart
However, the MC20 Cielo is not a fashion accessory, even if it has a striking visual presence. The three-litre twin-turbo V6 “Netuno” engine pushes an impressive 630 hp at 7,500 rpm and 730 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm – entirely through the rear wheels. The transmission is an eight-speed oil-immersed dual clutch system with six-speeds and two overdrives. While cars in each category are getting heavier, the MC20’s body is made of carbon fiber and composite materials, bringing the total weight down to 1,540kg. The roof adds just 65kg to the weight compared to the coupe. This means that the official 0-62mph speed figure is stated as “less than 3 seconds” with a top speed of “over 199mph”.
Since I was driving the MC20 Cielo exclusively on public roads, it wasn’t possible to go anywhere near its limits. But it’s great on undulating British roads, although it’s difficult to stay within legal limits. A rotary knob on the center console provides access to five driving modes. There is a WET mode for slippery conditions, while the default is GT. Then there’s Sport mode, which revs the automatic transmission, stiffens the suspension, and adjusts traction control. Furthermore, CORSA mode increases the power of the turbo engine, makes the transmission quicker, and fine-tunes the suspension further for racing. What’s more, you can opt for CORSA with the electronic stability control turned off completely, something I wouldn’t want to experience on public roads in a car with this much power.
The MC20 is a classy car, even if those scissor doors are a bit ostentatious.
However, I tried the other modes, and the most noticeable difference is the throttle response. In GT mode, power comes on relatively gradually. The throttle calls for a quicker return in SPORT mode, and quicker in CORSA mode. The latter also enables the Launch Control button on the dash, where you can enjoy the full experience of that sub-three-second 0-62mph acceleration. You can use the steering wheel paddles to downshift for quicker response while overtaking. The car will then return to automatic mode shortly after. However, even in CORSA mode, the engine’s torque doesn’t kick in as instantaneously as the fastest electric cars I’ve driven. When it arrives, though, it’s downright brutal, coming along with an engine wail that’s sure to put a smile on your face.
Considering how powerful this car is, it’s also easy to drive under ‘normal’ conditions, thanks to the dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. Even in stopped traffic, you can relax and let the car take over, although you may need to activate the electric parking brake if you stop on a hill. However, this is not a cruising GT in supercar clothing. It’s a race car for the road. Although I wasn’t able to drive it on the track myself, last year I was lucky enough to have a professional racing driver drive me up Goodwood Hill in the same car, in wet conditions. It’s very clear that he was a beast on the track.
So how does the MC20 compare to the fastest electric cars?
The Maserati MC20 Cielo is a high point in combustion driver’s car technology, but is it better than the best electric cars? One of the things that skeptics of electric cars criticize is the silence of the electricity and the lack of gears. The MC20 certainly has a lot of noise, making its internal combustion engine known to everyone from the first push of the start button. However, performance cars of this calibre generally have ‘flappy paddle’ automated manual gearboxes these days, like Formula 1 cars, because it’s faster than using the clutch yourself. Maserati’s auto system is so good that you won’t even bother changing gears yourself on the race track. So the driving style is not much different from an electric car without gears in many cases.
However, as fun as the MC20’s massive power is, the throttle isn’t as immediate as the fastest electric cars I’ve tried, even in CORSA mode. The Tesla Model S Plaid can deliver enough instant acceleration to make you physically ill. The ZEEKR 001 FR, which I drove around a race track in China a few weeks ago, is about as extreme a car as an electric road car can be. It may be a “shooting brake,” but it packs a whopping 1,247 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of 2.07 seconds. The ZEEKR 001 Performance holds two Guinness World Records, including the fastest drift for an electric car. It even features a ‘Raikkönen Mode’ which was developed with the help of 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen. Despite its size, the 001 FR masters the race track with aplomb. This is amazing considering its weight of over 2,400 kg.
The ZEEKR 001 FR is an incredibly fast, track-focused electric car.
As magical as the ZEEKR is at executing corners, there’s no escaping the extra 8-900kg of weight compared to the MC20, which means the latter will turn and grip a corner at much higher speeds. Maserati’s all-electric Gran Turismo Folgore accelerates faster than the MC20 in a straight line too, reaching 62 mph in 2.7 seconds. After all, it has 751 horsepower. I had that car driven around the Misano racetrack before a Formula E race weekend by a race driver, and the acceleration was poor, leaving you dizzy off the line. But the weight of GranTurismo Folgore is only 70kg or less than ZEEKR. The Misano handled it surprisingly quickly, but the driving style was all about slowing down enough to get weight into the corner, and then using that massive acceleration. This is a similar strategy to driving a Porsche 911.
The electric car I’ve done the most laps in is the Polestar 2 on the main Goodwood circuit (not the hill climb). The biggest difference from combustion cars I’ve experienced on track is how regeneration falls between hard acceleration and conventional braking. Formula E drivers love the predictability and sophistication of regenerative braking in their cars, but on an EV road where regenerative braking starts as soon as you take your foot off the throttle, it takes some skill to get the balance right. Driving a fast combustion car on track essentially involves accelerating between corners, braking as late as possible to get into the corner, maintaining speed during the turn, and then accelerating to exit the apex. The MC20 is a classic example of this, and during my Goodwood hill climb, the rear end shuddered satisfyingly but the car cut through every corner with exceptional speed.
Combustion vs. Electricity: Horses for Training Courses
The Maserati MC20 Cielo is a great car. The regular version has won numerous awards, including 2022 Evo Car of the Year, and the Cielo adds extra open-air fun to the equation, without sacrificing that impressive racing pedigree. It’s a demon on the track that you can comfortably use for daily commuting if you’re very rich and a little crazy. This comes at a price, as the car I had for testing is priced at more than £322,000 ($409,000). That’s more than, say, a McLaren Artura Spider, but you don’t buy a car like this for value for money.
The lines of a classic mid-engined supercar make the MC20 a thing of great beauty.
No car I’ve ever driven has received as much love from friends and passersby as the MC20. It is incredibly beautiful, especially in the ‘Rosso Vincente’ red that I borrowed. While a Ferrari or Lamborghini is a bit obvious, the Maserati MC20 also has rarity and luxury, even if those scissor doors are somewhat ostentatious. My very quick electric car felt ordinary after driving the MC20, as you’d hope it would, although its instant torque is more usable for moving forward on public roads. There is an electric version of the MC20 on the horizon though. If Maserati can keep the weight down while providing better acceleration than the GranTurismo Fulgore, it will be an absolute beast. I can not wait.
(Tags for translation)Maserati MC20
