I’ve sat through enough EV marketing spiels to predict the next one, the next-next one, and the one after that. They’re all the same, especially for high-end, high-performance EVs. But guess what? They’re mostly BS. Giving an electric car more power and a stiffer suspension doesn’t turn it into the soulful, captivating driving machine automakers love to advertise—which is why they often boast ridiculous “engine” sounds, distracting on-screen graphics, and enough gimmicks to fill a CVS receipt. When I attended the 2025 Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore’s debut back in April, I knew the Modenese automaker had a stunning electric convertible on its hands, but I also thought, “I’ve heard this speech before.”
Of all the sports cars that could make the switch to battery power, it’s especially hard to digest the Italians. Their V12s and V8s—and even their twin-turbo V6s now—are the stuff of legends. Take that away and what do you have? It’d be like taking Luciano Pavarotti’s voice away and thinking he could still sell out venues on looks alone.
But all along, Maserati’s people insisted that the Gran Cabrio Folgore was, first and foremost, a Maserati through and through, and secondly, not a replacement for its ICE models but an alternative. Six weeks later, fully expecting to hold them accountable, I got behind the wheel of this so-called Folgore—which, by the way, means “lightning.”
The Basics
I’ll tell you my thoughts on the risotto, but first, here’s the recipe: 751 horsepower from three motors drawing from a 92.5-kWh battery laid out in a T shape. The battery pack runs down the middle of the car through the “transmission” tunnel and the “T” arms expand underneath the rear seats. This is key—more on it later. There’s one motor up front and two in the rear, although the front motor can be disabled for pure RWD if so desired. Maserati says the Gran Cabrio Folgore can go about 233 miles on a single charge (EPA certification is underway), though you won’t be hitting that number if you try and test its 2.7-second zero-to-60-mph time or its 180-mph top speed.
Most importantly, however, is the Folgore’s infinite headroom. It’s the whole reason to buy one, especially considering its target buyer likely already owns other high-dollar machines; combustion and electric. The appeal here is buying into the new and very exclusive club of convertible electric car owners—and with a Maserati at that.
It looks like a Maserati, too. There’s no confusing it for anything else on the road. Design chief Klaus Busse and his team hit a home run with the new Gran Turismo a few years ago, and the Folgore is every bit as romantic and eye-catching as its fixed-roof, gas-drinking sibling. The muscular front end is dominated by dramatic fenders over the front wheels, while the quintessential Maserati grille remains mostly untouched. I say mostly because it was tweaked due to the lack of a gasoline engine under the hood, but the result is just as charming.
The rear is sleek, refined, and, overall, less aggro than the front. This is especially true when compared to the previous-gen Gran Turismo. It works, and it gives the Gran Cabrio that touch of sophistication that’s seen throughout the entire lineup nowadays. In today’s crowded supercar segment, Maserati is upping its elegance and performance game equally, knowing that it needs to cater to rich folk who not only want to go fast but also want to be seen as edgy and savoir-faire. No more hot-headed playboys or bulked-up South Beach gym owners.
And as Busse put it while showing me around the car, the biggest challenge was making the Folgore look great with the top up and down. This involved working and reworking the beltline until it gave the body the right proportions. It couldn’t be too thin, too thick, it couldn’t be too high or too low, or too far back as it went across the rear. Too far forward, however, and it impacted the rear passenger space. (This is an authentic four-seater, after all, not a 2+2.) Well, he nailed it.
Driving Experience
Travel delays nearly ended my chances of getting some seat time in the Folgore, but thanks to some quick-thinking folks, this hiccup actually worked out in my favor. Rather than sharing (which isn’t always caring), I had a car to myself on the twisty, lakeside roads in northern Italy. My mission was to catch up to the group journalists who had set off a couple of hours before me. Boy, how did I end up in this awful situation?
With the Folgore’s soft top closed due to an incessant drizzle, I set off from Lake Maggiore and headed into the mountains. The first revelation arrived rather quickly: This feels like a true Maserati. Forget that it’s electric—everything about its steering, suspension, brakes, and overall performance screamed, “We’ve been making Italian sports cars for over 100 years. What did you expect, dummy?”
This made my job very easy, really, because, for the next 90 minutes, I would get to know the Folgore’s intricacies rather than figure out whether it lived up to its heritage. It’s like when you go on a first date and early on you learn that there will be a second one—so you can enjoy yourself rather than spend every minute of it overanalyzing things.
Set to the GT drive mode (there are four: Folgore, GT, Sport, and Corsa), the electric convertible powered effortlessly through narrow mountain roads, though more notably, it didn’t exude that odd “riding on rails” feeling that most EVs have. While that phrase is typically used to compliment a car’s handling, it can also be a bit of a bad thing. See, EVs that ride on skateboard platforms have low centers of gravity, but because everything—including the seats—is mounted on top of the platform, seating positions are usually quite high and handling can often feel unnatural. While cornering at speed, it often feels as if you’re being pulled from the bottom and you’re just along for the ride, rather than controlling the ride.
