Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

In gear

Text Lisa Curtiss

Desert driving in Dakar, new cars from Volvo and Alfa Romeo, plus test driving the Maserati GrandTurismo S

Death Free Dakar?

The world’s toughest rally takes place this month

The world’s toughest rally, the death-defying Dakar takes place this month with teams from around Europe tackling a 9,000km route through some of the most awesome scenery and extreme terrain Argentina and Chile have to offer. Last year’s champion VW hopes to hold the 372 teams entered at bay and successfully defend its title with its five Volkswagen Race Touaregs. The organisers are hoping for a casualty free event following the loss in 2009 of 49-year-old French motorcyclist entrant Pascal Terry after he disappeared off the course for three days.

Up! Lite Concept Unveiled

The first look at Volkswagen’s greenest and most ecofriendly car to date

Fresh from its COTY success, VW unveiled its new Up! Lite concept, a vehicle the company says sets new standards in economy and efficiency. Weighing in at a slimline 695km, its hybrid engine emits just 65g/km of Co2, yet can carry four adults.

Car of the Year 2010

Volkswagen’s Polo takes pole position

An international jury of 59 members from 23 European countries has chosen the new Polo as Car of the Year 2010. The Polo narrowly beat Toyota’s iQ new city car by just ten points, well ahead of the next-best runner, the Opel/Vauxhall Astra with 221 points, Skoda Yeti (158), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (155), the Peugeot 3008 (144) and the Citroen C3 Picasso (113).

New Volvo S60

A sneak preview of Volvo’s latest baby saloon

The first pictures have just been released of Volvo’s new S60, ahead of its European public debut at the motor show in Geneva in March. Said to be sportier and more dynamic than its predecessors, the S60 will feature state-of-the-art equipment including a safety system which brakes the car automatically if its sensors detect a pedestrian within collision distance ahead.

Gorgeous Giulietta

Alfa Romeo’s newest mid-sized family hatch

Another debut announced for Geneva is Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta. Taking styling cues from Alfa’s acknowledged beauty, the 8C Competizione, certainly isn’t a bad thing and taster pictures released show a compact, sporty supermini destined to outshine its rivals in the style stakes.

TESTDRIVE MASERATI GRANTURISMO S

James Kevin Mac Goris gets a taste of la dolce vita behind the wheel of the Italian automaker’s latest seductress

I’m shooting the breeze with the ghost of Marcello Mastroianni, admiring my new Maserati GranTurismo S… ‘What’s the ‘S’ for?’ asks Marcello, flicking his eyes to the badge on the back of the car. ‘Sex’ I reply, nodding toward the passenger door which opens to admit an elegantly stockinged leg silkily alight, the point of the tapered Ferragamo heel just touching down on the shimmering asphalt…

That’s Maserati’s S effect. And for good measure, in Italian. Right from its seamlessly flowing form – all the curves in the right places, to the surge you get behind the wheel, coaxing the best out of the magnificent V8. V for voluptuous, of course.

This car’s lithe sensuality puts it in a class of its own. One evening in front of a restaurant, I parked it beside a dark-blue DB9. The contrast couldn’t have been greater as an impromptu survey of the diners on the terrace confirmed – everybody said that my car was the lady. The Aston Martin may have been cool, but the Maserati was hot.

And not just in the car park. On the highway, the GranTurismo S is what the badge says – an elegant, luxurious and very fast cruiser. But get it into the twists and curves of country roads and things turn hot and noisy very quickly. The ZF six-speed auto transmission is one of the fastest on the market, but I don’t recommend using it off the highway, unless you like driving in lunatic mode. The manual is just as precise, and particularly fun when you’re shifting down through those throttle roars that sound like a Ferrari that’s drunk too much honey.

Which makes sense, as a Ferrari 4.7, 433bhp V8 powers this Italian temptress, all the way up to 285 kmh if you like. Of course, there are faster cars, but none make a more intoxicating sound -especially when you press the Sport mode button, thus opening a bypass in the exhaust and liberating countless decibels of racetrack mayhem, as well as extra horsepower. It was too much for me not to have Sport on almost all the time, particularly in narrow streets, accelerating out of péage tollbooths and blasting through long tunnels.

So there you go – hot, noisy and very, very fast. Some experts say the GranTurismo S is one of the best cars Maserati has ever produced – not having tried every Maserati I can’t comment. But I can say that it’s one of the sexiesst cars I’ve ever driven. And the sexiest, by far.

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