2011 Maserati Gran Turismo S on 2040-cars

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Maserati Alfieri Concept draws from the brand's past, looks to its future

We may be just as (if not more) used to the idea of Maserati making four-door passenger cars as we are of Porsche or Aston Martin doing the same, but the Trident marque is no less routed in producing sports cars than its German and British rivals. The trouble is that, now seven years on the market, the GranTurismo is Maserati's only two-door model, and it's growing a little long in the tooth to serve as the brand's halo car. Especially when it starts looking back at its history on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. So to mark the milestone, and reconnect with its more sporting past, Maserati has rolled in to Geneva with the concept car you see here.
It's called the Alfieri, and we've been anticipating its unveiling since (if not long before) rumors surfaced last week of its impending arrival, followed by confirmation from the manufacturer and the leaked images we brought you mere hours ago. But now it's been unveiled in the metal.
The Alfieri's wheelbase is 9.5 shorter than the GranTurismo, but packs the same 4.7-liter naturally-aspirated V8.

Best car infotainment systems: From UConnect to MBUX, these are our favorites

Declaring one infotainment system the best over any other is an inherently subjective matter. You can look at quantitative testing for things like input response time and various screen load times, but ask a room full of people that have tried all car infotainment systems what their favorite is, and you’re likely to get a lot of different responses. For the most part, the various infotainment systems available all share a similar purpose. They aim to help the driver get where they're going with navigation, play their favorite tunes via all sorts of media playback options and allow folks to stay connected with others via phone connectivity. Of course, most go way beyond the basics these days and offer features like streaming services, in-car performance data and much more. Unique features are aplenty when you start diving through menus, but how they go about their most important tasks vary widely. Some of our editors prefer systems that are exclusively touch-based and chock full of boundary-pushing features. Others may prefer a back-to-basics non-touch system that is navigable via a scroll wheel. You can compare it to the phone operating system wars. Just like some prefer Android phones over iPhones, we all have our own opinions for what makes up the best infotainment interface. All that said, our combined experience tells us that a number of infotainment systems are at least better than the rest. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down to five total systems in their own subcategories that stand out to us. Read on below to see our picks, and feel free to make your own arguments in the comments. Best infotainment overall: UConnect 5, various Stellantis products Ram 1500 Uconnect Infotainment System Review If thereÂ’s one infotainment system that all of us agree is excellent, itÂ’s UConnect. It has numerous qualities that make it great, but above all else, UConnect is simple and straightforward to use. Ease of operation is one of the most (if not the single most) vital parts of any infotainment system interface. If youÂ’re expected to be able to tap away on a touchscreen while driving and still pay attention to the road, a complex infotainment system is going to remove your attention from the number one task at hand: driving. UConnect uses a simple interface that puts all of your key functions in a clearly-represented row on the bottom of the screen. Tap any of them, and it instantly pulls up that menu.

Maserati's electric Alfieri two-seater coming in 2020

Maserati recently said it would sell its first electric car by 2020, and now we know exactly what it will look like. The company told Just Auto that it would build an EV version of its Alfieri, a two-seat concept car that it first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014. The Alfieri (above), which will also be produced with a V6 engine, "is being designed as a competitor to the 911 but it will be a larger car," said European GM Peter Denton. "More the size of a Jaguar F-Type." The gasoline version will go on sale in 2019, Maserati says, well past its original 2016 launch date. It was originally supposed to be a V8, but the company decided to go with a smaller engine to meet environmental requirements. There are no details yet on the performance or price of the EV model, but we'd expect it to have outstanding performance (and hopefully decent endurance), given its Italian pedigree. Maserati's parent Fiat is a reluctant player in the EV industry. CEO Sergio Marchionne recently told Car Magazine that "I don't know how to make [Tesla's] economic model work," but added that there's nothing Elon Musk's company can do that Fiat or Maserati can't. However, the car is set to arrive in 2020 and things can change a lot. Who would have thought just three years ago that Tesla would get nearly 400,000 pre-orders for an EV, for instance, or that Volkswagen would switch from a diesel-heavy lineup to an electrified future? Related Video: This article by Steve Dent originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life. Featured Gallery Maserati Alfieri Concept at 2014 LA Auto Show View 21 Photos News Source: Just Auto Green Maserati Coupe Electric Luxury Performance maserati alfieri