Maserati MC20 VS Porsche 718
Maserati MC20
Likes
- Brilliant performance
- Clean, sporty looks
- Purity of design and purpose
Dislikes
- Lacks standard safety gear
- Luggage space precludes long road trips. One cupholder
- Scissor doors impede access for taller folk
Porsche 718
Likes
- Superb handing
- Style Edition leather upholstery
- Special colours
Dislikes
- AEB not standard
- Dated interior
- Not as easy to live with as some rivals
Summary
Maserati MC20
With Ferrari leaving the Fiat-Chrysler family and becoming an independent entity in 2016, Maserati was left without a technology partner.
Suddenly, the Trident brand had to go it alone and come up with its own engines for the first time in more than 20 years. The MC20 sports-car is the result of that rebirth.
While there’s no doubt the Maserati brand has the currency to pull this off, the MC20 is also a big step outside the company’s usual grand-tourer box.
The new coupe is aimed at McLaren, Porsche and even Ferrari buyers, so can the first true Maserati sports car since the MC12 of 2004 walk the walk? And let’s not forget that the MC12 was Ferrari Enzo-based…
No-compromise cars are often the ones that impose the most compromises, and in that sense, the MC20’s shattering on-paper performance means its greatest attributes can’t be enjoyed on a public road.
That’s why this review was conducted entirely on Philip Island’s 4.4km Grand Prix layout. As a result, we can’t tell you much about parking ease or highway fuel consumption. But as for the things that give a super-sports car its identity, read on.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 3.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 10.3L/100km |
| Seating | 2 seats |
Porsche 718
Porsche has taken its entry-grade 718 Cayman and created a special Style Edition which adds more features and some nice aesthetic touches to what is one of the best and relatively affordable, prestige sports cars on the planet.Â
What makes this car even more special is knowing Porsche will adopt an electric powertrain for the next Cayman. Yup, this is one of the final Caymans to have a combustion engine. Talk about a limited edition.
So what’s not to love? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out because although the 718 Cayman Style Edition is wonderful in so many ways, there are some sides to it you need to know about before diving into the ownership experience.
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Ready? Let’s go.Â
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 7L/100km |
| Seating | 2 seats |
Verdict
Maserati MC206.5/10
With a 320km/h-plus top speed and the ability to get from rest to 100km/h in under three seconds, there’s no doubting the MC20 meets or exceeds its performance brief. But when you’re paying these prices, there must be more than just the measurable stuff going on.
And there is. The MC20 brings a big dollop of purity to the ranks of current supercars, doing away with all-wheel drive and hybrid tech and relying instead on and old-school approach in terms of handling and overall feel.
Anybody who wants to argue that call has plenty of alternatives to the MC20 from other manufacturers, and for some of us, that less-is-more thing will ring true.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.
Porsche 7187.3/10
The 718 Cayman Style Edition only costs a bit more than the entry-grade Cayman it's based on, but opens up more special colours and contrasting features from the wheels to decals, even leather upholstery. The value is good, the look is enhanced and the car remains superb to drive on the right roads.
Living with a Cayman daily is ‘do-able’ but you’ll have to be understanding given it's not the most user-friendly car to drive, and then there’s the low-level safety tech.
But in return, you’ll own one of the best and relatively affordable prestige sports cars ever made and one of the last of the combustion-powered Porsche Caymans.
Design
Maserati MC208/10
Perhaps the most striking thing about the MC20’s design is that it’s so restrained. You won’t find wings, vents, fins and diffusers all over the car, but rather an overall shape that creates downforce, rather than that job falling to tacked on additions.
And, like any modern supercar worth its salt, the MC20 is based around a carbon-fibre tub for rigidity and low weight. From that tub structure are hung aluminium front and rear subframes which, in turn, mount the suspension and other mechanical bits.
The wind tunnel still got a huge workout in the car’s development, of course, but the aim was to integrate the downforce-inducing elements rather than having them demanding your optical attention.
As a result, the whole car is an upside-down wing, if you want to simplify it. But a very pretty upside-down wing.
This gives the MC20 a smooth, sleek look that stands it apart from the rent-a-racer crowd and supports the theory that sometimes, less is, indeed, more.
Some of the detailing is lovely, too. The vents cut into the Perspex rear windscreen form Maserati’s trademark trident shape, there’s lots of visible carbon-fibre inside the door jambs, there’s lashings of Alcantara inside and the two-tone body kit breaks up the shape perfectly.
Elements we’re not so sure about include the 'Park' button mounted way down low under the dashboard, and the swing-up, scissor-type doors, which, if your more than about 180cm tall, still require you to duck under them.
