Test drive Maserati Levante／／president／／GT S on the track

　　[Original test drive] It is not easy to get a person who doesn’t want to get up at work at six o’clock on Sunday morning, which requires enough temptation. The temptation came from a test drive at the Shanghai Circuit, so I arrived at the scene half an hour earlier than expected. In fact, I was a little regretful at that time, and I should have slept more. After all, getting up late ruins the morning and getting up early ruins the day.

　　For the Shanghai Circuit, although I have run here several times, the only thing that is most closely related to sports is Caterham’s experience, and the car ran out of oil only 180km/h on the last straight. Therefore, the Maserati family, which can have more than 350 horsepower, will inevitably have a better speed experience.

　　To be brief, there is no special and simple safety explanation at the beginning, and the driver’s level is high or low, so it is necessary to instill more safety awareness. The track was simplified and the longest straight was abandoned. It is understandable that theoretically, at the end of the big straight, the speed should be above 200km/h, so safety comes first.

　　In terms of vehicles, there are three models this time, Maserati S, the only one, with a maximum of 460 horsepower of 4.7L V8; Maserati, the only car, the 3.0T engine of the 2017 model has a maximum output of 350 horsepower; Finally, the S, Maserati’s first model, is also a 3.0T engine, but the maximum power is 430 HP.

● Grant Turismo’s as the opening and ending.

　　The warm-up lap started with Grant Turismo’s. Based on the principle of being familiar with the track, these two laps were very dull, but they were pulled back to the pit when they thought they could be faster in the next lap. At first, I thought I might never drive again today, but I finally got my wish, so I will talk about the driving experience of this car later.

　　The next person waiting for me is the president. Quattroporte, two words from Italy, is literally translated into four words, and the president’s translation is absolutely faithful and elegant. The president series was born in 1963 and has a history of several decades. A cart that is more than 5 meters long, but it is not the kind of transportation suitable for riding. Driving is its demand. This kind of thing may be what sports car brands can do. Other examples are, of course, the president has higher attainments in face value.

　　The model appeared this time is a standard version of the president, and there are also S version, four-wheel drive version and GTS version on it, which will greatly improve the performance, but in fact this 350 horsepower is enough. You can already feel the power a short distance from the maintenance area to the Red River Bay, but in the performance of the Red River Bay and the next No.2 and No.3 bends, you will feel that its volume is not as large as that written in the data sheet, the lateral support of the car body is very solid, and you can’t feel the roll, and the continuous steering body is also very compact. The kind of procrastination that the cart will have will not appear on the president.

　　The 8th gear can’t be felt in the fierce driving, and the upshift and downshift are completed quickly and quietly. According to official data, the shifting speed of this gearbox in sport mode is less than 100ms. The foot feel of braking is moderate, so you won’t feel the top foot when you step on it hard, and the output of braking force is easy to grasp.