We head to France to see if the all-new Aston Martin V8 Vantage N400 and Maserati GranTurismo can beat Jaguar’s XKR to be crowned the ultimate grand tourer



Grand tourers bring back memories of a time when gentlemen drove in flat caps, silk scarves and string-backed gloves. And their cars had running boards and luggage tied to the back.
Yet the focus of these machines hasn’t moved on much over the years. A grand tourer is still a comfortable, stylish sports coupé designed to cross continents with pace and grace. So, what could be better than a European jaunt to find out if the Aston Martin Vantage N400 or Maserati GranTurismo can steal the Jaguar XKR’s class crown?
We headed to the Reims-Gueux Grand Prix circuit in France – a venue with which all three manufacturers are closely connected. Astons competed here in the pre-war period, the great Juan Manuel Fangio drove his last-ever race at Reims in a Maserati 250F and Jaguar D-Types took a one-two in the 1954 12-hour endurance race. A plaque commemorates the big cat’s achievement, which saw the Jags gain revenge over the Ferraris that had beaten them at Le Mans a month earlier.
Each of our test cars has a front-mounted V8, and sends around 400bhp to the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox. But there are big differences, too. The Aston is a strict two-seater, while nearly £27,000 separates the N400 from the XKR. These cars have been designed for high-speed cruising, but we gave them a work-out on B-roads and in town, too, to find Britain’s best grand tourer.

Jaguar XKR

Flagship Brit is one of our class favourites, and a strong challenger



Last year, Jaguar sold just over 60,000 cars worldwide. That doesn’t sound like much; by comparison, Peugeot shifted as many 207s in the UK alone. But in terms of this test, the big cat is common as muck. Only 7,020 Aston Martins found homes in 2007, and 7,053 Maseratis were sold.
What’s more, the cheapest Aston costs £82,800, while the GranTurismo is the most affordable Maserati. Yet you can have a Jaguar on your driveway from just £21,500, while the XKR tested here is the company’s flagship model.
The coupé hardly looks downmarket. We prefer the styling of the standard XK to that of the range-topper, which is distinguished by a plastic chicken wire grille and stick-on rear spoiler. But it’s still an attractive shape. Turning to more practical considerations, the Jag’s boot has the same 300-litre capacity as the Aston’s, yet we found we could pack much more luggage into the XK. The trouble is, this leaves only 475mm of rear legroom – completely inadequate for adult passengers.
Still, the two occupants up front are very well catered for. The seats are sumptuous, cosseting and supportive, and equipment is more generous than in either rival. A keyless system is included, while buyers get the option of adaptive cruise control. On top of that, the layout is fuss-free and simple to use, with many functions taken care of by the touch-sensitive central screen.
Yet while the cockpit comes across as hi-tech, it looks and feels cheaper than those in rivals. The materials are more plasticky and the finish isn’t as elegant – it doesn’t have the hand-made quality of the Aston or Maserati.
The supercharged V8 doesn’t sound as good as the naturally aspirated units in the other models. Inside, the engine note is simply too muted. Yet while the N400 and GranTurismo need 5,000rpm showing on the rev counter before you can extract their true performance, the Jaguar is doing its best work 2,000rpm sooner. The supercharger provides effortless and instantaneous delivery, and gives the XKR the most usable real-world pace.
It’s not so good at slowing down, though. At the test track, we brought the car to a halt from 60mph in 34 metres – on a par with its rivals in this test. The problem is, the brakes aren’t especially resistant to fade, so the middle pedal becomes less responsive after a few miles of enthusiastic driving on twisting tarmac.
Yet these are the kind of roads the gearbox loves. The engine’s 560Nm torque output means fewer shifts are needed, but the transmission obeys your orders and reacts faster than the set-up in the Maserati. Pull the steering wheel paddle and it changes then, rather than when the engine management system decides.
In fact, the slick, well mannered six-speed automatic does a good job of summing up the driving experience. The XKR excels at taking the sting out of long journeys. Miles slip past as the adaptive dampers help the supple Jag glide along, with the engine pulling only 2,000rpm at 70mph.
At the same time, this car knows how to have fun. Although it’s more dignified and less challenging than the Aston, it slices through corners, and the meaty steering is great to use.
A price of more than £70,000 is certainly steep, but when put in context here it looks good value given the XKR’s formidable talents.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/215199/jaguar_xkr.html

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N400

Ultimate Vantage scores on exclusivity. But is it the best package?