On the upside, the carbon-and-leather steering wheel with its integrated controls is gorgeous to hold and gaze at.
Porsche 7188/10
The 718 Cayman is often labelled as the 'junior 911' but that downplays its status as an outstanding sports car in its own right.
It’s not a smaller version of the 911, at all, but it is smaller than a 911. Not by much, though. The Cayman is 140mm shorter in length than the 911 at 4379mm end-to-end. Interestingly, the Cayman has a longer wheelbase at 2475mm and is taller at 1295mm.
The 718 Cayman is beginning to date in its design with this generation of the sports car arriving eight years ago. From the outside it’s holding up well in terms of styling , but inside it feels very 2016 with the small media screen and analogue dials.
It gives me a weird nostalgic feeling I normally only get driving older cars, but in a current model. Which could be why Porsche is jazzing the Cayman up with this Style Edition.
The Style Edition enhances the look of the entry-grade Cayman with 20-inch 718 'Spyder' wheels in a high gloss black or white finish, and there’s a choice of six special colours ranging from the Crayon hue our car wore to 'Ruby Star Neo', 'Shark Blue', 'Carmine Red' and 'Arctic Grey'.
The Style Edition also adds black sport tailpipes, full-colour Porsche crests on the wheel hub covers, a black leather interior with contrasting Crayon stitching, Porsche crest embossed headrests, illuminated door sills and floor mats with Crayon contrast stitching. Â
Buyers can also choose a 'Contrast Package' in black or white which adds Porsche lettering to the side of the car and a strip to the bonnet.
Practicality
Maserati MC202/10
Although the MC20 has a front and rear luggage compartment, they’re both small enough to be pretty much useless. This is a shame, because as a long-weekend getaway car, the Maserati otherwise makes a strong case for itself.
The other area that suffers for the car’s art is the interior practicality. While the driving position is great and the pedals and wheel relationship is spot on, when it comes to storing anything, you’re on your own. Best the MC20 can offer is a single cupholder at the rear of the central tunnel.
The mid-engined layout also means there’s precious little vision through the back window. To counter that, Maserati has fitted the MC20 with an interior rear-view mirror that can act as a conventional mirror (you can still see only the engine) or as a screen for the rear-mounted camera.
The catch is the image projected to the 'mirror' lacks depth of field and forces the driver to refocus on the image rather than simply glance at it.
Porsche 7187/10
The 718 Cayman doesn’t have back seats - it's a two-seater sports car. Cabin storage is almost non-existent but is saved by a glove box and pull-out door pockets which are bigger than they look.
Surprisingly, there are three cupholders - two which pop out of the dashboard above the glove box and another in the small centre console bin.
Cargo space isn’t bad for a two-seater sports car with 184-litre rear boot and a front boot with a 150-litre capacity. That’s roughly one nine-year old child as you can see from the photos. My son wanted to sit in there, which I agreed to, but I said no when he asked me to shut the bonnet.
Price and features
Maserati MC205/10
Maserati has followed the lead of many a high-end carmaker by using the options list to ramp up the profitability of the MC20. Of course, that’s after the MSRP of $438,000 has been dealt with by your accountant.
The point is that you kind of need to suspend disbelief when it comes to supercars and their value-for-money credentials. By any sane, conventional measure, they’re seriously over-priced, but within its peer group, the Maserati is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive way to go this fast.
But back to those options: Again, it’s all a case of throwing away what you think you know, because there are several options for the Maserati that cost more than a good, brand-new hatchback.
The carbon-fibre engine cover alone will cost you a staggering $13,164, and according to Maserati management, it’s a popular option.
Then, there are the carbon-fibre brakes which not only cost $28,961, but if you want the yellow-painted calipers, that’ll be another $2962.
The hydraulic front-lifter which allows you to deal with driveways and speed humps is a monstrous $8721, but at least there’s some engineering in that. Unlike the black-roof option which is, er, a black roof at $10,202. And the external carbon-fibre kit? A cool $92,806!
Porsche 7188/10
The 718 Cayman Style Edition lists for $136,700 and this is for the manual version, the auto is $5340 more. All up Porsche is asking $4200 more than the entry-grade Cayman it’s based on. In return you’re getting some nice features you won't find on the standard model.Â
There's the chunky black exhaust tips, the full-coloured crests on the wheel caps and inside is the black leather interior package with embossed headrests, illuminated door sills, and floor mats with 'Crayon'-coloured stitching.
Buyers can also specify one of two Style Edition contrast packages - one in Black and one in White -Â at no extra cost. Ours had the Black package specified and added the Porsche decals to the side of the car, the stripe on the bonnet and the gloss black 20-inch wheels.
