Turns out the MC20 lacks some drama and distinctiveness
by Tudor Rus, onThe MC20 was trumpeted as a sort of a comeback for Maserati, further proof that the Italian carmaker is alive and kicking and not just churning out special editions for its aging lineup.
At the same time, the MC20 is the first supercar to come out of Modena since 2004’s MC12, which was based on the Ferrari Enzo. Maserati also likes to brag that the MC20 is 100-percent Maserati, yet Frank Stephenson believes it lacks personality, a paramount trait for a super sports car that’s also of Italian ilk.
Compared to the MC12, the MC20 looks pretty mundane
While Mr. Stephenson acknowledges that the MC20 is a good-looking car, he also stresses the fact that it lacks a distinctive feature.
As an example, he talks about the MC12’s hood vent strakes, the long body, and the massive rear wing. He also picks on the MC20’s drag coefficient of 0.38, which is quite high for a supercar. For the sake of comparison, the Mk7 VW Golf has a Cd of 0.27, while the Mercedes-Benz B-Class cuts the air with a Cd of 0.26, just like the Audi A8.
Then, the former designer raves on about how the MC20 “lacks drama immensely” and how it flaunts a nice, yet generic design. In fact, the only feature that adds a tad of spice in Mr. Stephenson’s view has to do with the butterfly hinged doors aka dihedral doors.
At the same time, he points out that the car blends together two concepts: the organic design of the upper section and the technical lower section that looks “very Polestar-ish”.
The rant goes on for about 25 minutes at the end of which Frank Stephenson offers his verdict on the MC20. It’s all there in the video below. Do you agree with the analysis or is the MC20 more to your liking than the MC12?
| 0 to 62 mph | <2.9 seconds |
|---|---|
| 0 to 124 mph | <8.8 seconds |
| Top Speed | + 202 mph |
