September car of the month: Maserati MC20

by Baron Wilton

posted on September 28, 2022

The Trident returns for supercar status

Like a bespoke Italian watch, there’s something purely emotional about the design and craftsmanship of the brand new Maserati MC20. Butterfly doors descend from the sky and the menacing growl of the F1-tuned engine breaks the silence. Turo host Tim may have waited two years for the delivery of his ultra-rare MC20, but Maserati’s new flagship sports car looks to be nothing short of perfection. With wildly impressive performance and killer looks, it competes on nostalgia and sentimentality with the likes of the Ferrari Roma, Lamborghini Huracán EVO, McLaren Arturo, and Porsche 911 GT3. Let’s take a look inside our car of the month for this September, Tim’s 2022 Maserati MC20.

2022 Maserati MC20

The pulsing heartbeat of the MC20 is its specially designed “Nettuno” V6 engine. You can visually find it beneath the transparent, trident-shaped monocoque placed directly behind the cockpit. The Nettuno pumps out 621 horsepower from just three liters, making it one of the most power-dense vehicles in its class. It also borrows tech from F1 race cars with its prechamber combustion, which reduces fuel consumption by 30% and engine size by 25% without compromising power output. This keeps Tim’s MC20 light on its feet, boosting agility and propelling the car from zero to 60 mph in just under three seconds. It also enables the roadster to be “very responsive to the driver” as Tim explains. “It’s almost like you are wearing this car instead of driving it.”

The supercar also remains super lightweight with its overwhelming use of carbon fiber, which encases the engine, wraps the steering wheel, and covers a vast amount of the interior. And whatever carbon fiber doesn’t touch, premium Alcantara leather takes over. Inside the minimalist cabin, you’ll also find a preference for digital buttons without taking away the pleasure of haptic paddle shifters or the luxury watch-inspired driving mode selector. The MC20 features Maserati’s brand new digital dashboard that is individually curated for each of the car’s four driving modes: GT, Sport, Corsa, and Wet. Plus, if you tire of listening to the pop and crackle of the twin-turbocharged engine, the 12-speaker Sonus faber sound system has you covered.

An adrenaline-pumping soundtrack and silky aerodynamics may make the MC20 an excellent companion on curvy mountain roads, but the supercar is also a comfortable daily drive. If you’re curious if the Maserati is equipped for a road trip, you’ll enjoy wireless charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 10-inch infotainment system, a blindspot monitor, and a digital rear view mirror for added visibility. This “makes the overall driving experience very convenient,” according to Tim, and easy to fall in love with. Also, since the Nettuno engine is placed in the middle of the car, you have both a trunk and a frunk for added flexibility as you won’t be able to store anything inside the compact cabin.

No worries about scraping on road bumps or steep driveways, as the front suspension can lift the car two inches to avoid those obstacles. Although safety features like cruise control, lane keep assist, and semi-autonomous driving tech are unsurprisingly missing from the MC20, you won’t mind having this Italian heartthrob capture your full driving attention.

One thing noticeably missing from the flagship Maserati is a manual transmission. The exclusively rear-wheel drive MC20 is only offered as an automatic, without a dual-clutch option. However, in the near future, Maserati plans to produce an all-wheel drive, battery-electric platform for the model. And to accommodate convertible lovers, they recently announced an open-air spyder version of the MC20.

Tim’s MC20 is a purebred example of the best Maserati has to offer. This modern grand tourer sports MC20-exclusive Bianco Audace paint that’s a gorgeous mixture of pearlescent and matte for an iridescent shine. Moving around the car, you’ll notice a black interior with blue stitching and brake calipers to match. The 20-inch rims feature a birdcage design, and the rear diffuser takes up so much space it looks as if the car’s frame melts into the ground below. If you have been waiting to see if Maserati has earned its supercar status, you won’t want to miss out on Tim’s MC20 out in Los Angeles.

*Daily price is subject to change

Baron Wilton

Baron is a walking encyclopedia of car facts. His favorite sport is behind the wheel of his Jaguar F-Type, which he drives more in the canyons of SoCal than on the streets.

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