The colour of our car was Crayon which comes as part of the bespoke colour offerings with the Style Edition.
Along with these Style Edition features there are the standard features of the entry-grade Cayman, including LED headlights, proximity unlocking, power adjustable sports seats, media display with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and dual-zone climate control.
If you’ve been driving new cars lately you might be a bit disappointed by the Cayman’s small media display (it’s a 7.0-inch screen which is tiny by today’s standards) there’s also no Android Auto available (just Apple CarPlay) and safety tech is relatively light-on, too. You can read about this further down.   Â
It should be pointed out here that our car was fitted with a dual-clutch automatic transmission and the optional adaptive cruise control ($2320).
Under the bonnet
Maserati MC209/10
Previous generations of Maseratis borrowed Ferrari (both brands were once part of the extended Fiat Chrysler family) technology for their drivelines in a deal that allowed both brands to share the cost of development.
And since having a Ferrari-built engine in your car was never seen as a sale hindrance, it was a sweet deal for Maserati. But when Ferrari was spun off and became a publicly-owned company in 2016, Maserati’s supply of engines dried up.
The solution was to take engine design in-house and the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 in the MC20 is one of the first fruits of that.
While it’s undoubtedly a high-tech powerplant, in other respects it’s fairly conventional. Maserati, for instance, has a long history with the V6 layout, and there’s no hybrid element to the driveline. Nor is there a hybrid option.
Maserati claims the V6 is the world’s most powerful six-cylinder production-car engine and, with no less than 463kW at 7500rpm and 730Nm between 3000 and 5500rpm, that’s a credible statement.
Technical details that you won’t see on most road cars include a dry-sump lubrication system (where the engine oil lives in a remote tank rather than the hot sump of the engine itself) and a sophisticated fuel injection system with two injectors per cylinder.
The real trick, however, is an ignition system with two spark plugs per cylinder. There are also effectively two combustion chambers, the first ensuring multiple flame fronts to achieve a more complete burn of the fuel in the main combustion chamber.
The rest of the driveline is similarly aimed at the purists out there; the transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch, driving not all four wheels, but only the rears through a mechanical limited-slip differential.
Selectable drive modes from GT (the default setting) through to 'Wet', 'Sport', 'Corsa' (Track) and 'ESC Off' tailor the shift points, throttle sensitivity and suspension behaviour, but still allow for full engine power.
Porsche 7188/10
So, under the bonnet of a Cayman is the front boot, but if it’s the engine you’re after you’ll need to go through the rear hatch because this is a mid-engined car.
Getting to the engine means removing several fixtures and covers which begins to feel like you’re dissembling the vehicle and comes with a rising anxiety that it all won’t go back together.
But it all clicks back in. It’s just a slow and tedious process. Fortunately, oil and water can be added by removing the circular covers you can see in the images.Â
Under the layers of covers, deep down just in front of the rear axle, is the Cayman’s 2.0-litre ‘flat’ four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which makes 220kW and 380Nm. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sends drive to the rear wheels.Â
It’s not a huge amount of power but the Cayman only weighs 1365kg and so can get from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. Not brutally quick but the way this car handles is what you’ll like. Â
Oh, and just to be clear, the Style Edition doesn’t bring any extra power or engine changes. The outputs and performance are the same as the entry-grade Cayman.
Efficiency
Maserati MC207/10
Fuel economy is probably not going to be top of mind for most MC20 buyers, but the official combined figure of 11.6 litres per 100km is still pretty greedy by 2022 standards.
Balanced against the available performance, however, and an engine making more than 600 old-fashioned horsepower with that combined fuel-economy number is still cause to reflect on modern technology and efficiency.
The MC20 has a 60-litre fuel tank, making it a handy cross-country car for weekends away.
Porsche 7187/10
Porsche says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Cayman’s fuel consumption should be 7.0L/100km. My 143km fuel test, taking in country roads and school runs, used 21.8L of petrol and equates to 15.2L/100km. Which means I had about twice as much fun as Porsche did when it recorded its fuel consumption.
The 64-litre tanks means in theory you should be able to travel 914km between fills if you’re conservative with fuel.
Driving
Maserati MC209/10
Here’s where your half-a-million bucks has gone.
The MC20’s acceleration is absolutely shattering and is all the more amazing for the fact the car uses neither all-wheel drive grip nor hybrid torque to achieve its sprinting abilities.
While the V6 is not the most sonorous of powerplants, it does manage to sound high-end and pretty sophisticated and it’s never as shouty as some of its opposition which seem to confuse decibels with kiloWatts.
