AlpineAlex
Member
- Messages
- 191
Last week I drove the very last Granturismo in that it was a 2018 MC. So it had the ZF 6 Speed Auto, Skyhook etc.
Then today, I finally got the opportunity to drive an MC Stradale from 2015.
From the moment I decided an MC Stradale was my next likely purchase, I've been searching the forums to find a comparison between the two.
Firstly, the fit and finish of the interior was very impressive. The driving position was perfect, the seats comfortable and everything generally felt well put together. In comparison, I felt the opposite about Astons I have been in from the same era, they seemed creaky and fragile.
Exterior they were the same, however I do feel that the MC Stradale sits nicer, the regular Skyhook suspension makes the car much higher at the rear for some reason and therefore doesn't look as "sure of itself" as the Stradale.
The regular GT was quite literally that, a GT, it was quite soft, there wasn't too much feel, it made an incredible noise but you could tell the car really just wanted to cruise. I was impressed with the handling when put in to Sport mode, but it didn't feel like a car where you were supposed to be throwing it in to corners even though it actually handled them quite well.
For me personally, I have a daily Lexus that I just bat around in, so I don't need a soft comfortable car, but if I wanted a nice daily cruiser that looked and sounded epic then I would recommend the Maserati over most other options. I'd say until you get to a budget up to about £60k, then I would recommend people looking at the Lexus LC500 because that's got the same Maserati values but trumps it with the newer technology and design.
The MC Stradale was exactly what I wanted it to be, it was a car which kept reminding you it was there, when you were driving it it didn't let you forget about it. If the GT was a big Great Dane which didn't disturb you much and just lay around chilling and keeping you company, yet still impressive and a joy to be around, the MC Stradale was a German Shepherd, filled with energy and constantly wanting to play and get attention, but you had a feeling that too much of it would wear you out.
Immediately driving away in the MC Stradale I noticed the suspension was much stiffer, I had watched and read reviews and they said that it was a very compliant suspension given the nature of it, but I still found it to be crashy at times. But when it came to handling roundabouts and corners, immediately I felt the positives. It turned in much quicker and gripped better, each corner and junction was more of an event in this car, especially in race mode when you had to do the shifting yourself, where as in the regular version shifting yourself kind of felt a bit silly as it could do it itself just fine and without you noticing, a bit like when you give a toddler a video game controller that isn't plugged in just so you can make them think they're playing.
The Stradale just constantly wanted to go, it wasn't comfortable not accelerating, it just wanted you to make your way through the revs constantly.
My biggest worry was whether I would like the gearbox as I have driven an F430 and hated how lurchy it was. At the beginning of the drive I immediately felt that lurchiness and hated it. I went in to manual mode and it was still lurching on the upshift, but after I let off the accelerator it would be a smooth shift. This was a relief and to be honest I kind of liked it. I remember a Top Gear episode where Clarkson said that there's something that connects you to a car where it's a car that only you know how to get the best out of it, and that was the rewarding feeling I was getting after performing every upshift smoothly.
My GF didn't like the gearbox, in fact her conclusion was that she preferred the regular GT, but thankfully she has her own cars and doesn't have much influence over my purchasing. She drives the Alpine A110 so she likes her small nimble cars. I also think that once I've gotten used to the gearbox I'll be able to drive it smoother.
One thing I didn't expect is the bad condition of most Stradale's. I've looked at a couple now and I haven't found one that I feel has been well looked after. But it's not a car that a non-car enthusiast should buy as it's a terrible car for just driving in auto mode and pootling around town or cruising on the motorway, so why are people buying them who aren't going to look after them, get them serviced and dealers/specialists and maintain them. The interiors on some of them have been horrendous with bits of trim missing, scratches everywhere and holes in the leather.
I'm going to hold out for the best one I can find and afford, thankfully I'm in no rush as it may take some time.
Then today, I finally got the opportunity to drive an MC Stradale from 2015.
From the moment I decided an MC Stradale was my next likely purchase, I've been searching the forums to find a comparison between the two.
Firstly, the fit and finish of the interior was very impressive. The driving position was perfect, the seats comfortable and everything generally felt well put together. In comparison, I felt the opposite about Astons I have been in from the same era, they seemed creaky and fragile.
Exterior they were the same, however I do feel that the MC Stradale sits nicer, the regular Skyhook suspension makes the car much higher at the rear for some reason and therefore doesn't look as "sure of itself" as the Stradale.
The regular GT was quite literally that, a GT, it was quite soft, there wasn't too much feel, it made an incredible noise but you could tell the car really just wanted to cruise. I was impressed with the handling when put in to Sport mode, but it didn't feel like a car where you were supposed to be throwing it in to corners even though it actually handled them quite well.
For me personally, I have a daily Lexus that I just bat around in, so I don't need a soft comfortable car, but if I wanted a nice daily cruiser that looked and sounded epic then I would recommend the Maserati over most other options. I'd say until you get to a budget up to about £60k, then I would recommend people looking at the Lexus LC500 because that's got the same Maserati values but trumps it with the newer technology and design.
The MC Stradale was exactly what I wanted it to be, it was a car which kept reminding you it was there, when you were driving it it didn't let you forget about it. If the GT was a big Great Dane which didn't disturb you much and just lay around chilling and keeping you company, yet still impressive and a joy to be around, the MC Stradale was a German Shepherd, filled with energy and constantly wanting to play and get attention, but you had a feeling that too much of it would wear you out.
Immediately driving away in the MC Stradale I noticed the suspension was much stiffer, I had watched and read reviews and they said that it was a very compliant suspension given the nature of it, but I still found it to be crashy at times. But when it came to handling roundabouts and corners, immediately I felt the positives. It turned in much quicker and gripped better, each corner and junction was more of an event in this car, especially in race mode when you had to do the shifting yourself, where as in the regular version shifting yourself kind of felt a bit silly as it could do it itself just fine and without you noticing, a bit like when you give a toddler a video game controller that isn't plugged in just so you can make them think they're playing.
The Stradale just constantly wanted to go, it wasn't comfortable not accelerating, it just wanted you to make your way through the revs constantly.
My biggest worry was whether I would like the gearbox as I have driven an F430 and hated how lurchy it was. At the beginning of the drive I immediately felt that lurchiness and hated it. I went in to manual mode and it was still lurching on the upshift, but after I let off the accelerator it would be a smooth shift. This was a relief and to be honest I kind of liked it. I remember a Top Gear episode where Clarkson said that there's something that connects you to a car where it's a car that only you know how to get the best out of it, and that was the rewarding feeling I was getting after performing every upshift smoothly.
My GF didn't like the gearbox, in fact her conclusion was that she preferred the regular GT, but thankfully she has her own cars and doesn't have much influence over my purchasing. She drives the Alpine A110 so she likes her small nimble cars. I also think that once I've gotten used to the gearbox I'll be able to drive it smoother.
One thing I didn't expect is the bad condition of most Stradale's. I've looked at a couple now and I haven't found one that I feel has been well looked after. But it's not a car that a non-car enthusiast should buy as it's a terrible car for just driving in auto mode and pootling around town or cruising on the motorway, so why are people buying them who aren't going to look after them, get them serviced and dealers/specialists and maintain them. The interiors on some of them have been horrendous with bits of trim missing, scratches everywhere and holes in the leather.
I'm going to hold out for the best one I can find and afford, thankfully I'm in no rush as it may take some time.
