Road Trip

La corniche d’Or en Maserati

From 3 to 16 June in Milan, the Audemars Piguet manufacture revealed a miniature version of its Royal Oak during one its design retrospectives. The amazing timepiece had already attracted plenty of attention. 

by Marjorie Modi

Maserati unveiled its 100% electric Grecale SUV last spring to mark the launch of its Folgore range. We spent some time in the Var test-driving its technological prowess on one of France’s oldest tourist routes.

A dozen Maseratis head off from the Côte d’Azur capital for a full-scale test day in the Esterel mountains. The Folgore fleet in full swing - Grecale, Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio. Comfort and futuristic design abound, with Econyl seats, a Sonus Faber immersive audio system, and a copper yarn 3D carbon fibre interior. We set off on a several-hundred-kilometre circuit, road-book in hand, to try the different drive modes. Comfort mode is ideal for city driving, and we are soon on the A8 motorway, accelerating from 0 to 100 kph in 4.1 seconds and hitting a top speed of 220 kph courtesy of its more than 500 bhp. From Théoule-sur-Mer, where the Corniche d’Or starts, to test the vehicle’s dynamic driving capabilities. A spectacular setting for this elegant and imposing Grecale Blu Intenso. This historic route, built in 1903 by the Touring Club de France, offers 20km of pure motoring pleasure as far as La Baie d’Agay. In GT mode, from the Pointe de l’Esquillon to Cap Dramont, acceleration is smooth and progressive and bends merge seamlessly. After a gourmet stop at Villa Mauresque, the return journey offers an opportunity to try the off-road mode in the Esterel massif. Switch to sport mode to discover all that Maserati power. This zero-emission SUV holds onto the Maserati DNA while incorporating impressive technological innovations. It’s a bold gamble for the Trident Company, which plans to offer exclusively battery-powered vehicles within the next four years.