While the sheer thrust confirms the existence of two turbochargers, the lack of lag (or throttle delay) and the ability to charge into the rev limiter in the lower gears does not.
Even though power peaks at 6500rpm (as with many a modern turbo motor) the MC20 will happily smash on to the redline at 8000rpm; sometimes too happily if you don’t have your finger over the upshift paddle. As with other good modern turbocharged units, this one doesn’t actually feel overtly turbocharged.
See more on the MC20
The transmission shifts relatively smoothly in GT mode, but as you crank up the mode selector to Sport, the shifts become very fast with an accompanying jolt through the backrest as each gear clicks home. The shifting process is fairly foolproof, although you do get full over-ride, so you need to pay attention.
Both the cars we were able to sample at Philip Island were sporting the optional carbon-ceramic braking package, and one was also fitted with the optional 'birdcage' alloy wheels which are lighter.
Each of them needed a firm shove on the pedal to slow things down, but it’s true the lighter wheels seem to be worth their almost-$3000 ask as that car required less leg-pressure for the same result.
The lack of a hybrid element to the driveline, as well as the rear-drive layout, suggests a degree of purity of purpose in the car’s design. And that’s backed up by its behaviour in the first corner.
Fundamentally, instead of just hurling it at an apex and allowing the electronics to sort it all out for you, the Maserati requires a more 'classical' technique if it’s to really shine.
It doesn’t, for instance, reward trail-braking (where you continue to brake once you’ve turned into a corner) and would much prefer you get your braking over and done with before applying any meaningful steering lock.
Ignore this, and the rear weight bias of the mid-engined layout can see the car try to yaw, with the rear end becoming light and the vehicle over-rotating (which is a spin, to you and I).
Similarly, getting on the power before you’ve actually got the MC20 turned, can unload the front end and send the front wheels ploughing (ploughing is an exaggeration, but at the speeds we’re dealing with here, even a small degree is a big deal) towards the outside of the turn.
Ultimately, then, the technique becomes a text-book case of brake, turn and then power out, at which point the MC20 reveals itself to be huge fun and incredibly fast. The only thing to deal with then is the knowledge that whatever happens next is going to happen extremely quickly.
Porsche 7189/10
The 718 Cayman Style Edition doesn’t come with any performance advantages over the already brilliant entry-grade Cayman it’s based on. And it is brilliant to drive. Several big steps above Audi’s TT, Nissan's Z or Toyota and BMW’s Supra/Z4 'twins under the skin' in terms of handling, steering and engagement.Â
That said, the Cayman isn’t as easy to drive as any of those cars. The steering is heavy, the accelerator is stiff, the dual-clutch auto transmission feels a bit rough and the turbo lags, then sends in the mumbo a bit too fast and too late. Oh, and and the seats are a tad tight.
But I can overlook all of this because on good winding country roads the Cayman feels like a water drop running down a wall, moving naturally and harmoniously around whatever it encounters.
The day-to-day school runs and grocery getting isn’t quite as poetic, and a Cayman proves challenging in the real world over potholes and in supermarket car parks. You’d have to love the Cayman for better or worse, as many do, to live with it daily. If you can't, there's the Audi TT.
Safety
Maserati MC207/10
Neither ANCAP nor Euro NCAP have tested the MC20 for crash safety, so we can’t give it a star rating.
But the lack of standard safety gear such as rear-cross traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring (it’s optional at $2797) can’t go unmentioned. That’s especially concerning when you consider the mid-engined layout makes for very poor rear visibility.
Porsche 7185/10
The almost complete lack of standard advanced safety technology on board the Porsche Cayman might be a deal-breaker for you. There’s no AEB (forward or reverse), no cross-traffic alert and no lane keeping assistance. But there is blind-spot warning, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Adaptive cruise control is a $2320 option.
The 718 Cayman hasn’t been crash tested and therefore doesn’t have an ANCAP rating, but you’ll be pleased to know there are four airbags covering the driver and passenger.
Ownership
Maserati MC205/10
High-end cars often disappoint on the details, and the Maserati is no different here, offering just a three-year factory warranty (albeit with unlimited kilometres).
That trails even the most humble commuter cars these days, and suggests there’s still a degree of indifference from some carmakers. And, possibly, their customers.
There is, however, the option of fixed-price servicing for the MC20 with the first three years’ worth of servicing costing $4000.
Scheduled services are every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
Porsche 7186/10
The Cayman Style Edition is covered by a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and servicing is needed every 12 months or 20,000km.
With Porsche, final service costs are determined at the dealer level (in line with variable labour rates by state/territory).
We'd like to see the warranty coverage increased to five years/unlimited kilometres which will bring it in line with more mainstream brands.