Experience counts in this market, and Aston Martin, which was founded back in 1915, has had longer to get things right than either Maserati (established in 1926) or Jaguar (1935). As with its rivals, the British marque has encountered more than its fair share of ups and downs, including being sold by Ford last year. But it’s now on a firm footing, and shifted more than 7,000 models in 2007.
That figure looks set to be beaten over the next 11 months, although only 240 examples of the N400 coupé will be on the balance sheet. It made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last autumn, and features a manual transmission or the £3,000 automated Sportshift set-up fitted to this car. Our model is finished in gorgeous Karussel Orange – but the N400 is far more than just a glitzy paintjob.
There’s extra power, a sport pack to improve the handling and a range of cosmetic upgrades – including numbered sill plaques and a stitched map of the Nürburgring circuit on the centre cubby lid. But it adds £11,200 to the price of a standard Vantage, and is only 20bhp more potent.
Aston justifies the hike by pointing to the raft of options included. Sat-nav, a premium sound system, xenon headlamps and Bluetooth are all fitted.
Plus, the styling has lost none of its power to stop people in their tracks. In France, the Aston was mobbed – the other two cars barely registered. This could be due to the colour, although for us the perfectly sculpted Aston is the most attractive choice. It helps that it’s so pert and compact; the N400 is the lowest of our trio by nearly 100mm and more than 500mm shorter than the Maserati.
Of course, interior space suffers – the Vantage is a strict two-seater. Then again, the hatchback rear end ensures it’s almost as practical as the Jaguar. And not even Coventry’s finest can match the feelgood factor of the Aston’s cabin. Simply opening the door is an experience to savour – it swings out and up on gas struts, and reveals expensive materials, gorgeous lighting and an excellent seating position. Yes, there are some Ford and Volvo parts on display, but they don’t detract from the air of sophistication.
The figure-hugging seats remind you the N400 isn’t just designed to cruise in comfort. It also has a naturally aspirated 400bhp V8. The modified engine management system helps provide more top-end shove, although best of all is the noise it makes – the 4.3-litre sounds like a thunderclap.
Add in quick shifts and short gearing (it pulls 400rpm more at 70mph), and the Aston feels by far the fastest car, even if there were only a few tenths of a second separating our trio at the test track.
Its brakes are easily the best. While the pedal is a bit soft, there’s none of the other models’ fade, and the N400 stopped from 60mph in 31.8 metres – two metres ahead of its rivals.
In the past, we’ve criticised the way Astons’ unsettled rear axles upset the handling through bumpy corners. The cars are gradually improving, and the N400 is the best yet. Boasting uprated dampers, a fatter rear anti-roll bar and stiffer springs, it corners superbly and generally feels far more together on uneven roads. The steering is the finest here, the controls all work in harmony and the suspension is firm but supple.
Major surface imperfections are still felt in the cabin, even with the dampers in comfort mode, although the Vantage was otherwise taut and controlled. But no matter how well rounded the N400 is, its £97,000 price tag is very expensive.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/215193/aston_martin_v8_vantage_n400.html

Maserati GranTurismo

Surprisingly practical two-door marks return to form for Italian brand



Those whose memories of Maseratis are dominated by the boxy, inelegant cars of the Eighties should take this opportunity to reacquaint themselves with one of the most glamorous and evocative automotive brands of all-time.
Let’s not pull any punches here: even in dark grey (the firm calls it Grigio Granito), the GranTurismo is more stylish than any German model – a Porsche included. In fact, we’d argue that neither the Aston Martin nor the Jaguar can match the exuberance of the Maserati. The car has flair, and a real sense of drama and passion.
It doesn’t offer the clean and simple lines of the N400 and XKR – you could say that the GranTurismo is a touch fussy. But the detailing is great. The concave grille, the portholes behind the front wheels, those athletic front haunches you can see from the driver’s seat... it all blends perfectly with the car’s sweeps and curves.
The Maserati wears its Pininfarina badge with pride – and what the styling house deserves most credit for is the way it’s disguised the sheer size of this two-door. It’s huge, with a wheelbase that’s nearly 200mm longer than the Jag’s.
Surprisingly, it has the smallest boot – a 260-litre load bay that lacks the versatility of its hatchback rivals. But the GranTurismo has a trump card up its sleeve. The long gap between the axles means there’s room for a set of rear seats, and they’re quite spacious, with 660mm of legroom – on a par with a family hatch.
Just because the Maserati is big inside doesn’t mean it’s bland. As with the Aston, when you first slide behind the steering wheel you’ll probably take a minute just to enjoy the ambience. The rich, tactile materials, shapely steering wheel and chrome-ringed buttons look superb.
It’s a vast step on from the firm’s Coupé in terms of ergonomics and comfort, too – although that’s not to say it’s flawless. You have to reach a long way back for the seatbelt, the sat-nav is lifted out of a Peugeot (and isn’t very intuitive to use) and there’s no cancel button on the cruise control.
Still, who wants to take it easy when under the bonnet is a 4.2-litre V8 with the ability to rev to 7,500rpm? It’s a cracker – eager, hungry for revs and tuneful. As with the Aston, there’s always a bit of background engine and exhaust noise.
Given the Maserati’s 1,880kg kerbweight and long gearing, we didn’t expect it to be so fast. Yet it beat the supercharged Jaguar in the sprint from 0-100mph, with a time of 11.9 seconds. Use the V8 hard and it’s magic. But on a daily basis, it can be frustrating. There isn’t enough mid-range pull (50-70mph took nearly twice as long as in the N400, at 14.3 seconds), and the automatic gearbox does its best to ruin things.

The problem is it doesn’t give you full control, even in manual mode. There’s no noticeable step in the throttle travel; the transmission drops down gears by itself, which is rather unnerving. That’s a shame, because the GranTurismo is a capable driver’s car. While it’s not as polished as the XKR, we think its flaws add character. There is a little more wind and road noise, the Skyhook adaptive dampers feel fidgety compared to the Jag’s CATS system, and the Maserati loses its composure sooner on bumpy roads.
Yet once you’ve got used to the sharp, light steering and alert chassis, this car is fun, with lots of feedback. What lets it down is the fact it’s pricier than the Jag, but can’t match its standard kit tally.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/215196/maserati_granturismo.html