The Folgore doesn’t have this “fake feeling,” if you can call it that. Instead, it feels neutral and well-balanced, just like a non-electric Maserati would. The reason for this has everything to do with the battery layout, which allows the front seats to sit as low as possible on the platform while distributing the weight longitudinally across the vehicle. This means the driver feels more engaged and connected to the driving experience rather than just being subjected to a speedy, torque-heavy rollercoaster ride.
Likewise, the various regenerative braking modes—with the exception of the strongest one—feel more natural than they do in the average sporty EV. Think more like the feeling you get from going down a gear rather than stepping on the brake pedal. Unlike in most EVs, I found myself leaving the regen paddles alone and just relying on the car’s natural tendencies to dive into corners off-throttle. The six- and four-piston Brembo brakes with ventilated rotors provide strong braking performance and a precise pedal feel. I learned this first hand when a tourist came around a corner with their car planted right smack in the middle of the cliff-side road and I had to perform a panic stop strong enough to trigger the ABS to avoid crashing head-on. (I know they were tourists because a local would never do such a thing.)
Suspension feel in GT and Sport modes was ideal for the kind of driving I did. GT allowed for a little more body roll and steering play, while Sport felt tidier and more precise. Either way, burying your foot into the accelerator made your stomach turn from the tsunami of torque—996 lb-ft is no joke. Pedal calibration was clever, though, avoiding that flip-switch-like acceleration most EVs are known for. Every time I went over a speed bump (some rather big) I expected to feel a harsher thud on such a low-riding car, but that never happened. The electronic dampers quickly sorted out the situation and kept me comfortable. Corsa mode simply stiffened the suspension and heightened the car’s senses too much to enjoy the drive, though I can imagine a nicer bit of tarmac with the right combination of curves would put that setting to good use.
There’s no completely hiding the Folgore’s 5,249-pound curb weight, of course, but Maserati engineers tried anyway. They did a good job. Driving the EV and the 900-pounds-lighter V6 Trofeo back-to-back revealed that where the Folgore feels like it’s gotta move more mass, it makes up for it with its torquier response and quicker feedback. Remember, neither of these cars are dedicated track toys. These are luxurious and powerful grand tourers.
In the end, that’s exactly where the Folgore shines. Cruising along the lake shore and making my way through impossibly narrow and crowded village streets, the vibration-free cabin and lack of booming noise was a welcome experience. I simply did not miss the raucousness of its twin’s gas engine. The Folgore looked just as glamorous, rode just as phenomenally, and yet still went like hell when my right foot desired—there’s simply nothing wrong with that picture. Actually, there was, and it was that the top was still up. Despite the lack of sunshine, I put it down anyway and enjoyed pretending to be part of the 1%.
Lowering the canvas top revealed yet another pleasant characteristic of the Folgore: the sound. There’s a very faint, deep hum that you can hear inside the cabin while the top is up. Lower it and you’ll hear it slightly clearer—not louder. Switch over to Sport or Corsa mode and the intensity increases, though its volume remains almost the same. It’s a light audible reminder that you are driving a performance car, but it’s faint enough to keep it from feeling gimmicky. It’s not replacing the sound of an engine or trying to remind you of what you’re doing with your right foot, it’s the electric drivetrain simply making itself known.
The Early Verdict
The 2025 Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore isn’t just another EV or like any other EV. However, I find it puzzling that this EV’s best characteristic is that it doesn’t feel like an EV at all. Is this good? Is this bad? What does this mean for the brand? Do Maserati customers want a truly unique EV experience or do they want an EV that mimics an ICE Maserati? Likely the latter. Europe’s well-off will line up to buy a Folgore thanks to ever-increasing taxes on thirsty sports cars, something which they can mostly avoid with plug-in hybrids but fully skirt with EVs. As far as the rest of the world, time and sales figures will answer those questions.
We’ve already established that the ICE Gran Turismo is a hoot, and its feisty Nettuno twin-turbo V6 sounds even better with the top down in the Gran Cabrio. But the Folgore is a whole different experience, one with as many smile-inducing highlights. It turns out the marketing guys weren’t blowing smoke this time, this is a real Maserati.
| 2025 Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore Specs | |
|---|---|
| Base Price | $206,995 |
| Powertrain | triple-motor all-wheel drive | 92.5-kWh battery |
| Horsepower | 751 (818 with MaxBoost) |
| Torque | 996 lb-ft |
| Seating Capacity | 4 |
| Cargo Volume | 5.3 cubic feet |
| Homologated Weight | 5,249 pounds |
| 0-60 mph | 2.7 seconds |
| Top Speed | 180 mph |
| Estimated Range | 233 miles |
| Quick Take | A convertible EV that’s 100% Maserati, 0% bullshit. |
| Score | 9/10 |
Contact the author at jerry@thedrive.com